Thought I had made up my mind, but now I'm not sure!

[tomjasz]

Check it out yourself , that's what they say.

I did. BTW An Electra built in WI 12 or more years ago was nearly $900. A pedal bike. $1100 built in CA. Nope. I'm not saying it's not a nice bike. Just don't like reading marketing blather.

 

[phoenixtoohot]

I did. BTW An Electra built in WI 12 or more years ago was nearly $900. A pedal bike. $1100 built in CA. Nope. I'm not saying it's not a nice bike. Just don't like reading marketing blather.

Suit yourself. I don't particularly care where they're built to be honest. I would guess 95% of the bikes are built in Asia, but I'm told Aventon does build their own frames. Perhaps they have their own Factory in China. Don't know how they do it but they sure make nice frames, and great value electric bikes.

 

[tomjasz]

IMO honesty counts. Any seller that needs to obscure facts may well obscure other details, but then I'm an old guy that still values full disclosure and honest sales tactics.

 

[FreeWheelie]

Sorry your perception is slamming Hicks, i'm just stating the facts. I like the Rad bikes, but they are white label bikes, with great marketing, paid publicity and great support. Many, if not most, of the DTC and on-line bikes are white label, but some seller's don't want you to know that. Interestingly, the Aventon bikes are actually designed and built in California.

you must mean white label as in individual parts, because nobody makes their own motors brakes etc. now hand selecting and assembling parts available is what everyone basically does. I can do it in my garage. The real question is who puts together a nice package?

 

[phoenixtoohot]

IMO honesty counts. Any seller that needs to obscure facts may well obscure other details, but then I'm an old guy that still values full disclosure and honest sales tactics.

LOL,
In that case you've written off over half of the DTC sellers who simply rebadge white label bikes and market/sell them as own design.

 

[phoenixtoohot]

you must mean white label as in individual parts, because nobody makes their own motors brakes etc. now hand selecting and assembling parts available is what everyone basically does. I can do it in my garage. The real question is who puts together a nice package?

Sorry to say but you are misinformed, check the thread
"Bam versus Rad" in another forum.

 

[tomjasz]

you must mean white label as in individual parts, because nobody makes their own motors brakes etc. now hand selecting and assembling parts available is what everyone basically does. I can do it in my garage. The real question is who puts together a nice package?

This happens often. A self appointed expert rolls in and trolls threads with their new found internet experience. I should know better than engage. The quoted thread is back wards, but can be found here. This weeks market expert. There will be a new one next week. https://www.geekwire.com/2019/rad-v...opycat-company-sues-alleged-knockoff-website/

 

[phoenixtoohot]

This happens often. A self appointed expert rolls in and trolls threads with their new found internet experience. I should know better than engage. The quoted thread is back wards, but can be found here. This weeks market expert. There will be a new one next week. https://www.geekwire.com/2019/rad-v...opycat-company-sues-alleged-knockoff-website/

Too funny, you found the wrong thread, and yours is Switched, try looking a little harder for the correct thread, even though it doesn't support your preconceived and erroneous perceptions. And by the way there's a lot of angry old men, safely hiding behind a desk attacking people who they disagree with because of their narrow-minded perceptions. It's almost hilarious but it's actually quite sad, give it a rest. count to 10, whatever you can to calm yourself down.

 

[AHicks]

Sorry Serena. Your thread seems to have gone astray. On topic, I can tell you that at some point, you just need to make a leap of faith. To sort through all the available info to come up with a perfect first bike, based on facts that you gather, is way too much for most of us. There are so many different ways to go it can turn the best brains to absolute mush.

So maybe a list? For me, it would be about:
Service availability if I needed it (a lot of us don't, we do our own).
A bike that fits me physically (though I believe step through are more generic).
Type of power (geared hub, vs. direct drive hub vs. mid drive) That's the big one for me.
Size of tires

Or make your own list using your own priorities. The plan is to start eliminating as many manf's/suppliers as you can to allow focus on ones that will work. Then the leap of faith comes in. I doubt it would surprise anyone if there were a dozen different bikes that would satisfy your needs equally well.

Best of luck

 

[PatriciaK]

Back to the La Free...I test rode the E+2 and liked it very much! Trying to decide whether it's worth it (for me) to spend an extra $400 for the belt-drive +1. Also looked at the Trek Verve, but, at the same price as the +1 but no belt drive, it's off my list. Everyone here who has a La Free seems happy with their choice.

FWIW, I was considering asking my LBS of they would assemble and support an Aventon if I purchased one (they're is no dealer in my area), but have pretty much decided the mid drive us a must for me .

 

[StmbtDave]

My wife purchased an Electra Loft 8i which I believe is the same as the Townie 8i. She loves the upright seating and the cruiser bars. It came with fenders front and rear, racks front and rear, as well as headlight and taillight powered off the battery. She really likes the internal hub shifting as she can change gears while stopped. This replaced her non-electric Electra Townie. The Townie had 26x2.0 tires while the Loft has 28x2.0 tires and she says the taller tires makes the bike much more stable to ride. Also, the Electra brand is a subsidiary of Trek so there is massive support most everywhere. We have two Trek dealers in our town and another two dealers in the town 10 miles to the north.

Dave

 

[Dewey]

the Electra brand is a subsidiary of Trek so there is massive support most everywhere. We have two Trek dealers in our town and another two dealers in the town 10 miles to the north.

Great point Dave, just as Trek have Electra as a 2nd brand, so Giant have Momentum and they recently have added ebikes to the Momentum range, so now as well as the LaFree Giant dealers have two more step-through ebikes with Yamaha motors, battery mounted on the downtube, internal gear hub, and your choice of step-through or mid-step frame with the Momentum Vida (Class 1) and Momentum Transend (Class 3).

 

[serena1202]

Sorry Serena. Your thread seems to have gone astray. On topic, I can tell you that at some point, you just need to make a leap of faith. To sort through all the available info to come up with a perfect first bike, based on facts that you gather, is way too much for most of us. There are so many different ways to go it can turn the best brains to absolute mush.

So maybe a list? For me, it would be about:
Service availability if I needed it (a lot of us don't, we do our own).
A bike that fits me physically (though I believe step through are more generic).
Type of power (geared hub, vs. direct drive hub vs. mid drive) That's the big one for me.
Size of tires

Or make your own list using your own priorities. The plan is to start eliminating as many manf's/suppliers as you can to allow focus on ones that will work. Then the leap of faith comes in. I doubt it would surprise anyone if there were a dozen different bikes that would satisfy your needs equally well.

Best of luck

Yikes! It definitely went a different direciton.

Great advice - thank you! Once the homework is done, it's definitely a leap of faith!

 

[Bigal1463]

Welcome Serena, just a bit of friendly advice from an elderly reader and owner. This is a fantastic site for information and advice, but remember one thing that’s important here is that we are all individuals with different need and wants. What features that are important to you, may not be important to the next guy. First of all you’ve came to the right place. Read as much as you can to familiarize yourself with the jargon and reviews (very important). After knowing what your needs are and price point, then narrow it down to two or three bikes. My advice and many others here is to try and buy from your local bike shop, where you will get the support that you need and believe me, unless you can do repairs yourself, at some point will happen. Like Court said, there is no perfect bike. Do your comparisons at your price point, make a decision and go for it. Never look back, because you already made a decision, unless something new comes on the market before you buy and compare it to the one you decided on. Another important thought, don’t let a few dollars more or less decide for you, because in the end it‘s really not that important. One other thought, and I’m sorry for keeping this long, but after you get your bike, there are accessories that you will definitely want to add, and these add to the cost of the bike. When doing comps, keep this mind. One other thought is the weight of the bike, and if you’re lifting the bike onto a rack, the lighter bike, is important to consider. Well, enough said and I wish you luck and ride safe.