Looking to learn about Electric Bikes

[Rich Baum]

Hello everyone,
I have no idea how to start but I’ll just put it out.
Told my wife I’d like to get a new bike for my “Latter Years” to help stay in shape and she suggested maybe an E Bike.
No idea about E Bikes and it seems the more I learn the less I know so I’m starting down the road to my first E Bike.
My plans are to use this bike on our bike path with slight hills. I’d like to plan to go 15-25 miles and thinking electric assist might really help and also be soooo much fun to ride.
As far as desired speed I can only think 20 mph would be more than enough.
Don’t want to spend a fortune and thinking about $2000 a $2500 max should get me a pretty good solid bike but I also know Its smarter to get the bike I really want rather than get the wrong one and loose a bunch of money selling a few months down the road.
I’m 60 year old, 172 lbs 5’ 10”
Living in Sacramento, Northern CA
Ok physical condition for biking but have several issues including bad left shoulder and bad right elbow so looking for a semi upright bike to take stress off my arms.

So please help guide me towards what to read, where to learn and any other resources.
Feel free to recommend any bike you think I should check out. Web sites too.

 

[Spdrpg]

Hi,

I recommend you this post of selected ebikes in different price ranges. You can also read more background information on the website.

https://emobilityhq.com/electric-mountain-bike-selection-january/

If you are more interested in city bikes, new posts will come in the next week, also mentioning some US based shops.

I hope its helpful
David

 

[Gary R Peacock]

Hello everyone,
I have no idea how to start but I’ll just put it out.
Told my wife I’d like to get a new bike for my “Latter Years” to help stay in shape and she suggested maybe an E Bike.
No idea about E Bikes and it seems the more I learn the less I know so I’m starting down the road to my first E Bike.
My plans are to use this bike on our bike path with slight hills. I’d like to plan to go 15-25 miles and thinking electric assist might really help and also be soooo much fun to ride.
As far as desired speed I can only think 20 mph would be more than enough.
Don’t want to spend a fortune and thinking about $2000 a $2500 max should get me a pretty good solid bike but I also know Its smarter to get the bike I really want rather than get the wrong one and loose a bunch of money selling a few months down the road.
I’m 60 year old, 172 lbs 5’ 10”
Living in Sacramento, Northern CA
Ok physical condition for biking but have several issues including bad left shoulder and bad right elbow so looking for a semi upright bike to take stress off my arms.

So please help guide me towards what to read, where to learn and any other resources.
Feel free to recommend any bike you think I should check out. Web sites too.

 

[Gary R Peacock]

I am also in the market for a first time ebike. I'm 65 years old, live at the top of a three mile hill and want to be able to come home after a 30 mile ride and not feel wiped out. I recently vacationed in central Florida and the dealer there suggested I take advantage of the Trek 14 day no questions asked return policy. i didn't like the idea at first, but he strongly encouraged me so I purchased the new Trek Verve+ at $2299. Rode it for about 150 miles and really put it through its paces. Had it for over a week and tried a bunch of different things like letting the battery run out and peddled 10+ miles without power / one day strictly in the ECO mode / one day strictly in the TURBO mode. I really loved the bike, but was not ready to buy until I try others brands. I did try the Giant Rode e+ and loved it too. But has drop down bars and I want more upright so that brought me to the Giant Quick e+. This one looks great but more expensive. ($3500-4000) We have tons of snow now so i will be waiting until spring or a mid winter thaw to test drive this one. Also looking at the Trek XM 700 (not sure if exact model #). That looks pretty good too but will have to wait til spring. I have gotten advice from a few folks to be sure and get a bike locally where you can get it serviced, so for me that means Trek or Giant. I live near Adirondack Mtns NYS and its a very rural area/not a lot of choices for dealers. It makes sense to have access to good service. So I am reading a lot on forums & such and waiting till spring. I think I'll find something in Trek or Giant that will fit the bill, but will probably end up spending more than $2500. Probably as much as $4k for the Giant Quick e+. So my advice to you, based on my limited experience, is to take a close look at the Verve+. It has the 20mph motor and the tires are wide enough to go on trails, I think. I've owned several Treks and they have served me very well. If you have a Trek dealer near you, take advantage of the 14 day return policy. If nothing else, it will give you a baseline to compare other models. Hope that helps! P.S. I have been looking at the Haibikes and they look really great, but there is no dealer around here, so that option is out for me, but you might have dealers out there. If so, I have heard great things about that brand.

 

[rich c]

I'd suggest a Specialized Turbo Como 2.0. Beautiful bike, 20mph, and a really easy upright ride. Very close to your price range at $2600. I'm also 65. I ride speed pedelec Haibikes, but rode that Specialized at the local bike shop. Coming down hills, I was a bit annoyed at the speed assist pulling and stopping as I rode in the 19-21mph range. I ride the 28mph bikes, but almost never get above 23. I have one rail trail I ride that has a negative grade for about 10 miles. I ride it in the 22 mph range. Of course not that speed on the way home, but I could!

 

[Chris Hammond]

I'd suggest look at Rad ebikes. The Rad City and Rad Rover would likely fit your needs well. They are priced very well at ~$1500 and come with 48V / 14Ah battery. The battery is clearly one of the most important parts of and ebike, and the one most likely to make you feel like you bought the wrong bike if you get one with a battery that is not big enough to meet your needs. There are tons of class 2 options available so you shouldn't have much trouble finding something to fit your needs.