UPDATE: GOT IT! $2kish & 36" inseam, 16mile Commute - DECIDED: RIDEAL! -

[RunForTheHills]

If you are going to look in the high $2000 range, I would consider the Rize RX. It has a Bafang Ultra mid-drive (1000w, 160 nm), torque sensor, rack, lights, front suspension, and even comes with a suspension seatpost. It is known to have a very large frame, but has a standover height of 29". $2999 though.

 

[El_Binco]

Another option I ran across.

SENADA HERALD PLUS

Fat Tire Ebike Herald Plus Is Equipped With An Upgraded Hydraulic Brake, 7-speed Shifting, A Powerful 1000w Motor, And A 21Ah Battery, All Affordable Electric Bicycle Online!

senadabikes.com

 

[hoboin]

Man that one looks good too, lol. I am still leaning towards the Rideal just because of the price tag. I have until tomorrow before i can make the easier purchase on the Rideal, it would be shipped most likely early next week. I will make a list today and really consider my options. If i feel like $500 more to spend is worth it i might do it. Thanks so much El_Binco for continuing to assist me in looking for an ebike! And also Runforthehills for almost always replying no matter my thread, i appreciate your insight.

 

[El_Binco]

Happy hunting, you'll prob enjoy whatever you pick.

 

[hoboin]

Thanks! I also found this site through this website, someone said Bolton made this to sell ebikes. Only 1 ebike that was situated within 150 miles to me, so maybe what i should do is buy a cheaper ebike now and just play it slow and get a really good used one or just wait till i can really affoard a 2.5k bike. I think i really understand now why 2-3 ebikes are needed if it's your primary vehicle. Problems occur and you can be out a bike for a few days to weeks with unforeseeable fixes and problems. So having my ancient ebike, maybe this Rideal or a cheaper "backup" to my future "main" bike and the old ancient charger as my "I dont care if it's stolen" bike. I love this idea lol

 

[hoboin]

i decided to purchase the Ariel Rideal, mid-step, black. Price was too good, and i loved Rusty Roads videos and they convinced me. I was about to also not go with them because i read the review in the Ariel forum about the customer complaining and having to dispute a charge but besides that i found only good things about the company. The price was too good and they are mentioning raising the price of that bike soon which makes sense, since there is nothing close to it. Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help i really appreciate it.

Will probably purchase a decent seatpost and a suspension fork if people suggest it.

Also i said it would "Fit perfectly" on my new credit card.. well it really did fit perfectly. Ordering the Fenders as the only add-on , total came to about 1153.11 shipped.. i had 1153.21 max credit so i now have 10 cents left hahah! But putting it on this card i will speed up the $500 bonus after spending $3000 so i am very happy, this bike is almost half off for me.

 

[El_Binco]

i decided to purchase the Ariel Rideal, mid-step, black. Price was too good, and i loved Rusty Roads videos and they convinced me. I was about to also not go with them because i read the review in the Ariel forum about the customer complaining and having to dispute a charge but besides that i found only good things about the company. The price was too good and they are mentioning raising the price of that bike soon which makes sense, since there is nothing close to it. Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help i really appreciate it.

Will probably purchase a decent seatpost and a suspension fork if people suggest it.

Also i said it would "Fit perfectly" on my new credit card.. well it really did fit perfectly. Ordering the Fenders as the only add-on , total came to about 1153.11 shipped.. i had 1153.21 max credit so i now have 10 cents left hahah! But putting it on this card i will speed up the $500 bonus after spending $3000 so i am very happy, this bike is almost half off for me.

Glad it worked out. Talked to Eunorau the hd should be in Vegas by next week. So hopefully I'm riding before August. Safe riding.

 

[hoboin]

Thanks bro, I hope you get yours soon and i will be following your review on it, i am sure i will keep it in mind for my 3rd bike!!

 

[El_Binco]

Thanks bro, I hope you get yours soon and i will be following your review on it, i am sure i will keep it in mind for my 3rd bike!!

Haha prob not. Something better will be out in a year, ebikes are evolving.

 

[hoboin]

Probably, but we will see. It's going to be interesting testing out a 750w hub motor vs my old ebike with 350w mid drive with "speed" sensor (not sure if it is cadence or torque, but it's super responsive and i feel like a weakling can power the bike). I am still waiting on the battery to be sent over so i am going to be e-bikeless for awhile, how sad.

 

[hoboin]

I just got the Rideal today, setup was very easy and first impressions are it's very fast, very strong. I am able to get up the hills much easier compared to the old Charger. Although the Rideal is quicker and stronger, there is something special about the Charger. The Rideal feels, unresponsive in a way, as in it's a little slow to react to your pedaling or your throttling, very noticeable lag. The Charger has the mid-drive motor and on the highest assist level you barely have to pedal to get the bike going, but the millisecond you stop pedaling the motor stop assists. With the Rideal the lag is just so noticeable and slightly unsafe feeling because of the added speed. But the Charger bike just feels like a better biking experience in regards to how the motor works which is pretty mind blowing to me that the Charger still holds up after all of these years. I will have to do more testing but it is really interesting to see how a 350w mid drive motor from early 2000's compares to a 750w hub motor from 20+ years later. No throttle on the Charger which is a lot of fun on the Rideal but it's certainly more Moped like than bicycling like the Charger.

 

[El_Binco]

I just got the Rideal today, setup was very easy and first impressions are it's very fast, very strong. I am able to get up the hills much easier compared to the old Charger. Although the Rideal is quicker and stronger, there is something special about the Charger. The Rideal feels, unresponsive in a way, as in it's a little slow to react to your pedaling or your throttling, very noticeable lag. The Charger has the mid-drive motor and on the highest assist level you barely have to pedal to get the bike going, but the millisecond you stop pedaling the motor stop assists. With the Rideal the lag is just so noticeable and slightly unsafe feeling because of the added speed. But the Charger bike just feels like a better biking experience in regards to how the motor works which is pretty mind blowing to me that the Charger still holds up after all of these years. I will have to do more testing but it is really interesting to see how a 350w mid drive motor from early 2000's compares to a 750w hub motor from 20+ years later. No throttle on the Charger which is a lot of fun on the Rideal but it's certainly more Moped like than bicycling

I just got the Rideal today, setup was very easy and first impressions are it's very fast, very strong. I am able to get up the hills much easier compared to the old Charger. Although the Rideal is quicker and stronger, there is something special about the Charger. The Rideal feels, unresponsive in a way, as in it's a little slow to react to your pedaling or your throttling, very noticeable lag. The Charger has the mid-drive motor and on the highest assist level you barely have to pedal to get the bike going, but the millisecond you stop pedaling the motor stop assists. With the Rideal the lag is just so noticeable and slightly unsafe feeling because of the added speed. But the Charger bike just feels like a better biking experience in regards to how the motor works which is pretty mind blowing to me that the Charger still holds up after all of these years. I will have to do more testing but it is really interesting to see how a 350w mid drive motor from early 2000's compares to a 750w hub motor from 20+ years later. No throttle on the Charger which is a lot of fun on the Rideal but it's certainly more Moped like than bicycling like the Charger.

Glad you're riding, are you making it up your hills and how's the step over? I'm still waiting...smh.

 

[hoboin]

Thanks! Yes it makes it up the hill no problem. I will do some better testing but it's very impressive. With the charger i go about 6 mph up the hill, maybe 7 mph or so max. With the new bike i might be able to just throttle up the hill. With pedal assist at full and light pedaling it is very fast up the hill, maybe 10 mph to 15 mph, not sure since it doesnt have an LCD showing speed and i dont have mine installed yet. Pedal assist at highest is just so comical in a way on how fast it makes you go. Doesn't seem natural biking at all when i am in the lowest gear and spinning with no resistance but the bike zooms ahead. VERY strong motor

 

[ElevenAD]

Thanks! Yes it makes it up the hill no problem. I will do some better testing but it's very impressive. With the charger i go about 6 mph up the hill, maybe 7 mph or so max. With the new bike i might be able to just throttle up the hill. With pedal assist at full and light pedaling it is very fast up the hill, maybe 10 mph to 15 mph, not sure since it doesnt have an LCD showing speed and i dont have mine installed yet. Pedal assist at highest is just so comical in a way on how fast it makes you go. Doesn't seem natural biking at all when i am in the lowest gear and spinning with no resistance but the bike zooms ahead. VERY strong motor

I keep saying on the forum how great a motor that is! I have the same motor in my cruiser(Dapu M155 i believe) and its just a very powerful motor!

 

[RunForTheHills]

Congratulations!

 

[GenXrider]

Pedal assist at highest is just so comical in a way on how fast it makes you go. Doesn't seem natural biking at all when i am in the lowest gear and spinning with no resistance but the bike zooms ahead. VERY strong motor

It sounds like you're complaining about how fast it's going and that you don't have any pedal resistance while in the lowest gear. That really sounds like an operator error. Just lower the assist level, use a higher gear, and use more muscle power to pedal so that you get a workout. That should feel much more natural than what you're doing. That's what I do on my Ride1Up, and I get pretty much as much exercise as I do when I ride my standard hybrid bike. And it feels natural with its power based assist, not like a moped in the slightest.

 

[hoboin]

Yes it is operational error for sure. I am not used to shifters on the bike, on my old one it was a twist shift and this new one will take some time getting used to. I am really considering looking into switching it out to a twist shift if i can't get used to it. I also want to move the throttle to the left hand and maybe get a twist shifter if easily changeable for the right hand. I find myself being too high or low in gears but the throttle assists greatly while i am learning.

The bike is absolute amazing. In full assist, it wants to get to max speed ASAP and it's so strong. My normal ride to work/town has me going through about 2 miles of old bike path from the 60's or 70's that hasn't been smoothed so there are a lot of cracking from tree roots where i have to slow down to go over them. This is where the lag time between when i pedal and the motor accelerates is very noticeable. The old bike, if i lightly pedal, the millisecond i pedal it amplifies that pedaling up to 4times the amount of power where as the new bike, once it senses pedaling it just puts the motor on full blast and there is a bit of a delay. I wouldn't say it's all that bad, i would take that lag to have the power at the price point.

 

[hoboin]

Glad you're riding, are you making it up your hills and how's the step over? I'm still waiting...smh.

Sorry just saw your question about step-over. It's great, exactly what i wanted. It's equal height to my Charger bike on the step over height. Really makes getting on and off easy and i can load the back with my cooler bag inside milk crate and not have to worry about having my legs go over the seat. If it were the high-step, i for sure would have problems with muscle strain trying to step over.

Someone posted a good video of them riding the Rideal in a very hilly area. Let me find it and post it. He states that he stays in gear 3 to 5 if i remember, which seems about right, and it climbs hill so well. My old bike, like i said, went up at around 7mph max and the rideal can do it probably around 10 to 15mph no problem.

 

[GenXrider]

Yes it is operational error for sure. I am not used to shifters on the bike, on my old one it was a twist shift and this new one will take some time getting used to. I am really considering looking into switching it out to a twist shift if i can't get used to it. I also want to move the throttle to the left hand and maybe get a twist shifter if easily changeable for the right hand. I find myself being too high or low in gears but the throttle assists greatly while i am learning.

The bike is absolute amazing. In full assist, it wants to get to max speed ASAP and it's so strong. My normal ride to work/town has me going through about 2 miles of old bike path from the 60's or 70's that hasn't been smoothed so there are a lot of cracking from tree roots where i have to slow down to go over them. This is where the lag time between when i pedal and the motor accelerates is very noticeable. The old bike, if i lightly pedal, the millisecond i pedal it amplifies that pedaling up to 4times the amount of power where as the new bike, once it senses pedaling it just puts the motor on full blast and there is a bit of a delay. I wouldn't say it's all that bad, i would take that lag to have the power at the price point.

I would say that delay you're experiencing isn't unusual. My Ride1Up 700 has a delay before power engages when I start pedaling or change the PAS from 0 to 1+. And it doesn't stop instantly when I stop pedaling or drop to PAS 0, either. Even the Ride1Up previous generation LMTD that had a torque sensor continued power for about a second after pedaling. That doesn't bother me much because I tend to use low assist and am continuously pedaling most of the time with few stops on my routes. If I was mountain biking, I would rather have a responsive mid-drive torque sensor e-bike.

 

[hoboin]

Here is a pic I got with some wildlife in the background. I love the blue, originally bought black but got the blue to ship sooner after they gave me the option.

And here's one from my favorite tunnel