Should I wait to buy my 1st e-bike?

[PDoz]

... Yes, very good points and part of the reason I started this thread.. Adopt the new tech and take your chances? buy old tech and hope it continues to be supported?...tough questions

I admit to looking at the 2019 range and wondering if I should have waited - being completely honest my current bike is WAY more capable than me, and I fully expect to get many years of happy riding out of it. But the 2019looks sexier, has better forks, and a nicer name.....

One lessonI've learnt is it's not really viable to trade up each year with some brands of ebikes. Read the fine print on the warranty - only the original owner is covered. So if you decide to buy next years model after only a few months , the bike will have zero warranty for the buyer and presumably second hand prices will reflect that !!!! So choose wisely the first time.

 

[DDBB]

This is my second venture into researching ebikes.. I was so overwhelmed the 1st time I gave up.. This time isn't much better. The more I learn, the more I see what I NEED to learn before making a decision.. The worst part is that I started out looking at bikes in the $1,500 range and now I'm looking at the $3,000+ range. I may indeed buy a good rack for the truck and make a weekend trip to crazy Lennys, test ride a bunch of bikes and maybe I can get a deal for buying TWO of them as my wife wants one too.

 

[Alaskan]

There's the spirit. Get your bikes and get riding.

 

[gyroron]

Alaskan and Rich.... Good for you two. Thanks to efforts by folks like you, small mom and pop business will have at least some flow of support.

I am not opposed to spending A LITTLE more, not ALOT more, to buy from and support local business.

My biggest problem is time though. I myself own and operate a small business. I mow lawns for a living... been doing that since 1994. I am up and out of bed at 7am and out working till 6 or 7pm every day monday through friday. After work I don't want to spend what is left of my day riding all over town to shop for items, not to mention most places are closed long before I am done with work. And I sure don't want to spend my saturdays and sundays running errands. Being able to swing by WALMART in the evening, and get anything I need from new bath towels to a frozen pizza to replacement inner tubes for my bike, etc.... Is ultra convenient.

Same with amazon, I can order off amazon on my phone while sitting at a redlight in my truck between yards. And often whatever I ordered is delivered by the next day.

Saves me TIME. And time is the one thing I have the least of, and the thing I value the most.

 

[AHicks]

Pick up a (relatively) inexpensive bike and wait for your cutting edge technology to settle down. Meanwhile, you may find the latest and greatest not all that great. That inexpensive bike may keep your grin factor lit up just fine!

Or get a solid e-bike you can ride now and update as the need/finances/technology changes.

If latest and greatest is what you seek, be prepared to jump in and learn to swim on the go - take your chances the latest and greatest goes mainstream. There's a good chance it won't.....

 

[gyroron]

This is my second venture into researching ebikes.. I was so overwhelmed the 1st time I gave up.. This time isn't much better. The more I learn, the more I see what I NEED to learn before making a decision.. The worst part is that I started out looking at bikes in the $1,500 range and now I'm looking at the $3,000+ range. I may indeed buy a good rack for the truck and make a weekend trip to crazy Lennys, test ride a bunch of bikes and maybe I can get a deal for buying TWO of them as my wife wants one too.

I am sure as time goes on there will be improvements in ebikes. More power.... longer range... less weight... possibly lower prices... etc...

But what I can tell you is that at least with my HAIBIKES... they work so well now that I can't imagine how they could get any better. My full nine 6.5, its basically a high end regular mountain bike, with a motor and battery that assists my pedalling. After one or two rides you get used to the way the power kicks in from the motor and it becomes natural to ride.

What you need to decide is basic bike stuff. As in.... 1. do you want full suspension or a hard tail 2. what size tires do you want 3. what brand and level components do you want

Once you know what you want in the bicycle itself, then it is a matter of do you have a preference on power system. Do you want yamaha, brose shimano bosch? Really all of them are good systems, but you may have a preference. Maybe there isn't any dealers of the bike brand you want local to you but there is a shop that supports yamaha powered bikes or bosch? That might make a difference.

Then price it out and pick your bike.

You don't have to spend over 3 grand. There isn't much left in 2017 Haibike, but there is a few small and XL frame sizes left in the full nine 6.5 and All Mountain 5.0 ( the two bikes I bought for me and the wife ) Plus there are several 2018 models under 3 grand. https://shopsandiegoflyrides.com/co...aibike-sduro-fullnine-6-5?variant=29526759491