Which bikes have Bosch, pedelec AND throttle option?

[munchmeister]

I'm trying to narrow things down a bit. Which bikes have Bosch, pedelec AND throttle option, in a city or cross or touring style? Been riding motorcycles a long time but need the exercise. But I'd love to have the option to "throttle on" when I need it. TIA.

 

[J.R.]

Bosch powered bikes don't offer throttle. You'll need to look at other bikes powered by different systems. Few mid-drives offer throttle. Court does list how power is applied in his reviews.

 

[munchmeister]

Thanks JR. I have watched many, many of his excellent vids, so many, in fact, that my head is spinning. Hence my question. I do think I'd like a combo system with a throttle but the Bosch system seems to have dialed in their legendary engineering into their sensing and pedal assist. I'm pleasantly surprised by all the choices but all those choices make choosing difficult. Off to Small Planet Bikes inLongmont, CO to get thir advice. This is really a great site for research, though. Kudos to Court and all who contribute.

 

[J.R.]

I wouldn't narrow your focus to just bikes that have throttle, if you like something, try it. I'm a motorcycle guy and my first ebike was a Prodeco throttle only. Currently I'm riding an Easy Motion Evo 29er and have been for the past year. It is a torque sensed pedelec, but has a throttle option and I never use the throttle. It's a nice option to have, but if it wasn't there, I wouldn't miss it.

 

[MLB]

Been riding motorcycles for 50 years. Have 3 ebikes, 1 w/throttle. Never (next to) use it. A GOOD pedal assist is all you really need.
People talk about using them at stops to get across quickly, a valid point.
But with peddle assist only bike you simply turn the boost setting up a level or 2 and you skoot across the intersection with great speed and little effort. I have all three type motors right now and they all work very well, but the Bosch is my favorite and I've never ever missed not having a throttle. It's more like because I Have motorcycles, i dont' need the bicycle to be a little motorcycle.
Now if what you want is to ride without exerting much energy, you just ride in a higher level of assist. I"m in Eco (Lowest) almost all the time, Sport when I want to go faster (about 2mph bump per assist level jump).
If you want it easy and fast you'd just set it to Tour.
Or Turbo if you want it to feel like a mini-motorcycle.

 

[munchmeister]

Good to hear from you motorheads! That EM Evo is a sweet looking bike, JR. And the good I've read about the Bosch gets validation yet again. Thanks MLB. You make a good point. I'm not looking for a mini motorcycle (have that covered with my HondaCRF250L). And pointing out the way the rider can use the levels of peddle assist to accelerate across the intersection is very helpful. I have an old RANS recumbent and that requires a particular technique in order to pull across an intersection quickly. And I like "Turbo"! MLB, which Bosch bike are you riding? Thanks again.

 

[MLB]

Hey Munch, I have a Rans Dynamik (crank forward) and have had 3 Rans recumbents. V2 Formula (alum) was the fastest bent I've ever ridden (lots).
Yes, it's a very learned skill getting going on a recumbent!!
My Haibike RS RX (not speed pedalec) with full suspension has me back on a regular upright bike (we call them Wedgies in the bent world) for the first time in close to 20 years! Amazing what suspension does for comfort!!!
I ride a DRZ400 and my son a TTR230. I'm having so much fun with the Haibike offroad (ANYWHERE!!, 3 hr drive minimum to use the motorcycles.....) that I really need to sell the cycles. I don't enjoy riding on road much anymore, cell phones changed things way too much for my comfort. And we have 70+ miles of paved bike paths and growing every year.

 

[munchmeister]

Ha! I came this [] close to buying a DRZ400! They did not have one in stock so I moved on. Really lusted after that bike though. Riding season was upon me and I live anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 from great riding, asphalt curves and great dirt. Colorado was made for motorcycles, IMHO. But I'm looking forward to taking a bike with me up to the mountains and do some bicycling there!

I coulda figured a bunch of bike nuts would know what a RANS was but did not expect to find another owner! And multiples! We must think alike! Mine is the Vivo, dual suspension. Love that thing, it just does not get ridden much. May sell it to help finance an e bike. I rode some today and liked the rear hub motor Easy Motions the best. Bosch not as much. But smooth! Gotta say, that throttle was nice when I just didn't want to peddle. Best of both worlds. We too have lots of bike paths, just gotta check with the local police state. I think there might be restrictions for e bikes on the bike paths. But, hell, I've had enough crashes and health issues that I could easily get a Dr's note as my get outta jail free card (or is that get off the trail free?) back to my research. Cheers!

 

[munchmeister]

Research, research, research! I'm at the point where I am telling the bike shop guy what the thing does. ;-) Of course, he admitted he was not the e bike guy so my rides yesterday allowed me to eliminate the Trek. I was surprised to find their bike just did not seem up to their usual state-of-the-art design. I also found out at the Specialized dealer in this bike centric town of mine carried e bikes for 5 years. He emphasized "carried" as they had them in stock but did not sell any. The only one they had was the super bad, mountain fatty. Not for me. So I guess the Northern Colorado market has not caught on... if there is one. I told a friend I thought e-motor bikes would be like power windows and locks in a car before long. But that same bike riding friend's spouse's first word was "slacker." She's just that way. Criticizes everything and everybody at every chance she gets. But I digress. I want to try the Yamaha system. Your points above, gents, point to the Yamaha as it has the "instant on" feature that they are claiming sets them apart. Gotta drive to Denver for that. I do want to try the Easy Motion Evo Cross that was, amazingly, not charged up, at the Longmont Small Planet shop. Maybe their sales have been that slow, don't know. Really liked the EM Evo City that I tried. Very upright, soft seat. This had the throttle. Plenty of assist going up the test hill. Easy to read/see the LCD, which is a big deal for me. Some I can't see at all. I like the Yamaha system for that reason. Sometimes its the little things. It will all have to wait awhile, though. Cataract surgery tomorrow. Hell gettin' old. ;-)

 

[pxpaulx]

I think you'll like the Yamaha. It rides more like a bike to me than the Bosch, in a good way. It is definitely instant on, and as long as your cadence isn't going to reach above 90 you don't need to worry about the power cut out that @Court talks about in his reviews. I'd take the Yamaha over the Bosch every day off the week, especially considering the savings.

 

[munchmeister]

Well I found that another local shop stocks some E bikes. The Scott E sub Tour. One of the Peleton shops has them on sale. It is a Bosch system bike and has a number of accessories as most of the city and tour bikes do, such as built in lights, a rear rack, fenders, stuff I'd probably add. They have a large frame size that fits me and, of course, a number of advantages as a local shop (setup, tune ups, maintenance). And it's a Bosch. No Yamaha system bikes in town, which I would love to try, but money talks (on sale!). But that Bosch system is smooth. Anxious to get started before it gets cold.

 

[munchmeister]

Never could find a Yamaha system locally to try out and Small Planet E Bikes made me a nice deal on the Stromer ST1 Platinum with suspension forks. Very smooth, powerful 500 watt, rear hub motor, 3x9 Shimano set. I got her home on the lovely Kuat hitch mount rack and quickly changed out the Stromer saddle to the cushy one from my K2 Easy Rider "comfort" bike. Next up is a Thudbuster. And off I go! Thanks to those of you answering my questions. Appreciated!

 

[MLB]

Wow, you went Large!! (quality)
I had an ST1 Plat and LOVED it, except for the very stiff ride from the very stiff frame and fork. The suspension fork and thudbuster would make that bike darn near perfect IMO.
Way faster than my Bosch equiped Haibike but I LOVE the suspension.
Well done!!

 

[grench]

View attachment 10445 Never could find a Yamaha system locally to try out and Small Planet E Bikes made me a nice deal on the Stromer ST1 Platinum with suspension forks. Very smooth, powerful 500 watt, rear hub motor, 3x9 Shimano set. I got her home on the lovely Kuat hitch mount rack and quickly changed out the Stromer saddle to the cushy one from my K2 Easy Rider "comfort" bike. Next up is a Thudbuster. And off I go! Thanks to those of you answering my questions. Appreciated!

The ST1 is a commuting beast! You will love it.

The Kuat is the best one out there...

A man after my own heart...solid choices.

Stay off of the New Bulls products or you will own one of those too!

 

[munchmeister]

Thanks, gents. After just a couple of rides I can report that yes, I LOVE IT! My first "longish" ride was about 9 miles out, 8 back on local, level, bike paths. It was beautiful out. A couple of things about the bike. 1) yes, a throttle is really not missed. The responsiveness of this bike is excellent and a simple push on the pedals gets you started, from a stop, and through an intersection very quickly. 2) Quiet ! This thing is almost silent! Traveling on empty bike paths disturbs not even the birds and I'm glad it came with one of those little bells, as ped-bike paths could getcha in trouble with the pedestrians. I really like that quiet motor! 3) Power mode is da bomb when you are making your way back home, it is getting dark, you are tired (yes, Mildred, you do get plenty of exercise!) and you want to get off. 4) The Kuat bike rack is perfect. Took the bike down to Denver to show some buddies and the bike rode solid in the rack. I added some reflective tape to it to keep people off my tail (hopefully) and am really glad I went with that rack.

I'm gonna try a different handlebar. My old wrists won't handle this straight bar.