Need help validating my research and choices

[BEC111]

I’ve reached the point that I need to strongly consider an ebike. My main usage would be for traveling the Washington & Old Dominion trail about 20 miles each way from Ashburn, Virginia. my current bike is a Cannondale Adventure 1, which suits me pretty well physically, but my old bones need help. I’m 72.

in my research I’ve come to realize that I need to use a local dealer or Velofix (for an online purchase). The dealer option, with the ability to test ride would be best, though the choices near Ashburn seem limited. I’d rather not have to drive my car for an hour or more to purchase or more important maintaining and repairing the bike makes no sense.

I’ve also mostly concluded that a mid-mount motor would probably be better, but I’m not convinced. Since I might want to ride local streets for the occasional shopping trip, I’ve considered class 3 bikes, but suspect they might be too much for me to handle.

There are too many brands and models to choose from only based upon web research. I’ve been considering what’s called ”Commuters“ but am open to other styles The local dealers carry Trek, Specialized Turbo, Electra, Evolo and a couple of others.

Since it’s not possible to go shopping right now, I have the luxury of learning more before I go to a store. So, am I on the right track on dealers, vs. online? How about design choices? Also, which nearby dealers would be best.

Thanks

 

[indianajo]

You have to be pretty handy to repair the electric part of a bike yourself. Some percentage of ebikes have a bug, worse than cars because there is no dealer computer. I handle that by buying a throwaway motor/controller/paspickup/throttle/brake. $250 to pitch the whole thing in the trash & start over. You buy a e-bike, you've got $999-6999 invested in a possible boat anchor. Bosch abandoned their first generation of motors, no conversion parts to new models available, and they have about 20% of the market.
Driving an hour should not be the criteria. you'll handle brakes/shifter/tires yourself since you have been a biker for a while. Just the disasters need to go to the dealer. I just replaced a chain, first time in 69 years, took a coupla days but works fine in the end. Wear nytril gloves.
I hate the idea of a mid drive, I pedal myself as much as possible and a geared hub motor doesn't drag unpowered. The only mid drives that don't drag unpowered are yamaha shimano & brose. I'm age 69, like keeping my heart lungs in shape, expecially with pneumonia on the horizon, but don't want any more 6 hours at 144 bpm days like the one September 2018 where the wind was 25 mph in my face and the sun was hot. My 30 mile commute is 3.5 hours whatever the weather is. Also my knees lock up if I twist my foot; those days the bike has longer range & better off road capability (my driveway) than an electric wheelchair. Throttle control is very important to me for that reason. Banned on many trails in Pennsylvania, I read.
BTW my front hub drive led to 5000 miles before chain replacement recently.
I like the thought of the xstream catalina which combines natural feeling torque sensor with a geared hub motor, suspension, disk brakes for $1700. PAS is often too fast and accelerates too quick, I took my Pas sensor off and went to throttle only. Catalina bike only fits middle sized people though, too big for me.
Happy shopping.

 

[MAPC]

My current bike is also a Cannondale Adventure 1. I looked at a lot of eBikes (mostly online, at least at first) and then concluded that while there were some impressive internet bikes at great prices (Aventon Level, Rad City, etc.) that I really wanted/needed local support. In addition to the ones you listed, the other option near me was Pedego.

Not sure if you have a Pedego dealer near you but if so I'd recommend their City Commuter (based on what you say you are looking for).

I went with the Specialized Turbo Vado. Not as upright as a true commuter but met all of my criteria and was an incredible value in terms of build quality, specs, quality of components, etc relative to the price with double rebate (which ended this past weekend).

I hope that this was helpful.....as others on here were incredibly helpful to me in my decision (I belabored Turbo Vado and Turbo Como endlessly!).

 

[BEC111]

You have to be pretty handy to repair the electric part of a bike yourself. Some percentage of ebikes have a bug, worse than cars because there is no dealer computer. I handle that by buying a throwaway motor/controller/paspickup/throttle/brake. $250 to pitch the whole thing in the trash & start over. You buy a e-bike, you've got $999-6999 invested in a possible boat anchor. Bosch abandoned their first generation of motors, no conversion parts to new models available, and they have about 20% of the market.
Driving an hour should not be the criteria. you'll handle brakes/shifter/tires yourself since you have been a biker for a while. Just the disasters need to go to the dealer. I just replaced a chain, first time in 69 years, took a coupla days but works fine in the end. Wear nytril gloves.
I hate the idea of a mid drive, I pedal myself as much as possible and a geared hub motor doesn't drag unpowered. The only mid drives that don't drag unpowered are yamaha shimano & brose. I'm age 69, like keeping my heart lungs in shape, expecially with pneumonia on the horizon, but don't want any more 6 hours at 144 bpm days like the one September 2018 where the wind was 25 mph in my face and the sun was hot. My 30 mile commute is 3.5 hours whatever the weather is. Also my knees lock up if I twist my foot; those days the bike has longer range & better off road capability (my driveway) than an electric wheelchair. Throttle control is very important to me for that reason. Banned on many trails in Pennsylvania, I read.
BTW my front hub drive led to 5000 miles before chain replacement recently.
I like the thought of the xstream catalina which combines natural feeling torque sensor with a geared hub motor, suspension, disk brakes for $1700. PAS is often too fast and accelerates too quick, I took my Pas sensor off and went to throttle only. Catalina bike only fits middle sized people though, too big for me.
Happy shopping.

Thanks for the reply. I‘d forgotten about throttles and pedaling without power. When I finally go to dealers for test rides your point about basic repairs being relatively simple does make me more comfortable with an internet bike, especially if Velofix is involved for assembly. You’ve been a big help.

 

[BEC111]

My current bike is also a Cannondale Adventure 1. I looked at a lot of eBikes (mostly online, at least at first) and then concluded that while there were some impressive internet bikes at great prices (Aventon Level, Rad City, etc.) that I really wanted/needed local support. In addition to the ones you listed, the other option near me was Pedego.

Not sure if you have a Pedego dealer near you but if so I'd recommend their City Commuter (based on what you say you are looking for).

I went with the Specialized Turbo Vado. Not as upright as a true commuter but met all of my criteria and was an incredible value in terms of build quality, specs, quality of components, etc relative to the price with double rebate (which ended this past weekend).

I hope that this was helpful.....as others on here were incredibly helpful to me in my decision (I belabored Turbo Vado and Turbo Como endlessly!).

Thanks for the reply. Though Velofix makes internet bios less risky from the assembly and maintenance POV, per my previous response, your clarity is helpful.
I’ve been seriously considering the Vado. it seems to have geometry similar to the Adventure. Probably adds to the attraction. Shame I missed the rebates, but I’m not ready to buy now anyway.
BTW, how do you like the Adventure. I’ve had it about a year and really like it. it handles really well, is speedy and light enough to put on my car rack or the zero weight rack I have in my garage. This reminds me of one of my biggest ebike concerns, weight. I’m going to have to pay attention to that during the test rides.

 

[MAPC]

Thanks for the reply. Though Velofix makes internet bios less risky from the assembly and maintenance POV, per my previous response, your clarity is helpful.
I’ve been seriously considering the Vado. it seems to have geometry similar to the Adventure. Probably adds to the attraction. Shame I missed the rebates, but I’m not ready to buy now anyway.
BTW, how do you like the Adventure. I’ve had it about a year and really like it. it handles really well, is speedy and light enough to put on my car rack or the zero weight rack I have in my garage. This reminds me of one of my biggest ebike concerns, weight. I’m going to have to pay attention to that during the test rides.

My Adventure is quite old (maybe 10 years) but I really like it. Not sure if the geometry is the same as yours but it is more upright and less forward than the Vado. The Como sits more like the Adventure.
If you don’t need (or want) class 3, then the Como or Vado 2.0 is worth looking at, and is less expensive.
The Pedego City Commuter was a lot like the Adventure but with a slightly more relaxed feel.
Weight is going to be an issue due to the battery and motor. I wouldn’t want to lift one of these on top of my car!

 

[rich c]

Both of the things you are discounting, class 3 and mid drive, are the 2 most important features for me. I'm crazy about the Bosch drive system. It provides an incredibly smooth and natural riding experience, just like riding a traditional bike. And I like to cruise around 20mph, and often am at 22-23mph. A class 2 on some eBikes will start to feather out around 19.5

 

[BEC111]

Thanks. Big help.
I drive a CRV. Can’t imagine getting any adult bike on its roof. Probably have trouble with a kid’s bike.

 

[Browneye]

Your LBS's (local bike shop) should be open - bikes are 'essential' and if they have ebikes in stock will provide a demo ride for you. Visit as many as you can and ride as many demo's as you can stand. You'll gain a much better feel for what you like and don't like, and be able to make an educated decision. Don't buy on blind faith, luck, looks, or specs.

 

[indianajo]

Thanks. Big help.
I drive a CRV. Can’t imagine getting any adult bike on its roof. Probably have trouble with a kid’s bike.

If a bike you bought in Reston becomes unrideable due to electrical problems, you could rent a Uhaul pickup to take back to the dealer. Then you wouldn't have to lift the bike much. Much cheaper to rent a uhaul than boxing it up and shipping it back to California warehouse. I stored my box in case of trouble and it warped & became unuseable. Takes seriously dry storage for that enormous box to remain useful.
I don't quite understand the bicycle culture of minimum weight. When I rode in remote group rides, I put the bike in my station wagon. No lifting of it over my head. As far as cranking it up hill, I weigh double what my 75 lb bike weighs, and would be quadruple a 37 lb bike. I lost a whole road bicycle, almost two, of my own weight by pedaling a bicycle around after I quit work.
If you intend to do a lot of touring in a small car, there are roll on bike racks for the back.

 

[Dewey]

Bikes@Vienna are a Tern dealer, a 16 mile ride down the W&OD trail from you. They’re currently open Wed-Sun 12-6 for test rides by appointment. The Tern Vektron D7i model is a folding 20” ebike with a Bafang M400 mid-drive motor (no throttle) for two grand. The handlebar stem on Tern bikes is very adjustable.

 

[dodahman]

Test ride as much as possible before buying

 

[BEC111]

Bikes@Vienna are a Tern dealer, a 16 mile ride down the W&OD trail from you. They’re currently open Wed-Sun 12-6 for test rides by appointment. The Tern Vektron D7i model is a folding 20” ebike with a Bafang M400 mid-drive motor (no throttle) for two grand. The handlebar stem on Tern bikes is very adjustable.

Thanks for pointing out another dealer. Didn’t know about them. I haven‘t seriously considered a folding bike, though they do sort of answer the transport issue.

Something else to check out.