Suggestions for quality ebike priced <$2000-2500, cargo or similar, sometimes need to carry girlfriend who is ~135 lbs

[venexiano]

Hi everyone!!! Looking to buy a second ebike (I now have a Phantom XRS which I will keep for guests) for a nice bike priced <$2000-2500 with the following requirements:

Ideal Requirements:

1) Rainproof (I think nowadays they all are)
2) High-quality hydraulic (or mechanic) disk breaks (safety first!!!)
3) A solid rack in which I can carry my light girlfriend (135 pounds) for short 1-2 miles ride every now and then.
4) Relatively light so I can still pedal home without dying if I run out of battery, I would love carbon fibers but I guess we go out of budget, in that case, let's forget.
5) >15 miles range if no pedaling

Optional requirements

1) Cadence and torque and throttle.
2) Usb chargeable so I don't need to carry a charger if I go over my friends house many miles away? Or are those USB ports only to charge external device such as phone from the battery?

A bike that I am eying with some of those requirements is the RadWagon 4 Electric Cargo Bike. Rack with a max load of 120 pounds (I think my gf's 135 pounds are close enough). But I am fine also with a smaller rack but still sturdy. Any suggestions?

 

[venexiano]

Thank you TImpo, how is that diffenent from the: RadWagon 4 Electric Cargo Bike? Also, is there any other bike (non cargo) with a rack that withstands ~120-130 lbs? Those cargo bikes are just so ugly!

 

[RunForTheHills]

You could let the girlfriend ride the Phantom XRS and get a non cargo bike. Most bike racks are rated at around 40-50lbs, which is plenty for grocery trips or even bicycle touring.

 

[ElevenAD]

these are non cargo also if your planning to carry 2 people i think power is key! thats why i would go with an Ariel Rider, either a D-Class or a Grizzly! those bikes will carry2 riders the way most bikes carry one and when your riding solo just turn down the PAS!

he rides with her tandem on his Grizzly.

Thank you TImpo, how is that diffenent from the: RadWagon 4 Electric Cargo Bike? Also, is there any other bike (non cargo) with a rack that withstands ~120-130 lbs? Those cargo bikes are just so ugly!

 

[venexiano]

Mmm I never thought about the fact that middrive is easier to carry on a dead battery than rear hub motor. I guess that is the reason why I barely move with my Phantom XRS when battery is dead. I feel like enormous friction when I pedal. What is the mechanic explanation for that? I don't get it. The weight of the motor should be similar.

 

[ElevenAD]

Mmm I never thought about the fact that middrive is easier to carry on a dead battery than rear hub motor. I guess that is the reason why I barely move with my Phantom XRS when battery is dead. I feel like enormous friction when I pedal. What is the mechanic explanation for that? I don't get it. The weight of the motor should be similar.

two different animals, when you no power pedal a hub motor your legs are spinning the entire weight of that motor along with the wheel,with an unpowered middrive your just spinning some gears but not the full weight of the motor........i think?

 

[venexiano]

No you do not me convince me. I don't think it is related to the weight of the motor. However, I'm happy if you send me a link where this is discussed in depth by experts and you prove me wrong.

 

[JASmith]

What you are explaining can be reproduced and also dismissed easily in your home using a spinning office chair.

Stick your legs out and have your SO spin you and see how fast she can spin you from a stop.

Now do the same resting some kind of weight on your feet, and you'll see it just got harder to spin you.

Now tuck your feet under your butt or close to the axis of rotation at least and do the same, much easier.

Lastly put that same weight in your lap, and you'll see it seems to make no difference.

So unless the hub motor has a huge diameter, the weight really shouldn't matter because its so close to the axis of rotation to be a non-issue.

Especially if you go with a geared hub motor which should be pretty small in diameter compared to a direct drive hub motor.

Speaking of geared vs direct drive, the geared should freewheel when off but the direct drive should provide some resistance from the magnets, and its likely that drag that makes direct drive ebikes feel harder to peddle without power.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

"Suggestions for quality ebike priced <$2000-2500"
"Quality" and "<$2000-2500" are mutually exclusive.

 

[JASmith]

I was just explaining a basic physics concept that the rotational inertia (resistance to spinning up or down) of any system equals the mass times the square of the distance to the axis of rotation. So as you can see from the equation, while mass matters (and remember you're not spinning the entire mass of that hub as the stator is stationary and likely the heaviest component), it matters a lot less when close to the axis of rotation.

I wasn't doubting there's resistance, but that its likely magnetic resistance that you're experiencing. Its how magnetic resistance stationary bicycles function, and they can give you a real workout:

 

[JASmith]

There won't be magnetic resistance on geared hub motor.
There's a clutch mechanism to make it "freewheel", which can benefit when costing, etc.

There's a hub motor called direct hub motor, which will give you magnetic resistance.

I explained that on post # 14 above already.

 

[ElevenAD]

What you are explaining can be reproduced and also dismissed easily in your home using a spinning office chair.

Stick your legs out and have your SO spin you and see how fast she can spin you from a stop.

Now do the same resting some kind of weight on your feet, and you'll see it just got harder to spin you.

Now tuck your feet under your butt or close to the axis of rotation at least and do the same, much easier.

Lastly put that same weight in your lap, and you'll see it seems to make no difference.

So unless the hub motor has a huge diameter, the weight really shouldn't matter because its so close to the axis of rotation to be a non-issue.

Especially if you go with a geared hub motor which should be pretty small in diameter compared to a direct drive hub motor.

Speaking of geared vs direct drive, the geared should freewheel when off but the direct drive should provide some resistance from the magnets, and its likely that drag that makes direct drive ebikes feel harder to peddle without power.

any hub motor is going to be harder to spin around than a couple of freewheeling nylon gears in a middrive i dont care if the motors legs are sticking out or not lol, have you guys ever even lifted an average hub motor? some weigh nearly 7lbs some even more.

 

[JASmith]

any hub motor is going to be harder to spin around than a couple of freewheeling nylon gears in a middrive i dont care if the motors legs are sticking out or not lol, have you guys ever even lifted an average hub motor? some weigh nearly 7lbs some even more.

Oh sure, no one questions that, the debate was about "how much harder". Again, you're not spinning any of that chonky copper so talking about the entire weight of the unit is a bit irrelevant. Basically just the outer housing actually spins and its spinning pretty close to the center hub, so that short distance helps make it easier. I have pretty skinny legs and I had no issue on my test ride, so the debate is over the objective increase in resistance of a geared hub, not whether or not a theoretical increase exists.

 

[ElevenAD]

One of the most popular ebike motors, Bafang G060 weighs 4.6kg (10.12 lbs) and even the lower powered 350W version weighs 4.1kg (9.02 lbs)

This is what I meant.. imagine trying to spin a 10 lb dumbbell right in the middle of hub.

i had no idea that motor was so heavy! i imagine the fullfat 750 could be even heavier so yeah no fun!

 

[venexiano]

Hi, I wonder if in the past months any other nice ebike came out that can allow me to carry my girlfriend. Thank you

 

[Stefan Mikes]

When I hear "quality" and "$2000-2500" in one sentence, I automatically apply an Ignore.

 

[AHicks]

any hub motor is going to be harder to spin around than a couple of freewheeling nylon gears in a middrive i dont care if the motors legs are sticking out or not lol, have you guys ever even lifted an average hub motor? some weigh nearly 7lbs some even more.

Sorry so late, just saw the most recent reply here. You simply cannot use only the term "hub drive" for an accurate statement here. Why? Because a "geared" hub motor is completely different than a "direct" drive hub.

In fact, a geared hub drive uses the exact same style of clutch as a mid drive when considering either drive's ability to uncouple/stop spinning when coasting/not under power.

It's the direct drive hubs that have a noticeable amount of drag when coasting/un-powered, because the do not have this internal clutch

 

[AHicks]

Hi, I wonder if in the past months any other nice ebike came out that can allow me to carry my girlfriend. Thank you

Rad has a "nice" e-bike that should allow you to carry her. If you think something like this might work, holler for more suggestions. There are several other companies producing similar bikes.

RadWagon™ 5 Electric Cargo Bike

Rad's updated cargo bike provides better handling, advanced safety features, and more carrying capacity than ever before. Upgraded features include front suspension, hydraulic brakes, torque sensor and class 1-3 capabilities. Plus the electrical system and Safe Shield™ battery are both UL Listed.

www.radpowerbikes.com

 

[indianajo]

Radwagon4 is nice if you are never going to wear out a tire or tube. They have a proprietary size tire, 22", which is available from them sometimes. (only, last time I checked modernbike.com & ebay).
Similar cargo bike with 24" wheels you can buy tires & tubes for anywhere are the blix packa and the eurorau max cargo.
I find drag unpowered of my geared hub motor so negligible that I leave it installed all winter while the battery is stored in the garage under a heating pad. It weighs less than the toolbox I carry. I fix problems or push the bike to destination. No sag wagon where I ride.

 

[AHicks]

For those that are too lazy to check internet rumors out prior to spreading them:

Fiction Troop 22 x 2.3 BMX Tire from BikeBling.com

Fiction Troop 22 x 2.3 BMX Tire: Semi-aggressive tread pattern on a larger 62mm wide casing, perfect for street or park use for those on a budget.

www.bikebling.com

Found using google search (on 22"x2.3" bike tires) that took maybe 20 seconds.....