Yet Another Budget (<$1k) E-bike Help Request!

[yash]

Hi awesome forum members,

I'm looking for getting myself a commuter e-bike for less than 1k. My commute to work is less than 5 miles each way. I dont have need for speed and not much hills on my way. I love in Norcal (SF Bay Area) so the weather doesnt get too rainy or too cold. Things that are important for me are comfortable bike saddle (I need suggestion on this) and ease on knees (my knees are not too good with pressure). I'm in my late 30s with 180 lbs and 5'11.

I'm not a biker. I never owned a bike but I know how to ride. I rent once in a while. What else? I prefer medium to light weight so that I can easily hang it on bike rack at work. I don't like fat tires. I'm not also a big fan of foldable ones. My limited search brought my attention to these models:

Ride1Up Ghost/City
Merax MB
Ancheer Power Plus
Vortex E City Bike
Cyclamatic Power Plus CX1
Aceshin 26" EMB
Tomasar Power EB 26" Cyclocross
Populo Sport V3
Volta Basic 350


I generally don't like smaller bikes. I was wondering what is the best size for my height?
I know there are many choices. I hope y'all can help me get rid of most of them and help me choose one!

Thanks in advance...

 

[Tyler S]

FYI, I don’t think populo is still in business - instead they sell under the Aventon brand. I know it’s easy to say, but if you could increase your budget a few hindered dollars to the $1200/1300 range you would open up a number of much higher quality options. That said if you’re stuck at a hard 1k I’d vote for the Ride1up, though it looks pretty short to me so not sure about your height.

A lot of people will also tell you to do a conversion, which gets a lot more for your money, even if you have to buy a normal bike first. A guy at my work has an ancheer but I wouldn’t really trust it.

You could also keep an eye on Craigslist and the for sale page on this site if you are in a decent sized metro area, as good bikes do pop up in the 1 k range.

 

[yash]

FYI, I don’t think populo is still in business - instead they sell under the Aventon brand. I know it’s easy to say, but if you could increase your budget a few hindered dollars to the $1200/1300 range you would open up a number of much higher quality options. That said if you’re stuck at a hard 1k I’d vote for the Ride1up, though it looks pretty short to me so not sure about your height.

A lot of people will also tell you to do a conversion, which gets a lot more for your money, even if you have to buy a normal bike first. A guy at my work has an ancheer but I wouldn’t really trust it.

You could also keep an eye on Craigslist and the for sale page on this site if you are in a decent sized metro area, as good bikes do pop up in the 1 k range.

Thanks for your reply. If I stretch my budget for another $200-$300, what would be the best option. I'm 5'11. I'd love to avoid building it myself since I'm not experienced at all.

 

[trailerguy52]

I bought an Ancheer Power Plus mtb a few weeks ago. It ran me $550.00 and I am in love with it. It is a lot of fun and it handles 15 miles easily. I weigh 190 and it takes the hills with ease. The seat is hard so I put a cushioned seat cover on it. I would add that the low price left me with some bucks for a speedometer, a lock, helmet and other goodies. It was also easy to assemble.

 

[Tyler S]

Good report on the ancheer. For a little bit more Q check this recent thread - https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/looking-to-buy-1st-ebike-1200-range.27701/#post-193134

 

[Nova Haibike]

Walmart has the Schwinn Monroe, offered in either a 250 or 350 watts motor, $899 and $1149 respectively. They come in three sizes.

Schwinn Monroe 250

Schwinn Monroe 350

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I'm not a biker. I never owned a bike but I know how to ride. I rent once in a while. What else? I prefer medium to light weight so that I can easily hang it on bike rack at work. I don't like fat tires. I'm not also a big fan of foldable ones. My limited search brought my attention to these models:

Ride1Up Ghost/City
Merax MB
Ancheer Power Plus
Vortex E City Bike
Cyclamatic Power Plus CX1
Aceshin 26" EMB
Tomasar Power EB 26" Cyclocross
Populo Sport V3
Volta Basic 350

I think you would understand this logic better.
Purchasing a new laptop that has only 2-core Intel celeron may be budget friendly but a better choice would be to get a 1-2yr old used Dell XPS or Thinkpad with i7 processor, 16GB ram.

If I were you, I would not look at any of those bikes, instead pick one of the bikes from this listing: https://newwheel.net/products/used-electric-bikes
Probably, Felt Nine-E for $1550 and this will be a better bike compared to that list by a huge margin.

Think of this, would you get a new Nissan versa or a used, well-cared Toyota Avalon?

 

[yash]

I think you would understand this logic better.
Purchasing a new laptop that has only 2-core Intel celeron may be budget friendly but a better choice would be to get a 1-2yr old used Dell XPS or Thinkpad with i7 processor, 16GB ram.

If I were you, I would not look at any of those bikes, instead pick one of the bikes from this listing: https://newwheel.net/products/used-electric-bikes
Probably, Felt Nine-E for $1550 and this will be a better bike compared to that list by a huge margin.

Think of this, would you get a new Nissan versa or a used, well-cared Toyota Avalon?

What you say makes sense.
However, to get a Felt E-Nine I need to get to Santa Cruz. Also the bike has $1500 miles on it and I'm no expert to say if the bike is well kept or not. So the safe choice for me will be to buy locally or to buy new online with return and guaranty.
Grace Easy is also a good option but again can't know how good the bike is kept and how is the real value.

I'm also looking at this thread:
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/looking-to-buy-1st-ebike-1200-range.27701/

Seems like apart from Ancheer (under budget), Ride1up , Propella (need to wait!) and Aventon 350 (need to wait!) are not bad with stretching budget a bit.

 

[duketg]

I think you would understand this logic better.
Purchasing a new laptop that has only 2-core Intel celeron may be budget friendly but a better choice would be to get a 1-2yr old used Dell XPS or Thinkpad with i7 processor, 16GB ram.

If I were you, I would not look at any of those bikes, instead pick one of the bikes from this listing: https://newwheel.net/products/used-electric-bikes
Probably, Felt Nine-E for $1550 and this will be a better bike compared to that list by a huge margin.

Think of this, would you get a new Nissan versa or a used, well-cared Toyota Avalon?

However, to get a Felt E-Nine I need to get to Santa Cruz. Also the bike has $1500 miles on it and I'm no expert to say if the bike is well kept or not. So the safe choice for me will be to buy locally or to buy new online with return and guaranty.
Grace Easy is also a good option but again can't know how good the bike is kept and how is the real value.

Yash, I agree with you. Personally, I would feel very nervous buying a used bike, especially online. If the Felt needed a new battery, that would be a large additional cost. If you’re knowledgeable about bikes (and e-bikes specifically) then the used option might make sense.

For example, I’m knowledgeable about computers and would have no problem swapping in a new HDD or some ram into a used comp if necessary. When it comes to getting an ebike, I’m willing to trade higher level components, etc for a new bike with a warranty at a given price point.

Also, and not derail this thread or anything, if all you’re wanting to do is some web browsing and watch videos on YouTube, a 2-core celeron machine may be perfectly fine. Which is just to say that even if the added features of a bike are priced appropriately, if you don’t take advantage of them you haven’t gotten the best value for your money.

 

[bob armani]

I have always been a fan of buying a great 'used' bike with high end components opposed to a lower end new model with very average components. I have also applied this strategy to used car buying and it has worked out pretty well over the years. Good luck with your choice.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Aventon Pace 350, the 'little brother/sister' of the high demand 500 comes to market this month. $999.

 

[yash]

I look forward to it. I hope its gonna be soon!