Single Speed Recommendations

[Khhskk]

Looking for suggestions and advice on a single speed ebike. I live in a very hot, very flat area and need a new bike for my short commute.

Must Haves:

• Single speed
• Comes with or has the ability to add fenders and racks
• Under $1.5k

Desires:

• Lighter weight
• Throttle
• Belt drive

For what it is worth, I have a RadWagon 2. We’ve put a couple thousand miles on it and really enjoy it. Of course the obvious cons are that it is extremely heavy, can’t make sharp turns, and gets really unstable if you add a lot of weight on the rack. But for a bike of its size it can really fly and have good get up and go (and 20+ mph on level 2!)

With my list of what I am hoping to have in a new commuter it seemed like a Rad Mission would be an obvious choice. I was pretty disappointed when I test road one. It didn’t handle much better than my wagon, felt clunky, and honestly didn’t have the same speed. I’ve been looking at Luna Stealth, KBO Hurricane, Rize Fixie, and Ride 1up roadster v2. I don’t need to worry about range but do I need to factor in the battery sitting in the sun while I am at work? Any thoughts on what might best fit the bill? I am also not opposed to picking up a standard bike such as a Trek Soho and adding on a conversion kit, but I haven’t explored those options fully.

 

[ephemere]

Luna Stealth

Does the Luna Stealth still exist? (It's a 3-speed by the way.)

 

[Khhskk]

As far as I know yes. It is also a touch over my price range but I have seen used ones also pop up from time to time.

 

[Dewey]

A few other light weight single speeds that come to mind are the Detroit E-Sparrow, Propella V4.0, E-Glide SS +, and Schwinn eMonroe 250

 

[spinnanz]

You might be able to get a cheap EasyMotion EasyGoRace 2nd hand? Add a bigger battery on the frame for some extended range.

If you're up for mods for more speed, it's hub will take +700w.

 

[Taylor57]

Looking for suggestions and advice on a single speed ebike. I live in a very hot, very flat area and need a new bike for my short commute.

Must Haves:

• Single speed
• Comes with or has the ability to add fenders and racks
• Under $1.5k

Desires:

• Lighter weight
• Throttle
• Belt drive

For what it is worth, I have a RadWagon 2. We’ve put a couple thousand miles on it and really enjoy it. Of course the obvious cons are that it is extremely heavy, can’t make sharp turns, and gets really unstable if you add a lot of weight on the rack. But for a bike of its size it can really fly and have good get up and go (and 20+ mph on level 2!)

With my list of what I am hoping to have in a new commuter it seemed like a Rad Mission would be an obvious choice. I was pretty disappointed when I test road one. It didn’t handle much better than my wagon, felt clunky, and honestly didn’t have the same speed. I’ve been looking at Luna Stealth, KBO Hurricane, Rize Fixie, and Ride 1up roadster v2. I don’t need to worry about range but do I need to factor in the battery sitting in the sun while I am at work? Any thoughts on what might best fit the bill? I am also not opposed to picking up a standard bike such as a Trek Soho and adding on a conversion kit, but I haven’t explored those options fully.

I just ordered a Roadster Gravel from Ride 1 UP however no throttle...

 

[AHicks]

I am not a fan of, nor do I endorse the purchase of single speeds (ANY single speed), BUT, if I were looking for one, the Espin Aero would be hard to ignore. I think Espin thought they would be way more popular and they may be sitting on a ton of them they want to get rid of quickly. Latest price is 799.

I have 3 of their bigger bikes (2 Flows and a Sport), and have found support to be first class.

https://www.espinbikes.com/products/aero

 

[OrTrek]

Looked at all. I have the Roadster V2. I really like it - a lot. Easy to ride, light, quick, nimble and easy to maintain. And would think I'd also like their gravel version. The Rize was my 2nd choice (has throttle option which I could care less about). The Aero is 10# more. Don't know your size, but me at 150#, old (73) but in good shape I can ride this thing anywhere I can with my Haibike Yamaha PW. Keeping in the sun I don't know. Seems anything would be an issue if the battery can't be removed (I.E.: Roadster, Rize, Aero). So Khhskk which one, if any, did you decide on?

I think you're right AHicks on Espin having/had stock issues on the Aero. I just saw they're doing a buy 1 at $799, get the second one for $399!! They are showing 182 left. BTW - I almost always like your input, but what's the issue with a single speed in your opinion?

 

[AHicks]

Looked at all. I have the Roadster V2. I really like it - a lot. Easy to ride, light, quick, nimble and easy to maintain. And would think I'd also like their gravel version. The Rize was my 2nd choice (has throttle option which I could care less about). The Aero is 10# more. Don't know your size, but me at 150#, old (73) but in good shape I can ride this thing anywhere I can with my Haibike Yamaha PW. Keeping in the sun I don't know. Seems anything would be an issue if the battery can't be removed (I.E.: Roadster, Rize, Aero). So Khhskk which one, if any, did you decide on?

I think you're right AHicks on Espin having/had stock issues on the Aero. I just saw they're doing a buy 1 at $799, get the second one for $399!! They are showing 182 left. BTW - I almost always like your input, but what's the issue with a single speed in your opinion?

I'm 70 and ride daily. Have for years now. At 6'2" and 315 I'm likely one of the bigger riders you're going to come across. I'm healthy, but hardly a picture of "fit". IMHO, the ability to shift gears increases the versatility of the bike - big time. Even when riding in a fairly level environment, you still have wind to contend with. My bikes have 7-9 gears available, and I'm not real sure which of those I would pick if I could have just 1? Another factor may be I do all of my own work, so keeping the condition of the shifting hardware and adjustment near perfect is just something I enjoy doing. Add that to the fact that I've been riding 10 speeds forever may be a factor as well.

So to answer your question "what's my issue with single speeds"? One word would likely answer that question. Spoiled..... -Al

 

[EMGX]

Don't know your size, but me at 150#, old (73) but in good shape I can ride this thing anywhere I can with my Haibike Yamaha PW. . . . but what's the issue with a single speed in your opinion?

I'm not trying to answer for AHicks but you must live in a flat area of Oregon. I ride in Oregon regularly where a single speed bike would not work well at all regardless of fitness level. Even if I rode only flat routes I'm pretty sure I would appreciate having more choice of gears to adjust to how I was wanting to ride on any particular day.

 

[AHicks]

Switchbacks on a bike? (eek!!)

Reminds me of one big park we were in while driving a car (thankfully!!). Mt. Rushmore maybe? YUP! This "scenic" road featured 2 spirals similar to what might be found in a modern parking structure. Too steep for switch backs! They're called "pig tails". Just as big a surprise here is that they were WOOD! I wouldn't mind going down so much, but....-Al

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/81909286942712390/

Iron Mountain Road — Black Hills Hiking, Biking, and More

Iron Mountain Road is 17 miles long and is known as Highway 16A. The road starts just south of Mount Rushmore National Park and leads to one of the entrances to Custer State Park. The road is very unique and has pigtail bridges, tunnels, and one way roads that divide and give you a more natural set

www.blackhillshikingbikingandmore.com

 

[Taylor57]

I'm 70 and ride daily. Have for years now. At 6'2" and 315 I'm likely one of the bigger riders you're going to come across. I'm healthy, but hardly a picture of "fit". IMHO, the ability to shift gears increases the versatility of the bike - big time. Even when riding in a fairly level environment, you still have wind to contend with. My bikes have 7-9 gears available, and I'm not real sure which of those I would pick if I could have just 1? Another factor may be I do all of my own work, so keeping the condition of the shifting hardware and adjustment near perfect is just something I enjoy doing. Add that to the fact that I've been riding 10 speeds forever may be a factor as well.

So to answer your question "what's my issue with single speeds"? One word would likely answer that question. Spoiled..... -Al

Hi Al

I haven't had a single speed bike since my banana peeler! I havent used many of the gears in my last 4 ebikes, so I thought I would switch it up. I agree, 499 for the Aero is a steal...