Read it all and still clueless

[vasubandu]

Hi all. I have looked around, and the comments and suggestions about choosing a bike that I have seen seem to be unusually thoughtful and helpful. Those who donate their time are doing a real service.

I am 53 years old, reasonably fit and weigh around 170 pounds. Maybe a few more than I would like, but neither overweight nor limited. I live in Seattle where I am an attorney. I have been looking for a nice office near me, the market is tight, so I am expanding my search. Monthly parking in Seattle costs $300, and even if I could afford it, I don't want to. I live in a part of Seattle called West Seattle, and I am considering office space about 7 miles away. When I leave my house, I immediately go up a hill that is about a mile long and a 300 foot climb. It then immediately descends about the same 300 feet in the same mile distance. Beyond that, my commute would be dead flat.

The City of Seattle is now run by a bunch of lunatics who, among other things, have a bike fetish. They have been installing bike lanes even in places that have not seen a bicycle in years. The City passed a huge levy for bike lanes. We were told that they would cost about $865,000 per mile, and a big report came out a month ago that the actual cost has been $12 million per mile. Mistakes happen, right? The point is that I live in a city that is at least nominally very bicycle friendly.

Personally, I think that the solution is a Lightning LS 218 motorcycle so that I could get anywhere yesterday, but my wife and two sons think that my lengthy history of mishaps like a 30 foot fall into a a ravine while hiking alone off trail somehow disqualifies me. My wonderful mother was an ER nurse in her younger days and seems to have created a long list of false memories of treating motorcyclists whose brains and bodies were splattered here and there. She says I cannot come home to visit if I have a motorcycle.

So maybe the answer is an electric bicycle that goes 90 miles per hour. OK, that last part was a joke. But my commute would be on fairly safe and normal roads. I can take the low bridge, and the speed limit will never exceed 30 mph. I can park a bike and even an electric bike for free, and I might end up finding it useful for broader purposes.

I am a researcher by nature and profession. I have more spreadsheets with more information that I do not understand than you would believe. I have not yet test driven an electric bike for the same reason that I would not test drive a car until I was ready to buy. Since I have never ridden any electric bike, every test drive is going to be amazing. I am going to have no ability to make meaningful distinctions.

In looking at bikes so far, I have realized a few of my preferences. Faster is better than slower. Up to a point. Movement on electricity alone is better than having to pedal. The Delfast Prime claims a range of 236 miles, a top speed of 34 miles per hour and costs $5,000. Those are impressive statistics if true, and if I were inclined to send $5,000 to the Ukraine on a whim, I might think about it. But it is not a bicycle. It is a wannabe little motorcycle, which gets me kicked out of my house with no way back to mom.

So I am thinking that an electric bike should look and as much as possible feel like a bicycle.

28 miles per hour sounds a lot better than 20. A lot better. Assuming a 7 mile commute and top speeds, 28 mph would get me to the office in 15 minutes, and 20 mph in 21 minutes, or a difference of 6 minutes. Time is precious, and I even bill in 6 minute increments, but the day I get bent out of shape over a 6 minute difference in a commute is the day I should try walking for comparison purposes.

Aesthetically, I much prefer straight lines. No matter where you put the battery, I just do not like it. Bosch now has its PowerTube 500, and I suspect that other companies have or soon will have similar products. That strikes me as an elegant solution. Making this a requirement would limit the number of candidates, but it seems that it would limit them to high quality, up to date models.

The motor is something that I do not understand at all. Bosch seems to be the Microsoft of electric bikes, but others swear by Brose or companies I have never heard of. On top of that, I tend to generally follow technology advancements, and the last month of two has me wondering if I might be setting myself up for regrets. First, a British engineer named Ian Foley, who has a deep Formula One racing background, allegedly has found a way to economically manufacture motors with spoke magnets. It is a known idea, but making them cheaply is new. This whole area is new to me, so I may be missing the boat, but the focus seems to be one the watts per kilogram. the Bosch Performance Line 28 mph mode weighs 4 kg with 350 watts. So that would be .0875 kw/kg. Foley's company Equipmake claims that they can produce 9 kw/kg. I must be missing something because that would be 102,000 times more than than the Bosch. But it must be quite a bit more because the article said the Siemens made a world record prototype in 2015 that reached 5 kw/kg. It looks like major advancements might be on the horizon. The Equipmake is not entirely vaporware because it is being used in a new Ariel Hippercar that claims 1,180 hp and significant range. Before the smoke had even cleared on that one, A Belgian startup called Magnax claimed that it has developed a compact axial flux electric motor and says it produces sustained 7.5 kg/kg with a peak of 15. Again, I am way out of my league here. My information largely comes from newatlas.com, supplemented by the companies themselves. No one wants to be the Schmuck who bought the last electric bike before they started flying.

All that said, Bosch and Brose, probably in that order, seem like solid, safe bets.

When it comes to the rest of the normal bike parts, I am hopelessly clueless. Some of the posts here have emphasized how important that is, but I do not know where to begin.

So with all this in mind, my woefully inadequate thought process looks like this

Bulls E-STREAM EVO 45 FSBrose 350W 28mph28118 miles37V/17.5Ah/650Wh

Bulls Lacuba EVO E45Brose 350W 28mph28118 miles37V/17.5Ah/650Wh

Bulls STURMVOGEL E EVOBrose 250W2013737V/17.5Ah/650Wh

Bulls URBAN EVOBosch Performance Speed (350W)28134Bosch PowerTube 36V/ 13.4Ah/ 500Wh

HAIBIKE SDURO TREKKING 9.0Bosch Performance CX, 350W20Bosch PowerTube, 500 Wh

iZip E3 MODABrose Speed, 28mph , 250w, Made in Germany.2835Fully Integrated & Removable, HTE, 497Wh

Kalkhoff 2016 Integrale S11Empulse 3.0 Evo 350W2855Impules 36 v, 16.75ah, 603W

KALKHOFF ENTICEBosch Performance CX, 36 V / 250 W28Bosch PowerTube Li-Ionen 36 V, 13,4 Ah (500 Wh)

MOUSTACHE SAMEDI 27 XROADBOSCH Performance CX 250W20Bosch PowerPack 500 Performance

Raleigh Redux iE250W Brose Centerdrive system, 90NM of torque3536V Li-ion, 13.8Ah, 496.8Wh

Riese & Müller SuperchargerBosch Performance CXBosch PowerPack 500 Performance,

SCOTT E-Aspect ATBrose 25Km/h, 500WH, 4 Amp charge500Wh integrated Battery / 25Km/h

Specialized Turbo SGo SwissDriveSamsung

Stromer ST seriesSYNO DriveStromer

Trek Super Commuter+ 8SBosch Performance Speed motorBosch PowerPack 500 Performance,

Maybe I am overthinking this or underthinking it. Thoughts would be appreciated

 

[Alaskan]

I live in Bellingham...85 miles north of Seattle, same climate, also quite hilly. I'm 6'1" 208 lbs and prefer to ride my bike over driving my car every day that isn't pissing down rain. I average 16 miles per day but also will do a 30+ mile tour from time to time. I ride a Riese & Muller Nevo Nuvinci GH which I find nearly ideal for our climate and topography. It has the CX motor, which is best for hills with its higher torque but is also limited to 20mph assist, unless you add a speed dongle which eliminates the assisted speed limit (and voids your warranty). As a practical matter the dongle raises the assisted speed to a realistic 24. After that air resistance has increased to the point where going any at a faster sustained speed takes too much effort.

Full suspension is cool but not really needed for the type of cycling you will be doing. I suggest you look at hard tail with a front air suspension and a Body Float suspension seat post (made in Bellingham)...Wider tires but not "fat"...in the 2-2.5" range for comfort, grip and control...180mm minimum hydraulic disc brakes, full fenders for all those rainy days to keep that stripe off your back. For transmission either the Nuvinci or if you can afford it, Rohloff 14 gear hub...either one preferably with carbon fiber, belt drive. These combinations will give you high reliability, low maintenance, and longevity.

I suggest you shorten your list to way fewer bikes - The Trek Super Commuter 8s,the Riese & Muller Supercharger and a Nevo if you can wrap your head around the old style Bosch Battery. Nice thing about the old style Bosch battery is you can fit an extra one in a trunk bag for those long weekend tours.

Go to G & O cycles in North Seattle to test drive the Riese & Muller. You'll have a long wait once you order, but the bikes are built to hold up to daily commuter use, innovative designs with a uniquely solid feel and damn good looking. I've test ridden the Super Commuter 8s and was very impressed with the build quality, ride and overall feel of the bike.

 

[TML]

To clarify and help narrow down the results:

The legal max power is 750w for a bike to still be considered a bicycle. If you have that large of a hill and want to maintain a high speed; a mid drive motor is probably your best bet. To maintain high speed on serious hills, hub motors require a lot more power due to the limited gearing.

Batteries degrade over time so to prevent you from having to charge your bike at work while maintaining a high speed, you want to plan on 30wh/mile plus some room for the battery to degrade. If you have a 14 mile commute and desire to use this for multiple years; I'd plan on 18*30 = 540wh minimum. Your wh/m will be less if you're pedaling more but that doesn't appear to be the desire.

Do not believe the estimated range of most bike listings. They are taking a 135-150lb person and testing at 15mph with moderate effort to get those numbers. At 20mph with lazy-medium pedaling you'll use 20ish wh/m, at 28mph (which you probably won't get with any of the bikes above doing lazy pedaling up an extreme hill using pedal assist) you'll use 30+ wh/m. The flats will lower it back down so its safe to plan for at least 30wh/m as an average.

Since your goal is to travel at high speed for as long as possible, I highly recommend whatever bike you get have hydraulic disc brakes. The bigger rotor the better.

Doing an advanced search on this site for 28mph bikes with 540wh packs, there are a ton. This is where you start asking question like:

* Will I be carrying things with me? (If so, a bike with a solid rack should be considered.)
* Do I want to have to avoid every puddle to keep from getting soaked at high speed? (No? Okay needs fenders.)
* What body position do I want to be in? (Personally I prefer a more up right feel so a road bike isn't the answer for me.)
* Is it hard for me to step over a high frame? (If so, a step through or drop frame might be beneficial.)
* Is it important for me to carry the bike? (If so, look at weight.)

At a $2k budget your options are mostly the Magnum Metro, Metro+, Cruiser and the Juiced CrossCurrent S.
At a $3-4k budget you move into the Bulls Lacuba Evo 45 and 45s models as well as the SmartMotion Pacer.
At the $5-6k budget you get the beautifully designed Specialized Turbo Vado, Stromer ST1 X and Kalkhoff Integrale S11.

Once you decide on a budget, I'd recommend looking at some of the list above. If there is a shop nearby with multiple in stock; this would be extremely helpful. Please let us know if this helps and what you end up doing!

 

[Ann M.]

vasubandu, although you write that you want it all figured out before you test ride; I think that will set you up to miss out on some potential winners. Specs alone do not make a bike feel or ride a certain way. Even the geometry of the frame will have an impact on how an ebike will handle and how you physically feel.

There's nothing wrong with just going into an ebike shop and letting the staff know that you're totally new to this and want to try 3 or 4 different ebikes and that you're not buying today. Any decent shop will appreciate this and want you to have a good experience; since when you're ready, you might come back to them. Also, the sales and tech staff will understand how overwhelming the selection is now. Just hop on a couple of different mid drive bikes and a couple of hub motor bikes, try something with a little more aggressive handling and one with a little more comfortable commuter styling. Check out bikes at the higher end and less expensive; you may be surprised that the most expensive bike isn't the one that feels right for you. Figure that long term you'll be riding more places & miles than just to work and back so you want to consider ebikes that will make you happy and feel good while riding.

This will give you some perspective to work with and then re-work your lists. Once you do this you may find that there are several "right" bikes. Enjoy the process and don't over analyze it

 

[Alaskan]

Seattle Folding & Electric Bike in Ballard has be n around the longest and has the largest variety of brands in the area. They are super helpful.

 

[J.R.]

What Ann said! Especially about shopping by specs alone, that's only part of the story. Many of the Trek dealers around me not only offer the many great Trek bikes, but also offer the relaxed Townie-go, Haibike and Izip brands. Ride some bikes at a Trek dealer. Try their Super Commuter, XM700, Police and don't discount trying their Powerfly hardtail MTB's. Put some street tires on a good MTB can offer a lot of comfort, given MTB's tend to have a shorter wheel base and great front suspension with lock-out.

Ride some ebikes! Join the club, it's a blast.

 

[Ebikefevercure]

STOP reading and go test drive a few! You done all the reading you can, right? I suggest getting the frame and motor to match your intended riding performance because the components are replaceable later down the line. Do you want top-speed or hillclimb? Can't have both without changing a few gears. Build from that. Have you ridden any ebikes before?

 

[rich c]

STOP reading and go test drive a few! You done all the reading you can, right? I suggest getting the frame and motor to match your intended riding performance because the components are replaceable later down the line. Do you want top-speed or hillclimb? Can't have both without changing a few gears. Build from that. Have you ridden any ebikes before?

I was thinking stop typing and ride some, but stop reading works too! LOL

 

[Ebikefevercure]

I read, and read, youtube videos, read, and read. I knew stuff but, nothing about actually riding one until the bike shop let me test a Haibike behind his shop and WOW. I was SOLD. I had bought a Rad Rover for the throttle and the price with no regrets other than the hub motor isn't a true big hill-climber, even on road. This year I ordered a Voltbike Enduro for the FS with Mid-drive capabilities and the fact that the cheaper components can be upgraded as necessary... So now, the Rover is equiped like a speedy cruiser/street/packed path roller with smooth tires and the Enduro will be used for more woody trails and hill climbing. I plan to buy a second set of rims with a different cassette and tires for more top-speed alternatives to the Enduro using the quick-release to my advantage. Can't easily do that with hub motors, think about that... Build/buy with intentions and purposes in mind.

 

[vasubandu]

Thanks this was very helpful. I know I have way too many bikes on the list. A lot of them are functionally equivalent. One thing I did not mention is that I will always have soft sided briefcase with me and may have as much as a banker's box of documents. I think you are right that I would not need a full suspension. When I first started looking at electric bikes, I notice the Bulls brand out of Germany, but they seem comparatively expensive. Lots to think about

Just to focus my thinking I reduced the list to these. I like the idea of under $4,000 a lot more than over $6,000.

Raleigh Redux iE Diamond Frame (2017 $2700
Stromer St1 Platinum $3000
iZip e3Moda $3000
Haibike SDURO Trekking 7.0 $3400
Moustache Samedi 28.3 $3450
Riese & Müller Supercharger New Charger $6000+

From a purely aesthetic point of view, I really like the Moustache bikes. Thanks again. I will keep learning.

 

[vasubandu]

At a $2k budget your options are mostly the Magnum Metro, Metro+, Cruiser and the Juiced CrossCurrent S.
At a $3-4k budget you move into the Bulls Lacuba Evo 45 and 45s models as well as the SmartMotion Pacer.
At the $5-6k budget you get the beautifully designed Specialized Turbo Vado, Stromer ST1 X and Kalkhoff Integrale S11.

Thanks so much. Most of these are entirely new to me, and the power information is rally helpful. I don't think I am going to get what I need under $3k, and I would like to keep it below $4k. I am going to have a briefcase with me all the time and perhaps a box of documents from time to time.

 

[Nelson37]

A mid-drive will involve a lot of shifting, for the hill and for any stops. It will not be like the electric motorcycle you really want. But, a mid-drive is the only type of turn-key ebike that is still a bicycle, will do 28 mph if you get the right model, and climb that hill with zero pedaling without melting the motor.

Take a 1500W DD hub, put it in a 20" wheel on a cargo bike frame, feed it 58 or more volts of high amp battery, and that will give you closer to the electric motorcycle, still look like a bicycle, climb the hill at decent speed with no pedaling and do 28 mph, with no moving parts in the motor. Easily in the price range you are looking at, you could get two, or have it professionally assembled, or a custom frame, for less than the Riese & Muller, which is an excellent quality company.

 

[indianajo]

You're in the center of the world for e-bikes. How much to you want to work on the bike? Not? There are lots of bike shops near you, buy from one of them. Then you can drop it off for service when you have a problem. You're kind of a standard size, you shouldn't have trouble finding something to fit in stock.
28 mph with no suspension is horrid. and we're not getting younger either. 15 mph on 2" tires is more civilized. Motorcycles have a lot of weight in the wheel and gyroscopic stability. Bicycles do not, plastic wheels are standard and titanium or aluminum very comon. More than 2" tires you're out in experimental land on a bicycle. Stick with 2" or so (58 mm) 26" wheels are okay on bumps, 20" would be awful. Insist on disk brakes, it rains in Seattle. My tektro mechanical disks work great seven months and 1000 miles so far. Flats happen, maybe a taxi is your flat plan but those little frame hung pumps and patch kits don't work in my experience.
So you want something with a book rack to carry briefcase etc. Look suspiciously at models that put the battery on the back too, a rear heavy bicycle can skid the front tire around on gravel or bumps. I've hit the pavement with the chin 5 times in 5 years, possibly because my cargo (groceries, supplies, water) was behind the rear wheel and the front was too light. Last time was at 25 mph (pedal powered) and I broke the chin. Highly recommend "downhill mountain bike racing helmet" as they have a chin guard but are ventilated for bicycle riding. Couldn't find anything but skimpy shells & motorcycle helmets without that secret code, tried to buy a chin guard bike helmet two months before the 25mph accident and nobody had anything. At least the search engine wouldn't tell me about them. JensonUS is where I found the hemet.
Good luck shopping.

 

[vasubandu]

Ann M, J.R., Ebikefevercure and Rich C, thanks and I get it. I should have been more clear. I just want a better idea of what the issues are before I do that so that I will be better able to evaluate things. In the end, it will be a bike to ride, not a bunch of specs on a spreadsheet. And I may think that I have found the perfect bike, but when I ride it, find that it does not work at all. For me, it is kind of learning enough so I can pay attention to what the issues are for each bike. Otherwise, I am liable to fall in love with the first thing I ride and ignore any issues it might have. I have made the mistake in the past of just trying things and ended up making bad decisions. Then again, I also have made bad decisions by reading a bunch of reviews online and then not putting things to the test. So I am trying to make sure I do both. And that will mean taking a hard look at bikes in all price ranges to get a feeling for what the brackets really are.

So far, the most helpful suggestions have been the minimums. Alaskan suggested tires at least 2 inches wide, but not too wide. That reminded me of my youth when I had a 10-speed with those ridiculously skinny wheels and the number of times they decided to move sideways. I had forgotten that and would not have paid attention. He suggested a minimum of 180 mm hydraulic disc brakes, and I see some bikes with less, and others with 180 in the back and less in the front. Again, that would not have occurred to me as a requirement. TML has me confused because he suggested a minimum of 540 wh battery. and I sort of thought that 500 was the very high end. I need to figure this out, but I had not been thinking about battery life.

These are the kinds of things that I have seen in comments here, and I suspect that many of you don't realize how helpful and valuable they are. You guys have learned these lessons the hard way, and people like me get to coast behind you. You obviously can't tell me what bike to buy, but you can help me avoid some awful mistakes. In the end, I suspect that there will be at least 5 bikes that would meet all my needs at a price that makes sense, and it will come down to personal preference. I am not trying to find the perfect bike, just a good one.

Out of curiosity, one of the bikes that really appeals to me visually is the Moustache Samedi. Or maybe the Friday. But I see very little discussion of them here or elsewhere. They a French and maybe have little market share. They are not cheap, but not crazy expensive either. Propel has the Samedi 27 XRoad 3 and the Friday 27.3, both with Bosch Performance Cruise, 20mph and 500 Wh Bosch battery POwerpack, and both $3,550. Beyond that, the price shoots up.

The Stromer bikes are all gorgeous to my eyes, but man are they spendy. And they seem proprietary, so it is hard for me to compare.

My sense for some reason is that companies like iZip are second tier, but their E3 Moda is attractive and seems well equipped for $3,000. And going cheap, the E2 Protour is on sale for $1600 with an E3 motor and a 417 Wh battery, but its range looks really limited, and who knows about that motor.

Alaskan rides a Riese & Muller Nevo Nuvinci GH and lives nearby. He says it is well adapted to the Pacific Northwest, but yikes, it is a $5,000 bile. Plus I really prefer the step over style. I have to say that the R&M Supercharger is to me the most attractive electric bike I have seen. And you can load it up with 2 500 Wh batteries, but when you do, you are getting close to $7,000.

I do not see any Moutache dealers close by. The nearest seems to be on Vancouver Island in Canada, which would be a trip, but doable. They have the Friday 27.5 for $4,250 US, the Samedi 27 Xroad 5 for $4,000 and the Samedi 7 28.3 400 for $3,500.

There are several Stromer dealers in Seattle, so that would be easy. I may run by tomorrow and see what this is all about.

Thanks to everyone for the help.






,

 

[vasubandu]

Take a 1500W DD hub, put it in a 20" wheel on a cargo bike frame, feed it 58 or more volts of high amp battery, and that will give you closer to the electric motorcycle, still look like a bicycle, climb the hill at decent speed with no pedaling and do 28 mph, with no moving parts in the motor. Easily in the price range you are looking at, you could get two, or have it professionally assembled, or a custom frame, for less than the Riese & Muller, which is an excellent quality company.

Until I read this, I never even considered going that route. That is very intriguing.

 

[vasubandu]

I notice that there were a few posts about this in February, but I just ran across this and am left quite speechless. It is a crowdfunding project from Indiegogo, and I have sponsored and purchased a number of products there. I received all of them and have been very happy with their performance, but they were never close to being on time. It appears that things are progressing. Supposedly, for $2,200 plus shipping, you can get a 35 pound (not counting battery) carbon fiber electric bike with a 1000 watt rear wheel motor, upgraded stem, fast charger, upgrade to Air Magnesium Fork, carbon fiber handlebar, and extra 14.4 Ah 48v battery. Something this beautiful needs to be made.

Nireeka Prorotype

Nireeka page

 

[John from Connecticut]

vasubandu, although you write that you want it all figured out before you test ride; I think that will set you up to miss out on some potential winners. Specs alone do not make a bike feel or ride a certain way. Even the geometry of the frame will have an impact on how an ebike will handle and how you physically feel.

There's nothing wrong with just going into an ebike shop and letting the staff know that you're totally new to this and want to try 3 or 4 different ebikes and that you're not buying today. Any decent shop will appreciate this and want you to have a good experience; since when you're ready, you might come back to them. Also, the sales and tech staff will understand how overwhelming the selection is now. Just hop on a couple of different mid drive bikes and a couple of hub motor bikes, try something with a little more aggressive handling and one with a little more comfortable commuter styling. Check out bikes at the higher end and less expensive; you may be surprised that the most expensive bike isn't the one that feels right for you. Figure that long term you'll be riding more places & miles than just to work and back so you want to consider ebikes that will make you happy and feel good while riding.

This will give you some perspective to work with and then re-work your lists. Once you do this you may find that there are several "right" bikes. Enjoy the process and don't over analyze it

Last summer each time I visited my LBS, my sales person noticed I'd been looking at several e-bikes not knowing what they were. ( I'd purchased a Trek 7.7FX Carbon Hybrid from her prior ) She'd say "Take it for a ride" I'd always say no, with a smile 'cause something told me I would really like this e-bike thing and then what ? One day I said "What the heck " and took the Trek XM700+ out for a ride. Keep in mind I my 'research' consisted of staring at the floor models each time I'd visit the shop.....Back to the test ride.

I put the XM700+ through it's paces for all of 10 minutes ish and knew right then and there this bike was for me, rode another 10 minutes, went back to the shop and bought the bike on the spot... This was the best money I've ever spent and would do it all over again and I did just that.... I wanted to ride on rails to trails etc and wanted a bike I felt a little more stable on then the XM 700+ ( It's a commuter )

My LBS recommended the Trek Powerfly 7 Hardtail. I can't afford a fall / crash at my age so I bought the Powerfly 7 off a spec sheet, but based on my love of the XM700....

The Powerfly 7 turned out to be all that I could ever imagine and then some. It's so fun. No regrets whatsoever and as for fall and crashes it's cheap insurance. I share my story and in no am I putting down complete research, I'm a techie guy, but sometimes analysis paralysis can set in and then it's a science project instead of fun... For me everyday is Christmas morning when I ride.

 

[bob armani]

Last summer each time I visited my LBS, my sales person noticed I'd been looking at several e-bikes not knowing what they were. ( I'd purchased a Trek 7.7FX Carbon Hybrid from her prior ) She'd say "Take it for a ride" I'd always say no, with a smile 'cause something told me I would really like this e-bike thing and then what ? One day I said "What the heck " and took the Trek XM700+ out for a ride. Keep in mind I my 'research' consisted of staring at the floor models each time I'd visit the shop.....Back to the test ride.

I put the XM700+ through it's paces for all of 10 minutes ish and knew right then and there this bike was for me, rode another 10 minutes, went back to the shop and bought the bike on the spot... This was the best money I've ever spent and would do it all over again and I did just that.... I wanted to ride on rails to trails etc and wanted a bike I felt a little more stable on then the XM 700+ ( It's a commuter )

My LBS recommended the Trek Powerfly 7 Hardtail. I can't afford a fall / crash at my age so I bought the Powerfly 7 off a spec sheet, but based on my love of the XM700....

The Powerfly 7 turned out to be all that I could ever imagine and then some. It's so fun. No regrets whatsoever and as for fall and crashes it's cheap insurance. I share my story and in no am I putting down complete research, I'm a techie guy, but sometimes analysis paralysis can set in and then it's a science project instead of fun... For me everyday is Christmas morning when I ride.

Very well said. I have had similar purchases with E-bikes and they have all turned out to be exactly what I wanted without a whole lot of thought put into the process. Just random picks and they worked out great! Not a science project by any means, just the Pedego 'Hello Fun' attitude. My next E-bike purchase may be a little bit more researched but I will draw the line before I become too obsessed with details.

 

[John from Connecticut]

Very well said. I have had similar purchases with E-bikes and they have all turned out to be exactly what I wanted without a whole lot of thought put into the process. Just random picks and they worked out great! Not a science project by any means, just the Pedego 'Hello Fun' attitude. My next E-bike purchase may be a little bit more researched but I will draw the line before I become too obsessed with details.

Thanks Bob, Sound like you've had the 'You knew it was The One' feeling as well. I hope some folks don't take my near spontaneous purchase as a put down on research, not my intent. Research is always fun, I've done it on other things, but as you've experienced as well " When you know it's right, you know it's right" . I hope others have that 'just right' moment.

 

[Alex M]

High paid business, billing in 6-minutes increments, costly time, briefcase and bankers box to carry, on one hand, and the mother's ban on motorcycles on the other hand... Did you consider a scooter? E-scooter or gas-scooter. I'm serious. You are looking for something to get you from A to B, not to exercise (not the main purpose, anyway). Ebike is still a bike, you need to pedal, arriving to work with your blood more in your muscles than in your brain.