What E-Bikes Have You Bought Which Have Exceeded Your Expectations?

[tomjasz]

My MXUS front 1000W hub motor on a Trek Pure. (A Townie copy).And a BBSHD on a KHS Smoothie. Two able to run at 30MPH, but are dumbed down for longer service life. 1000W mid drives are AWESOME! Front-drive is a fabulous tractor pulling my trailer. But all bets are off with the Crosstour. It's incredible. Hoping I'm healed enough to ride soon.

 

[Nova Haibike]

The Creo is sweet, but I think there are alternatives that come close and are cheaper. Notably I would look at the Cube Agree C62. My Creo E5 Comp was $6k Cdn. but the Cube is only $4,500 Cdn. - If I were buying again today I'd consider getting that instead.

The Focus Paralane² as well, but they both use the Fazua system. I don't want a bike with a 15mph cutoff.

I also like the Cannondale Synapse, which is about the same price but it at least has a double chainring, it is heavier though so I'd have to ride one and see how it felt.

My opinion of Cannondale nosedived when they became a part of Dorel, and even more after being roasted by Hambini on YouTube.

 

[Nova Haibike]

What was your chosen solution to de-restrict the Haibike's Yamaha motor?

I went with the PearTune MSO.

 

[LimboJim]

How do you go through so many bikes? And how do you get all the discounts? 16 bikes in 5 years!

16 makes, well over 20 bikes in total, many were prior-year models. Now-shuttered, Motostrano was the source of several bargains, as were Crazy Lenny's, San Diego Fly Rides, eBay, Bicycle Blue Book, and private sellers on Craigslist. One of the latter sellers had actually won his bike in a convention raffle!

I've found that there's huge variations in the quality of assembly, both from factories and shops. I've become quite proficient at it myself, and have often been shocked at the over- and under-tightening of bolts, clamps etc., as well as the poor placements of brakes, shifters and so on.

After riding many of my e-bikes for hundreds of predominantly trail miles, I've sold 16 to date, all on Craigslist and most for fairly close to what I paid (an advantage of finding good deals to start with).

One guy drove 15 hours to buy a bike from me because shipping proved too difficult. And I've made regular riding buddies out of four of my local buyers

 

[FullyCharged]

My NCM Moscow Plus 29er definitely exceeded my expectations, especially for the amount of $$$$ I paid for it. It went on sale on amazon $1500USD (taxes in w shipping costs) for the 500W 48V 16Ah 768Wh battery version and a spare 48V 16Ah 768Wh battery delivered to my door. 2 year warranty with manufacturer. Only issue is the front suspension is garbage, it will need to be replaced if you plan on going off trails with it.

For the amount of money I saved buying this over other similar emtbs' with the same battery/controller/motor setup. Buying a good front suspension is easier on the wallet.

Specs:

Schwalbe Smart Sam tires.

Tektro Hydraulic HD-E350 3 finger brake levers.

Tektro HD-E350 forged aluminum brakes calipers with ceramic compound brake pads.

Das-Kit 500w rear disc motor hub laced on to a durable 27.5” or 29” double-wall rim.

Das-Kit C7 LCD display with detachable controls.

Das-Kit T6 throttle control.

Shimano Acera RD-M360 8 speed Rear derailleur.

Shimano Altus triple front derailleur.

Shimano Altus 3x8 Rapid Fire shifters.

Shimano Acera triple crankset.

 

[Scott Adams]

Really no surprise that Bionx went out of business. The system had a poor power to weight ratio once installed on a bike, the proprietary battery communication also made replacement batteries more expensive than they needed to be. After owning one a few months I knew I'd never buy another one and never recommend one to anyone else.

That's a shame. Perhaps you would have preferred the 350 watt version. I've run both and my original 250 watt kit was - and still is after 13 years and many thousands of miles - amazing when given a few extra volts. That includes power up to 1250 watts and rides in monsoon rains and over countless potholes from a 7 pound motor.

Batteries are simple and inexpensive to replace with any battery off the shelf after a cable splice and a cheap ($25) RC buck converter are added- unfortunately only a few of us seem to have figured that out, though I've described it online.

They had a couple bad battery years when they switched to Chinese production (bad BMS) from Germany, but over the years the quality was generally high and they developed a loyal following. The reason they failed is documented on Endless Sphere by Justin and others and had more to do with predatory business partners than quality.

Not many (any?) bikes still around equalling the performance of new bikes after more than a decade of use. I wish Justin had taken them over from bankruptcy and kept a proud Canadian company going.

A dedicated group of riders on a German forum is still working to keep Bionx bikes going today.

I've ridden the Creo and Levo (extensively) and still enjoy my Bionx powered bike.

Captain Slow, I enjoy your Creo reports as well and wish you many happy miles on it!

 

[FullyCharged]

That's a shame. Perhaps you would have preferred the 350 watt version. I've run both and my original 250 watt kit was - and still is after 13 years and many thousands of miles - amazing when given a few extra volts. That includes power up to 1250 watts and rides in monsoon rains and over countless potholes from a 7 pound motor.

Batteries are simple and inexpensive to replace with any battery off the shelf after a cable splice and a cheap ($25) RC buck converter are added- unfortunately only a few of us seem to have figured that out, though I've described it online.

They had a couple bad battery years when they switched to Chinese production (bad BMS) from Germany, but over the years the quality was generally high and they developed a loyal following. The reason they failed is documented on Endless Sphere by Justin and others and had more to do with predatory business partners than quality.

Not many (any?) bikes still around equalling the performance of new bikes after more than a decade of use. I wish Justin had taken them over from bankruptcy and kept a proud Canadian company going.

A dedicated group of riders on a German forum is still working to keep Bionx bikes going today.

I've ridden the Creo and Levo (extensively) and still enjoy my Bionx powered bike.

Captain Slow, I enjoy your Creo reports as well and wish you many happy miles on it!

I've owned the 250w, 350w and 500w Bionx Kits. The 500w kits was hands down the best they offered.

When I found out the company went under, I sold them all online that week.

In my opinion, they were overpriced for what performance they had even unlocked.

 

[Scott Adams]

I've owned the 250w, 350w and 500w Bionx Kits. The 500w kits was hands down the best they offered.

In my opinion, they were overpriced for what performance they had even unlocked.

Never ridden the 500W D motor which has a small cult following of its own.

Unlocking a Bionx allows the motor to continue to attempt to assist above the usual cutoff speed of 20 mph. It does not alter the power curve of the motor or change it's performance below the cutoff speed in any way.

If you want greater performance from a Bionx, that is achieved by raising the voltage.

As the thread is about bikes that exceeded your expectations, have any bike(s) met your standards for price/performance?

 

[FullyCharged]

As the thread is about bikes that exceeded your expectations, have any bike(s) met your standards for price/performance?

Yes, it’s in the thread already.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Have any bike(s) met your standards for price/performance?

Yes. (Trek Powerfly 5)

I find it interesting that, bargain secondhand purchases excluded, so many people's expectations have been exceeded.

Are our expectations too low? Surely we should expect the product to be up to its advertised standard.

I cannot think of any product that I have purchased new – car, bike, camera, computer, household item, whatever – that has exceeded its maker's claims. None.

 

[Scott Adams]

Yes, it’s in the thread already.

I should have looked at your other post, sorry. It's an attractive bike and you got an unbelievable price including the spare battery.

The biggest problem I had with the 500W Bionx D motor was that it looked like a pizza was inserted between the spokes, it had such a large diameter in order to help generate more torque.

The new bike you've found has a smaller diameter hub motor, which I like aesthetically- but it still delivers the goods?

 

[TMH]

I cannot think of any product that I have purchased new – car, bike, camera, computer, household item, whatever – that has exceeded its maker's claims. None.

That's O.K., but this thread is not really about any maker's claims. I have just found that some of the e-bikes I have purchased (sight unseen) have excited me in actual use way more than I expected.

Kind of going for the upbeat feeling here...

 

[FullyCharged]

I should have looked at your other post, sorry. It's an attractive bike and you got an unbelievable price including the spare battery.

The biggest problem I had with the 500W Bionx D motor was that it looked like a pizza was inserted between the spokes, it had such a large diameter in order to help generate more torque.

The new bike you've found has a smaller diameter hub motor, which I like aesthetically- but it still delivers the goods?

It performs better than my bionx 500w D motor (locked). The motor puts out 55Nm. The only negative I have compared to bionx is it generates a lot more motor noise due to the planetary gears. I guess that’s the trade off for the price. Took me a bit to get used to the PAS setup instead of a torque sensor. I’ve been riding ebikes with torque sensors only since I started in 2014. I like the PAS setup for my style of riding when I’m on the dirt trails. Overall for the price/performance ratio I’m very happy with this purchase.

I wasn’t a fan of the pizza shaped motor either. I like my ebikes to be as stealthy as possible.

 

[Scott Adams]

Yes. (Trek Powerfly 5)

I find it extraordinary that, bargain secondhand purchases excluded, so many people's expectations are exceeded.

Are our expectations too low? Surely we should expect the product to be up to its advertised standard.

I cannot think of any product that I have purchased new – car, bike, camera, computer, household item, whatever – that has exceeded its maker's claims. None.

aren't marketing teams just professionals at letting their imaginations get the better of them?

You've made so many extraordinary posts with excellent photos and commentary - you hold yourself to the highest standard.

As we know, bikes and ebikes in particular are deceptively simple looking devices which can require a galling amount of upkeep.

Nonetheless, the dreamlike rides keep calling our names.

 

[GeorgeM]

I bought my first e-bike last year and it exceeds my expectations. It's a Haibike 2019 SDURO Trekking 9.0. I use it for commuting to work. It's fast. It's reliable. It's comfortable for my 10 mile commute. I view it as a car replacement, so it was easier to justify the expense. It wasn't cheap.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Which ebikes have you bought?
Which have exceeded your expectations?

The pleasure from riding my three ebikes has greatly exceeded my expectation. The Wow! factor is there; no question about that…

But did the ebikes themselves meet my expectations…

• 2017 : Kalkhoff Integrale – Di2 Alfine 11
• 2018 : Trek Powerfly 5 – mid-range hardtail eMTB
• 2019 : Riese & Müller Homage GX – Rohloff E-14

My expectations of any ebike purchased new from a bricks-and-mortar shop are based on the following criteria…

• Manufacturer's Claims : Were specific claims correct? This has nothing to do with advertising hype…
  Kalkhoff : Pass
  Trek : Pass
  Riese & Müller : Fail
• Reliability : After ~12 months has the ebike proved reliable?
  Kalkhoff : Fail
  Trek : Pass
  Riese & Müller : Fail
• Support : Particularly when problems are experienced…
  Kalkhoff : Fail
  Trek : Pass
  Riese & Müller : Fail

So, did my Trek Powerfly exceed my expectations? No, definitely not. It's performed exactly as it should have…

And that's no more than I expect from Trek – which I think is a compliment rather than a grouch.

 

[Explorer-1]

Yes. (Trek Powerfly 5)

I find it extraordinary that, bargain secondhand purchases excluded, so many people's expectations have been exceeded.

Are our expectations too low? Surely we should expect the product to be up to its advertised standard.

I cannot think of any product that I have purchased new – car, bike, camera, computer, household item, whatever – that has exceeded its maker's claims. None.

Hmmm.. it's not just about specs you know.

 

[RabH]

I have only bought one e bike so far (2018 Giant Road E+1 Pro) which I have now owned for 2 years and I can say it has far exceeded my expectations, it was expensive (£3500 - $4307) but to me worth every penny for the smile it puts on my face everytime I sit on it! I have to admit when I first saw the bike advertised I just loved the look of it and knowing Giant provide quality bikes I was smitten but the price was putting me off, was it going to be worth it?

So I continued riding my carbon road bike for the next few months but I wasn't really enjoying it as I was really struggling on hills and due to previous illnesses I didn't have the stamina for long rides anymore (I used to do 100 mile rides every other weekend) Then one day after I got home from a very tiring 30 mile ride I decided to take the plunge and order the Giant, you only live once right? I didn't go for a test ride or anything, I just loved the look of the bike and I trusted Giant to supply a quality bike!

When the bike arrived I have to say I was shocked at how heavy it was, twice the weight of my carbon bike and I thought I had made a mistake! I live in a very hilly part of Scotland, I'm right at the top of a hill actually so I got the bike ready and took it out for a short shakedown to see what I thought of it. I got to the bottom of my hill and set the assist at full power to see how it would climb the 10% gradient, it just shot up the hill like it wasn't even a hill...I went back down again and changed the setting to eco and dropped the gearing to see how it would climb in that setting and once again it was almost effortless!

I knew then I had made the right choice, it was late in the day now so I had to wait until the weekend to get out for a proper ride. It was torture having to wait but worth it for sure! My first ride was 66.7 miles and 4000ft of climbing, I arrived home with the biggest smile on my face ever! Less than a month later I completed my first 100 mile ride, this bike changed my life and I hope it lasts for many more years!

 

[dodahman]

David Berry - you have some really bad luck with your bikes. I sure hope you end up with one that serves you well.
TMH - I'm surprised that a large would fit you at 6' 4", I would have figured an XL would be necessary. My Juiced CCS is a large and I'm only 5'9" and I feel like I'd like the top tube to be longer so I'm not so upright.
Dodahman - Sorry to hear about your injury, it's fantastic that you're able to ride an ebike since you can't walk.

thanks. it is fantastic. I love getting out independently. There may be a trike in my hopefully distant future, but for now this is working well. Good luck to all.

 

[dblhelix]

None.

Ouch.

My 2017 Tern Vektron has been a trouble-free experience. Am I just lucky? Perhaps not, the Tern sub forum appears to be blissfully free of issues/problems. Three factors contribute:

1. The low-torque ActiveLine motor is a polite boost that will probably outlast Its higher-torque brethren.
2. I have been able to do maintenance/service myself. No mysterious black boxes.
3. An assist from Tern’s service dept. I contacted Tern back in 2018 via a generic Contact page at the main site. The head of service got back to me within hours .... on a Saturday. He also addressed my issue directly when he didn’t have to, probably for the common sense reason that it was efficient to do so instead of sending me elsewhere. It was a minor issue but left me feeling confident about Tern. In return, I‘ve never used the Contact page again, but it’s good to know that people are paying attention internally.

Right now, something could go wrong with the Tern but the goodwill reservoir Tern earned means I’ll just take it in stride.