Suggestions for ebike around $1500?
- Thread starter pveer
- Start date
That's good to know!
I think the difference in the price of about 400$ tips in favor of the R1U 700. Though I understand the popularity of Rad.
Again I don't my city riding conditions are going to test the bike much. So I think spring or hydraulic should be fine, at least, I hope so. Thanks for your thoughts. Appreciate them!Regarding front forks/suspensions. My experience has been you want one.
As far as spring vs. hydraulic, if you were to ride both on an identical course, I think if that course were paved, you would have a difficult choice picking which were which - assuming only that the spring tensions have been optimized for your size/weight/riding 'druthers. If this course were off road, it would be a whole different world, with the better front end taking a beating that you would NEVER simulate on a paved/hard packed surface. -Al
Doggyman1202
Active Member
Amen to that! I learned the hard way on that score. One mile on a fat tire bike followed by a "what the f*** was I thinking?" epiphany. I do understand the appeal of fat bikes for many people, but I'm not one of them. Fortunately, I was able to sell mine for only a few dollars less than I paid, so I chalk it up to a good learning experience.
I'll mention two important factors that I also overlooked initially, and those factors are weight and battery range.
Weight: This matters quite a bit if you plan to transport the bike, as opposed to riding it strictly around your home (and assuming you can park the bike without having to climb stairs). Personally, I also like to ride occasionally without pedal assistance, which might also become necessary if your battery dies. Pedal-only is not easy with some of the 60lb plus e-bike boulders on wheels. (As an aside, suspension posts add weight. My Priority Current has a rigid frame, and I find it perfectly comfortable on pavement and light dirt/gravel riding).
Range: 20 miles may seem like a long haul on a regular bike, but you can easily pedal that distance without breaking a sweat on an e-bike. You also don't want to be distracted even thinking about running out of juice. While range listings on manufacturer sites are typically exaggerated, take a close look at the specific battery specifications.
As for your list, Ride1Up is a solid, hands-on and growing company. I like that brand the most of the bike companies you mention. Rad has a solid reputation too, but I never considered one of their bikes for myself.
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
Just tossing this in for consideration since it works well for me riding in the environment you describe, and ticks most of your boxes:
www.espinbikes.com
Espin is beginning to build out a dealer network, and REI also services the bikes if needed. I needed a wheel truing after about 6 months, and a brake bleed, both of which Espin reimbursed me for. Otherwise, it's been a fine city and occasional gravel/packed dirt bike
.
Flow
The perfect ebike for a casual cruise. Features an upright cruiser frame geometry and step-through for better accessibility. The urban commuter's dream. Flow is an affordable fat tire off-road electric bike with step-through & 20'' x 4” fat tires for added grip and stability that is ready to...
www.espinbikes.com
Espin is beginning to build out a dealer network, and REI also services the bikes if needed. I needed a wheel truing after about 6 months, and a brake bleed, both of which Espin reimbursed me for. Otherwise, it's been a fine city and occasional gravel/packed dirt bike
.
kmccune
Well-Known Member
Seen a Rad parked in Lexington, when I came back through there were two teens on it.That's good to know!
I think the difference in the price of about 400$ tips in favor of the R1U 700. Though I understand the popularity of Rad.
Again I don't my city riding conditions are going to test the bike much. So I think spring or hydraulic should be fine, at least, I hope so. Thanks for your thoughts. Appreciate them!
AHicks
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Snow Bird - Summer S.E. Michigan, Winter Gulf Coast North Central Fl.
There's so much concern over range among newbies, they coined a term for it - range anxiety.
There should be little concern over most bikes ability to run 20 miles on a charge. Know too though, that getting max life on a charge is not something that's going to happen any time real soon for most of us. It's going to take some experience, a couple hundred miles worth, to get a grip on the coordination of speed, PAS level, and conditions to start making good numbers. It looks easy, and you'll have no trouble getting there and back as a rule. Max range is a game I play with myself on every charge, to see how many miles that charge lasted and comparing it to the time(s) before that.
Brew61
Member
- Region
- Canada
The range all depends on how you ride. If you are going to ride under power all the time then it will be a lot shorter then if you use your power only when you need it. If you ride under Pas 1 all the time your battery will last a lot longer then say if you ride with Pas 5 or throttle. I only turn my power on when I need it like going up hills. If I am riding on flat ground or down hills 90% of the time my power is turned off.
The whole point for me to go out riding is to get some fresh air and exercise. If I am under power all the time there not much exercise going on. Even though I have one of those hated fat tire bikes, I can cruise along pretty good without the power on. At 60 yrs old I have no problem going 60 -70 kms for a nice ride and hardly using any power up on my battery.
Bruce
The whole point for me to go out riding is to get some fresh air and exercise. If I am under power all the time there not much exercise going on. Even though I have one of those hated fat tire bikes, I can cruise along pretty good without the power on. At 60 yrs old I have no problem going 60 -70 kms for a nice ride and hardly using any power up on my battery.
Bruce
ruffruff
Well-Known Member
Agree, if you are commuting regularly on tar and gravel, fat tires, are a determent. When I turn the power off on my fat tire it feels like pedaling in wet cement.
If you should lose power for some reason you will pay after 4 or 5 miles. These electric fat bikes are heavy and have the highest rolling resistance of the bikes.
Fat tires are meant for low and slow, low tire pressure and slow riding.
But most people treat them like most 4x4 pickups, 95% of them never leave the mall parking lot.
Doggyman1202
Active Member
I am on Ride1Up's mailing list, and evidently their Core-5 (step thru available) is on sale for $1,045. (The Core-5 was a bike I seriously considered before blowing up my original budget for a Priority Current). It impresses me as a great value with decent motor and range, especially at this price point. The weight isn't bad either at 49lbs (and presumably less with the battery out). I also like the stealthy looks of the bike, (I don't hide the fact I'm on an e-bike, but don't like to be conspicuous about it either) which is one reason I never considered anything in the Rad line with their bolted on battery designs. The Rad's tend to be heavy as well.
There's a good case to be made though for any bike on your list, so I'm curious to hear about your final choice.
Oh nice. I’m leaning heavily towards ride1up 700. But I’ll have a look at the core 5 too! Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll definitely let y’ll know once I make the final choice.
Doggyman1202
Active Member
I met a happy owner of a 700 this summer riding one of the rail trails in my state. The guy was loving it, and it impressed me as a very substantial bike.
I think you're also right to lean toward a step-thru which is much easier to mount and dismount. I've ridden both, and while I don't have an engineering background, it seems to me the alleged stability advantage of a cross bar is cancelled out by the heavier nature of an e-bike in general, and the fact that the motor is supplying so much of the power. Those more qualified than I might disagree though.
Folks, I'm planning on buying to the core-5 ST as the 700 ST is not available now and I think spending less might give me more freedom to swap some stuff around. Also, I'm a student and I don't want to break the bank
Do you have any suggestions for me with competitors to the core-5?
Do you have any suggestions for me with competitors to the core-5?
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
Yikes! Brand name components, all low end but all pretty easy access. 10.4Ah battery a bit wimpy and do not expect the web pages mileage claim. Interesting bike. Just use due diligence and look for reviews, I’m sure you are. I’m still VERY suspicious of ALL sub $1500-$2000 eBikes. Remember you’re signing on as the mechanic support guy. Warranty will send parts, hopefully, but the replacement is on you.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll look at reviews.
That’s exactly why I don’t want to spend more on the bike as this will enable me to change a few parts if something goes wrong. First e bike, so it’s scary tbh
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
Do you own a bike? If yes, brand and model?
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
I get scary but buying cheap and planning upgrades could well be more costly.
kmccune
Well-Known Member
The vastly discounted "Touteg-Conquer" I ordered SOTM( supposed to have been $849 somehow ended up paying $901 to "Affirm" anyway it arrived without a scratch, double boxed, well-padded, Looks very good it's pretty well 'decontented", the seat only a masochist would love, 500 watt motor( do not know the brand) no racks or fenders. When the snow and mud leave and it warms up I will take Her for a spin, the well below zero mornings tend to keep me by the fire. I have 2 upgrades coming already, rack and seat,I swapped the narrow straight handlebar for the chrome cruiser handlebar off the "Hyper" and motor deficiency may be addressed with a small TSDZ midships. The steel house brand spring fork seems good enough, the disc brakes work and the 16 watt Led light from"Superleds" is going on the front, either powered from the planned aux battery or a drill battery,harbor Freight triangle flasher on rear powered by USB port we shall see- I refuse to ruin the that "Milano" bike in this crap ( anyone interested $400 now- medium frame step-through). So I will keep you good people posted, the places I am going I need the "Fatties.
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The Core 5 is a beast of a bike that I have over 5300 miles on so far, I added a Redshift stem, steel BMX clunker bars, switched out the shifter and added the Juin tech brake calipers and I love it. You can get a 14ah battery for it also from R1up if you need to but given your ride of 5 miles or so a day you won't need one.Folks, I'm planning on buying to the core-5 ST as the 700 ST is not available now and I think spending less might give me more freedom to swap some stuff around. Also, I'm a student and I don't want to break the bank
Do you have any suggestions for me with competitors to the core-5?
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Doggyman1202
Active Member
The Core-5 sounds like a great choice for what you're trying to accomplish, and a terrific value. The weight is manageable, and the battery range should be fine. My Priority battery is marginally more robust, and I average 40 to 50 miles per charge. It takes a little riding experience to finesse extra miles per charge, but given your stated requirements, it should be plenty. Every bike on the market, especially at the under-$2k price point has compromises, but the Core-5 balances those out nicely.
I was a member of the Ride1Up owners Facebook group for a while, as I almost wound up with their V2 Roadster (which probably would not have been a very good fit for me given my rural location and tendency to ride long distances) but I was impressed how conscientious and dedicated the owner (Kevin) and the staff were regarding customer satisfaction.
In short, it sounds like a very sound choice. Here are some review links. These are quite thorough:
https://electricbikereport.com/ride1up-core-5-review/
I was a member of the Ride1Up owners Facebook group for a while, as I almost wound up with their V2 Roadster (which probably would not have been a very good fit for me given my rural location and tendency to ride long distances) but I was impressed how conscientious and dedicated the owner (Kevin) and the staff were regarding customer satisfaction.
In short, it sounds like a very sound choice. Here are some review links. These are quite thorough:
https://electricbikereport.com/ride1up-core-5-review/
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