Narrowing down my first ebike

[kevintari]

Hey everyone,

I tried a Scott Strike mountain bike last week, my first time on an ebike, and I loved it! The size, power and style were perfect...but my budget is more like $1,500 for $4,000+.

I have it narrowed down to a few right now:

-The Aventon Level 500 - love that I can get it in less than 3 weeks too, maybe sooner.
-The R1U 700 series - similar to the Avanton, probably my top pick so far, but a longer wait. Controller is the same as the Scoot, which I like.
-Sondors MDX - A true mountain bike, nice style, seems tough and well-built.
-Espin Sport - the best value among these I think, but late October arrival means missing a lot of great riding season.
-Revi Predator - don't know as much about this one, good price point.
-RadRover 5 - Love the style, not sure about not having hydraulic brakes (do they make a big difference? I imagine so).
-Olic Tank Mountain bike - don't know a lot about this one, interesting design, I can get one right now. Foldability is nice but not a requirement.

Thoughts? Any I should definitely stay away from? Any others that are in stock I should consider?

Thanks!

 

[kevintari]

Add the NCM Moscow to that list as well...so many choices!

 

[indianajo]

Be sure to read known problems thread about any bike you choose. One brand you mention has 17 threads about loose spokes. They give you a free spoke if one comes loose. It takes 2-3 hours to take the display off, turn the bike upside down, remove tire & tube, replace the spoke, straighten wheel, and put all back together again. Imagine doing that 72 times. Another brand has 2 owners under maintenance forum complaining about multiple loose spokes.
Your higher cost bikes, trek, giant, cannondale, pedego, don't have such complaints. Dealers won't put up with that on a bike they sell. My yubabike left was $1500 before I added power to it, and had real steel spokes and control cables that require no maintenance (but oil on the cables). Definitely visit a dealer, you'll see a whole different class of bike. Except of course, ***-mart. I bought a Samsung TV from ***'s club, got an entire 16 months out of it before it stopped turning on. Always a bargain at ***-mart.

 

[BET]

We have a R1up 500 and a Espin Sport. Good bikes. The 700 is similar to the Sport. Sport is $1200. Both have hydraulic brakes. My son's disk brakes squeak some. The Ride1up is programable so you can change parameters like top speed, number of levels of assist, power at each level, etc. and throttle works even if PAS at 0. In Sport PAS has to at least be on PAS 1 or higher for throttle to work. That does not bother me. Strong motors, good brakes. Good fit and finish. No spoke issues. Keep your spokes tight. Espin has a new model, Nero, with 4 in tires. All bikes will take a while to ship and delivery dates may change.

 

[GenXrider]

I would pick the R1U 700 of that selection, although the Sport is also a nice option for $300 less.

 

[kevintari]

Got the Aventon Level and love it!

 

[Bigal1463]

Welcome and good luck on you Level. A wise choice.