Most interested in ebike opinions, but if someone has a strong opinion about some similar form of transportation, feel free. I am not interested in gas-powered bikes, but if the thread drifts that was for the larger audience, sobeit.
I’m interested in a range of ~50 miles and that can be when pedal-assisted, and a high speed of no less than 20mph, and would prefer more. I know the more power, the more cost, and that is fine.
I know there has to be a “Raleigh/Trek” ebike, a “Schwinn” ebike, and a “Huffy.”
Or, if you prefer, the “Filet mignon” the “buffalo burger,” and the “meatloaf made from leftovers, stale bread, and fatty ground select.”
I’m mainly aiming for the Schwinn buffalo burger, but if there is a Trek/Raleigh die-hard fan, I’ll listen to anything. Might not take the advice, but still appreciate the knowledge.
Basically, I know a ton about regular bikes, and some about scooters. Knew about motorheads and gear heads. But need advice about specifically, themse/
Due to my location, I still just rent as needed. If I were to buy, I’d probably get an Aventon Level 3 as it has the speed, range, comfort and security that I like for what I consider a still affordable price, at least compared to options like the Skitch.
Do you mainly want the ebike for power assist and you do most of the work pedaling (assist helps you get up a hill a bit easier) or do you want an ebike that will do 50 miles at 20mph with no effort from you? I know you said pedal assist is fine but not sure where your lines are drawn.
A couple of thoughts I hope help to frame the search.
Ebikes come in three classes
Class 1, up to 20mph, pedal assist only
Class 2, up to 20mph, pedal assist or throttle (no pedaling)
Class 3, up to 28mph, pedal assist only
There are two major powertrain types:
Mid-drive, motor integrated with the pedals
best weight balance if you have to carry the bike
has the advantage of running the power through the gearing, mulitplying the effect of the motor
more natural feel to the assist
Hub-drive, motor integrated with the rear wheel
simpler construction
typically cheaper
lower maintenance
And just like the questionable mileage figures published for cars, take any range numbers you see with a giant grain of salt. They’re usually assuming flat ground, low levels of assistance. My bike, a Specialized Turbo Vado SL 5.0 (a mouthful) is claimed to go 80 miles on a charge. 40 is more like it without getting down below 20% battery, where it starts to ramp down the assistance.
I have an electric scooter which claims up to 50 miles of range but it’s nowhere close. When I read such claims in ads I chop them down by half because they seem to measure it with a 100 pound person riding on flat, paved roads with no wind and running slow on economy mode.
These things can certainly vary but yeah…I’d take any mileage range they tell you and cut it by at least 1/3 and maybe 1/2. Just to be safe. Sucks to run out of charge far from home.
Once you get your ebike or escooter you’ll soon get a sense of how far you can reliably ride it.
At least an ebike you can pedal home. An escooter…you are walking.
ETA: I would say with all the tariff bullshit happening these days be careful when buying. I have not seen an ebike/scooter built anywhere but China. The company selling may be local but the manufacturing is in China. This could dramatically raise prices. Just something to consider.
Costco typically carries “good enough” ebikes too, if you want something mid-range. REI has house brand (Co-op Cycles) ones too.
The big names (Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, etc.) have their own lines but they are very expensive compared to the no-names.
They are rapidly getting better and better so whatever you buy would probably be obsolete in a few years anyway. Not sure if it’s worth splurging right now… tariffs notwithstanding. Personally I’m worried about parts and batteries being available in the near future.
I’m thinking pedaling on straight ground, if the bike is relatively light; coasting downhill; pedal-assist up smaller inclines; and open throttle (which I assume is figurative on an ebike) up steep hills, unless I need need to pedal to stay balanced.
The longest ride will be if I ever have to take it to work in a pinch, in which case an easy on/off battery that I could take inside and charge while I am working (they are fine with it) would be a huge advantage.
It will be in a garage overnight, so battery theft is not a concern.
Another thug comes to mind: I strongly recommend getting a bike that you know can be serviced locally. I see people posting on Reddit all the time that have bought either a direct-to-consumer model or something off Amazon. Lots of bike shops either won’t work on them or at best have no way to really get parts for a bike they have no experience with.
My bike have been very reliable but has needed a couple maintenance things that were beyond my basic bike mechanic skills. Fortunately, the dealer I bought from is close by and everything was covered under warranty.
I bought an ebike about 1.5 years ago, and these are the things I discovered.
There is a very noticeable difference between 250, 500, 750 watt motors. The difference between your baby sister and your dad pushing you on the swings.
People talk a lot about mid versus hub drive. For me, the biggest difference was between torque sensor and cadence sensor. Those determine how the motor adds power. With the torque sensor the harder you pedal the more power is added. This feels very natural, and all mid drive bikes will have torque sensors.
Cadence sensors add power based on how you spin the pedals around. So gently pedaling will cause a boost of power, which I found unpleasant when making slow maneuvers. Hub drive bikes can have either sensor.
The name brand bikes, I think I rode a Trek and Specialized, we’re the best bikes by far. They felt like really well put together street commmutor bikes. They were very expensive, and the 250 watt motors meant most of the energy came from pedaling.
I rode lots of the lower end brands like Aventon, Lectric, Heybike, and some others I forget. I liked the Lectric and the Aventon the best, but they really seem similar in build quality and riding.
I ended up with an Aventon Aventure.2, because it has the torque sensor and 750 watt motor. I really liked the Level.2, but with only a 500 watt motor, the bigger bike won out.
Oh yeah, the Aventon bikes are sold as class 2, but can be changed to class 3 with the app. Others are probably similar, because of regulations. So don’t dismiss models that are only class 2 without doing a but more research.
There has always been Brompton if you want a folding bicycle, e.g., for commuting. In that case, you are really not going to be saving money.
About the range on an e-bike, this guy is talking about 15 Wh/mi (crazy choice of units). That works out to a 750 Wh battery to get those 50 miles. (That is around a 10-pound battery pack?)
I don’t have much time right now, but the Trek Allant+ 8S (7S too) is very discounted right now. Solid class 3 bike that will carry stuff, go 28MPH, and definitely go 50 miles if you aren’t turboing up hills all the way.
Looks like they are discounted because their “gen 2” is coming out.
It’s almost a 2 year old post now, but I asked a similar question and got a lot of great advice. So this post might help the OP: Recommend me an e-bike!
The bike I ended up choosing, a HeyBike model, is probably not a brand the OP would consider since it’s a lower-end brand, but my bike has held up great over two seasons so far of riding over bumpy, potholed Michigan roads. I’ve been very happy with it, especially considering the ridiculously low price I paid. But it’s a Chinese company, so who knows what the future of HeyBike in the states is going to be.
My bike is a 250 watt mid-drive. It’s absolutely worth it to me. For one, just like the range calcs, wattage figures appear to be open to a little interpretation. And since I’ve got a mid-drive, that power runs though the gearing for additional effect. Last but not least, it means it’s a much lighter bike all around. Mine works very nicely as a bicycle with the power all the way off. I test rode some big boys that had huge power but were borderline unrideable with no power.
Much of my riding is done in the lowest assist mode, so I am not really using everything there most of the time anyway. I typically only use the highest assist going up bigger hills.
Since range seems to be a big consideration for you, you can look into some bikes which have been modded to connect a second battery that can be switched over either manually or automatically. This might tie into the suggestion above to find a mechanic who works on ebikes, if you’re not up to the task of such a modification.
Of course, you could always just carry a second battery. I’ve seen bikes like mine that put a mounting bracket in the spot they included for mounting other accessories like water bottles, and they just carry the second battery there. My bike is about 70 pounds, so an extra battery doesn’t make much difference.
Not much to add to the better-informed posters above. But …
My Class 2 has a twist grip throttle just like a motorcycle. it responds to that and it responds to pedalling. Since I’m uselessly lazy, most of the time I’m just using the pedals as stationary footrests and my wrist is doing all the power control.
My bike has that. The battery case is large and heavy, but comes off with one turn of the key in the battery-to-frame lock.
The charger is also large and heavy. Like bigger than I’d really want to add to an already stuffed laptop backpack. Getting a second charger to leave one at home and one at the office may or may not be easy or cheap.
My own bike manufacturer is dead, so those details don’t help you. But it is a fat-tired mountain bike style and is just about un-pedal-able without power. You can limp home by pedaling at 5-8mph, but the effort is huge. It’s (steeply) uphill and into the wind both ways for sure.