Kurt in CT
Active Member
Hey guys, I've been researching for a while, will be buying soon for the spring. First bike. Thought I'd put this out there and get your thoughts. I'm buying for fun, recreation, trails, roads... So I want a mountain bike. Honestly, I am an older guy, and I really need some fun in my life. This is going to be it! Plan to do a lot of pedaling for exercise, so the gears matter. Here's what I'm thinking / looking for:
- not particularly interested in building my own bike from scratch. Will buy it online or from a bike shop.
- mid drive (seems to be the way to go... though I could be convinced otherwise)
- want a throttle option... for the fun of it
- gears: at least 10, prefer more
- range: up to 50 miles
- descent technology / graphic-visibility / metric tracking
- reliability / quality
- stealth ( this is big for me. I do not want to see the big fat battery sticking out. I don't quite know where this whole E bike business is going, and don't want other bikers, or the authorities, or the trail watchers to know what I am riding. So the more it's hidden the better).
- under $2500
- prefer to buy from a bike shop, where service can be counted on. But still considering buying online. (i'm really laboring over this one. Bike shops are limited to certain brands of course and there are certain online bikes that are pretty cool.)
So, given all factors above, here are my choices at the moment:
- Magnum Navigator: supposedly being released this spring. Mid-drive, drive with throttle, 20 gears, hidden battery. Would buy through local dealer.
- FLX Trail: mid Drive, powerful battery (17ah), 10 gears, decent design, though the battery is not totally hidden. Must buy online, so service is an issue.
That's it so far. What choices out there am I missing? Thanks a lot in advance!!
- not particularly interested in building my own bike from scratch. Will buy it online or from a bike shop.
- mid drive (seems to be the way to go... though I could be convinced otherwise)
- want a throttle option... for the fun of it
- gears: at least 10, prefer more
- range: up to 50 miles
- descent technology / graphic-visibility / metric tracking
- reliability / quality
- stealth ( this is big for me. I do not want to see the big fat battery sticking out. I don't quite know where this whole E bike business is going, and don't want other bikers, or the authorities, or the trail watchers to know what I am riding. So the more it's hidden the better).
- under $2500
- prefer to buy from a bike shop, where service can be counted on. But still considering buying online. (i'm really laboring over this one. Bike shops are limited to certain brands of course and there are certain online bikes that are pretty cool.)
So, given all factors above, here are my choices at the moment:
- Magnum Navigator: supposedly being released this spring. Mid-drive, drive with throttle, 20 gears, hidden battery. Would buy through local dealer.
- FLX Trail: mid Drive, powerful battery (17ah), 10 gears, decent design, though the battery is not totally hidden. Must buy online, so service is an issue.
That's it so far. What choices out there am I missing? Thanks a lot in advance!!
