when will prices come down out of the stratosphere?

[AZOldTech]

E-bikes that are live on crowdfunding sites usually lower their prices in order to satisfy customers and attract backer. On Indiegogo for example, this bike's base model costs $1099. It's a folding ebike, they say it weighs only 12.9kg. https://igg.me/at/ridecarbo/x/19667053

Maybe the $1099 is gone cause all I see starts from $1199 (without shipping which adds an incredible 20% for such a light bike...and I would call that a scam for making the ebike look cheap but adding 20% of the cost in shipping)... and truly the one worth getting is the fully loaded one with fenders & rack that is $1699 and shipping adds $230 to any of them including the cheap one so we are talking $1430-1930. So almost $2000 if you also add shiny or matt coating to the color. Not cheap by any means for a 250W 36v 9Ahr. But it is light so it may not need a big motor or battery. Maybe 16lbs the fully loaded one with everything on... 12.9lbs is probably the base one that's missing a lot of stuff.

I'm sure in a few years carbon e-bikes will be the norm and in the $1400-2000 range. But I have no idea what the high torque motors will do to their chain stays and seat stays. All I know is that the weight of e-bikes needs to come waaaay down (like half from where it is now). That will help in lower the cost and the need for a big motor and a big battery for range. Plus the lighter they get the easier and closer they will feel to a mechanical bike when only pedaling without assist. Maybe that's the future of ebikes. The best of both worlds.

 

[LewSchiller]

"truly the one worth getting is the fully loaded one with fenders & rack that is $1699 and shipping adds $230 to any of them including the cheap one so we are talking $1430-1930. "

I went to my LeBS and bought a fully assembled fully equipped 500 watt 48 volt Disc Brake Magnum Cruiser with a real warranty and dealer support for $1900 ...Out The Door.

 

[AZOldTech]

"truly the one worth getting is the fully loaded one with fenders & rack that is $1699 and shipping adds $230 to any of them including the cheap one so we are talking $1430-1930. "

I went to my LeBS and bought a fully assembled fully equipped 500 watt 48 volt Disc Brake Magnum Cruiser with a real warranty and dealer support for $1900 ...Out The Door.

That's an awesome Class 3 ebike (yes, it says it can do 28mph). And all top of the line like hydraulic brakes, Schwalbe Big Ben Kevlar Lined tires, 48T chainring, 8sp Shimano Altus, RST, Neon-TNL,with oil suspension fork, just plain awesome ebike. Great buy. Congrats.
http://www.intheholegolf.com/Mercha...PROD&Store_Code=ITHG&Product_Code=MAG-CRUISER

 

[AHicks]

When Lew started talking about that bike when he was still shopping, he had my attention as well. For all the reasons you mention, but also the very subtle change to the crank position. It's slightly forward, allowing you to still stretch your legs out with a lower to the ground seat position. Easier to mount/dismount and to reach the ground when stopped. Love it.

The only thing that slows me down is the amount of power. Likely enough, but thinking my ideal bike would have more. If I got the bike and wasn't happy, that's something that could be changed pretty easily... -Al

 

[6zfshdb]

I'm embarrassed to tell people who ask how much I paid for my Haibike. Even though I got a good deal on a leftover model ( I think ), most guess the bike would cost around a thousand dollars. Of course there are some affordable e-bikes under 2k that can be had online but for e-bikes to really catch on, I think the prices are going to have to come WAY down.. A buddy of mine wanted one but balked at the prices so he's building a kit bike with a little 66cc two stroke engine.. $300 for the engine kit, throttle, clutch, sprocket, chain, coil etc. and then it gets bolted onto a $200 big box store bike frame. He's into it for $500 total.. Of course he can't ride it on bike paths or even on the shoulder of public roads w/o risking a ticket. He really wanted an e-bike but lets face it, most can't or won't justify the steep entry fee. I was hoping prices might come down some for 2019 but if anything, they've gone UP.. Some of that is the tariffs but come on, how many people are going to spend 3k + on a bike that goes 20mph tops with replacement batteries running close to a grand.. Those of us who have ridden them know how fun they are and think they are "worth it" but the average guy on the street thinks we're suckers for spending that much.. My 92' suzuki katana 1100 street bike in mint condition is worth maybe 2k and cost 5k when new. I can cross the county on it in comfort and get 50mpg doing it. The suspension components on it are great quality and the engine alone should be worth more than any e-bike... rant over

Yeah, I hear you. I really want this one but I can't swing the $80,000 price tag.



https://www.blessthisstuff.com/stuff/vehicles/cycles/blacktrail-bt-01-the-$80-000-electric-bicycle/

 

[LewSchiller]

That's an awesome Class 3 ebike (yes, it says it can do 28mph). And all top of the line like hydraulic brakes, Schwalbe Big Ben Kevlar Lined tires, 48T chainring, 8sp Shimano Altus, RST, Neon-TNL,with oil suspension fork, just plain awesome ebike. Great buy. Congrats.
http://www.intheholegolf.com/Mercha...PROD&Store_Code=ITHG&Product_Code=MAG-CRUISER

I've yet to see 28...22 or so with pedals...but yeah I'm lovin' it
Oh - it did come with a Class 3 sticker on it which for some reason seems to have fallen off.

 

[LewSchiller]

When Lew started talking about that bike when he was still shopping, he had my attention as well. For all the reasons you mention, but also the very subtle change to the crank position. It's slightly forward, allowing you to still stretch your legs out with a lower to the ground seat position. Easier to mount/dismount and to reach the ground when stopped. Love it.

The only thing that slows me down is the amount of power. Likely enough, but thinking my ideal bike would have more. If I got the bike and wasn't happy, that's something that could be changed pretty easily... -Al

Not knowing where you ride and having only test rides for comparison...I don't sense a lack of power at all. I live half way up a fairly steep residential neighborhood hill. When I go out I sometimes ride up it first. with assist and pedaling I'm up it without any problem from a dead stop, and my knees don't object
When I ride down hill it takes me to paths along the Platte River. There it's sweet riding. I finally figured out how to get into the controller to set the power level at ECO since "Power" was more than I cared for when starting off. It - to me - was hard to control in anything other than open spaces as the assist from stop even at level 1 was quite powerful.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

But I have no idea what the high torque motors will do to their chain stays and seat stays.

That concerns me too. Carbon is lightweight, which is great, and strong too -- until it's not. Aluminum and steel give you a chance to see and resolve a structural problem. Carbon fails catastrophically when it fails.

 

[IslandHopper]

I know I'm chiming in a bit late on this, but some of the brands are really bringing down the price tags. Giant and Liv have the Fathom and Vall+E for just over $3K (Canadian, so about what, $12 U.S.? -

Raleigh and IZip are really kicking the big guys in the shins with their bikes. Bosch and Shimano motors, decent specs, and if you know where to buy them (no, not stolen) , they are a pretty good deal. I've seen commuter bikes for maybe $1000 U.S., and a decently spec'ed HT for ~ 2,200 U,S.

Yeah, a Raleigh may not have the same prestige or bells and whistles as a Specialized, but they are still pretty good bikes.

I'd love to see E-bikes get down into the sub $1K range. Once the next new battery technology comes along (lighter, faster charging, etc), LI-Ion batteries will become yesterday's news, and will end up dirt cheap.

Cheers!

 

[Ken M]

I hate to admit that I own 4 ebikes because I just had to investigate how all the different drive systems performed (I have a Polaris DD hub motor ebike, a Haibike Yamaha Trekking model, a Haibike Bosch model, and an IZIP Express with cool motor and belt system).

I personally believe that virtually every bike company making urban mobility ebikes is producing products that don't make sense and they are adding costs because of tradition not because of need.

I like ebikes a lot and I think they will eventually get a lot of people out of cars but until the performance, price, and reliability mix is optimized a bit better that will not happen.

 

[tomjasz]

LI-Ion batteries will become yesterday's news,

It’s a snails pace so far. I couldn’t wait. <wink>

 

[Dewey]

I think the reason why Japanese companies do not bring those ebikes is because they don't see the market in America.

In fact, Yamaha only brought one of their expensive lineups and that's it.. those affordable mamachari ebikes stayed in Japan. They do not have disc brakes, SR Suntour fork (or even Rock Shox), Schwalbe tires and all the performance goodies Americans are looking for.

But when I ride in the bike trail though, I see a lot of elderly people getting off their bike and pushing their bikes on the hill.. very slowly of course.
Those people aren't really interested in going fast anyways, those 250W mid drive, sub $1,000 mamachari might just be fine to give some boost on the hill.

The likes of you, me, ebikemom, Arleigh Greenwald, and people who would appreciate the selling points of reliability, built to Japanese safety standards, and excellent transferable warranty service, would pay Yamaha a grand for a PAS model with a basket, or 1,200 for a PAS Babby with fore-and-aft child seats, but I wonder if they’re put off importing them because they know the majority would more likely buy a half priced Nakto City model (with electric scooter band brake on the rear), or stick a $350 mid drive and battery kit from pswpower or aliexpress sellers on a $400 Mongoose Envoy longtail. The <$1k US market needs the quality and service Yamaha would bring, but Nakto is sold through Walmart sellers and Mongoose by Costco and Dick’s (though the Envoy is only sold by Costco Canada at present), and those corporations with nationwide presence and purchasing power could flood the market with budget prebuilt cargo ebikes if they chose, I wonder if Yamaha are afraid of getting their fingers burned in the US budget market

 

[elect]

I hate to admit that I own 4 ebikes because I just had to investigate how all the different drive systems performed (I have a Polaris DD hub motor ebike, a Haibike Yamaha Trekking model, a Haibike Bosch model, and an IZIP Express with cool motor and belt system).

May I ask you which are your feedbacks about? (Sorry for the off-topic)

 

[harryS]

That PAS wagon looks like fun. All of those bikes look like mid drives too, and 250W in a mid drive can go a long way. Probably 24V batteries if all they need is 15 mph.

 

[bob armani]

I hate to admit that I own 4 ebikes because I just had to investigate how all the different drive systems performed (I have a Polaris DD hub motor ebike, a Haibike Yamaha Trekking model, a Haibike Bosch model, and an IZIP Express with cool motor and belt system).

I personally believe that virtually every bike company making urban mobility ebikes is producing products that don't make sense and they are adding costs because of tradition not because of need.

I like ebikes a lot and I think they will eventually get a lot of people out of cars but until the performance, price, and reliability mix is optimized a bit better that will not happen.

Ken M-Just curious if you have a favorite between your fleet of bikes, or does each one have its own redeeming qualities? I have 3 and the only one I have yet to explore is the Gates Belt driven models.

 

[MechaNut]

Last week I had somebody ask me during a lengthy conversation about my bike and what it can do what the cost was. I didn't find it rude because, within the context of our conversation, it was a completely legitimate question as the conversation happened in the parking lot of my workplace. The person's comment after finding out what the purchase cost is was something along the order of "that isn't so much a plaything but a serious mode of transportation isn't it?" My reply was, it is a some of both.

I may not be one of the first people to commute on a bike where I work, but I think I'm probably the first e-bike commuter. I've found the e-fatbike tends to draw a lot of attention and, honestly, I don't mind answering questions as long as they come from a place of honest curiosity.

That said, I recognize that to the person that has never shopped for a serious brand name bike before that spending $1000-$2000 for a bike seems insane. From the perspective of somebody that has only bought their bikes from Walmart for $200 or less an e-bike seems catastrophically expensive. Honestly, I do find the pricing on the "name brand" bikes (Specialized, Giant, Trek, etc) to be quite high for what you get. At a minimum the e-bike market is ripe for disruption and direct sales companies like Juiced, Rad Power Bikes, and so forth are doing a good job of shaking things up a little. At least in my opinion.

 

[joshuaho96]

A low-end MTB from Giant (Roam 2) is 600 dollars. Then add in a 1300 dollar kit for a BBSHD + 52V wolf pack and you're at 1.9k.

Frankly, considering just how fast that BBSHD will push a bike you shouldn't consider anything cheaper unless you have free health care.

 

[Jerry LM]

If you check out the for sale section they already are out of the stratosphere and way down in price!

 

[Dewey]

Well looks like Panasonic has nice lines too.

A relaunched brand of Kent International Inc 'Univega' with assembly in S Carolina is set to introduce a line of ebikes with Panasonic hub and mid-drive motors. Once the tech support infrastructure is in place it ought to make it easier for Panasonic USA to consider bringing over their JDM family step-through models like the Gyutto, or the EU brands using Panasonic motors.

 

[Ian Moone]

Someday I Want to be a Emtb Hoarder ! How Cool would it be to change Rides like you change your Socks !! ???