Rabbit hole...

[zebrajellyfish]

Browsing these forums is great. Lot's of amazing folks with amazing feedback, knowledge and ideas!

I have been encouraged by the ebike world. I have found my knees need a break and have test ridden 2 Raleigh, 2 Trek and an Evo ebike. No throttle assisted ebikes in Fort Collins, CO. Online, it seems each time I find an interestingly equipped ebike I find another just as good. I watch the reviews on YouTube and really enjoy these. My price range has become based on "what can I get for $1500-$2k. The ebikes I tested are all Class 1 and as much as they good, am I getting the best bang for my buck?

Retail brick and mortar has lots more overhead. The Trek Verve+ of 2018 can be gotten for $1939 plus tax here but is it a good choice compared to a Rad City or Blix Aveny? Is the rear motor on the Rad, a Direct Drive a better choice? Is the Blix motor a better choice?

The Rad City looks great but so does the Blix Aveny. These are offered delivered within my budget. They have a throttle and have more power than the Class 1 bikes I rode. They seem to be a much better deal than the bikes I tested here in town.

There are many way to look at this. I want an ebike to travel 3-10 miles one way. I want to finish a job tired and hungry (I'm an event photographer) and hop on and not have to pedal much if I choose. Most of my travels will be pleasure and work. Not many significant hills around Fort Collins, so a throttle can be a blast here (so it seems).

The amount of information about motors, cranks, derailleurs, aluminium, steel, disc brakes (hydraulic/mechanical), controller, display, lights is a rabbit hole (so it seems).

The differences of a Bosch 250W centrally located motor (which I tested) and those sold online are massive. Again, a rabbit hole, especially if I dig into the wonderful information listed on this website.

How much digging do I need to get into? $1500-$2k seems entry level.

Are ebikes in this price range a good start to the ebike world?
Will the Rad City or Blix Aveny last a long time?

Heck, Costco has the GenZe for $1500 and if anything goes wrong for as long as I own the Costco bike, I can return it. There isn't another manufacturer that can back their product like Costco.

There's lots to learn and I simply need to find a good choice.

Thanks for listening!

Richard

 

[KenS]

Hi zebrajellyfish:

Since you posted in the Rad area then you can expect to get a lot of positive reviews for the Rad bikes. So I begin with this. I own a radcity step-thru and am very happy with the bike.

The Aveny looks like a similar bike in many respects. The biggest difference in riding I see is that the Aveny has a fixed steel fork and the rad has a mountain-bike adjusting front fork. The rad fork adds comfort but it also adds weight to the bike.

The bikes use different motors. The Aveny appears to have a planetary gear motor and the rad uses a direct drive motor. The direct drive motor is more quiet but doesn't have the "start up" torque of the planetary gear motor. That has not been an issue for me and I live in a hilly location.

Battery charge life looks to be very similar. Both come with integrated rear racks, lights, and fenders.

One potential difference I can't comment on is quality of tech support. Rad has been great with me and, obviously, I don't know about Blix.

Bottom line. Don't overthink this decision. Choose either the Rad or the Blix bike and ride.

 

[PatriciaK]

Have you looked at the Aventon Pace and Giant La Free options?

 

[zebrajellyfish]

Hi zebrajellyfish:

Since you posted in the Rad area then you can expect to get a lot of positive reviews for the Rad bikes. So I begin with this. I own a radcity step-thru and am very happy with the bike.

The Aveny looks like a similar bike in many respects. The biggest difference in riding I see is that the Aveny has a fixed steel fork and the rad has a mountain-bike adjusting front fork. The rad fork adds comfort but it also adds weight to the bike.

The bikes use different motors. The Aveny appears to have a planetary gear motor and the rad uses a direct drive motor. The direct drive motor is more quiet but doesn't have the "start up" torque of the planetary gear motor. That has not been an issue for me and I live in a hilly location.

Battery charge life looks to be very similar. Both come with integrated rear racks, lights, and fenders.

One potential difference I can't comment on is quality of tech support. Rad has been great with me and, obviously, I don't know about Blix.

Bottom line. Don't overthink this decision. Choose either the Rad or the Blix bike and ride.

Hi Ken!

Thank you. Yes, not overthinking is key. The fork is not critical for my type of city riding.

Thanks for your feedback.

Richard

 

[zebrajellyfish]

Have you looked at the Aventon Pace and Giant La Free options?

Hi Patricia,

Thank you! I will have a look.

Richard