Request for selections

[JoeinJP]

I'm looking for a suitable bike for longer rides, my Ejoe Epik SE is fine for commuting, but 20in wheels just don't do it for an efficient longer recreational (city street, suburbs, paved bike trail) ride. As extensive as Court's reviews have been, maybe there are some bikes I haven't come across.

My parameters per priority:
1) Net weight under 50, (bike without battery).
2) front suspension, even if basic.
3) Class 2 preferred, but any class will do.

I test rode the Trek Verve+ high step and Specialized Como 2.0 and found lack of suspension jarring on street bumps and cracks, not sure how much a seat suspension would help. Other than that, both bikes had quiet motors and weight felt even lighter than my Ejoe! Verve+ particularly a nice-looking bike, the only additional drawback was noticing the lack of motor 'umph' whereas the Como was hitting 28mph easily that I had to ask the LBS if it was the 3.0 speed pedelec, not even.

I am considering various Bulls bikes--no class 2 though Maybe there are other bike fitting my parameters? (Wishing the EBR review filter could be more robust in the future?)

Thanks.
Joe

 

[Mtbross]

Hi Joe. For the type of riding you describe, I would think a road bike would be best. Check out the Giant line. They have a nice range of city, road, and mountain e-bikes. Not sure your price range but they have wide range of options.

I have the 2018 Road-E+ and it provides great power, weighs 44 lbs, has a smooth motor, is quiet, descends like a banshee, and at least for me long lasting battery. I'm not sure what you mean by "long" rides. But I can easily do 60 miles on my Giant. As you know, a lot depends on how often and how much you use the assist, and how much you weigh. I am very light, and on recent ride did 50 miles with 4,200 ft climbing, and minimized the assist on climbs. I did use the assist on and off at the start of the ride (first 10 miles of flats), battling the winds on downhills, here and there in eco or eco+ on some of the climbs, and on the last 10 heading home. When I finished the ride it had well over 50% remaining battery. The Giant hits 28mph when you need it, or just want it, but will drain the battery quicker if you are getting that speed using the higher 2 of the 5 assist settings or running it hard over a long period.

Not sure how long you've been riding on the roads, but I have for decades. If you can get used to unweighting from the saddle and loosening your grip on the rough stuff should help. Everyone is different so perhaps you will prefer full suspension....mtn bike. Getting a seatpost like the Cane Creek Thudbuster would help for your lower half (if you didn't unweight from the seat at all on the bumps) but do nothing for your arms and little for your neck. I ride an aluminum frame on my e-bike, and it's harsher than my normal carbon fibre road bike, which is more forgiving. Which brings this to Orbea. They have their new 2019 road e-bikes (Gain models) coming out soon with carbon frames and weigh as little as 24lbs with battery, but top assist at 15mph (I think) even in U.S. (I think). But with the lighter bike shouldn't really need that extra speed boost. Believe they start at $3,000 which I think is reasonable for that type of bike. Oh, and you can't really tell it's an e-bike unless you look close at the button on the top tube. The battery is hidden in the downtube.

 

[rich c]

What's your definition of "longer rides"? 100 miles?

 

[JoeinJP]

~25+ miles, ie longer than my 5 mile commute. I wouldn't be interested in carrying two batteries for 100 miles, so mainly recreational rides. I think I narrowed my selections down to the Magnum Ui6 or Bulls Cross Lite.