Total Noob Here, Need Your Help

Jeff Williams said:
Dave, I am now retired and spent many months last fall researching and test riding ebikes here in northwest Arkansas (hilly). I wanted a complete (lights, rack,etc) commuter and paved trail bike that could also do some gravel if needed. My conclusions: (1) best low-priced ebikes were from Rad, in my case the RadCity at $1500 complete with front suspension, lights, rack, etc. Only problems were disc brakes are manual, not hydraulic (requires more hand strength on these steep hills) and bikes are heavy due to heavy hub motor (15 lbs). Strong hub motor and battery, would climb steep hills with strong pedaling assist from me (I weigh 175lbs). (2) Next price level up is $2300 MSRP and bike is 2018 Trek Verve, with Bosch Active line mid-motor, hydraulic disc brakes, lights, and strong dealer network. Has no front suspension, but I would add seat suspension for comfort. Very nice ebike for the money from one of the "big 3" manufacturers, and hills no problem. Unlikely to get much of a price break for awhile this year. (3) Ohm Urban made in Vancouver with very strong BionX-D hub motor made in Canada (8.8 lbs). All top quality bike components and custom ebike frame but pricey ($4K list). Went on sale for $3K last week of December for 2017 models, I bought one and am very happy with it.......... My points are, go for quality components if possible, and be ready to buy on sale or last years model if that happens. The Haibike Sduro on sale that Will recommended is a great buy at that price - because you can wait to buy you can shop, then snap up a particularly good buy when you find it. That is the way I would go, because except on sale or last years model quality bike components never come cheap. Hope this is useful info.
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Wow kind of surprised this thread is still active, I thought you all were done with me. :). Yes this was very helpful and I have decided on a quality bike and will wait for one to go on sale. And that $1,700 Haibike was a great deal, I just wish I knew for absolute certainty that it has enough to get a big guy like me up the steepest hill. Just hard for me to pull the trigger without knowing this for sure.


On a totally different topic my wife has a cheapo bike shop bike (a step or two above a Walmart bike). She expressed interest but I don't want to drop 2 grand on something she may not use. Would a conversion kit work on a cheapo bike? She weighs half of what I do so won't require the same power/torque.
 
Define cheapo bike? A $500-600 bike will be as nice, or nicer, than most $1500-1700 eBike base bikes.
 
Her bike was around $350 from a bike store 12 years ago and has only been used occasionally at the beach. As I said she shows some interest but it's going to be hard to justify spending thousands only to have it sit in the garage. I am considering the simply conversion like the Copenhagen Wheel instead of a heavy motor attached to a cheap frame.
 
Like almost any ebike, a Copenhagen will wow anyone who has never ridden an electric or someone who isn't a strong biker. Nonetheless, I consider it quite expensive at $1499, pretty heavy, and not as good as a permanent rear hubmotor. Just a gimmick for swapping around a motor between bikes.
 
DaveinMtAiry said:
Her bike was around $350 from a bike store 12 years ago and has only been used occasionally at the beach. As I said she shows some interest but it's going to be hard to justify spending thousands only to have it sit in the garage. I am considering the simply conversion like the Copenhagen Wheel instead of a heavy motor attached to a cheap frame.
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A waste of dollars. You were concerned about battery tech. The copenhagen is way overpriced and will be expensive to replace/upgrade batteries. Gimmick.
 
Good morning. I wanted to bump this thread to give everyone an update. I finally pulled the trigger yesterday on the Biktrix Juggernaught with the 750W motor at the center of the page. https://www.biktrix.com/collections/bikes/mountain-bikes

Pretty scary to invest so much in a bike I have not had the chance to ride but so it goes. As hill climbing at my size, which is now close to 250 pounds, was the priority I felt this was my best option at my budget of 2 grand. I also liked the throttle option. I ordered it with the thinner, larger wheels and got an handle bar switch to allow for a more upright position which I prefer.
 
DaveinMtAiry said:
Her bike was around $350 from a bike store 12 years ago and has only been used occasionally at the beach. As I said she shows some interest but it's going to be hard to justify spending thousands only to have it sit in the garage. I am considering the simply conversion like the Copenhagen Wheel instead of a heavy motor attached to a cheap frame.
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DaveinMtAiry said:
Her bike was around $350 from a bike store 12 years ago and has only been used occasionally at the beach. As I said she shows some interest but it's going to be hard to justify spending thousands only to have it sit in the garage. I am considering the simply conversion like the Copenhagen Wheel instead of a heavy motor attached to a cheap frame.
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Any possibility of renting an ebike? A few hours? A few days? Depends where you live. You could get a better feel without the big hit to your wallet.
 
Marci jo said:
Any possibility of renting an ebike? A few hours? A few days? Depends where you live. You could get a better feel without the big hit to your wallet.
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I wasn't able to find that opportunity around here but I did ride a few demos. I liked the Haibike Suduro I referenced in this thread but it did not provide the power I needed. Maybe there will be more options when we shop for my wife.
 
I have not been here much over the years and wanted to give you all an update. It's been 3 years and I sure am glad I bought when I did. I have gotten to enjoy ebiking much sooner than I had expected. I had waited after being told about 5 years ago that the prices in the US would drop. I waited and bought my Biktrix for $1,999. Now it is selling for $2,600.

And I have found my new love, 3 years later I still prefer riding my bike to a round of golf. I never would have ever believed I would write that sentence. I don't get angry riding a bike as you do on the golf course, even when I was run off the road the other day as he tried to pass me on a blind curve. I just smiled. He wasn't going to ruin my mood on a ride on a rare warm day in early March.
 
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DaveinMtAiry said:
I have not been here much over the years and wanted to give you all an update. It's been 3 years and I sure am glad I bought when I did. I had waited after being told the prices in the US will drop. I waited and bought my Biktrix for $1,999. Now it is selling for $2,600.

And I have found my new love, 3 years later I still prefer riding my bike to a round of golf. I never would have ever believed I would write that sentence. I don't get angry riding a bike, even when I was run off the road the other day as he tried to pass me on a blind curve. I just smiled. He wasn't going to ruin my mood on a ride on a rare warm day in early March.
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Perfect description Dave.
I found something on Amazon for one of my shirts. It’s a small iron-on clothing patch says “MY BIKE IS MY PSYCHIATRIST”. So true!
Many fun miles to you.
 
Congrats.. we bought 2 lectric bikes originally.. the first style.. we loved them. It was only to get a feel for the ebike thing as we worked on the idea and liking it or not. They were cheap.. sold it last week for $700 (paid $800). So happy with that aspect..

Bought a Frey CC for the wife and a Frey BEAST for myself back in June of last year..

She received hers in December and I finally received the BEAST 3 weeks ago ..

Love both ..kinds partial to the CC

After riding the CC I liked it so much I bought 3 more for the kids so everyone has a bike to ride when we vacation.

1 main reason to have all the same bikes is they all use the same battery so if we have a problem ( I bought an extra battery when originally ordered). After riding the bike I have come to the conclusion I really didn’t need a new battery. But I have it and swap it out each month to keep them fresh.

More than what I thought I wanted to spend and very happy with the product.. they are amazing bikes.

Got in before the price bikes so as they say timing is everything.

Have fun (you can’t help it ). Gets us out when we never did before and we really enjoy it.
Have fun and be safe!
 
My only concern is the battery did not hold a charge after a long winter, it had been charging inside, on the first ride of spring. It's holding better now but I could kick myself for not buying the longer range battery. A new and improved one is on the horizon.
 
DaveinMtAiry said:
My only concern is the battery did not hold a charge after a long winter, it had been charging inside, on the first ride of spring. It's holding better now but I could kick myself for not buying the longer range battery. A new and improved one is on the horizon.
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Likely the result of poor management for storage. Been there. I suggest a few monitored 10-12 hour charge cycles. Monitored the key word!
 
tomjasz said:
Likely the result of poor management for storage. Been there. I suggest a few monitored 10-12 hour charge cycles. Monitored the key word!
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Sorry for the late reply. I brought the battery indoor and left it on the charger when not in use. Was this incorrect? I leave the charger on in summer too so it will always be ready to ride, is that OK?

Regardless the issue appears to have gone away, I now have as much range as I always had.
 
DaveinMtAiry said:
Sorry for the late reply. I brought the battery indoor and left it on the charger when not in use. Was this incorrect? I leave the charger on in summer too so it will always be ready to ride, is that OK?

Regardless the issue appears to have gone away, I now have as much range as I always had.
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NO! Do not leave the battery plugged into the charger any longer than the amount of time it takes to charge. The best practice is to charge when you are in the house with the battery. Once it's done unplug.
tomjasz said:
I suggest a few monitored 10-12 hour charge cycles. Monitored the key word!
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Any Idea who you are going to purchase from?
 
tomjasz said:
NO! Do not leave the battery plugged into the charger any longer than the amount of time it takes to charge. The best practice is to charge when you are in the house with the battery. Once it's done unplug.

Any Idea who you are going to purchase from?
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I've been doing it this way for 3 years and don't seem to have lost any battery range. If I unplug will the battery be fully charged when I ride it days later or will it discharge a bit?
 
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