I still a fairly recent member to this forum. First and foremost, thank you to all who have responded to my posts (Newbie Questions on Motor Size, Geared vs Single Speed) and subsequent (Anyone with info on Ariel Rider Rideal model ?) as your input is appreciated and informative. I am however discouraged that I will be able to find my first ebike with the overwhelming variations and things to consider and then narrowing it down to what is available within my price range ($1,400) if anything.
Based on the input from first "Newbie" post, it appears I am able to eliminate the single speed and look for geared, opt for a higher wattage motor (I took that to mean 350w +) and higher voltage battery (I took that to mean 48v rather than 36v) to meet my needs based on the hilly terrain I may encounter in my area. New question based on recent input to my "Rideal" post is how many gears will meet my needs. Other new questions based on reading through other posts and forums is Throttle Vs No Throttle, Cadence Sensor Vs Torque Sensor, Rear Hub Drive Vs Mid Drive and whether or not those items are major concerns for my needs. Other posts also appear to have a consensus that it is highly recommended to test drive and purchase from a LBS Vs Online.
With the exception of one LBS, all others carry brands that are out of my price range (Trek, Yamaha Core, etc.) or fat tire mountain bikes that are too heavy and not needed for what will be 99% paved riding. Even with what I have look at online, I end up with only a few that may or may not meet my needs. The one LBS I found that has an ebike for consideration (I will detail that below) is also accepting bikes for assembly, tuning and servicing for users who purchase other brands from other vendors so I did keep online ordering open as an option as most appear to offer Free Shipping but the cost of assembly at my LBS will need to be taken in to consideration as far as the price range for any online purchase. I am trying to stay with a thinner tire rather than the mountain/fat tire simply to try and keep the weight of the bike down since I will need to load onto a bike carrier and aesthetically prefer a straight lined step through, mid-step or high-step.
Here is what I have found in my price range and eliminated based on one or more of the following: price + assembly + add ons that may be needed (i.e., head light, tail light, kickstand) exceed my $1,400 budget, or the motor is less than 500w, the battery is less than 48v or it was a Single Speed:
Populo Sport V3, Populo Lift V2, Populo Scout, Juiced, Rad Power Mission 1, Propella V 4.0, Hilltopper Cross Current S2, Schwinn Monroe, Easy Motion, EG Barcelona, Biktrix Swift Lite Customizer, Magnum Ui5, Espin 21 Sport, Aventon Pace 350.
Here is what I found found in my price range that appear to meet all of my criteria except for a few items that may or may not be major issues:
Arieal Rider Rideal - This is a recent release and as a result not much in terms of information and no reviews available. The price is $999 with Free Shopping and they are taking orders stating a May 25th ship date. This is a high step or mid step, stating a 750w Geared Hub Motor but a 48v 500w Controller. A user on my "Rideal" post questioned if it was really a 500w motor with 750w max. The battery is 48v 14Ah, has a 6 speed drive train (same user concerned that 6 speeds might not be sufficient), Throttle on Demand, Cadence Sensor, Thumb Sensor, Headlight, Tail Light, Kickstand, 27.5 x 1.95 anti puncture tires with reflective side walls and weighs in at 52 lbs. With the price on this one - I would make the sacrifice at waiting for a May 25th ship date if all other items check out since I will only need to add the assembly cost from my LBS to the $999 price. With the recent comments questioning the motor wattage and 6 speeds, I think if it is in fact a 500w instead of a 750w that the 500w should still be sufficient? But now I question if a 6 speed will meet my needs.
Aventon 2021 Pace 500 - This appears to be the recent upgraded version where Aventon has made modifications to eliminate the "launching" issue that many forum users discuss. This is a bike that is available at my LBS and their description does not list it as a Throttle On Demand but does indicate it comes with a Thumb Throttle. The price is $1,399 (as opposed to $1,499 on Aventon website for the Throttle on Demand version). So, the $1,399 is the top of my range and I would need to add Headlight, Tail Light and Kickstand and I'm not too nuts about the winged handle bars and would want to replace them down the road. I can get the high step version in Small to accommodate my height as I don't care for the looks of their step through version. It is a 500w Rear Hub Motor, the batter is 48v/11Ah, has a 8 speed drive train, Cadence Sensor, 27.5 x 2.2 Kenda tires and weighs in at 49 lbs. I would be able to get this right away and I could come up with enough extra to add a kickstand and wait until next year to add head light, tail light and swap out the handle bars. Assuming this is the upgraded Throttle on Demand version, the 500w motor should be sufficient and the question is if the 8 speed will meet my needs.
If you are still reading this post, bless your heart. For those of you who have been at this for a while, these may seem like simple simon redundant questions you get tired of reading and/or responding to over and over again. To the newbies, the excitement and the abundance of variations to ensure we get what we need is confusing and overwhelming to say the least. There is so much that goes into making the correct choice that I wish I had the tech skills to build a database where the user could go in and enter data on themselves, the terrain they will be regularly be riding, a price range, etc., and it would magically produce a list of the suggested bikes that meets all of the needs. I also wish I would win the lottery but ................
If budget wasn't an issue for some if us, we probably wouldn't be bothering you or posting on the forum except to rave about how much fun we are having on our new ebikes. Would I rather be out riding around on a new Trek or Yamaha Core, yes. Could I put blinders on and go out on Amazon and get what I need in or well under my price range, yes. I came here because I didn't want to do that and end up with a bike that fell apart a week after I road it and then money down the tubes and I'm without a bike. I did question one of those bikes (Ancheer) in my first "Newbie" post (see the very bottom of that post) and the silence in terms of responses was very telling. That's okay and understandable.
So - having said all that, if you can offer any opinions on the two options I was able to find and am considering OR any adjustments I can make in my criteria (motor wattage, battery wattage, number of gears) that would provide with with a few more ebikes to choose from yet still meet my needs, either from the list of those I've eliminated or any others you are aware of that I could look into. I would be greatful beyond words.
Smary
Based on the input from first "Newbie" post, it appears I am able to eliminate the single speed and look for geared, opt for a higher wattage motor (I took that to mean 350w +) and higher voltage battery (I took that to mean 48v rather than 36v) to meet my needs based on the hilly terrain I may encounter in my area. New question based on recent input to my "Rideal" post is how many gears will meet my needs. Other new questions based on reading through other posts and forums is Throttle Vs No Throttle, Cadence Sensor Vs Torque Sensor, Rear Hub Drive Vs Mid Drive and whether or not those items are major concerns for my needs. Other posts also appear to have a consensus that it is highly recommended to test drive and purchase from a LBS Vs Online.
With the exception of one LBS, all others carry brands that are out of my price range (Trek, Yamaha Core, etc.) or fat tire mountain bikes that are too heavy and not needed for what will be 99% paved riding. Even with what I have look at online, I end up with only a few that may or may not meet my needs. The one LBS I found that has an ebike for consideration (I will detail that below) is also accepting bikes for assembly, tuning and servicing for users who purchase other brands from other vendors so I did keep online ordering open as an option as most appear to offer Free Shipping but the cost of assembly at my LBS will need to be taken in to consideration as far as the price range for any online purchase. I am trying to stay with a thinner tire rather than the mountain/fat tire simply to try and keep the weight of the bike down since I will need to load onto a bike carrier and aesthetically prefer a straight lined step through, mid-step or high-step.
Here is what I have found in my price range and eliminated based on one or more of the following: price + assembly + add ons that may be needed (i.e., head light, tail light, kickstand) exceed my $1,400 budget, or the motor is less than 500w, the battery is less than 48v or it was a Single Speed:
Populo Sport V3, Populo Lift V2, Populo Scout, Juiced, Rad Power Mission 1, Propella V 4.0, Hilltopper Cross Current S2, Schwinn Monroe, Easy Motion, EG Barcelona, Biktrix Swift Lite Customizer, Magnum Ui5, Espin 21 Sport, Aventon Pace 350.
Here is what I found found in my price range that appear to meet all of my criteria except for a few items that may or may not be major issues:
Arieal Rider Rideal - This is a recent release and as a result not much in terms of information and no reviews available. The price is $999 with Free Shopping and they are taking orders stating a May 25th ship date. This is a high step or mid step, stating a 750w Geared Hub Motor but a 48v 500w Controller. A user on my "Rideal" post questioned if it was really a 500w motor with 750w max. The battery is 48v 14Ah, has a 6 speed drive train (same user concerned that 6 speeds might not be sufficient), Throttle on Demand, Cadence Sensor, Thumb Sensor, Headlight, Tail Light, Kickstand, 27.5 x 1.95 anti puncture tires with reflective side walls and weighs in at 52 lbs. With the price on this one - I would make the sacrifice at waiting for a May 25th ship date if all other items check out since I will only need to add the assembly cost from my LBS to the $999 price. With the recent comments questioning the motor wattage and 6 speeds, I think if it is in fact a 500w instead of a 750w that the 500w should still be sufficient? But now I question if a 6 speed will meet my needs.
Aventon 2021 Pace 500 - This appears to be the recent upgraded version where Aventon has made modifications to eliminate the "launching" issue that many forum users discuss. This is a bike that is available at my LBS and their description does not list it as a Throttle On Demand but does indicate it comes with a Thumb Throttle. The price is $1,399 (as opposed to $1,499 on Aventon website for the Throttle on Demand version). So, the $1,399 is the top of my range and I would need to add Headlight, Tail Light and Kickstand and I'm not too nuts about the winged handle bars and would want to replace them down the road. I can get the high step version in Small to accommodate my height as I don't care for the looks of their step through version. It is a 500w Rear Hub Motor, the batter is 48v/11Ah, has a 8 speed drive train, Cadence Sensor, 27.5 x 2.2 Kenda tires and weighs in at 49 lbs. I would be able to get this right away and I could come up with enough extra to add a kickstand and wait until next year to add head light, tail light and swap out the handle bars. Assuming this is the upgraded Throttle on Demand version, the 500w motor should be sufficient and the question is if the 8 speed will meet my needs.
If you are still reading this post, bless your heart. For those of you who have been at this for a while, these may seem like simple simon redundant questions you get tired of reading and/or responding to over and over again. To the newbies, the excitement and the abundance of variations to ensure we get what we need is confusing and overwhelming to say the least. There is so much that goes into making the correct choice that I wish I had the tech skills to build a database where the user could go in and enter data on themselves, the terrain they will be regularly be riding, a price range, etc., and it would magically produce a list of the suggested bikes that meets all of the needs. I also wish I would win the lottery but ................
If budget wasn't an issue for some if us, we probably wouldn't be bothering you or posting on the forum except to rave about how much fun we are having on our new ebikes. Would I rather be out riding around on a new Trek or Yamaha Core, yes. Could I put blinders on and go out on Amazon and get what I need in or well under my price range, yes. I came here because I didn't want to do that and end up with a bike that fell apart a week after I road it and then money down the tubes and I'm without a bike. I did question one of those bikes (Ancheer) in my first "Newbie" post (see the very bottom of that post) and the silence in terms of responses was very telling. That's okay and understandable.
So - having said all that, if you can offer any opinions on the two options I was able to find and am considering OR any adjustments I can make in my criteria (motor wattage, battery wattage, number of gears) that would provide with with a few more ebikes to choose from yet still meet my needs, either from the list of those I've eliminated or any others you are aware of that I could look into. I would be greatful beyond words.
Smary
