Need an ebike that will climb a stiff grade on my commute

[Reddy Kilowatt]

Hi all:
My first post here. By way of introduction, I need an ebike for commuting to work, running to the dump, the laundramat, and the grocery store.
For some bad behavior in my past, a car (or a license at least) is not an option. Thanks to my great boss, I can get in to work and home again, but I've been stuck in my cottage and at work for the last eight months, so this is going to be a freedom machine for me.
I don't have a lot of $$$, so I picked up a $750.00 hub drive X-Treme XB300Li. Holy cats, let me tell you given the 8%, one mile grade between me and work (and town) that hub drive puppy was a dog that wouldn't hunt. I mean to say, it's a nice bike if you live in Florida, but I live in the quiet corner of Connecticut and this X-Treme wouldn't pull the skin off chocolate pudding.
I want to get an Optibike Pioneer Allroad because I think it will work for me. Any thoughts. I have pretty bad COPD so I can't really pedal the thing as much as I wish I could. Thankfully I weigh less than 120 pounds and won't add more than 20-30 pounds of groceries or laundry at most. Any thoughts?
Allen

 

[JoePah]

If you're planning to be a long term ebiker, sell this one and buy a high quality ebike that will give you years of good service.

Probably need to spend at least $2000-3000 to suit your needs. and buy a 500 watt + motor.

There is a dealer near you in Bloomfield selling out Stromer ST1.. probably get a good deal on a year end closeout
http://www.ebay.com

 

[Clark]

I would listen to JoePah, and I would be wary of buying an Optibike only because of your location, I'm in Jersey, also looked at Optibike but if anything goes wrong you can't go to your LBS. If you read EBR enough you come to realize lot's of things go wrong with ebikes and you should buy what you want, but as close to where you live as possible, so WHEN something goes wrong you can take it there, not ship it halfway across the country.

Clark

 

[Bike_On]

Optibike gave me great service and has been around a while. As stated before, things will happen on an ebike. Most of the manuf will pay a LBS for basic repairs for warranty items. If you read the problems with the E3 Path, there is a lot of material being shipped via mail so no LBS is going to be a full service shop with stocked material, it will be coordinated from HQ.

Hub motors can be heavy and underwhelming on hills. A mid drive is better call for hill riding.

The Pioneer has throttle, PAS, 500W, mid drive, warranty and an Optibike MBB.

 

[Kaldeem]

@Clark Actually, Optibike has a One Year warranty on everything with their E bikes, and since it's a mid-drive bottom bracket(MBB) motor as opposed to a rear hub, there's less maintenance and if the bike needs servicing for anything other than mechanical issues any bike shop should be able to handle it.

Cheers.
(PIONEER ALL-ROAD!!! 4LIFE)

 

[Clark]

@Kaldeem, I looked into Optibike, it's how I first found out about ebikes, my buddy commutes on a M7 25 miles a day, in Colorado. Great company, warranty etc. However, in Reddy Kilowatt's query he says the ebike is pretty much going to be his only mode of transport, if and when he has a problem with the mid-drive, the closest possible dealer for him would be Hybrid Pedals down in Arlington, Virginia. The point I was trying to make (probably badly) is if I were in his situation, I would buy what I wanted locally, that way if something were to go wrong, either in warranty or not, I would go to the dealer I purchased from, and have him handle it. If he couldn't handle it, I would expect HIM to be on the phone to the manufacturer to resolve the problem, in effect act as my advocate. The community forum in EBR is brimming with this exact situation playing out over and over in different threads. I would rather be in that situation than be left up to my own devices to figure out what number to call, and where I need to ship something etc, after spending my hard earned $'s, and not being able to talk to someone face to face. So again if my ebike was my only means of transportation, I'd have to go local, if for nothing else, than at least peace of mind. Just my 2 cents.

Clark

 

[calvin]

I feel like a broken record, but I'll say it again. If you have a steep hill(s) to climb you better get a 48 volt motor/battery system with the battery being 15 amp hours. The motor, 500 watt minimum, preferably 750 watt geared rear hub motor. Hard to find somethin' like that? Yup but otherwise, you is gonna be real unhappy. The Pioneer is 36 volt, midmount, that's good for the flats, not up hill. Call Optibike up first.

 

[Shea N Encinitas]

Hi Reddy & welcome to the clubhouse

Since you are lookin to do dump & grocery runs (perhaps not in that order), maybe you should install that hub motor on a BOB trailer (or one you build from the junkyard) and finance (if possible) a 3 - 4 thousand dollar ebike. Sounds like you have a good job, imagine having two motors helping you out! ABC, always be charging.

It takes a bit of research (right here, tnx court), and a leap of faith, but I'm sure you will figure something out. BTW I enjoyed the character and eloquence of your first post, keep em coming. -S

 

[Reddy Kilowatt]

I appreciate your concerns gentlemen. I am going to have to be my own bike mechanic here because I live in the country and the nearest LBS is a fifty-dollar cab ride away and they know nothing about ebikes. I don't need them for the routine maintenance as I used to do all my own bike wrenching and I still have the tools. FWIW, I've been a mechanic of one sort or another for more than four decades. (I fix computers now (Macs), but in my experience, troubleshooting is troubleshooting.)
Also I expect few problems with this steed (probably mostly flats) and I'm confident that Optibike will work with me on any other problems that rear their ugly heads. Regrettably there are not a lot of choices for me. Sorry, if you think that makes me sound like a bit of a shitbird; perhaps I am, but, quite frankly, I do not have too many other options left open to me in my life. I am doing the best I can under the circumstances.
Nonetheless, thank you for your input. Though I am likely to ignore most of it—I don't have much choice—it does give me food for thought.
You guys and the other members of this forum are definitely improving the complexion of my life and I appreciate your words of wisdom. Just don't be too pissed off if I ignore many of them.
Allen

 

[BenS]

ABC, always be charging.

I like it. I'm hearing Alec Baldwin.

Sorry, if you think that makes me sound like a bit of a shitbird; perhaps I am, but, quite frankly, I do not have too many other options left open to me in my life. I am doing the best I can under the circumstances.
Nonetheless, thank you for your input. Though I am likely to ignore most of it—I don't have much choice—it does give me food for thought.
You guys and the other members of this forum are definitely improving the complexion of my life and I appreciate your words of wisdom. Just don't be too pissed off if I ignore many of them.
Allen

Allen, the people here are much more laid back than in other forums. All different shapes, sizes, tastes, and requirements...if someone is irritated with answering your questions, then they are approaching their kicked-back-in-front-of-the-tv-forum-chatting time way too seriously.
Besides, if you are a mechanic you can give back by answering my dumb questions now and then.

I don't know how tall you are, but you are pretty lightweight. Court's reviews of the smaller, 20" wheel bikes always mention that those smaller wheels give the motor an advantage on hills. Have you considered the Juiced Riders ODK? It has monster range...I believe up to 70 miles. It's only $200 more than the Optibike Pioneer Allroad. Very different from the Optibike aesthetically, but here's Court's review:

http://electricbikereview.com/juiced-riders/odk-v3/

 

[Clark]

Allen, like water off a duck's back, ya know? What I like about EBR is that
although you have people of all different stripes here, we all share one thing in common, interest in ebikes, which I think, like it or not, makes everyone here
a bit of a nonconformist, to me this is a good thing. When someone posts a reply they give it knowing full well the poster is gonna do in the end whatever the hell is best for them anyway, albeit hopefully with more knowledge than they started with. I look forward to hearing what you end up doing - and if it is the Allroad, give us a review of how the bike performs.

Clark

 

[Chicagoland Ebikes]

I appreciate your concerns gentlemen. I am going to have to be my own bike mechanic here because I live in the country and the nearest LBS is a fifty-dollar cab ride away and they know nothing about ebikes. I don't need them for the routine maintenance as I used to do all my own bike wrenching and I still have the tools. FWIW, I've been a mechanic of one sort or another for more than four decades. (I fix computers now (Macs), but in my experience, troubleshooting is troubleshooting.)
Also I expect few problems with this steed (probably mostly flats) and I'm confident that Optibike will work with me on any other problems that rear their ugly heads. Regrettably there are not a lot of choices for me. Sorry, if you think that makes me sound like a bit of a shitbird; perhaps I am, but, quite frankly, I do not have too many other options left open to me in my life. I am doing the best I can under the circumstances.
Nonetheless, thank you for your input. Though I am likely to ignore most of it—I don't have much choice—it does give me food for thought.
You guys and the other members of this forum are definitely improving the complexion of my life and I appreciate your words of wisdom. Just don't be too pissed off if I ignore many of them.
Allen

I agree with Ben, the juiced rider ODK as I mentioned in another post in a beast of a tugboat. The battery is 48v 20Ah, and 500w motor. They are back in stock in about 3 weeks: http://www.juicedriders.com …only prob is the budget may not work. Hope you find a dog that hunts like a Golden retriever!

 

[Dan Mortenson]

Hey there, Reddy. I'm also looking for my first e-ride, and I'm thinking of a 48v, 1000w ride. I figure the over-rating of everything will translate into a system that is NOT always stressed out, and can go up hills with ease when required.

 

[Kaldeem]

@Dan Mortenson I don't know any eBikes with those specks/numbers... I've seen eKits but they don't get good reviews. What bikes have you seen with those specks? If money isn't an issue, I would go with optibike R8 HD or a Stromer ST2.

 

[Chicagoland Ebikes]

Hey there, Reddy. I'm also looking for my first e-ride, and I'm thinking of a 48v, 1000w ride. I figure the over-rating of everything will translate into a system that is NOT always stressed out, and can go up hills with ease when required.

Hi Dan,
Kaldeem is correct. Anything over 750w is not street legal...thus generally not in mass production. See laws here.

Also, keep in mind that the trade-off of a larger motor is that it will draw more power from the battery…thereby reducing range. There are lots of factors to consider when choosing an ebike.

Feel welcome to use our online e-bike selection wizard. I am happy to make recommendations, of electric bikes you may want to put on your short list. Happy ebike hunting!

Chicagoland Electric Bikes

 

[JoePah]

Hey there, Reddy. I'm also looking for my first e-ride, and I'm thinking of a 48v, 1000w ride. I figure the over-rating of everything will translate into a system that is NOT always stressed out, and can go up hills with ease when required.

What hills do is eat up range... So if you're relying on the battery doing most of the work, your range will truly suffer. Just plan on carrying an extra battery... And if the grade is over 8% on your hills, you should start asking the dealer about motor torque.... If youre willing to do half the work, almost any 500 watt DD motor will do..

 

[Dan Mortenson]

[QUOTE="Kaldeem, post: What bikes have you seen with those specks? If money isn't an issue, I would go with optibike R8 HD or a Stromer ST2.[/QUOTE]

Dillenger has a conversion kit with those specs:

http://dillengerelectricbikes.com/shop/electric-bike-conversion-kits/1000w-10ah-electric-bike-kit/

Looks like good components... the hills in question make a longish ride much longer, but they don't make up the majority of the route. My main idea in wanting a 1000w motor, is to extend the motor life with better power handling. I plan to resin the magnets and windings as well (so the sea air won't eat them up before their time), so the power overrating will (I figure) counter for any impaired cooling from applying the resin...

Also, the bike I'm converting is a Performer trike, current weight about 65 lb, and I have a light home-built trailer as well. I think I can use the power...