New guy wants too get his first eBike

[Waterobert]

Hi! About four years ago I got new job which was only 11 miles from my home. I wanted to ride my road bike to work since gas prices were way up there and I could exercise while saving money. Great idea however on my first ride I realized that it is 11 miles uphill ! I did make it, however I wasn't going to do it again. Then I got idea to buy eBike but quickly gave up due to the cost. Recently, I have been exploring purchasing eBike again since prices are getting more in touch with my budget. I am hopping that this forum will give me better understanding off what eBikes are about and how to get best bike for my needs. I plan to use it mostly on public roads, I am not that much into off road dirt bikes. I do know this saying, that you get what you pay for. I don't want to go cheap and buy next year again. I plan on reading previous post and get general idea on what is good out there, however technology is getting better every year. Anyway, what would be good bike to buy? Who is producing reliable eBikes? Are most expensive so much better? Thanks for your help.

 

[George S.]

You are buying a motor and a battery, plus some electronics. There are very solid motors that cost $300-400. Battery costs have dropped, and most packs now go Samsung or Panasonic. You want a decent frame, obviously, decent brakes. You may have to upgrade tires and tubes. Read the reviews and see what you get for $800 or $1500 or $3000. Bikes get more refined as prices jump. What you need can be fancy or simple, what you want can be anything. A Sondors bike has a Bafang motor (huge, quality company) and good cells in the battery. It's $800. You need to figure out why.

 

[Waterobert]

I went to a local e-Bike only bike store and took few bikes for a ride. I was very happy with performance off more than one bike. Actually all had plenty power to impress me. I must say that there was no hill to actually really test extreme driving conditions. Anyway, there is no way that I will be able to stop myself from buying one LOL. Since I am looking for road bike and don't care that much about off road riding, my choices are limited.

 

[Waterobert]

One off the bikes I liked was EASY MOTION NEO CARBON , 36v with 350w motor. Since it has carbon fiber frame, bike is light and surprisingly fast. It is on sale since it's 2013 for $2800. Original price was about $4500. There are two things I didn't like about it: battery is only 8Ahr and motor is only 350W. Store owner is willing to change it to 12Ahr and give me second charger. Also motor is rear hub and some people on this forum don't recommend that type. Anyway, I think that I like that bike a lot, since it looks like real road bike. It is at very end off my budget so I want to sleep on it and make my final call tomorrow. I am just wondering if any off you had bad experience with that bike or that company? Thanks for your help.

 

[George S.]

Here's a new one:

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A lot happens in three years. Solid brand. There are dealers who will be way below this.

 

[Waterobert]

Thank you George. Actually I just edited my post, I got the name wrong. Bike I am talking about is EASY MOTION NEO CARBON. Sorry about that. What would be your recommendation in $2-3000 price range?

 

[George S.]

Yeah, I've seen a Carbon. I think it is discontinued. I wouldn't pay that much. Lots of great choices in the Easy Motion lineup. Check out some of Court's reviews. Some are commuters and hybrids, some are closer to racers. You seem to know what you want and that price is doable.

There are several EM owners on this forum who might say something. I think they went to 48v batteries this year. That's a plus.

Best wishes!

 

[Waterobert]

Thanks, I can see that most new bikes are 48V and 36V is on the way out. That is why I asked if I can have second charger in case if they stop making them.

 

[E-Wheels]

Hi Waterobert,
Have you considered Giant's e-bike range?
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If you are after more of a road style e-bike then the Road E+ https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/series/road.e/24987/ may be of interest
Found this review http://road.cc/content/feature/196199-e-bike-vs-road-bike-shootout-austrias-toughest-climb
Court has already done quite a few road e-bike reviews https://electricbikereview.com/category/road/

 

[pxpaulx]

@Waterobert Skip the old stock neo and get yourself a new evo, you'll be happy with that choice!

 

[Waterobert]

Too late, I bought it for $2700! Future will tell if this bike will work out for me. With 30 gears I should be fine. In not so distant past I rode few centuries . Also bike came with 12 Ahr battery and two chargers , so bike may not be the latest and greatest but over all I guess I made good purchase. I also like that I got it from local store, we need to support small bike shops.

 

[pxpaulx]

Congrats! I agree with supporting local, but I like keeping money in my wallet more. I bought my (now sold last year) neo xtrem for what I thought was a good deal at the time, but felt a little cheated afterwards, especially when I went to talk to the mechanic and learned he taught himself mostly from youtube videos.

So, I did that myself now I work on my own bikes, which I enjoy almost as much as riding!

Luckily for me if I can drive somewhere and back in a day I consider it local. Minneapolis to Madison was a nice day trip and I'd consider that local for me!