Want a second ebike ... need some advice.

[LarryC]

Hi Court - I've read so many of your reviews and hope to get your expert advice on my situation. One year ago, I purchased my first ebike ... an Avention Pace 500. I bought it as a retirement present as I planned on riding everyday for my exercise. Since then I've put over 4,000 miles on it and love riding the bike. However, I have had a lot of trouble keeping the bike on the road and out of the shop. Three times, I've had it down for repairs for several weeks. Takes a lot of time to get a response from Aventon (partly the fault of COVID-19) and then waiting for parts and finally getting it to a bike shop for completing the repairs. I've had to replace the rear wheel twice (cracked rim and then having to replace the motor) plus several broken spokes (only ride on payment). The bike is not a quiet one ... lots of weird noises ... just does not seem like a well built bike.

So, I've decided to look for another bike and keep the Aventon as my backup bike. It ruins my day when I can't go for a ride. I figure with two bikes that shouldn't be a problem. I am 67 and in good shape (except for my knees) and want a bike that can handle the miles I will be putting on it. I average 30 miles a day and ride a lot of hills. Due to a previous neck surgery, I need an upright position and want at least a 500w motor as I have a couple of knee surgeries in my near future. Also want the front suspension. Basically just want something that is comfortable, reliable, has the power to help me up some of the steep hills where I live and has good customer service. I don't have a preference for hub vs mid motors or cadence vs torque sensors as I don't really understand the differences.

Oh yeah, I'm 6'1" and 195 lbs. Since I started riding my ebike, I've lost 33 lbs so I don't want to hear from my non-ebike friends anymore that riding an ebike is "cheating"!

Would really appreciate your opinion. I have read so many reviews but I think my brain has reached the saturation point on trying to make sense of all this information.

Thank you!

Larry C in Twin Falls Idaho

 

[BigNerd]

What’s your budget?

 

[LarryC]

Oops ... knew there was something I forgot to include. I'd like to keep it under $4,000 but would be willing to go a little higher for the right bike. It's a lot of money but it is keeping me healthy and I really enjoy it so it's worth every penny.

Thank you.

 

[BigNerd]

$4k will get you much more than the Pace 500... other members know better than me but you can probably get a good LBS sourced mid-drive with that budget.

 

[Sierratim]

Well, speaking of LBS sourced mid-drive ebikes...

The Specialized Como 4 & Vado 4 ebikes are worth a look. Both are in your budget. The Como has a more upright position, but no front shock. The Vado is a bit more relaxed with a front shock. I'm in my 70's and find the Vado quite comfortable, as does my wife. Others wanted a bit more upright position on the Vado, but liked everything else about it. Some raised the handlebars by up to 6.5cm without changing cables or hydraulic lines. Others added adjustment stems for less height.

These bikes have mid-drive motors that have a nominal 250W rating. This is for Euro compliance. Their peak output is comparable to 500W hub motors with peak torque that exceeds many motors in this range. This makes these bikes surprisingly good climbers. The 500Wh batteries, 4A chargers, and 10 speed drive trains round out a nice package.

I'm retired and have no financial interest in Specialized. My wife and I own Vado 5s and find them comfortable, rugged and reliable. We can also get quality service from the LBS where we bought them...

 

[ElevenAD]

Since you have a Pace I'm assuming your comfortable with online companies? If i had 4grand to spend and torque/cadence was not a factor I would purchase a Biktrix Juggernaut HD Duo with the biggest battery option,I would do this because its a very dependable 1000watt motor with 160nm of torque and the bike has a range of 95miles.the bike is around $3600
if toque sensing was a factor I would buy a Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra Beast its around $4000 has similar stats to the HD Duo but has torque sensing. im comfortable recommending Biktrix because i own one and i know first hand that the company's bikes are well made and customer service is above average.

 

[Coolbob]

Bought my first eBike almost 2 months ago, and I've put over 250 trouble-free miles on it so far.

I was concerned about remote product support, so I limited my search to bikes I could buy and have serviced by a brick and mortar store within one hour's drive from my home. This limited my search to Cannondale, Specialized, Giant, Trek, Raleigh, and a handful of less well known bikes. I rode several, but Giant's simple controls and 'natural' feeling mid drive system won me over. Giant makes a great looking commuter, mountain and gravel bikes, but I wanted something in between a commuter (too stodgy looking and I'm not a fan of bike fenders) and a mountain bike (I don't ride off road anymore and don't want or need suspension).

I wanted a clean, simple and durable bike I could accessorize to my taste. Mid-drive is a must have for me. Class 3 preferred since some Class 1 bikes cut off assistance at about 18-19mph. My budget was under, $3k, the closer to $2.5k without cutting corners, the better.

I ended up buying a Momentum Transend E+. It checked all my boxes. Simple design, rugged components, up right riding position (almost like a cruiser). I ordered it online and it arrived at my dealer in one week. A friend rode it and she ordered the same bike in a mid step frame and hers arrived at the dealer in three days. Her husband ordered one last week and his arrived in less than a week. My wife wants one too, and we'll order hers as soon as the summer temps start to let up a little.

Good luck in your search, lots of great choices out there!

 

[LarryC]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I will check them all out. Yes, I don’t mind buying from an online retailer but really want to try it first before making the investment. When I bought the Aventon, I was able to ride one while visiting in CA. I also need to do a better job investigating their customer service. Aventon won’t take phone messages so you have to leave online messages. Then it takes almost 10 days for them to get back to me. It takes even longer to get the parts shipped out. In the meantime, I’m sitting at home with no bike. I will definitely use this website and forum to find out others experiences with their customer service before buying. Thanks again!

 

[Sierratim]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I will check them all out. Yes, I don’t mind buying from an online retailer but really want to try it first before making the investment. When I bought the Aventon, I was able to ride one while visiting in CA. I also need to do a better job investigating their customer service. Aventon won’t take phone messages so you have to leave online messages. Then it takes almost 10 days for them to get back to me. It takes even longer to get the parts shipped out. In the meantime, I’m sitting at home with no bike. I will definitely use this website and forum to find out others experiences with their customer service before buying. Thanks again!

I assume you ride the wonderful bike trails in your area. I would be leary of bikes with motors rated over the Federal limit of 746W, 1hp. Bikes up to this limit are legally classified as bicycles in the US and, lacking local restrictions, can be ridden on streets and trails without licensing. Over this limit they cannot. Some riders still do ride over powered bikes on public trails, etc, but this puts us all at risk of much more restrictive legislation.

Sounds like you were OK with 500W so no issues.

 

[GenXrider]

I haven't bought my first e-bike yet as I continue to ride my standard bike. But, I'm thinking about buying a primary and secondary e-bike also, for the same reason of having a backup, but also to have a bike around that guests could ride, probably a step-through model for the secondary. I'm holding off for this year and looking toward next spring. I might go with two Ride1Up bikes (LMT'D and Core-5), which happen to share a compatible battery, so I would get the added benefit of being able to take the secondary bike's battery along when I wanted extra range. But I've got time to review options.

 

[LarryC]

I haven't bought my first e-bike yet as I continue to ride my standard bike. But, I'm thinking about buying a primary and secondary e-bike also, for the same reason of having a backup, but also to have a bike around that guests could ride, probably a step-through model for the secondary. I'm holding off for this year and looking toward next spring. I might go with two Ride1Up bikes (LMT'D and Core-5), which happen to share a compatible battery, so I would get the added benefit of being able to take the secondary bike's battery along when I wanted extra range. But I've got time to review options.

What are the reasons you like the Ride1Up bikes? Thanks for the post!

 

[GenXrider]

What are the reasons you like the Ride1Up bikes? Thanks for the post!

Not in any particular order, but: Price, 500 Watt and higher hub drive motors, class 3, top gear ratio, looks, integrated battery (in most models), 2.2" to 2.4" wide tires, optional ranges of assist levels, adjustable power percentage per assist level (especially for limiting PAS 1 from providing too much assist), rack/fender options on some bikes, front suspension on most bikes, positive customer feedback, return policy, pledge or multi-bike discounts. They have 4 primary bikes with differences of those features, and the LMT'D model is the only one with a torque sensor based PAS. Only the LMT'D and Core-5 happen to share the same type of battery. I almost ordered the 500 series model a few weeks ago before the shipping was pushed out to later in the summer. The LMT'D and 700 series are my favorites, and I've decided it's worth the extra money to at least step up to the 700 instead of getting a 500, but I haven't ruled out the LMT'D. Had it not been for the long delays in shipping, I'm certain I would have ordered one already, but it got to a point I decided it wasn't worth ordering one with such a short riding season left ahead by the time I would get it. I'm still riding my standard bike a lot in the meantime, so it's not a big deal for me to hold off.

Also, I have no LBS, and the one nearest me is about a 2 hour round trip, and I wasn't too happy with the one time I needed warranty service on my Trek standard bike. I had to argue with him for a while before they did the repair under warranty. So, I never felt much incentive to pay 3 times as much for bikes that didn't even meet my criteria.

 

[ElevenAD]

I haven't bought my first e-bike yet as I continue to ride my standard bike. But, I'm thinking about buying a primary and secondary e-bike also, for the same reason of having a backup, but also to have a bike around that guests could ride, probably a step-through model for the secondary. I'm holding off for this year and looking toward next spring. I might go with two Ride1Up bikes (LMT'D and Core-5), which happen to share a compatible battery, so I would get the added benefit of being able to take the secondary bike's battery along when I wanted extra range. But I've got time to review options.

ride one up limited looks very promising! i just wish it came stock with fenders and rack, still it looks like a lovely bike!

 

[GenXrider]

ride one up limited looks very promising! i just wish it came with fenders and rack, still it looks like a lovely bike!

LMT'D does have a rack available for $55. I have a seat post attached rack, which has always been fine for my limited lightweight use of a rack. I would move that from my standard bike to the LMT'D.

 

[Luv2ride]

I have 32,000 miles on my Trek Super Commuter with only basic maintenance issues, no motor problems.
I like the Trek Allant 8s if I were buying today and Trek has a large dealer network for support.
Here is a link to my ride this morning.

Westlake-Simi-Box Canyon | Strava

View Mark R's ebikeride on August 20, 2020 | Strava

www.strava.com

 

[Saratoga Dave]

32,000 miles? Wow, super impressive! I always liked the Super Commuter.

My own story at 69 years was recently to add a road ebike to the fleet as an alternate/backup/guest bike with my Giant ToughRoad. So now I have a gravel bike and a road warrior, a new Yamaha Civante. Two missions, but can still be ridden together if my brother, son/son in law or someone else happens by. Works well for me, anyhow. I pick what I feel like riding on, dirt or pavement, and then grab the appropriate bike.

 

[BET]

ride one up limited looks very promising! i just wish it came with fenders and rack, still it looks like a lovely bike!

Similar to the Ride1up 700 is the Espin Sport. It has hydraulic brakes and comes with fender and rack. I have one. They also make a Step thru model Espin Flow and a fat tire model, Espin Nero. Same motors, similar components.

 

[Bigal1463]

Hi Saratoga Dave, just curious how you would get 32,000 on your ebike. is that 3,200 miles?

 

[Sierratim]

I have 32,000 miles on my Trek Super Commuter with only basic maintenance issues, no motor problems.
I like the Trek Allant 8s if I were buying today and Trek has a large dealer network for support.
Here is a link to my ride this morning.

Westlake-Simi-Box Canyon | Strava

View Mark R's ebikeride on August 20, 2020 | Strava

www.strava.com

My Cannondale Quick only has 14,000 miles, but then no battery, or motor... I'm just a wimp.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

It ain’t me, it’s Luv2Ride with those big numbers. There are several other members here with very impressive tens of thousands of miles on bikes. My own numbers are just over 12,000 miles, but across three bikes for almost all of it.