researching my first electric bike

[flynbulldog]

Hi guys, I've been watching all the youtubes and reading some of the reviews on electric bikes trying to figure out what would be the best bike for me.

I saw a vid that suggested that ebikes were not bringing new people to bicycling. In my case that is 100% wrong. I'm not at all interested in a manual bike and I would not cycle at all without the new ebikes.

I need something that is a jack of all trades and think I'd like full suspension. 29 inch wheels would be ideal and I probably wouldnt go for fatties. I would like class3 with both throttle and peddle assist. I'll post more in the appropriate section and see if I can gain some insight.

I'm kinda excited and would like to make a decision soon so I can start riding

 

[Bruce Arnold]

To narrow down your search, I'd suggest taking a look at the category on EBR for full suspension ebikes. This may sound kind of silly, but I suggest you skim through those bikes looking for ones that are visually appealing to you. My notion of a good-looking bike might differ from yours, but most of us want a bike that we like being seen on. You've got to start somewhere, and that's a start right there.

Then, take the bikes you liked and start comparing things like price, components and Court's observations on performance, quirks, etc. That should narrow it down further.

With this selection in mind, visit the subforums for those manufacturers and do a search to see what other people here have said about them. It can get incredibly detailed, so don't lose the big picture, but if 8 out of 20 posts mention the same problem or the same asset, that's a good indication of a positive or a negative.

By now you've probably got a feeling for one of the bikes. At this point, don't overthink it. Get the one you like.

Search out local bike shops that carry ebikes -- being in Greensboro, you're not far from the Pedego shop in Durham, for instance -- and rent/ride as many different models as you can, even ones you might not be interested in. (If you go to the Pedego store, be sure to take a ride on the American Tobacco Trail which runs right past the shopping center. Great trail.) If I were you I'd definitely go to Winston-Salem, Charlotte, or Raleigh, because you'd have a lot of fun and learn a lot doing it.

Let us know what you buy and be sure to post photos!

 

[flynbulldog]

Thank you so much Bruce. Sounds like great advice

 

[chriskmee]

If you can, you should find a local bicycle shop and test ride a class 3 ebike or two. Not many class 3 ebikes come with throttles, so having that requirement will really reduce your options, and honestly I don't think a throttle is needed on a class 3.

On a class 3 ebike a throttle will only take you to 20mph, and its so easy to cruise at 20-23 mph with the assist that I honestly don't see the need for a throttle. I did initially want a throttle, but after test riding a class 3 ebike without a throttle I realized that I really didn't need one. In Turbo assist mode on my Trek Supercommuter 8 I can go 25 mph with minimal effort.

I also wouldn't limit yourself to full suspension bikes unless you plan on taking it off road. The fat tire ebikes have some suspension thanks to the fat tires, and you can always get a suspension seat-post if you really want.

I think at this point the best thing you can do is find a shop with ebikes and try a few out. Ideally you should get a feel for different motors and styles of bike to see what you like. I test rode a few and decided that I wanted a Bosch or Brose motor, and that helped me narrow down my search. I don't know exactly what you plan to do with this bike, so I would suggest not limiting yourself to full suspension class 3 + throttle ebikes unless you really need those features. After test riding some bikes you may find that you don't really need a throttle or full suspension, and that will make finding the perfect bike much easier.

 

[flynbulldog]

Thanks chriskmee, I did go to ebike central last week. I spent all afternoon there and had a chance to ride several bikes of different styles. I dont really want the rolling resistance of fat tires and through my test rides I really liked the bikes with full suspension best. I did ride 2 bikes with a throttle, 1 didnt work very well because modulation wasnt there - it was more like a switch than a throttle the other one worked ok but it didnt have the resolution I was expecting. ( I'm a motorcycle enthusiast)

I rode a bike with a CVT type transmision and belt drive. The bike was about $10,000 but it was heavy and cumbersome and the assist kept cutting in and out. It had a lot of expensive tech but obviously needs further development. Given the price I was surprised at how bad it was.

The cheaper bikes with hub drive seemed to work as well as the center drive and wont put so much strain on the bicycle gearing and chain system. I've read that chains are a weak spot on center drive bikes and it doesn't seem that these components were designed to be powered but all the major manufacturers seem to be going that way

Bike shops dont seem to be a good resource for information. Even if they do carry ebikes it seems that they dont stock them and most of the cyclists and bike shop employees tend to turn their noses up when you walk in looking for an ebike...

I think shops like trek and specialized are forced to offer ebikes but resist stocking anything or even educating themselves. They just dont seem to be any help at all

Out of the bikes I rode I liked the Brose center mount and Bafang hub drive the best. I did not like the bosch system as well. I did not try a bike with the Yamaha drive.

 

[JoePah]

Hi guys, I've been watching all the youtubes and reading some of the reviews on electric bikes trying to figure out what would be the best bike for me.

I saw a vid that suggested that ebikes were not bringing new people to bicycling. In my case that is 100% wrong. I'm not at all interested in a manual bike and I would not cycle at all without the new ebikes.

I need something that is a jack of all trades and think I'd like full suspension. 29 inch wheels would be ideal and I probably wouldnt go for fatties. I would like class3 with both throttle and peddle assist. I'll post more in the appropriate section and see if I can gain some insight.

I'm kinda excited and would like to make a decision soon so I can start riding

Have fun.. Since you don't like to pedal bike you may not like to pedal ebike.. Since most bikes work via pedal assist with a motor...

Try renting an ebike a couple of times and make sure that is something you want to do every week.