Trying to decide between these 3

[Gbike2019]

$2000 budget and the purpose is just for fun...not commuting but generally 15 - 25 mile roundtrips. Choices are:

Amego Infinite Plus
Pace 500
Juiced Crosscurrent S2

On paper it is the S2, but I do see the forums have many negative posts regarding the customer service/reliability of Juiced. On the other hand, that could be a very small number compared to the large number of very satisfied buyers. Thoughts on the 3?

 

[rcdanner]

I have the Pace 500. Over 2000 miles since Jul when I got it on sale for $1260. I really like that it came in small size for better standover height for my short legs. I really like the ebike. Fast. Reliable. Good battery size. I have done 63 miles on the Tucson Bike Loop at PAS 2 and pedalling at a fair speed to maintain 16mph for the entire 4 hours. Still had 5 out of 10 bars left on the battery. It would be nearly perfect if it had torque sensor and throttle on demand. I didn't realize how much I missed the throttle starting up a hill or from a stop light. 500 requires full pedal revolution for throttle to activate. Torque sensing would be much more natural pedalling than the ON-OFF cadence sensing that the 500 uses. I have gotten used to the 500 acceleration while starting pedalling. I have to be careful when turing slowly to not pedal and use the brake to keep motor deactivated. I have gotten used to no throttle at start. Just have to remember to downshift and position pedal for a good powerful start. Overall, I really like my 500...just could be better.

So...I just ordered an S2 in medium size. It has those two deficiencies the 500 does not. I will post how the S2 compares.

 

[Gbike2019]

Oh good! When should your S2 arrive?

 

[rcdanner]

Ordered today. Expect it in a week from next door California.
Will post a review shortly.

 

[karmap]

I would not go juiced. Fair I may just be one of the few with a bad experience but when you spend a significant amount of money on something do you want to take the chance that they leave you with practically a non functional bike within a year?

 

[AHicks]

I think we need to know who is going to be doing the service on this new bike prior to making any suggestions.....

 

[Gbike2019]

It would just be a local bike shop...not myself. Karmap, can I ask what issue(s) you had with your Juiced?

 

[AHicks]

So, who's going to assemble and service your Juiced brand bike (or any other brand consumer direct bike)? Do you have somebody local that's agreed to work on one for you?

My point is, many shops look down on e-bikes in general, and many more will only work on one if you bought it from them. In your situation, I would want some assurance you'll have a dealer that will back your purchase BEFORE you buy it!

 

[karmap]

It would just be a local bike shop...not myself. Karmap, can I ask what issue(s) you had with your Juiced?

Basically they sold me and others a bike with a bigger battery than the bike frame is supposed to handle. Within the first week of ownership the battery kept on disconnecting randomly andthe lock mechanism wouldn’t fully keep the battery secure into place.

When I said I had a concern with this and if this wasn’t going to be fixed I wanted to treturn itin the return window they said it would wear in and then work. Hah. I should have trusted myself more but it was such a pain to repackage and the bike was so fun I didn’t.

Out of return window they were really slow to respond to me with half made sentences. Their solution is still to this day use straps or Velcro to keep the battery secure. This does help but it will eventual not work as the sockets arc and melt the plastic at the connectors. They sent a new socket to replace on the bike. Didn’t fix it.

I sent my battery in to replace the socket on the battery. this took a real long time and when the battery came back it worked perfectly for a good week and a half of commuting on perfect bike paths. Same problem started happening, and the connector started melting.

They said that they did the last one for free out of courtesy but there isn’t a real solution to the problem.

it’s a commuter bike. It needs to be reliable. It isn’t and will never be. They know it doesn’t work. They ignore it and really don’t care.

 

[Browneye]

I test rode a pace 350 and 500. Between the two I'd probly take the 350, and buy a higher end mountain bike in addition. Like a Haibike with Yamaha mid-drive.

For any cheap bike you have to be able to MacGyver the thing together to keep it running - juiced or radpower or whatever flavor of the day. You are more or less on your own. The Aventon isn't a high-end bike, but surely works as built. Your warranty is only as good as your dealer.
If you buy a high-end bike from a LBS you can trust they'll keep it running for you. YMMV

There are a metric-ton of new startups in the ebike biz. Some will not be here tomorrow.

The hub drive bikes are very simple - power drives the hub. The mid-drive bikes with all the sensors are much more like actually riding the bike. We have both, and both work well, but the higher end yammer drive is much smoother and gets better range on less power - it only pulls when you pedal. There are pros and cons for both.

For a couple of hun more on your budget you can get a Giant or Yamaha mid-drive that is smooth as silk, or for five hun more a really nice Trek Verve. All of the higher-end mid-drives are very nice to ride. It's easier to find a really nice bike for a little more than to try to find the bottom of the market.

Go try them all and then decide. After a few years the difference in initial cost will be meaningless. And there are some really good end-of-season sales going on, a good chance to pickup a steal-deal - actually get more bike than you thought you could.

 

[Greg Johnson]

I test rode a pace 350 and 500. Between the two I'd probly take the 350, and buy a higher end mountain bike in addition. Like a Haibike with Yamaha mid-drive.

For any cheap bike you have to be able to MacGyver the thing together to keep it running - juiced or radpower or whatever flavor of the day. You are more or less on your own. The Aventon isn't a high-end bike, but surely works as built. Your warranty is only as good as your dealer.
If you buy a high-end bike from a LBS you can trust they'll keep it running for you. YMMV

There are a metric-ton of new startups in the ebike biz. Some will not be here tomorrow.

The hub drive bikes are very simple - power drives the hub. The mid-drive bikes with all the sensors are much more like actually riding the bike. We have both, and both work well, but the higher end yammer drive is much smoother and gets better range on less power - it only pulls when you pedal. There are pros and cons for both.

For a couple of hun more on your budget you can get a Giant or Yamaha mid-drive that is smooth as silk, or for five hun more a really nice Trek Verve. All of the higher-end mid-drives are very nice to ride. It's easier to find a really nice bike for a little more than to try to find the bottom of the market.

Go try them all and then decide. After a few years the difference in initial cost will be meaningless. And there are some really good end-of-season sales going on, a good chance to pickup a steal-deal - actually get more bike than you thought you could.

About two months ago I got a great season ending deal on a Trek Verve + and love it. Got it for 2K. I wanted the support of a LBS and I test rode several bikes. I almost bought a bike online for $500 less but it was 20 pounds more and the components on the Trek are much higher end and while I paid 500 more for I think over many many years it will pay off with less parts and maintenance expenses. I wanted a bike that had a natural intuitive feel and the Bosch mid drive is perfect for me. Even though it is on the low spectrum for power I have no issues with any type of terrain and have gotten more than 60 miles on a charge when riding relatively flat areas. Everybody’s needs are different so ride as many as you can to see what is the best fit for you.

 

[Cassis]

Saw a new ebike brand SDREAM meets your expectations, I'm considering to buy one but the new will launch this month so few days left to ride.

I'm sreaching information about this bike cus I really love its shape and it's afforable. Just wanna know if anyone know this brand

 

[tomjasz]

I’m Mr frugal and a kit builder. I look at bikes and component and build quality. I’d hold out for a local bike shop and a Trek or similar USA market bike.

look at the Bosch reports. Thousands of trouble free miles. Besides a great warranty, excellent build quality, and very very safe first class AAA+ battery reliability and design.

Bosch motor average life span.

I recently bought a new ebike with the Bosch Active Line Plus motor. I’m a relatively high mileage rider doing about 125 miles a week, all year round. About how many miles could I expect to go before I need to replace the motor? Ed

electricbikereview.com

i was very hard to convince Bosch was a good value. I’ve built at least one bike using most major high quality kits. All Bafang BBSxx series, BBS01 BBS02 250w 350w 750 and 1000w.Grin, MXUS, MAC, eBikekit, and eZee gear drive. MXUS, 9 Continent, and eBikekit direct drives. (Brain dead cannot remember the brand...but a controller in the hub direct drive) YOCH 750w, TSDZ2 mid drives. 1000w direct drive fat bike motor. All were personal bikes. In addition a few dozen mischief builds for others. I support Bafang mid drives for a small reseller and sold and did support for one of the “big boys”.

Bosch motor average life span.

I recently bought a new ebike with the Bosch Active Line Plus motor. I’m a relatively high mileage rider doing about 125 miles a week, all year round. About how many miles could I expect to go before I need to replace the motor? Ed

electricbikereview.com

I have an eye for quality built bikes. I’m still learning and have had all of the opened up, repaired, rebuilt, or just took all my personal rides apart just to see...

I know enough about some bikes to be dangerous, always learning new things. But I’m solid and learned about quality repair and reliability.

do what it takes to buy a good branded EBike from a local shop. One that’s been around a while.



after nearly 5 years I’m now convinced Bosch systems are a great buy. My best kit ran over $2500 and it’ll never be as sweet as the Trek/Bosch I recently rode.

it’ll be my first factory built EBike. I was a hard sell, but after thousands of hours of reading, wrenching, supporting, and selling this grump is sold

YMMV but the Bosch mileage will deliver.

i do not sell, represent, or have any relationship with Bosch or Trek. My favourite beater EBike is a kitted Trek Pure. (The bike Electra sued Trek over, settled when Trek bought the company)

I do not like the direct to customer sales model. I can convert my favourite bike, or buy a base bike to kit and exceed the quality of any of the three choices presented.

my buddy Jack bought a closeout, previous season and saved a few hundred bucks I f knew what I know to be true today I’d have scrapped my

sounds like s know it all at work. But believe me, Bosch is beyond any build I’ve done.

 

[AHicks]

Basically they sold me and others a bike with a bigger battery than the bike frame is supposed to handle. Within the first week of ownership the battery kept on disconnecting randomly andthe lock mechanism wouldn’t fully keep the battery secure into place.

When I said I had a concern with this and if this wasn’t going to be fixed I wanted to treturn itin the return window they said it would wear in and then work. Hah. I should have trusted myself more but it was such a pain to repackage and the bike was so fun I didn’t.

Out of return window they were really slow to respond to me with half made sentences. Their solution is still to this day use straps or Velcro to keep the battery secure. This does help but it will eventual not work as the sockets arc and melt the plastic at the connectors. They sent a new socket to replace on the bike. Didn’t fix it.

I sent my battery in to replace the socket on the battery. this took a real long time and when the battery came back it worked perfectly for a good week and a half of commuting on perfect bike paths. Same problem started happening, and the connector started melting.

They said that they did the last one for free out of courtesy but there isn’t a real solution to the problem.

it’s a commuter bike. It needs to be reliable. It isn’t and will never be. They know it doesn’t work. They ignore it and really don’t care.

Karmap, it's not at all unusual to use a battery connector that is not part of a rack type battery mounting system. Your issue in the note above seems like a simple issue to take care of on your own. Look into XT90 connectors, available in many places, including Amazon. They would need to be soldered, but there are other connector types that will handle the amperage for this job that do not need to be soldered.

You can keep complaining about this issue all you like, but it's a lot like finger pointing. Very predictable results as it it really fixes nothing. Take care of the issue and enjoy your bike without further worry.

 

[Browneye]

Saw a new ebike brand SDREAM meets your expectations, I'm considering to buy one but the new will launch this month so few days left to ride.

I'm sreaching information about this bike cus I really love its shape and it's affordable. Just wanna know if anyone know this brand

Looks like just one folder model, is that right?
I didn't think OP was looking for a folder, but evidently you are?

 

[PDXzap]

I didn't think OP was looking for a folder, but evidently you are?

Looks a little suspicious to me... like maybe they're the owner of SDREAM.

Cassis

electricbikereview.com

 

[Cassis]

Looks like just one folder model, is that right?
I didn't think OP was looking for a folder, but evidently you are?

I don't mind if it's a folder, if it's good for daily with affordable price, I'll consider one.

 

[Cassis]

Looks a little suspicious to me... like maybe they're the owner of SDREAM.

Cassis

electricbikereview.com

Hi actually one of my friends is one of them... and he strongly remmanded me to buy one, but still I was not sure of this, so here for some advice...

 

[Browneye]

Hi actually one of my friends is one of them... and he strongly remmanded me to buy one, but still I was not sure of this, so here for some advice...

This is called spam. It's an unrelated post to the thread hawking your buddy's new brand of bikes. And 'remanded' is misspelled and has nothing to do with recommending a particular bike. You're not here for 'advice'.

 

[Browneye]

For OP - I had not heard of the Amego brand - a search brought a Canadian source and a bike that looks a LOT like the Aventon. Just add fenders and you're there for quite a lot less. You might see if you have a local dealer and try one out. Otherwise I don't know anything about that brand.

As mentioned already, finding a reputable dealer that will support you going forward with one may well be the key to success and happiness. If you're a handy DIY'r then having a bike shipped in might work, like the Juiced or RadPower, a variety of others. If it breaks, can you fix it? Or do you need a technician to do it for you?

Also, be sure to try a mid-drive from one of the big-3 or 4. For some the hub-drive works great, for others the mid-drive. The latter is a little more refined and more like actually pedaling a bike verses having a propel mechanism. The mid-drives modulate better and are much smoother.