Luna Grit 220? - 34 mile commute!

[Citycrosser]

I'm simply tired of driving my car every day and I'd like to start bike commuting. However, my commute is 34 miles each way but I do have the luxury of a rail to trail that will take me nearly the entire way to work (the trails is 2 miles from my house and about 1.5 miles from work). The Putnam Trailway (NY) and North County Trailway are relatively flat and I've ridden to work with an old road bike (Bridgestone RB-4) a few times.

I'm used to drop bars so the Luna Grit 220 appeals to me but I also like the integration of the SmartMotion Pacer and/or the Specialized Turbo series. The price of the Grit is certainly appealing and it looks like it can go the distance. I can charge up at work during the day so that helps. I'd like to add fenders and a rear rack to the grit while the Pacer and Turbo both come with fenders and a rack.

Reviews of the Grit 220 are hard to come by, anyone out there ridden it and could comment? Other thoughts?

I'd like to be able to ride anytime the trail isn't snow covered, any thoughts on riding the Grit in the rain?

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I'm simply tired of driving my car every day and I'd like to start bike commuting. However, my commute is 34 miles each way but I do have the luxury of a rail to trail that will take me nearly the entire way to work (the trails is 2 miles from my house and about 1.5 miles from work). The Putnam Trailway (NY) and North County Trailway are relatively flat and I've ridden to work with an old road bike (Bridgestone RB-4) a few times.

I'm used to drop bars so the Luna Grit 220 appeals to me but I also like the integration of the SmartMotion Pacer and/or the Specialized Turbo series. The price of the Grit is certainly appealing and it looks like it can go the distance. I can charge up at work during the day so that helps. I'd like to add fenders and a rear rack to the grit while the Pacer and Turbo both come with fenders and a rack.

Reviews of the Grit 220 are hard to come by, anyone out there ridden it and could comment? Other thoughts?

I'd like to be able to ride anytime the trail isn't snow covered, any thoughts on riding the Grit in the rain?

With the Jumbo shark pack 48V, 17.5Ah, you can easily handle that commute.
Make sure you get some fenders and 2+" tires because that bike doesn't have suspension. Also, it only comes in large size.

If you are < 6ft, then Smart motion pacer would work too.

 

[Citycrosser]

I'm 6' 2" so the large size is just fine! Thanks for the advice on the battery pack. The trailway is pretty smooth and I'm used to the ride of a road bike but commuting every day might get rough. I figured I could get some sort of suspension seat post but I haven't investigated those yet.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I'm 6' 2" so the large size is just fine! Thanks for the advice on the battery pack. The trailway is pretty smooth and I'm used to the ride of a road bike but commuting every day might get rough. I figured I could get some sort of suspension seat post but I haven't investigated those yet.

For the money, it's a solid bike. Down the line, you may need some maintenance but you can read up on that.
If you can handle small mechanical issues, Grit is a good choice.
If you shop around, you would be able to get a Haibike w/ extra battery or Specialized w/ large 691 Whr battery.... this time of the year is great to grab end-of-season sale bikes.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

I got my E-MTB from Luna as well with BBSHD. The Luna bike I had needs to be tweaked. I have to remove the gear sensor and install a brake switch which does a better job in cutting power on shifting, I have to tie the battery to the downtube with bungee cord to prevent power cutoff on bumps. I found the stock program from the controller is designed to "impress" but is not necessarily practical for commuting and for optimum battery range. I did experiment around on the controller setting using my other ebikes as my benchmark. I arrived with the setting that suits my preference (below);
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/diy-without-the-diy.6981/page-4
Overall, I am still happy with the ebike since I love to tinker around.

If tinkering around is not your thing, this may not be the right ebike for you.