New to e-bikes

[Ang1sgt]

I am very new to e-bike ownership, but I have been a Bicycle Mechanic between 1977-2008. Have seen things change and have tried to keep
up with the changes in the industry, but not working IN the industry, things pass you by very quickly. I left the Bike industry in 2008 due to a
number of things, mostly the increase cost and the issues with customers. Also during this time started having headaches that I just self-medicated.

A few years later I found out I had a brain tumor and that was removed 7 years ago. The operation caused some issues with balance and some of the
bikes I used a lot, like my recumbents I found I could not ride on. I kept wrenching on bikes when I could, mostly for family and building new bikes
for the grandkids. But during this time is when the 1X drivetrains came out as well as the electronic shifting. And I thought bikes were getting expensive
back in 2008?

So about 4 years ago I started to research into e-bikes and thought I had a handle on things. I like the Adventon Line of bikes and thought that might be the way to go.
This past September while at the Watkins Glen Historical Races BUZZ Bicycles had a display and Demo bikes available. I looked over the Centris Folding bike.
Picked it apart due to un-known parts and a 6 speed drivetrain. Just kind of poo-pooed it and went on my way. After a friend won a race, I decided to go back and talk, look and ride one of the folding bikes. It just made sense to me. It’s a pedal assist bike so gearing really doesn’t make a difference. Top gear in a 6 speed or 8 speed
bike is going to be the same so why spend the extra cash on something that may not be needed.

That is when I saw the ideas and the design of the Centris made so match sense to me! Why spend more on HIGH quality parts when the quality on these bikes just works? I’d never heard of some of these manufacturers parts like the hub motor and the brake levers, tires and other parts. But they work well together and function at a level as an e-bike I would say at twice the price I paid.

So I have one Buzz Centris, and now I have a second one on order and that should be in this coming week. I just feel the need to build a bike up right out of the
box like the good old days. I know that shipping might be an issue, and that is really out of my hands. But I’ll see how customer service can be on these things then.

Just cleaned up all the tools in my Bicycle Tool Box and I’m ready to go! I have no need to be the gram shaver crazed Mechanic as I used to be. I just want two bikes so I can take my wife, one the of the kids or grandkids out on a 20 miler in the Fall air and just ride and have fun.

 

[HappyRider]

Enjoyed your post. Thanks for sharing. Im just surprised your post hasnt been jumped on by a couple of the ebike "purists" that haunt this forum and who tend to pop up and criticize whenever somebody states that they are looking at "cheap chinese" ebikes or already have one that they are happy with!
You wrote; "I just want two bikes so I can take my wife, one the of the kids or grandkids out on a 20 miler in the Fall air and just ride and have fun." And I think that sums up a very large section(if not majority) of the population who are shopping for ebikes these days. I mean, lets face it. Except under certain, unusual and uncommon circumstances, True, hard core "cyclist" enthusiasts arent interested in a bike that does much or even some of the "cycling" for them. I bring my dog to an 85yr old, retired vet. The vet has been riding(and racing) bikes his entire life and every year on his birthday, he takes a ride for as many miles as he is old. He would never even think of riding an Ebike. As a "true blue", hard core cyclist, an Ebike would defeat the entire purpose of cycling for him. To me, Ebikes are like a lot of other things in life-such as cars, houses, pets and even husbands and wives; We all have our own requirements in such catagories. A few of the folk who reply in these forums seem to think that what they require from an Ebike is what everyone should require from an ebike. Of course that isnt how it works. A better response would be to give ebike advice based specifically upon the needs listed by a poster.

 

[harryS]

I looked up the Buzz on amazon. At $799, it's lot of bike with the integrated battery, and 5 level LCD. Is it 36V or 48V, and are the rims alloy or steel?
.
I had a similarly priced Ecotric. They gave me the 3 speed PAS and steel rims. The 3 speed was kind of crude, so I put on a 5 speed controller I had. I bought some alloy rims too, but never put them in. It was a nice bike, but in the end I gave the bike to my son. I prefer riding my lighter converted bikes.
.
Meanwhile, the motors allows us old guys to ride on and on, using the SHimano Tourneys and other low cost parts on our bikes. Enjoy the Buzz and keep riding,

 

[indianajo]

the motors allows us old guys to ride on and on, using the SHimano Tourneys and other low cost parts on our bikes. Enjoy the Buzz and keep riding,

I had a entry level Shimano 6 speed axle break under my elephantine 180 lb. ~4000 miles. I had an entry level Shimano 7 speed come unscrewed and drop the balls on the road. No locknut on the race in this product. ~2000 miles. If you're going to ride 200 miles as the average kiddie bike is ridden before the owner abandons it to the rain, fine. If your wife or Mommy will come get you in the SUV, you will be fine. I go 5 miles off the edge of the cell phone coverage, the wife works, and has a roller skate for a car that won't carry a bike frame.
I've got 11000 miles on a shimano 8 speed rear axle, no problems. It costs 4x as much as the kiddie parts because they used real steel, have design suitable for adult use, and quality control in Japan is not as slapdash as in *****.

 

[sc00ter]

BUZZ makes good ebikes for the price. Great for getting outside and enjoying a ride. Welcome aboard!

 

[HappyRider]

I had a entry level Shimano 6 speed axle break under my elephantine 180 lb. ~4000 miles. I had an entry level Shimano 7 speed come unscrewed and drop the balls on the road. No locknut on the race in this product. ~2000 miles. If you're going to ride 200 miles as the average kiddie bike is ridden before the owner abandons it to the rain, fine. If your wife or Mommy will come get you in the SUV, you will be fine. I go 5 miles off the edge of the cell phone coverage, the wife works, and has a roller skate for a car that won't carry a bike frame.
I've got 11000 miles on a shimano 8 speed rear axle, no problems. It costs 4x as much as the kiddie parts because they used real steel, have design suitable for adult use, and quality control in Japan is not as slapdash as in *****.

1st of all, thank you so much for chiming in and proving much of my rant from my original post lol! Perfect timing! Secondly, my first Ebike was(still is!) a KMart bought 21 speed mountain bike(yep, thats how long ago Im talkin. Kmart was still around). I added a no-name, 36v 350 watt rear wheel conversion kit to it that i got off Ebay. I initially bought a 20ah lithium battery pack to power it. I DIY constructed two more batteries for it several years later. Ive ridden the living heck out of that bike every year for the 6 to eight years that Ive owned it. Its literally been my primary mode of transportation. I even road it regularly during the winter time here in Maine, as long as the roads were clear of ice and snow. Except for a bad rash of flats one year, I have never once had any problems with that bike or any of its "cheap" non "Japanese" components. I even took care of the issue of it getting flats by installing those PVC protective strips in the tires. Everything on that $130 Kmart mountain bike is still completely original. Well, except for the break shoes. I do take reasonable care of the bike and keep it in my garage when not in use but hopefully we all do that, right? So to have as much trouble with bikes as you have had, I gotta figure either youve had some bad luck, you ride hellish tarrain, or perhaps youre a little rougher on your bike than I am on mine. Ive just recently purchased a new ebike that has a more powerful motor and significantly more range but I wouldnt hesitate for a moment to hop on my old ebike for a 50 mile ride. And Id do it even if I knew my mommy was busy that day.

 

[HappyRider]

PS: Before anyone tries to call me out on a technicality; Yes, Ive had to replace the tires on my 1st ebike once or thrice as well But I consider that to be reasonable maintainence for any bike or Ebike thats been ridden as much as mine has.

 

[Ang1sgt]

I looked up the Buzz on amazon. At $799, it's lot of bike with the integrated battery, and 5 level LCD. Is it 36V or 48V, and are the rims alloy or steel?
.
I had a similarly priced Ecotric. They gave me the 3 speed PAS and steel rims. The 3 speed was kind of crude, so I put on a 5 speed controller I had. I bought some alloy rims too, but never put them in. It was a nice bike, but in the end I gave the bike to my son. I prefer riding my lighter converted bikes.
.
Meanwhile, the motors allows us old guys to ride on and on, using the SHimano Tourneys and other low cost parts on our bikes. Enjoy the Buzz and keep riding,

It’s a 48 volt system, 5 different PAS settings, alloy rims with the front axle having machine bearings that seem to spin forever.

As a Pro-Level former Bicycle Mechanic, I can see the reasons they made this bike the way they did. The more I look it over, and dig in deeper, I feel personally that it is a very very good price for the dollar paid. When compared to the Adventon SNITCH 2 folding bike, I can see the upgraded parts on that bike, there are something’s I like better on it, but the bottom line for me is why spend that much $1499 currently when I can buy 2 Buzz Centris bikes?
If you look them over, I really think they are nearly the same bike! I think the Hub Motor is even the same except it says Adventon instead of VINKA. The area for the motor is the darn same size, just a different nameplate.

I had thought about going a build up bike like you have. But my aching body really likes the advantage of 20x4 inch tires and the floatation they provide.

I got the second one for my wife or other riding partners on Tuesday. Love pulling any new bicycle out of the box this time of the year. Takes me
back to those days in the local Bike Shop. This new Centris was spot on perfect right out of the box. The ONLY adjustment needed was the folding
release clamp that needed slight adjustment. I took it out for a 22 mile shake down ride the other day and had no issues, just a great ride.

Thanks for the positivity!

 

[Ang1sgt]

I had a entry level Shimano 6 speed axle break under my elephantine 180 lb. ~4000 miles. I had an entry level Shimano 7 speed come unscrewed and drop the balls on the road. No locknut on the race in this product. ~2000 miles. If you're going to ride 200 miles as the average kiddie bike is ridden before the owner abandons it to the rain, fine. If your wife or Mommy will come get you in the SUV, you will be fine. I go 5 miles off the edge of the cell phone coverage, the wife works, and has a roller skate for a car that won't carry a bike frame.
I've got 11000 miles on a shimano 8 speed rear axle, no problems. It costs 4x as much as the kiddie parts because they used real steel, have design suitable for adult use, and quality control in Japan is not as slapdash as in *****.

Well, the rear axle won’t be the problem with this because it is well supported with quality bearings inside the hub motor itself. Now while the hub free body for the cassette is a Shimano Tourney, it will have less stress on it due to the hub motor. I do not see this as being an issue. I’m a Clydesdale size 240 lbs and both bikes are running fine with fine with me doing all the riding so far.

As to the front hub, while I can’t find a manufacture name, it is a very nice quality hub set. The machine sealed bearings in the front hub surprised me a lot. I was not suspecting that when I bought the first bike. The alloy rims have no name and I do not see a manufacturers mark on the spoke heads. But I check all the rims for true, and spoke tension and they are spot on. Bike number 1 has over 250 miles on it, and the new one has 22 so far. Number 1 has only been owned for 3 weeks, and I just got number 2 this past Tuesday.

 

[Ang1sgt]

Let me explain myself.

I the 1970’s I was a local Racer. Nothing to write home about and nothing to get me to a National level. But I was a heck of a Wrench when it came to Bicycles. I started building race rims back then and many people sought out my services.

In 1974, I signed up for the USAF for 6 years and there were times I didn’t have a Bicycle. My first base in the Southwest was not a good area to ride a bicycle on the roads down there and this was way before Mountain Bikes.

Late 1970’s saw my wife and I over in the UK. We bought two Peugoet Touring Bikes and averaged about 2000 miles on both of them till our Twins came along. When I left the service in 1980, we came back home and for a few years it was getting use to civilian life, our first house and things like that.
The Mid 80’s saw Big Box/KMART bikes for each of the 3 children now that were always pulled out of the box, stripped down to a bear frame so the kids could wax them and clean them while showing why I took the apart to properly clean, lubricate and set up every bearing on these NEW bicycles.

The kids and I were soon by pass Mom on her bike, so the best bet for the two of us was a Gary Fisher Gemini Tandem. That put Mom in charge on the back seat and Me listening and feeling her needs with a crack on the head or a cold hand down my shorts. Of course I was an early adopter of MTB’s back in 1982 with a Schwinn High Sierra which is still someplace in the family.

Many part time jobs over the years with the Local Bike Shops helped my capabilities as well as brought customers in. I didn’t care whether it was a KMART bike or a new TREK, I treated each and every customer the same. These days, you certainly do not see that in Bike Shops or even in some On-Line Forums.

If you have a Boy Scout that has been to the Adirondack Scout Reservation near Tupper Lake, New York, their MTB program was started by a friend and I, both fellow Eagle Scouts and Scoutmasters of troops. So I can say without any issues I understand the levels of parts that work and don’t work.

I’ve been a GRAM Shaver for a number of years, and I buy parts I know that will hold up to MY leg strength, or at least that I used to have. On my perso al bikes you will find a mis-match of parts. Nothing over Deore XT or SRAM 9.0. Why? Because of price vs durability.

Seven (7) years ago I had to undergo an operation for a Brain tumor about the size of a handball. This tumor was causing issues with my eyesight, my sinuses as well as some balance issues. Tough time to deal with this in your 60’s. After 2 years of recovery and physical therapy, I was able to walk on my own, Jog a bit, but could not ride a recumbent bicycle which was where I was before the surgery. Of course Covid, and the lockdowns kept me personally off the bikes I did have.

On top of this, due to Chemical Exposures during my Military Service and Call up for Desert Storm, my lung function is less than 80%. I have been a non-smoker all my life, and this issue causes me problems all the time. But I got an E-Bike so I could get back out there, push myself as hard as I can, while still having the back up of a throttle or added pedal assist so I can keep going. I did this to FIGHT for my health and well being. I am NOT going to lay down and say POOR ME, get a Disabled License and take up space in Handicap parking.

Now I am sure that some of you will STILL say that I have a Cheap Ass E-Bike and no one should own one of these. I saw what BUZZ Bikes was trying to build, saw the actual THOUGHT that went into these bikes and I applaud the company that they did so.

 

[HappyRider]

Your Buzz bike looks very similar to my new Ebike-the Aniioki AQ177. The AQ177 also uses 20x4 tires and an integrated battery. My Aniioki cost $1499 but most of that comes from the 48v 60ah(2880 watt hour!!!) battery. In fact that huge battery was a big part of why I'd been willing to pay $1499 for my bike($1686 after taxes and $200 shipping). Another forum member kindly posted a video of a fella who tested the AQ177 range claim of over 100miles unassisted. The tester rode the bike around Lake Tahoe(A hilly 85 miles) and also did a capacity test on it. Both methods of evaluation proved that a claim of over 100miles unassisted per charge were quite accurate. Anyway, I wanted a Emoped more than an Ebike and figure thats just what I got with the AQ177. Im curious what size battery your Buzz bike came with. You may have alrrady mentioned it and I missed it. Like I said, Im just curious.

 

[HappyRider]

This is my AQ177. The rear basket is for my 30lb dog who goes everywhere with me. Ive also installed a front basket and seat with a backrest for comfort on longer rides. Heavy bike but again, it meets all my personal requirements and then some.

 

[Ang1sgt]

This is my AQ177. The rear basket is for my 30lb dog who goes everywhere with me. Ive also installed a front basket and seat with a backrest for comfort on longer rides. Heavy bike but again, it meets all my personal requirements and then some.

There is a fellow in Ohio that did a similar test on his trails. But he lives in the plains area of Ohio so it’s pretty flat. Being that I really needed and wanted two bikes, one for me and one for the wife or one of the grandkids to go with me, that is one reason I went with the Centris, that and the folding action of these bikes. If I take the back seat out of my Jeep Wrangler, both bikes will fit in the back just fine. And I think I’d have room for two overnight bags so that we could go away for a weekend and still have the bikes with us.

Anyplace with a trail for me is fair game.

 

[HappyRider]

This is my AQ177. The rear basket is for my 30lb dog who goes everywhere with me. Ive also installed a front basket and seat with a backrest for comfort on longer rides. Heavy bike but again, it meets all my personal requirements and then some.

There is a fellow in Ohio that did a similar test on his trails. But he lives in the plains area of Ohio so it’s pretty flat. Being that I really needed and wanted two bikes, one for me and one for the wife or one of the grandkids to go with me, that is one reason I went with the Centris, that and the folding action of these bikes. If I take the back seat out of my Jeep Wrangler, both bikes will fit in the back just fine. And I think I’d have room for two overnight bags so that we could go away for a weekend and still have the bikes with us.

Anyplace with a trail for me is fair game.

Yes, being able to fold for storage or travel is a very convenient feature for a bike. I considered getting a folding bike like your Buzz but ultimately decided that Id rarely if ever use such a feature. I dont travel at all any more and use my bike as a very economical "daily driver" because I keep it charged via free solar power. Mine also had to have a very heavy duty frame to support the weight of both myself and my 30lb dog and whatever else I might need to carry on my rides. So, as heavy as it is at 112lbs(with battery) the Aniioki made much more sense for my purposes. Anyway, I like the Buzz a lot-especially for the money it cost. Thats why I was curious about the capacity of battery it comes with. The Buzz already seems to offer a lot for the money without considering the battery when the battery for these bikes often accounts for much of their cost.

 

[sc00ter]

I still have my Lectric XP 3.0 after buying the Lectric Xpedition. The original idea was to have a small folder on hand if needed. The XP fits in both of our cars no problem but its heavy and has many pinch points when folding. But the XP just sits now. Not good for a ebike but I think the battery is around 70% charged. The other idea was to have the XP on hand in case company comes over and we go into downtown to play pinball and drink. So....

I could sell the XP or trade it and get my beloved RadRunner back. Or just sell it and have one ebike. I really need to clean the garage out, it's getting cramped.

The guy who ended up with the BUZZ trike rides it kinda hard. He'll take it on the trails at the local park! I know he warped a rear wheel clipping a trash can (had it trued at a local bike shop) and snagged a brake cable on a tree branch but the BUZZ has been bullet proof overall.

 

[Kayakguy]

I looked up the Buzz on amazon. At $799, it's lot of bike with the integrated battery, and 5 level LCD. Is it 36V or 48V, and are the rims alloy or steel?
.
I had a similarly priced Ecotric. They gave me the 3 speed PAS and steel rims. The 3 speed was kind of crude, so I put on a 5 speed controller I had. I bought some alloy rims too, but never put them in. It was a nice bike, but in the end I gave the bike to my son. I prefer riding my lighter converted bikes.
.
Meanwhile, the motors allows us old guys to ride on and on, using the SHimano Tourneys and other low cost parts on our bikes. Enjoy the Buzz and keep riding,

I had my fill of steel rims when I used to come home from work down a pretty steep hill. They were fine until it rained, when I would barely be able to stop coming down that steep hill, gripping the brake levers hard all the way. Alloy rims were the answer.

 

[HappyRider]

I had my fill of steel rims when I used to come home from work down a pretty steep hill. They were fine until it rained, when I would barely be able to stop coming down that steep hill, gripping the brake levers hard all the way. Alloy rims were the

I had my fill of steel rims when I used to come home from work down a pretty steep hill. They were fine until it rained, when I would barely be able to stop coming down that steep hill, gripping the brake levers hard all the way. Alloy rims were the answer.

The ebikes we're talking about come with disk brakes that dont even touch the rim so slippery "old style" mechanical brakes on steel rims wouldnt be an issue.

 

[Zen Support]

Thanks for your perspective! It's true, ebikes cater to a diverse crowd, not just hardcore cyclists. They're about matching different lifestyles and needs, whether for leisure rides or eco-friendly commutes. At Zen Electric Bikes, we embrace this variety and aim to offer options for everyone's unique preferences. It's all about finding the right ebike that fits your life.
and speaking of catering to different needs, our current hit product at Zen Electric Bikes is the Photon Electric Bike. It's been a popular choice for its balance of performance and comfort. You can check it out here: Photon Electric Bike. It’s designed to suit a variety of riders, perfect for those leisurely rides or for a more robust commuting experience.