Yamaha Urban Rush or BH Atom Diamond Wave Pro

[ChezCheese:)]

Good! Decision done! Buy it and get riding!

 

[kathik]

I’ve retitled the thread year again to reflect my current results. I’m sure building my own bike would be the best route, but I can’t really handle that extra workload at the moment.

I went to the LeBS and tried the BH Street first, since the Diamond Wave Pro had to be assembled. I liked it! The gearing was a bit clunky (I’m used to Dura Ace on my Domane, so no surprise there), but it did well. The display was much nicer than the Metro and I liked that it was demountable. I liked how elegant the bike was, with the battery “integrated” into the frame.

Then I tried the Yamaha Urban Rush. What shocked me was that it felt like riding a bike. Honestly, if I could get to the point that I’d sell the electric bike because I had lost 25 pounds and had developed my legs to the point that I was riding up the hill from hell unassisted, I’d be happier than if I rode an electric bike all the time. Plus, I’d been thinking about buying a Rivendell geared for hill climbing, but given that they are not available at any LBS, I have stalled on that. Maybe this is the right thing to do?

The Urban Rush felt right. I hit 27mph heading down a hill (unassisted of course) and felt nice and stable. The Tiagra groupset felt smoother than the Acera groupset on the Street. Since they are entry level groupsets, I wonder why there’s a difference.

Finally I tried the Diamond Wave Pro. It didn’t knock me out. It was better than the Street, but not by a huge amount, but it felt like I was getting pulled along by it.

If I set up the Urban Rush with a rear rack, I’ll approach the 1980s Panasonic touring bike/Rivendell setup that I had been thinking about for the last few years. That’s my current thinking. Talk me out of it.

 

[kathik]

I recently purchased a Yamaha Urban Rush to be used primarily for road riding. My regular ride is a Specialized Turbo Levo f/s mountain bike that is used mostly for trail and some single track. I love my Levo but I recently started riding a few times a month with a group that does mostly road rides and was looking for a bike more street worthy. A local bike shop offered me a deal I couldn't refuse and now e-bike number 3 has found a spot in my basement. It's been years since I owned a drop bar bike and it took a few rides to become acclimated to it.
Overall I am pleased with the purchase.

 

[Catbiscuits]

I do have a dura ace Domane that weighs 15 pounds as my exercise road bike btw.

 

[McCorby]

If you have a Felt dealer nearby, you might want to check out the Felt Sport E 50. It doesn’t have drop bars, but of all the bikes I demoed it felt and handled the most like an analog commuter/road bike.....to me anyway. I think you should be able to find one for under $2,700.

Citrus Cycles has a decent YouTube review of it.

 

[Catbiscuits]

I tried the bikes again. The BH Diamond Wave Pro is nice but I want an electric BICYCLE not an ELECTRIC bicycle. That is what the Yamaha Urban Rush is. It just feels like a bike to a 52 year old bike rider. I also tried the Yamaha Cross connect but flat bars just aren’t ergonomic. As far as DIY, sounds great but too much money for me. Couldn’t find a Felt dealer near me. So that’s the brakes.

 

[Catbiscuits]

A final update to this saga. I was getting bad vibes from the local bike store. The owner isn’t in half the time, nobody else really knows what’s going on. Nobody answers the phones 90% of the time and they say email is low priority. I got the distinct feeling they didn’t want to sell the bike to me. One guy who worked there said he thought I should buy a motorcycle instead! There was more that seemed off to me, but even that right there was enough. Everything was screaming don’t do it here.

I tried another store (Sleek Rides in Tarrytown) after having a good conversation with Ed, the owner, on the phone. It was an hour haul, but he was just great and Tarrytown is a pretty place to visit. It’s a bummer not to be able to use the local store, five minutes ride away, but if sales is spooking me, what will service be like? I wound up buying a Yamaha Wabash at Sleek Rides after trying it (Ed rode along with me for 15-20 minutes and that was great fun!). I found I like the wide drop bars, the single chainring in the front is simple to use, and the wider tires make me feel more stable on New Jersey roads. I’ve ridden this bike for a couple of hours and love it already. It gets me up the hill from town easily and I still get a moderate workout using it if I want. I’m waiting for the rack and fender. That’ll be awesome to have.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

Going with your gut is usually the best course of action, and good customer service should be rewarded, even if it is a little less convenient.