I went down some rabbit hole the other week and found electric bicycles

I know nothing

I do however know the price range on these critters is vast. From $600 to adding another zero and above

So I found this bike section of the forum and I hope you guys can lead me to water

Im not some crazy bike junky so entry model is what Im after. All I really plan to use this guy for is going out to a nature reserve and dicking around with the fam bam. Dont really care about speed so long as itll get my ass up a hill. Not doing any crazy trails or anything like that. Maybe something to carry a small metal target and associated gear

I see some fold up and that would be really dandy to get it in and out of my car

Looking at this guy but the low price kinda makes me wonder if it would be a mistake

https://lectricebikes.com/products/xp-lite-midnight-black

Lectric makes a really nice bike for that price point.  Loaded with features, I don't think you'll be unhappy with that one.  It is new, but reviews have been very positive about it.

Looks nice

Just a wee bit more than Im wanting to spend

Hoping to keep it around a K max just in case this turns into something "I thought I would use more"

Do you guys know what to expect out of the motor power ratings? Thats one realm I have no experience to compare it to

Why is the top bar so low?  
Reminds me of a female beach or comfort cruiser frame.


I test rode a few EBikes last Summer. Want, but can not afford.

I was pedaling 18mph on a large and long uphill incline like it was flatland...

I've got an Ariel Rider 52 volt thats fun to ride.

I think that's a fair assessment.

Bikes, in general, are a 'buy once, cry once' type of investment if you are actually going to ride them. Yeah, there are value buys out there (I imported a bike from Europe that would have cost a lot more here) but in general, spending money works out in the long run, because one $2-3k bike that lasts is a better investment than replacing a $1k bike every year or so because it's crap and the frame and/or components don't hold up.

That said, picking a first bike as a cheaper one in case you don't makes perfect sense. My now-ex-GF's bike was, quite frankly, too expensive for as much as she uses it (barely at all). I should have put her in a wally-world bike, it would have been just fine for the 3 laps around the block with the kids a year she does.

Something small and folding like you have above ... keep in mind that those bikes are going to be less comfortable than a bigger bike more suited to your frame. (They will also be less durable, fundamentally, than a solid frame is likely to be) I'd go to a bike shop and get on things (and ignore the electric, you're looking for 'what's comfortable for you', style-wise) and see what you enjoy. How you sit on a bike is very different depending on style. Some people want a more relaxed feel, some want a more forward, aggressive feel. There are frame styles for both. That said, having something small & portable isn't a bad thing if it does become a second bike.

I got an Aventon Aventure - really happy with it.  Retails at around $1900 so not cheap but a fair price for the quality.

(Not my pic)

Attached File

You’re all terrible people

Some things to know, I used to run a company in this space:

1. Class II e-bikes, anything with a throttle that is, are NOT legal in most US parks. There are jacklegs and karens, generally riding ludicrously expensive pedal MTB's, who will report you. Class II's will always have a rear hub motor, but not all rear hub bikes are class II's.

2. Rear hub motor bikes are the cheapest, and ride like it. The feel is very on-off WRT to the boost. Outside of Pedego, most of them are not very durable or long-lasting either. DO NOT buy a front hub motor bike no matter what!

3. Speaking of Pedego, check to see if there's a dealer near you. Great place to go sample different e-bikes aimed at casual riders.

4. If not going Pedego, you want a Bosch/Shimano/Brose/Yamaha electric drivetrain if at all possible, in no particular order. Batteries will last longer, and replacement batteries for every brand are EXPENSIVE.

5. Speaking of batteries, you MUST keep them charged at least 30%, or they will brick on you! You should also be very careful about overcharging a battery, especially if it is NOT one of the brands listed above. Don't do what one of our dips hit customers did and leave it plugged in for almost 2 years! He was very lucky it didn't burn his house down.

6. If you go the buy once cry once route, get a mid-mount motor from one of the brands above. Bosch is the 500 lb gorilla of the space, with good reason.

7. If you get a chance to demo an automatic shift enviolo-equipped e-bike, do it. They are rare here in the US, but dominate the upper midrange European commuter bike class, where the bike is your 2nd car. You won't ever want anything else after riding that, but that's your cross to bear.

I got the Aventon aventure last year and the wife got the pace 500 and we have been very happy with them. We have miles of paved trails that we can ride from our front door so we are very lucky in that regard. We don't do any serious mountain bike trails or anything like that so these bikes are perfect for us and the pedal assist really helps with people who have bad knees or backs. Only thing we have done to our bikes: wife got a cloud nine seat and I got a cane creek suspension seat post. We ride almost every day weather permitting and also got sena Bluetooth bike helmets so we can talk while riding.

A guy at work bought a Specialized brand E-Bike. The lithium batteries exploded and burned his house down.

I started with a cheap folding ebike.

Then I upgraded to an Aventon Aventure.

Then I upgraded to an Ecells Super Crown Monarch.

If I had it to do all over again I would have skipped the cheap folding bike and aventon and gone right for the crown.  Buy once cry once.

I know this is a zombie thread, but I have had a Ride1Up Core5 now for going on 9 months and have enjoyed it immensely. Paid right around $1000.

No problems other than a broken spoke.

20+ miles range on throttle alone. I once went 56 miles pulling an 80lb trailer and still had battery left over at the end.

Complete write up in the outdoor forum...

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Outdoors/The-replacement-e-bike-Ride1up-Core-5-long-winded-review-/1-702577/

I've only ridden one e-bike but it was the most fun I've ever had on a bike.  It's been awhile and I did some research on them afterwards, but things might have changed by now.

The bike I rode had three settings - "off", "1" and "2".  In the "off" setting it was just a bike.  In the "1" setting, it calibrated your power output and added 50% more.  In the "2" setting, it added 100% more.   Completely intuitive with nothing to think about.  If you've read Starship Troopers and Rico's description of how powered armor just takes what you do naturally and amplifies it....that's exactly how this e-bike worked.  Starting from a dead stop was surprisingly exhilarating!!  I know my face was .

I assume that type of bike is in the upper price ranges and I know the price on this one, but it's not a relevant comparison because it was a full-out, full suspension mountain bike, which probably added at least a couple of grand to the price.

Can you post a copy of the news report on that?

Wife’s Specialized Turb Como e-bike has been in our garage for over two years without any issues.

At least a few times a week an 80yo lady on an ebike passes me as I'm pedaling my normal mt bike up a hill.
I hate those things

2 motors and $5,000...  uhm... yeah, I want one too, lol!

I bought the Aventon Aventure last summer.  I love it, but if I started over, I might just get a mid-drive conversion kit for my old mountain bike.

Don't know if there was a news report on it. It happened enough times that Specialized had a recall on some models.

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2021/Specialized-Bicycle-Components-Recalls-Electric-Mountain-Bike-Battery-Packs-Due-to-Fire-and-Burn-Hazards-Recall-Alert

I have my Kenevo up for sale but i just noticed that the battery is on the recall list.  I guess i will take it down to the shop today.  I hope they can get me a replacement quickly.

Then you just take it out for its first ride?

Since I just got a Turbo Levo , curious what’s got you bailing on it. ( I’m a first time e bike guy with only a couple rides on mine so far)

I’m selling off my 2018 Kenevo to help pay for the 2022 Kenevo.  I haven’t logged into Mission Control for years on the older Kenevo, but when I did (to check battery health) I got a notice that the battery had a recall.
I think you will really like the Levo! Attached File

That makes sense

Quite a stable you have there ---  i'm rolling a 450X myself for my "do it all" dirt bike.   I got turned onto e-bikes listening to the Pulp MX podcast and noticing how the host lost a ton of weight riding his,  then later learned they are opening up classes for them at select hare scrambles -- having ridden a few of those myself, i only hope the e-bike race is on day 1 before the quads chew up the course - sheesh

I bought an Addmotor ebike last summer and found it to be very dependable and at 840 watts with 26 inch wheels, its very comfortable  and a fast bike.  Especially given that I'm in the 230 pound range.  I've got over 1000 miles on it with no problems.

For the price, I bought an Aventon Level.2 for the type of riding that I will be doing on it.
I also do have a dedicated mountain bike though.
If I wanted to do a little more serious offroad riding on an E-bike, I also like the Aventon Adventure.2 I'm still wondering if I should have bought that on instead of the Level.2.

Edit. Canceled my order and need to do more research before buying.

What did you decide?

I'll sell you my Ecotric Hammer, but delivery would be a bitch.

Well I guess to pop in and say how I rolled

Went with a mini bike instead and built up the motor a bit

Been a lot of fun albeit a bit different than what I originally planned

If you wanna dump like 8500 on a surron then another 2500 on a better controller and eventually a better battery they are insanely fun. Possibly the most fun you can have on two wheels. Race Built 125cc two stroke power on a switch at all rpm's that will do 70mph in a 100lb package.

I ended up buying a Juiced Ripcurrent S. Pretty happy so far. It's an inexpensive bike so they do seem to have their issues. All of them in this price range do. I've been too busy to ride it much. It's only got about 40 miles on it now. Still at about 1/2 of the first charge left. I only charged to to about 90% to begin with. The Juiced bikes seem to have more range than the others in their price class and the batteries are UL certified.

The derailleur needed adjustment out of the box. The stock seat sucked. Now it has a Cloud 9.

We'll see how it holds up. They're back up to full price at the moment but are almost always on sale for 5 or 6 hundred bucks off.

https://www.juicedbikes.com/collections/ripcurrents?sort_by=manual&page=1

https://www.bicycleseats.com/9-wide-bicycle-seat.html

I also bought a Quietkat deer trailer. It fit with a minor modification. Price just went up on that too. I paid $308 (was $347 and I had a coupon code.)

https://www.opticsplanet.com/quietkat-cargo-cart-2-wheel.html

I recently bought this, a Magicycle Deer SUV for this years hunting season. Total was $2249.00. More than I wanted to pay but I was looking at the QuietKat for $5000.00 but it was a hardtail frame. I got this bike for almost half the cost and this bike has a full suspension with the big battery and a supposed 85 mile range.
As my first ebike, It's a ton of fun and I'm liking it a lot.

That looks really nice. Congrats. I like the full suspension. My next purchase will be a suspension seat post for my hard tail.

Mrs Rabinowitz and I enjoy our Totem Skylines.

I got a Turbo Levo last year. It is awesome. I rode and raced mx for years and love this bike.

Got a link to the story?
Specialized and trek have some of the best batteries and motors