Looking to purchase an ebike, ideally less than $2500, that will allow me to ride with my partner in crime who regularly rides 50-70 miles per outing. I am a casual cyclist and looking for something totally comfortable and cruiser-like for a 60 year old woman riding paved trails. TIA!
Purchasing advice 50+ miles per charge
- Thread starter hammerct
- Start date
indianajo
Well-Known Member
Size & leg length matter. Maximum rise matters. If you are medium sized and don't climb 1000' in an hour, https://blixbike.com/products/packa-electric-cargo-bike with the dual battery option. There haven't been many complaints on the brand forum known problems and solutions thread.
m@Robertson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
She's asking for a casual cruiser ride, not a cargo bike. But still I get it the range requirement she's asking for is so out of line with the norm this is the sort of solution you have to look at.
And its a very tall order; especially with the budgetary constraint thrown in. An upright cruiser-style bike with the kind of extreme REAL range (not claimed... all ebike companies lie like a rug as to their range) desired is just not going to happen unless the rider puts in a LOT of the effort and uses minimal electric assist to stretch the battery. People who ride cruisers just don't ask for marathon levels of range. That style of rider doesn't do that often enough for such bikes to be available in the marketplace to meet that demand.
Don't even think of being able to hit 50-70 miles while working fairly hard to supplement the input with your legs - with anything less than a 20ah battery pack. More is more likely to be what you need. Two 15ah batteries (put one on a rack and plug it in as a spare) is more likely to be a realistic solution. but honestly... your ass is going to wear out long before your battery does unless you work your way up to a distance like that with a lot of practice. That is the much more typical limiter for older cyclists getting into distance.
And its a very tall order; especially with the budgetary constraint thrown in. An upright cruiser-style bike with the kind of extreme REAL range (not claimed... all ebike companies lie like a rug as to their range) desired is just not going to happen unless the rider puts in a LOT of the effort and uses minimal electric assist to stretch the battery. People who ride cruisers just don't ask for marathon levels of range. That style of rider doesn't do that often enough for such bikes to be available in the marketplace to meet that demand.
Don't even think of being able to hit 50-70 miles while working fairly hard to supplement the input with your legs - with anything less than a 20ah battery pack. More is more likely to be what you need. Two 15ah batteries (put one on a rack and plug it in as a spare) is more likely to be a realistic solution. but honestly... your ass is going to wear out long before your battery does unless you work your way up to a distance like that with a lot of practice. That is the much more typical limiter for older cyclists getting into distance.
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tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
21700 cells 36V 25Ah ought to fly. I easily get 50 miles with a 20Ah battery and 350W mid drive at 15mph. Controller is putting out 15A.
BUT I wonder has the OP ever ridden 50 miles? Maybe on a Day6!
BUT I wonder has the OP ever ridden 50 miles? Maybe on a Day6!
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m@Robertson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Yeah but she has to build that solution as a conversion. I get the feeling she is wanting to buy something off the rack. The only thing I see that you can buy is a dual battery bike. Super73 makes one ($3500 with 2 packs) but I doubt that seat will work for a 60 year-old for 70 miles, and while you have an upright posture on it, its not a bike that lends itself to pedaling as you know. The remaining bikes I see are gimmicks unless we get into a Riese & Muller and now we've completely blown the budget.
m@Robertson
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Superdelite – the endurance athlete | Riese & Müller
Designed for long distances. Total safety, total comfort and up to 1,125 Wh of total power.
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
No, I don’t agree. I’ve only ridden crank forward aka flat foot bikes since 2008. When still completely able I found no issues pedaling. But I concede there’s nothing on the market with sufficient batteries to meet the OPs demand. At the desired price. I wonder how far the OP has ever ridden?
mikeschn
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- SE Michigan
How about one of these?
Recumbent Electric Bike Reviews | ElectricBikeReview.com
This style of electric bike positions the rider in a laid back position for comfort and aerodynamics. Cranks and pedals are usually mounted out front on an adjustable boom vs. directly below the seat tube and saddle. Instead of sitting on a saddle, most recumbent ebikes utilize a canvas chair...
electricbikereview.com
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
Worth noting maybe, is my wife's bike will make 50 miles easily (60 would be more common). Same thing I'm riding but she's less than half of my weight (315 lbs). These are nothing real fancy and no thought here of the need for dual battery setups. These are plain vanilla e-bikes. Nothing special about them. We went with them initially because of their weight. At 55 lbs, they're one of the lighter bikes in this class/price point. 500 watt gear driven rear hub with 14ah batteries. I get something in the mid to high 30 miles ranges. This is figuring a range where the battery is charged when it drops to 46 volts or so. Throttle rarely used after getting the bike moving.....
Hers:
www.espinbikes.com
Mine (same thing in a step over)
www.espinbikes.com
Hers:
Flow
The perfect ebike for a casual cruise. Features an upright cruiser frame geometry and step-through for better accessibility. The urban commuter's dream. Flow is an affordable fat tire off-road electric bike with step-through & 20'' x 4” fat tires for added grip and stability that is ready to...
www.espinbikes.com
Mine (same thing in a step over)
Sport
FREE shipping on ebikes to the lower 48! 2-3 weeks delivery time Style, performance, and high-powered excitement. Does an aggressive riding style get you going? Then the Sport is for you. Its mountain bike inspired frame is perfect for your literally energized outing. Take those hills like...
www.espinbikes.com
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First day out ( after not biking since I was 15 years old) did 30 miles on a regular hybrid bike. 50 miles with assist seems quite do-able
Yes, something off the rack is definitely preferred. Recent transplant from Metro NY so familiarity with DIY and retro fittings are not in my wheelhouse
arcom
Active Member
Dual Battery bikes seem to be the latest rage:
HAOQI
LECTRIC XPremium
...and If You Have Some Extra Moola
HAOQI
LECTRIC XPremium
...and If You Have Some Extra Moola
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
How about one of these?
Recumbent Electric Bike Reviews | ElectricBikeReview.com
This style of electric bike positions the rider in a laid back position for comfort and aerodynamics. Cranks and pedals are usually mounted out front on an adjustable boom vs. directly below the seat tube and saddle. Instead of sitting on a saddle, most recumbent ebikes utilize a canvas chair...
Those bikes terrify me. I prefer being upright and eye to eye with most cages.
That and getting up and out of the seat for a gimp is difficult. As always, YMMV.
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
I second the idea of the Flow - quite happy with mine, after a year of ownership!Worth noting maybe, is my wife's bike will make 50 miles easily (60 would be more common). Same thing I'm riding but she's less than half of my weight (315 lbs). These are nothing real fancy and no thought here of the need for dual battery setups. These are plain vanilla e-bikes. Nothing special about them. We went with them initially because of their weight. At 55 lbs, they're one of the lighter bikes in this class/price point. 500 watt gear driven rear hub with 14ah batteries. I get something in the mid to high 30 miles ranges. This is figuring a range where the battery is charged when it drops to 46 volts or so. Throttle rarely used after getting the bike moving.....
Hers:
Flow
The perfect ebike for a casual cruise. Features an upright cruiser frame geometry and step-through for better accessibility. The urban commuter's dream. Flow is an affordable fat tire off-road electric bike with step-through & 20'' x 4” fat tires for added grip and stability that is ready to...
Mine (same thing in a step over)
Sport
FREE shipping on ebikes to the lower 48! 2-3 weeks delivery time Style, performance, and high-powered excitement. Does an aggressive riding style get you going? Then the Sport is for you. Its mountain bike inspired frame is perfect for your literally energized outing. Take those hills like...
WilliamT
Active Member
REI sells a cruiser with a Bosch motor that will meet your requirements.
www.rei.com
Claim is 20-70 miles and price is within your budget. 70 miles will probably be all eco mode.
Electra Townie Go! 8D EQ Step-Through Electric Bike | REI Co-op
Easy to use and a blast to ride, the pedal-assist Electra Townie Go! 8D EQ Step-Through electric bike combines the power of a Bosch motor with signature Electra comfort and style.
Claim is 20-70 miles and price is within your budget. 70 miles will probably be all eco mode.
PedalUma
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Petaluma, CA
Good call. But if you are in NYC Metro there are 5 starts from a dead stop per mile. That is what takes energy. 5X20=100. What she is asking for won't happen in that context. Then when up to speed there is the added wind resistance of an upright riding position. This request is against physics and economics.
