EBike Bicycle do you have one?

[bikeama]

Thinking about getting 2 ebikes to take on travel with our Class B van. Started looking for information, I need some more education. Hub motor direct drive or reduction drive? Mid motor how many watts? buy new bikes or convert the ones we have a Townie and a Trek 970? Thinking about a fat tire so we can do some light off-road. Advice from anyone with one, what questions am I forgetting?

 

[mean dad]

I bought one for the incredibly steep hill between my house and my work. I didn't research a great deal prior to purchasing it; I picked a fat tire model that looked cool with lots of good reviews.
I also picked one with a twist-grip throttle so i can use power without pedaling.
So far it's done what I ask of it which isn't much at all beyond the afore-mentioned steep hill.

I've taken it on a BARF rally or two when my motos were down and had a blast cruising around town.



Oh, it's an Ecotrik. Got it from Amazon a couple years ago before I decided to boycott that shit company.

 

[GAJ]

I'm interested at some point as well as at 64 I am hardly a dedicated lycra clad bicyclist and a this point the once a week 20 mile ride to Sebastopol and back on my Kona MB that I put hybrid tires on or my 1971 Schwinn Super Sport I bought as a youngster is about it though we might toss in an additional 13 mile ride to total 33 or so miles.

My buddy and I are noodling ebikes that you can still efficiently pedal to extend our max ride distance to perhaps double what we do now as soon, maybe, you can pedal from Santa Rosa to Petaluma and back on bike trails next to the Smart train tracks.

Or maybe from Santa Rosa to Forestville and back on trials.

No way I'm riding on any busy streets as having cars zing by at 60+ is no longer something I'm willing to brave all that much.

 

[Nucking Futs]

I have two ebikes: a first generation KTM Lycan, and a 2019 Trek Powerfly 9.9. Both are awesome. Both are mid drive and have 500wh batteries. Both are pedal assist, there is no throttle.

If you are doing flat cruising, a hub motor MIGHT be adequate. Any hills or terrain and the motor won't have the torque to get you through.

 

[TylerW]

I'm always shocked by how heavy they are. Every time I end up lifting one I always think "Why not just ride a motorcycle?"

I'm not sure I'll ever own one, but I love renting them on short terms to get across town. Used to love the JUMP bikes to get around SF when I lived in the bay area. You can get going stupid fast on those.

 

[mean dad]

Yes, sixty pounds is virtually indistinguishable from three hundred and sixty pounds.

Also: not allowed to ride motos on bike trails, don't need a license or insurance, no learning curve, can lift it into a truck bed solo.
They do both have 2 wheels though.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

I think they are great, but I don't own one as I don't have a use case for it. I have mixed feelings about eMTB which I think makes me a curmudgeon though.

 

[900ss]

Check out this thread, it might give you a leg up on research and opinions.

https://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=547623&highlight=e-bike

We have three Specialized e-bikes; my wife has a Turbo Vado 5.0 SL, I have a Turbo Creo SL Comp Carbon Evo and a Turbo Levo SL Expert.

These are higher-end bikes (I'm not trying to sound aloof or snobbish here), all with the same mid-drive motor at the bottom bracket. The SL bikes have lighter motors and batteries with less power and weight than the non-SL versions.

I am in San Jose, and if you are ever down this way you are welcome to test ride any or all of them. We will start driving again soon to visit family in Lodi, and I would be willing to drive one to you to test if you like.

My wife is 68 with a replaced hip and arthritis in her spine. We both used to be avid on and off road riders until our son was born, who is now 30. She keeps saying how her e-bike is a game changer for her. It really is - for both of us -, as we ride a lot of off-road trails that she would not be able to do on a non e-bike. I would be able to do them, but would probably explode my heart doing so on some of them! 20 to 25 mile off-road rides are what we really enjoy. Her bike is not ideal for the trails we ride, but SHE LOVES HER BIKE! We ride a lot of the SC County and Santa Cruz parks, some of which have some decent elevation changes.

Drop me a PM if you would like to discuss riding these.

Good luck with your research, and let us know where you end up!

 

[bikeama]

Check out this thread, it might give you a leg up on research and opinions.

https://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=547623&highlight=e-bike

We have three Specialized e-bikes; my wife has a Turbo Vado 5.0 SL, I have a Turbo Creo SL Comp Carbon Evo and a Turbo Levo SL Expert.

These are higher-end bikes (I'm not trying to sound aloof or snobbish here), all with the same mid-drive motor at the bottom bracket. The SL bikes have lighter motors and batteries with less power and weight than the non-SL versions.

I am in San Jose, and if you are ever down this way you are welcome to test ride any or all of them. We will start driving again soon to visit family in Lodi, and I would be willing to drive one to you to test if you like.

My wife is 68 with a replaced hip and arthritis in her spine. We both used to be avid on and off road riders until our son was born, who is now 30. She keeps saying how her e-bike is a game changer for her. It really is - for both of us -, as we ride a lot of off-road trails that she would not be able to do on a non e-bike. I would be able to do them, but would probably explode my heart doing so on some of them! 20 to 25 mile off-road rides are what we really enjoy. Her bike is not ideal for the trails we ride, but SHE LOVES HER BIKE! We ride a lot of the SC County and Santa Cruz parks, some of which have some decent elevation changes.

Drop me a PM if you would like to discuss riding these.

Good luck with your research, and let us know where you end up!

Wow thanks for the offer, but I am afraid I might like one of the high-end bikes. I want to carry behind my van and would worry about then walking away. Going to try and spend less than $2K each.

 

[kingmoochr]

If you've already got the bikes, you can order a retrofit kit from a bafang distributor. The whole kit is less than 1k per. It installs in the bottom bracket just like a replacement crank set. If you're scared of the install I'll do it for free, I've wanted to check them out but I'm too able-bodied to be deserving of an ebike yet...

https://bafangusadirect.com/collect...-750w-bbs02-mid-drive-ebike-motor-kit-battery

Oof saw you're in Stockton. Well if you wanna escape the heat to the Pacifica beach, I'm walking distance...

 

[bikeama]

If you've already got the bikes, you can order a retrofit kit from a bafang distributor. The whole kit is less than 1k per. It installs in the bottom bracket just like a replacement crank set. If you're scared of the install I'll do it for free, I've wanted to check them out but I'm too able-bodied to be deserving of an ebike yet...

https://bafangusadirect.com/collect...-750w-bbs02-mid-drive-ebike-motor-kit-battery

Oof saw you're in Stockton. Well if you wanna escape the heat to the Pacifica beach, I'm walking distance...

I have been looking at those kits. and they make a 1000w motor.

 

[m0t0_ryder]

I've been looking for an eMTB for awhile now.
"Almost" ordered the BULLS Sentinel 2.0 last week. May still.

Long ago in a place not to far away I used to race MTB's.
No longer into that but still have my hardtail Klein and Full suspension Specialized FSR.

Now I just want a "utility" eMTB'ish bike for camping, fishing and local rides (like I used to do to the tune of 25 - 40 miles per week w/o motor).

The BULLS Sentinel was developed for LAPD and is a little tougher and utilitarian (hard tail) than most eMTB's yet has the new Bosch Gen 4 Performance class 3 motor (28mph) and a 650Ahr battery.

I also tested the BULLS Adventure! Awesome, but not exactly what I'm looking for.

More power is nice but do keep in mind that there are 4 classes of eBIKES and they come with their own rules.
A class3 (28mph max) may not be permitted on some bike trails.
They are also not permitted in some countries, Canada and Australia for example.

Here's a pretty well done video rundown of the US Electric bike laws (targeted for CA)...

[youtube]v71dkOM4NuE[/youtube]

Sadly, no electric bikes are allowed on MidPen trails here in the south bay.

edit to add...

Rules for electric bikes in National Parks...

[youtube]cguQ6--cR_0[/youtube]

 

[HappyHighwayman]

I have had a Rad Rover for 3000+ miles

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

If you've already got the bikes, you can order a retrofit kit from a bafang distributor. The whole kit is less than 1k per. It installs in the bottom bracket just like a replacement crank set. If you're scared of the install I'll do it for free, I've wanted to check them out but I'm too able-bodied to be deserving of an ebike yet...

https://bafangusadirect.com/collect...-750w-bbs02-mid-drive-ebike-motor-kit-battery

Oof saw you're in Stockton. Well if you wanna escape the heat to the Pacifica beach, I'm walking distance...

Nice... now that got me thinking, too. But "too able-bodied", well put...
Have only a regular city-bike, the last one is 2000+ miles... But frankly hills'r gonna be hilly.

 

[dravnx]

My GF has a 2019 Trek Powerfly 9.9. She absolutely loves it. It's pedal assist and she sez it's great because she can ride further without worrying about getting too tired to get home. Her usual routes take her 30-40 miles. She's 65 and in pretty good shape.

 

[900ss]

My GF has a 2019 Trek Powerfly 9.9. She absolutely loves it. It's pedal assist and she sez it's great because she can ride further without worrying about getting too tired to get home. Her usual routes take her 30-40 miles. She's 65 and in pretty good shape.

 

[Mike95060]

E bikes are rad. Getting more and different people out of their cars is awesome. I hope it leads to prioritizing car traffic less and building infrastructure around bicycles and pedestrians.

 

[dravnx]

E bikes are rad. Getting more and different people out of their cars is awesome. I hope it leads to prioritizing car traffic less and building infrastructure around bicycles and pedestrians.

Here in Santa Rosa, more and more roads are being converted to bike friendly roads.

 

[mean dad]

So, ever since I posted in this thread my internet travels are jam packed with electric bicycle ads.

Anyone else?

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

No