You are 100% right on target. I'm 72 and bought an Ariel Rider X-Class step-through, so that I could get out ride the trails and enjoy the outdoors. I though that part of my life was past me. I don't have the strength or flexibility to pedal a regal bike. Really enjoying your channel, and getting out and riding often.
CC, thank the bike gods for you. I’ve learned so much about how to fix, maintain, upgrade and improve my E-bike watching you over the last year or so. You know your bikes and you certainly know your audience. Regards from the UK from a 45+ guy, out on the green trails and away from Netflix and mobile phones.
Bought an Aventon Aventure through a local dealer and absolutely love it. It's 73 lbs and is the step thru model that I ride everyday. I am 80 years old and so far have had no problem riding it. Thru the Aventon App I was able to upgrade the software which changed it from a Class 2 to a Class 3 bike. Rode Harley's for years and definitely loved the speed boost the upgrade gave me.
i still ride harleys but not until license back. BEST HARLEY REPLACEMENT IS THE ARIEL RIDER KEPLER. mine is "BLAZE" its my second bike and wish found this one first, reminds me of my shovel. its a aboulute BLAST SPEED TORQUE no bike compares. but CS sucks. but if you no how to figure out quirks. make it yours.
@@jamesbuchanan3888 I’ve put over 600 miles on mine since Spring. I’ve had about 3-4 pedal strikes. I’m 63 so I don’t ride super aggressive but don’t ride like a grandpa either. I think there’s a video out there about this that I watched. Somebody had a list of parts for new different pedal cranks that are shorter that worked well. It hasn’t happened enough to me for it to be a showstopper issue. But now I do try to have my “inside” pedal up high when turning.
I just watched this old video. Wanted to comment in hope of giving it a bump. This is great advice that has held up well and is still just as relevant today.
I purchased a Specialized Turbo Creo "e-assist" bike in March in time for my 65th birthday. While I still ride regularly, I have always struggled going up hills. This bike was a game changer! You must pedal to get any assist at all. I find when riding in a group, I use the lowest level of assist (about 30%), or turn it off altogether. The assist kicks out at 32 kph (20 mph), so while you can go any speed your legs can take you, above 32 kph, it is all "you". There is absolutely no motor drag with the assist turned off, so if you drain the battery on a ride, it is not a problem to simply ride hoe under your own steam. That being said, I have found I get over 100 km range in low assist, about 70 km in medium, and about 50 km in the high (turbo) assist. Even after the 50 km in turbo assist, the battery is at about 20%, where it lowers output to about 30%. I have never completely drained my battery. The bike version I got was the aluminum frame. It weighs in at about 33 pounds, but you pay for that. The bike before tax came to about $6700 CAN. The bike is very well designed, and built. While 95% of my riding is on road, it can accommodate tires as wide as 700X42, so gravel is no issue. It even includes a spring incorporated into the headset for a bit of suspension. A gravel version with flat bars and a dropper seat can also be purchased at the same cost.
Dammm it's expensive!!! I'm sure you have a awesome time and don't regret it a second. But... what do you think about getting a 1500$ 500W chinese version with a large battery size instead? Have a nice day Rodger Alex from Montréal
You get what you pay for in my humble opinion. I don’t want a throttle in mine, just pedal assist. I want to still be able to get a workout with some “help” on hills. Still shopping around to see what I need but what is the difference between one with the throttle and a moped? I don’t know much about these bikes yet, I ride a Trek Marlin mountain bike. I’m 64 and looking for a user friendly pedal assist only e bike. They’ve come a long way from 2 years ago so it’s exciting.
By far, yours is the most informational, educational, and encouraging video site for ebike riders and those considering the purchase of a bike. Thanks for all the time and care you put into doing these. So very helpful!
I'd like to tell you that I really enjoyed this video and thank you for helping us all out here to decide maybe what bike to go for I'm 65 years old and you're showing in this video the complaint but the solutions and I appreciate that so much
This is a really helpful video. I got into this last year, and now have 2 escooters and an ebike, and my wife has an ebike. After a year of experience I can say your video is spot on. The ones that really hit home were power and portability. My first scooter had a 500 watt moter which turned out to be not nearly enough to get me up the local hills (I weigh around 230). As a result it wasn't serving my purpose so I ordered my 2nd one, a dual motor 2000 watt beast that chews up hills and spits them out. My ebike which I just got is 750 watts and 1000 watt peak. It needs help on our largest hills, but I just engage my 2nd motor (my legs) and it gets up no problem. Portability is another issue. The scooter no problem. It folds up and while it's heavy (around 75 lbs), it's not awkward so it's pretty easy to get into the back of the SUV. My wife's ebike is another story. It folds, and it's lighter than the scooter, but it's a big awkward mess trying to muscle the thing into the SUV. And my new one is even heavier and doesn't fold, so I have no delusions about getting it into the back. Honestly, if you get one of these and want to transport it, plan on getting a bike rack. I'm looking into those now as I'm fed up with dealing with my wifes, and I want to be able to use mine other than just around home.
Most of the major complaints can be reduced by going with a NON-FAT TIRE ebike. If you want the comfort still, just make sure to get tires that are 2 in or thinner, with front suspension, and a suspension seat post. With non-fat tire ebikes, the frames can be thinner, motors smaller, less dead weight to have to move around, longer battery range on a smaller & lighter weight battery. Most ebike importers make bigger profits on the fat tires, but a few are starting to sell product lines that is more efficient (much more popular in Europe & Asia).
100% agree. If you avoid a 4inch tire wide e-bike, all the problems go away. These massive ebikes are more like an electric motorbike (limited speed, ok). Get a Ride1up Roadster or Prodigy or even better a Velotric Thunder 1 : just 36lbs !!! 70miles range!! Lightweight, looks like a bike. They are electrically-assisted bicycles, not monstrous 70 or 90lb huge bikes. More range, easy to lift, smaller, lighter, healthier for the user. They have torque-sensors and you can adjust the amount of electric assistance. I predict the new Velotric Thunder 1 and Velotric ST will become best-selling e-bikes this year. They're superbly well reviewed. Aventon do great bikes too : the Soltera for example As the saying goes......Sometimes.......less is more.
Bingo! Bingo! Bingo! If you can't ride that e-bike as a regular non-powered bicycle for at least short distances, you are setting yourself up for a world of problems the day your battery runs out a mile from home. While you're at it, forget the front suspension and suspension seat posts. 2.125" wide tires on the average e-bike provides a cushy enough ride, and it's still a bicycle.
@@DV-hr5wd The presenter of this video mentioned Electric Bike Company as having a good build quality. They sell a folding e bike with 24 inch tires that are only 3 inches wide. They aren't skinny tires, but they are manageable. Further, that model weighs 56 lb. The battery itself weighs 8 lb, so if you take out the battery during the folding process, the bike is 48 lb. Still heavy, but manageable. That model comes standard with front suspension. I have that bike. The only down side of it is that they made it without a proper stand so that you can balance it after it is folded. I bought mine 13 months ago and have told them about this problem. If you call them, ask them whether they will build you on with a proper stand. They build their own bikes, and for a fee, they will ship it to you completely assembled. Other than that one glaring problem, I have enjoyed riding it each and every time I take it out.
12:32 I'm a 20 year old who's about to buy an ebike to commute to and from work. I don't have a car, don't know how to drive, and I don't want a car. I'm just tired of having to take 40-1 hour bus trips to get to and from work. Work is already tiring enough, there's no way I'm riding a non electric bike both ways every day too. For me my ebike is going to be my car replacement. It'll be cheaper to maintain and I won't need to pay $120 parking/month fees to keep it. On top of that, I pay about $120/month in bus fairs right now. If I can skip using the bus entirely I think it'll pay for its self. Here in Minnesota the local government will be providing financial assistance up to $1500 for buying an ebike starting July 2024. I'm waiting for that date to buy an ebike. I've heard of some other younger people who are getting ebikes for similar reasons. For me this isn't about going green or getting out, it's about the cheapest means of transportation. I love your videos, they're very informative. Just wanted to let you know work commuters exist
How is the commute working out for you? I’m buying one tomorrow for my 16 mile mostly flat trip, I’m 53 and want to do it but still a bit worried for my safety along our roads.
Instead of fixing my car about 14 years ago, I bought a new non-electric bicycle to commute 10 miles round trip. I learned how to pack shopping panniers not only for a change of dry clothes, but also for groceries. For longer trips I would load the bicycle on a bus rack or in a commuter train. With all the money I saved when I retired at 65, I bought a fancy new Biktrix Juggernaut Hub Duo Step Through with dual batteries. Still no car. The E-Bike is too heavy for me to lift on to a commuter train, but that is ok as I can ride the E-Bike as far as I would have on the train. I do all my fun trips and chores with my E-Bike. I am keeping my bicycle, just in case and besides, we had many adventures together.
@@maisydaisy9216 Is your 16 miles round trip or one way? In any case, with an e-bike the road will seem like flat all the way even with a headwind. Safety is not to be taken lightly. You may want to do a trial run with loads of time and make note of any trouble areas. A longer safer route may be needed. I will go the long way to avoid some scary roads in Central Florida. I watch out for the distracted driver. Just because you legally have the right-of-way, doesn't mean some drivers will obey the law. Try not to flip them off, they may have a gun. I have been riding around different parts of Central Florida for over 14 years. I love the multi-use paved paths.
@@lordfubar1awww I know right? I couldn't just get rid of my old bike either. I know it's weird but there's definitely a lot of sentimental value for a machine that's been with you through thick and thin
Buy from a bike dealer/shop.....not the internet. You can see what you are getting, you can test ride before buying and the personnel staff can answer any question you may have about ebikes or accessories. I just purchased a step through, 36 volt / 250 watt motor / top speed of 20 mph / range 20 to 50 miles / disc brakes / electric horn / and has both pedal assist and throttle that is equipped with a boost control for extra power. Headlamp and tail light are automatic. Also came with fenders and luggage rack and a free annual tune up for life, $1799 but was on sale for $1599, so far I love this bike as I am 79...the wind and hills no longer a challenge for me, my Cannondale and Fuji have just been retired. Been riding bikes for about 40 years now.
Thank you!! This was a real eye opener! I’m watching videos for a month or two and even though I know I need a light bike, no one has made weight an issue like you have! Why? Because most YT guys are trying to sell the bike they are demonstrating. Thank you for your honesty!!
Idk man, for me the weight is a bonus, I use my bike for exercise as well as commuting, and when I turn the motor off it's a heavy work out, and when the motor is on, it's the easiest ride ever. Super fun all around.
I have an Aventon Aventure I bought from my local dealer last month. The one advantage that I had when buying locally was that I was able to try out my bike and make sure it fit perfectly as I initially had questions on how I would fit on it. I found that in the end that it did fit me perfectly and I've been enjoying it since. As for battery range, I'm only able to get about 25 to 30 miles out of it per charge. That is less than what Aventon advertises on their website. Of course, there are factors involve that make the range vary. One factor is my weight. I'm 300 lbs and the weight of the rider I believe is a big factor in battery range. Another factor is that I ride at pedal assist level 4. That helps me maintain a speed of around 20 mph. The higher pedal assist levels use more power, so I can understand why I'm not getting 40 miles out of my battery. I'm actually trying to train my legs to get used to riding again as I haven't been on a bike in 7 years. I'm hoping I may step down to PA2 or PA3 when my legs get stronger. Aside from all that, I'm happy that this bike can take me wherever I want to go around the city I live in and still have plenty of power left to see me home.
I just bought one as well. I heard the list the range for each PAS on their website. It’s around 25 miles for PAS4, 19 miles for PAS 5 and 27 miles for Throttle only. I’d say you’re getting good range. Depending on the temperature and terrain as well.
I understand your situation, I’m 235 lbs and I use P A level 3-5 a lot too . I bought another battery to help with the range . Love it now I don’t worry any more . Keep building up the leg strength and you will be happy camper too .
Great video!!! Your extra suggestion of service was probably the most important. Our local bike shop is gracious enough to do normal bike maintenance but as far as controller, battery, wiring, or motor is concerned you are on your own. That is why buying from your local bike shop is so important. Again, excellent video!
Most off the pitfalls mentioned are the result of the direct to consumer eBike business model. I don't think I will buy another eBike that I can't test ride at a local bike shop. I'll even drive several hours for a test ride if need be.
This is the risk you take buying directly from the manufacturer/distributor. Unless you pay a bike shop willing to set it up for you and even then, you could have shipping damages.
The shop where I bought my ebike said that if you buy a bike on the internet and bring it to them to assemble for you they will charge you $300 to assemble it. My ebike came with one free annual tune up for life.
Thank you for all your efforts helping folks with the ebikes. I have never owned an ebike so this video is just super outstanding and very helpful for me. Thanks again, Jeff.
Excellent video - cutting right to the chase about folk's outstanding concerns. The two last ones especially that were discussed, seemed the most interesting, i.e the weight, and the paucity of customer service and repair. Issues like build quality, range, power, etc. are pretty straight forward obvious, and would determine one's choice of brand. But weight and repair! Some folks - even if they could - might not want to bother repairing more than for annual checkups, etc. But if you are not a body builder or weight lifter (or just not young and strong) many of us could have big problems with the weight issue. "Fat four inch tires" pet peeve: a lot of weight could be saved with narrower rims and tire sizes. 3 inch tires should be plenty adequate. Whatever. So, "caveat emptor" you'all, and thanks for the good and helpful video.
I am 72 years old and my obsessive hobby since I bought my first car at 12 years old, fixed it up and sold it has been to buy and restore anything with an engine. My 15 year old grandson came to my home shop the other day with his Zooz Urban E-bike. He put a new back tire on,, adjusted the chain and bled the brakes. I’m hooked! He changed the seat cover and fiddled with the controller to get more speed. I own a construction company that helps with my obsession. I am getting ready to retire and have a large building. I am very intrigued about the part of your video where you said there are few if any quality repair shops for e-bikes. A few years ago I talked to the owner of the Yike bike about a dealership but that bike is not for the masses and one brand will not sustain a business. Your video is very well done and informative, riding the bike and talking at the same time works well to keep a viewer interested. I had an executive producer who did 26 segments about construction for Verizon using my company. I don’t have the ego for that type of tho h and it held up my workers and jobs so I did not renew. I know about attention spans and you did well, great video super informative
You are so right about us old people buying these ebikes. I'm 68 an bought a Juiced Scorpion X. Love it. Granted there aren't really hills in Tampa but this thing goes plenty fast for me with no effort. And it weighs 100lbs. My friend has a 26 inch and it's a monster. 20 inch is just fine for me, even at 6 ft tall. Only complaint would be the brakes, which work fine but squeak very loud.. I was impressed at how in touch you are with your audience and how we ride. Thanks.
A great and informative video. My wife and I went with the Lectric XP 2.0 step through after watching a bunch of videos. I'm in my mid 60's and she's in her late 50's so they seemed like the best choice for us.
@@MC23-l9i I was given an Lectric step thru 2.0. It is different kind of riding experience, electric vs. mountain bike. Definitely easier to go further, and conquer hills on my rides!
I'm a senior. Bought mine two years ago from a company that makes their own and has a couple of local shops for repair. So far, 5,600 miles and counting. I would never have chosen to order one online. I went to the shop and test rode one. It had to feel right, and it had to go up steep hills fairly well. Replaced one stretched chain and one set of brake pads. Battery malfunctioned a few months back and had to replace it. There IS more maintenance to ebikes than traditional bikes.
I can also confirm that accessibility and range are my two biggest gripes with ebikes. The EMX Xtreme (dual 750 watt motors) is the closest I've found to being just what I've been looking for. Even then I had to cut about 2" off the seat post to enable me to plant my feet firmly on the ground when stopped. The hefty weight would be my third gripe. It would be pretty hard to peddle them like a regular bike if you ran out of juice a fair distance from home. I also wish more ebike manufacturers would add regenerative braking to charge up your battery a bit each time you apply the brakes. Finally, YES, the local bike shops don't want to touch them. You're definitely on your own if you need a repair. BTW, great video's Citizen. Keep 'em coming.
Oh but I have to add, running out of juice is a non-issue. These are not motorcycles; you can pedal them if you need to. The way I see it you can avoid running out of energy by only turning on pedal assist for going up inclines.
Hey Citizen, in my observation you really know who watches your channel & what they want from e-bikes. As a result you are 100% on-message with great practical advice. Thanks for that! My personal complaint relates to the more I research, the more I realise many local shops are just selling (identical or nearly identical - but differently branded) products I could order on-line for more economical prices. The sell the same stuff, falsely market it as if they designed it themselves, and put a huge premium on it because I can see it in person before I buy it. Even products from some well-known brands seem to be also marketed on-line under lesser-known branding. It is frustrating as a consumer who tries to be informed before I make a purchase.
In general, online sellers on ebay will answer questions,,,truthfully??? I dont trust amazon sellers much so far,, but would quiz em hard if I wanted to make a purchase. Ive found, that if U insist on getting a free returns type item, seller pays for return shipping,, you will get the straight scoop on the item eventually. If U dont ask, U wont know.
Thank You for this Awesome Video. I learned a lot from this. I am 73, bought an Electric Bike last year, still learning, but your video answered a lot of questions that I had. I live in NH, I wish I had the paths here that you rode on. I actually had a mishap on my bike last year while camping. I missed judged while coasting at 5 mph, a turn, ended up in a ditch that had rocks in it. 5 broken ribs, broken arm, 2 surgeries , but, I am going to get on the horse when the weather breaks, with my e-bike, and kick some ass. And your video helped me, Thanks.
You definitely know the key market for the growth of ebikes! It's us older folks! We want to still get out, walk, run, ride, what-ever but we do not have the strength or conditioning that we would love to have but our perceptions of what we can do, do not reflect, what we can do! So, eBikes are a route we can take advantage of! Great analysis and presentation! Thanks!
I agree with everything. Except for one thing. I want fat tires because Mitsubishi said it "Wider is Better". I feel even on a commute, it's safer because it gives more grip.
With a fat tire it is more likely you will have flats, they are more stable, but higher weight and more expensive. If you actually DO run out of battery away from home, remember you will have to push it.
You hit the nail on the head in the "Power" segment. When we vacation in the St. Pete/Clearwater area, our whole family rents ebikes (Electric Spinz - great people!) and hit the Pinellas Trail. It's so much fun!! I'm 62. Peace.
That's the one thing that is deterred me from buying one of these. I don't own a car but I live in a small City so it would be perfect. Except the nearest bike shop is 35 miles away
Support from the manufacturer or local service is high on my list for requirements. Or it's basically buying two cheaper second hand bikes the same, one for parts and swapping parts in yourself
I appreciate this video. I have been watching numerous videos and taking notes. I am 5'2 woman and that is one thing I was afraid of was the height.I have only ridden a RAD step through that I rented but want to buy one. I'm going to look at some of the bikes you mentioned. I love your videos and they are always full of great information.
Did you ever find an e bike and if so what did you choose and what type of riding do you do? I’m 5’2” also, 64 and want a pedal assist only. I don’t want a throttle as I’ve heard they can be dangerous for some folks. Anyway, I’m shopping and looking for lightweight and gal friendly. 😊
@@Pasos4me The Lectric step-through bike or trike might be for you. They have throttles, but the trike has a "beginner mode" which most seniors stay in.
I'm 70. Bought the Lectric XP. Love the bike. I live in a wilderness on a mountain. My bike gets me around well though I wish it came with a bigger battery. Lectric Bikes offers a duel battery bike do I'm wondering if I can use that wire harness to modify my single battery systemto the dual system of the other Lectric bike? One criticism is the tiny 20 inch tires. They look whimpy. Lol. Thanks for the vid!
Great overview on what I'll call "stuff to consider and be aware of" when buying an ebike. My wife and I are in our 60's and while we still enjoy our traditional road bikes we have found ourselves getting too tired on some rides. We also have an RV and always take our bikes with us. Last year we decided to get ebikes. The only local dealer was a Pedego store. The bikes seemed nice and all but were also $$$. After some online research and cruising the forums we settled on Juiced RipCurrent S models. 26x4 fat tires. 20Ah batteries. About 80lbs each. I'm pretty handy with bike repair and electrical stuff so the bikes were fun (and challenging!) in that area. I also ended up purchasing a hitch mount dual dirt bike carrier. Other bike racks just seemed marginal even when they stated they were rated at xxx pounds. When we tow the RV the bike rack goes on a front hitch on our Ram 1500. I take the batteries and seats off, loosen and turn down the handlebars, and winterize the bikes with some clear wrap. Bike without battery and seat is still about 65lbs. So far so good... We have had some great fun running fire roads in New Hampshire, rail trails just about everywhere and even some sandy beach trails down in Florida state parks. Cool that you modded up your own ride!
I've been in the market for an e-bike for awhile now and your channel has been amazing in helping me make an informed decision. Keep up the great work!
Very good post, TY. For build quality I would MOST CERTAINLY INCLUDE AVENTON! I am 65 years old going on 2 back operations so, an electric bike is the only possibility for me getting back into the saddle as I did in my younger years when I used to ride a road bike. There isn't ANYTHING that I do not like about this Aventon Aventure. The build quality is OUTSTANDING!
As our English friends might say, "Spot on" with this video! Related to the bonus complaint is shipping damage. We've bought 3 ebikes direct to consumer and all three had some shipping damage issue that needed to be addressed, either by us fixing it in one case after being instructed what to do over the phone, or taking the bikes into a shop in the other two cases. The company did send us the parts and did pay the relatively modest repair bill, but what a giant chore with our brand-new bikes. And as you say, initially, and long term, the big surprise, and the challenge is, as you note, weight! My wife and I settled on a somewhat lighter weight model that is only 54 pounds with the battery. Still heavy, but significantly easier to mount and handle than the 62-pound "light weight" models we first ordered - and still have sitting around and collecting dust. I'm coming from many years of two-wheeled acoustic and more recently a tadpole recumbent trike. All of those cycles, even the trike, are half the weight of the ebikes. One pet peeve I developed in this experience is an objection to marketing ebikes to senior citizens as some easy solution to aging. I found them more challenging than any other type of cycle experience and although once you get going you can move faster with less effort, putting that over everything else is like the blind men looking at the elephant.
Buying an ebike to commute to work, and giving up one car, one year insurance cost saving alone will pay for the bike. Gas and maintenance savings is money earned.
I am picking up my ebike in a few days. I have done a lot of research! Pedal assist only vs throttle, mid drive vs hub, etc. I decided on pedal assist only I didn’t want a class 2 bike I want to be able to ride in n greenways & when I live class 2’s are not allowed. I’m also fortunate to live in a city with the option to ride a couple in shops and that has a decent used market on fb market place. I rode several and there was a definitely favorite. I decided on a Trek Verve 3 low step it checked all the boxes for what I wanted and was fun to ride. I can’t wait to get out and start riding!
I bought Aventon sinch from a local bIke shop, was not my 1st pick, but the weight of the bike to lift on and off bike rack was just right. Best Buy ever, no regrets I’m 6 months in and I really enjoy every single ride, and especially beach rides. It’s my travel buddy. Aventon is a quality built ebike. Side note, 1 up bike rack with expansion kit for fat tires makes travel complete.
WOW! I should have watched this first....trying to catch up on all of your videos. BUT I still would have bought my 2023 Fabulous AWD Road Warrior. Weight and size was surprising. AND I added a rear cargo basket; front basket; Krytonite Lock; and, more....it is heavy. AND I still LOVE it....probably more than I did my Corvette. I weigh 250lbs and even with all of my additions I have hit 43.4 MPH....AND I rode from BWI Airport to Annapolis and back AND had 1/3 battery life left. (38 miles) I got 50.2 miles and still had 58 volts....PAS 1 and pedaling on mostly level paved bike trail. YOUR Videos are Outstanding and HELPFUL! Thank you!!
I bought mine at a local shop. They let me test drive any model I wanted so got the right bike. They even added a stem extender to one to help me choose.
Thanks for the info and all you older riders help me make up my mind im63 years young and was thinking this was for kids and younger adult now i can't wait to get one!
Great video! The last point regarding repair is so important. I’m considering a Gazelle c380 because it is more trouble-free w Gates belt drive and cvt trans. And, of course, Gazelles build quality. Thank you!
I am an almost 78 year old male and have been looking at these for about a year now I think I'm going to go ahead and take the plunge, even though I am almost 78 I'm in pretty good shape and I'm going ahead with this, your video was very helpful keep up the good work, I have subscribed and I'll let you know how an old man gets along on one of these. I like the Lectric 2.0, any commentsThanks again. 🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀
I am glad you mention these bikes are not really bikes. The best term I guess is a moped. To solve some of the complaints you might have suggested the obvious solution-go to an honest-to-god bicycle shop. There are much lighter bikes. And…they have access to service technicians. I wouldn’t buy a Lectric or similar as there is no shop in my town that will service it for liability reasons. The lightest bike is probably a Specialized version (the Vado I think) that comes in at 30 pounds. Taking a “bicycle” on a walk/bike path is just crazy. For the others. Fun for you.
Love the content, keep it up! I am one of those weirdos that got an ebike for commuting and have even gone to the effort of calculating my CO2 impact for extra nerd points. Like so many of the complaints that you saw, finding a bike that didn't weigh a ton was hard. What I ended up doing was buying an entry level name brand (read decent quality starting bike) 29er hardtail mountain bike and adding a mid-drive motor to it. With the motor and battery it's a little over 50lb compared to even the lightweight bike you list as over 60 lb. Since it's an aftermarket kit, I can buy all kinds of aftermarket "generic" batteries for replacement and not have to worry about sourcing proprietary batteries. I talked with the local bike shop about what I was going to do to the bike before I bought it and they said they would work on the regular bike stuff but wouldn't touch any of the ebike stuff if I converted it over. Having the middrive is great because that means the only thing that isn't regular bike stuff is the motor/battery itself. All my wheels can be quick disconnected and worked on normally in the event of a flat, and they are standard size wheels, not fat tires. The downside to the middrive though of course is that I will have more maintenance on the chain/sprockets because I'm putting inhuman amounts of force through them.
FWIW, Other advantage of rear hub vs mid drive, is that it will still work if your chain breaks. Slightly safer overall, especially with less strain on gears and chain. The youtuber is wrong about why people buy. Commute and chores is a reality for some of us, and there’s multiple reasons to get an ebike.
@@luzhang2982 Yes hubs are easier on the drive train. I would rather swap a cheap spare chain, in under 10 minutes, which I carry than fix spokes which I don't carry and take more time to replace. For some reason hub lovers always neglect the added torque the spokes take from a hub motor bouncing around the midlle and turning the wheel directly, no chain or drive train softening the blow of the torque. I'm not good at truing wheels and my local bike shops wouldn't touch the job on a wheel with a hub motor.
I wouldn't worry too much about that if you maintain your bike. I put a BBSHD on a decade old Cannondale and got another 1k miles out of the original chain. It might not have snapped when it did if I hadn't been so stupidly abusive, climbing a ramp on throttle and downshifting. That was about 1.5k miles ago (the chain shows no stretch according to a gauge). Just shift into low gears before climbing and you should have few issues. I also suggest a gear shift sensor and using the throttle gently (if at all).
@@5DNRG I've had a few individual bike shop guys give me a thumbs up with my conversion, but most others are not too happy to hear that I've converted my bike and won't touch it for maintenance.
4 years ago I purchased a pretty expensive bike rack for my car. It has worked perfectly for our regular comfort bikes. But now we are interested in E-bikes but my expensive rack only holds 50 lbs per tray. This puts a huge limit on what I have been looking at. Yet I don't want to spend five or six grand on a light weight e-bike. I may have to bite the bullet and purchase yet another bike rack that is capable before I buy our E-bikes. All good information in this video. Thanks for taking the time to do these.
I’d like to comment on weight. If that’s a concern, buy one that has an easily removable battery. Batteries are pretty heavy by itself and removing makes it 20-25 lbs lighter. Also more convenient for for lighting the bike itself. I bought mine because it’s foldable and fits in my little four seat airplane for when I travel and I just remove the battery before folding and storing in the plane.
My personal opinion....if you can't wrench a bike or change electronics on a bike, don't buy direct. Even though most parts are plug and play, you still need to be able to take bikes components apart to get to them, and you wear out parts faster. I have learnt so much having a ebikes (Kristall). I look after my family and friends ebikes imported from China. I have changed chains, brake pads, peddle sensor, upgraded brake calipers, replaced controller, LCD screen, replaced spokes (we know hub moors are prone for doing that). I bought a spot welder and soldering station, as I am building a battery pack. The key thing is make sure before buying a bike the parts manufacturers are known, to enable you to buy parts (e.g controller and LCD brand). Thanks for the video.
Nice honest video on this eBike subject. You hit on a lot of important down sides to buying and owning fat tire eBikes and all all true and important, plus u added a few others. Im 76 and have been interested in these for since they came out. Now they finally have reasonably priced, high powered, full suspension ebikes with large capacity batteries and great brakes. When u r old, or if u have back problems, u don't like bumps of any kind, unless they r well dampened. But here's the biggest problems I see with these bikes in suburban areas like where I live. Any bike lanes on very crowded roads are not only a very dangerous joke, but are maybe 2' wide over very unlevel ground. U literally have people driving inches away from u at 40 mph faster. If u think that's too dangerous and ride on the 6' wide nice sidewalk next to the road, u get a $50 ticket. I see in most videos that people make for these ebikes that they transition from using traffic rules to innocent(made up on the spot) bicycle rules like ignoring stop signs and not stopping etc but turning onto grass patches etc. To a cop, if they suspect that your bike is MOTOIZED, u r a money maker if they catch u. To them, u r driving a high powered MOTORIZED vehicle on the SIDEWALK for Christ's sake. U r a criminal. U r endangering people's lives and deserve to be punished. So the point is, where I live, if u drive a bike on a road, u must obey all traffic rules including going too slow (if there is not a designated bike path) and causing a traffic hazard. U can not drive any bicycle, eBike or pure peddle on any city or county sidewalk in Georgia, and by all means, on areas not designated for any vehicles like patches of grass owned and maintained by the city or county. If there is no one on the sidewalk and the traffic is bumper to bumper next to that same side walk, the cops will stop all the traffic to give a person riding an eBike a ticket. So these ebikes are for cities where there r some type of reasonable laws concerning bicycles (which may not exist outside of California) or for cities and towns where cops have better things to do than pull over criminal ebike riders. Oh, there's some people that can get away with it now and then, but not forever. So how many decades will it take to fix this problem? it's killing a lot of eBike sales in this country. Not only over zealous cops, but do-gooder civilians that want to make citizens arrests on anyone they can. And if u r enjoying yourself riding your eBike, they think u need to be arrested for breaking some law. This is why I won't buy an eBike, and I don't dare ride my 15 speed bikes any more.
Having to fix it your self - that brings back memories. Forty years ago, fixing bicycles myself because the bike shop was too expensive. I did just about everything - fixing flats, new chain links, trueing rims, new brake lines and pads, etc. So I will take care of my e-bike myself. I have solar panels and a voltage booster to charge my battery when out on the range.
Great video. I find every TH-cam video and every e-bike website is inadequate or will never answer the obvious question. How much power and torque is necessary to climb 2km of steep 30degrees uphill, without pedal assist, carrying a 40kg backpack, starting at 50% charge. On grassy to loose rubble terrain? An easy ride around the flat neighbourhood just won’t answer the standard needed for the uphill task. At the moment they just satisfy the speed thrills for regular streets, and they don’t seem suited to tackle offroad.
As far as battery life is concerned, it is what you make of it. I have aventon aventure and I did 40 miles on it and was still at 70% battery. I still like to use my bicycle as my primary source of cardio so I usually only use the electric to get momentum. I start pedaling harder than what the motor is trying to give and eventually the battery motor contribution is far less than my own physical torque. Thus saving battery throughout the day. If you want more range, pedal harder.
I have an Evelo Galaxy 500, and it is a small bike for short women. The frame also seems smaller and fits me. I had a Lectric XP, which was just too big for me (It fit my over 6 ft. nephew quite well. The Evelo Galaxy allows me to sit up, like Dutch style, and it is so comfortable. Also it is rather lightweight. I believe it is around 56 lbs without the battery.
My bike was a custom build, orginally with a front hub motor, then switched to Luna Cycle BBS02. The motor was an improvement, but for an extra $200, I should have purchased a BBSHD (more power, more speed). I like your setup with dual motors!
I'm a shorter person a bought one of the heybike explores. I found I was able to make it work by switching out the seat post to get the seat a couple inches lower. If you're short and still feel like you can do it, get one without the suspension seat. After doing that I could get my toes reliably on the ground and it was fine. The thing is a tank though. A car might hurt me, but this bike will destroy their car lol.
The bike is so heavy that using your front and or back racks, make the bike is so top heavy it is easy to lose balance upon stopping. I have a beautiful Aventon step through, red and cream
Excellent video for the important basic things to look for, when buying an E Bike. I like that yours has 2 mirrors, one for each side. Also would like electric turn signals.
Thanks bud. I already got that these things are heavy, like a bag of concrete only awkward. My main takeaway today is that 20" is not a kids bike. In my bike riding days, 20" ers were the banana bikes. You could pop a wheelie and ride it forever. Well done, well thought out video, succinct and to the point. Thank you!
Lucky not to have needed to find out the hard way but great bonus tip about bike shops not being helpful although, seems like a market needing filled there, at least in densely populated area or just outside them?
I got mine (Radrunner) to commute 36 miles round trip back in 2019. The motorcycle style kick stand was very useful on the metro to avoid having to stand and hold my bike. Now my commute is 1.5 miles. It's a workhorse several years later. I use it to take my child to school and as a grocery getter. I even have taken the wife to and from the car repair shop since we only have one car. It is great biking pass the pump. 8000+ miles on it. Hardest thing for me is finding and changing the 20x4 fat tires. So difficult to mount.
Me to ! I bought all the Park tools and do all myself ! 1500 watt mid drive dually Bafang BBSHD Throttle over drive ! 67 clicks ! 25 ahn battery 52 volt and works with 48 volt too ! Twin hook up ! Tubeless tires ! Dropper post ! Custom 55 lbs ! XC 27.5 Loud large frame !
It really is a big bike, I was shocked when I got my cruiser. And could totally relate to the mobility issue with stepping thru. Had to switch to big dog step thru.
Glad I found your channel. I just started my search for an e-bike and this particular video was important for me to watch. You're right, service is a very important issue. I live close to a major city where there are several bike shops that sell e-bikes. It makes sense for me to talk to them about what bikes they will service. Thank you for the advice.
Brian, great video. Here is another suggestion for people trying to decide on what bike to buy. Pick a bike that uses very generic components. Especially when is comes to the batteries. Although the newer in the frame designs are really cool looking. Trying to find a generic replacement for them might be impossible as time goes by. Brakes, shifters, gearing are pretty much available everywhere, or exchangeable with something else. Motors and controllers are another issue although some brands like my Himiway have motors that are swappable with Bafang motors as it turns out. This is one of the main reasons I bought a Himiway Cruiser. 😄
Love the Himiway Cruiser. At 66yrs old with a bit of a bad knee I take this beast just about anywhere. If I see what looks like a trail leading deep into the woods I take it. Rocks, branches, ruts, this bike gets me out everytime! 640miles now with nothing to complain about. The Cloud Nine seat a bought squeaks though.
Great video and cool bikes. I did some research and numerous bikes online. I tried to visit the few bike shops in the area and they were far too costly. I finally found one that has a 2 year warranty and does maintenance indefinitely albeit with a cost depending on your fix. I got to test a few out before I pulled the trigger on one. I'm in my mid 30s and had the biggest smile on my face when I first rode it.
I have a suggestion for people who want more power: buy an extra battery, when the first one goes dead/week, swap the batteries out. My suggestion for weight would be to get a 20 inch wheel bike that folds, making it easier to load/unload. Always remove the battery before lifting your bike, that makes a big difference. If the battery cannot be easily removed, don’t buy the bike. I own two E bikes, I did have a rad rover, but sold it when I moved. I had to get a bike rack for my car for the red rover, the other two bikes I still own are folding bikes. I carry one in my RV, the other one fits in the trunk of my Toyota Avalon. People who have never owned an E bike should rent/borrow an E bike that they are considering. Personally, I like to carry the bike in my vehicle, travel to where I want to go. When I want to explore a city neighborhood or rural area, I use my E bike. I get tremendous satisfaction and joy from my E bikes.
Got a 350watt E-bike to help rehabilitate my knee. It works great on small slopes and flat surface’s. It doesn’t help going up hills at all. The bike had lose bolts and parts. Tightened up the bolts and used locktite on some bolts that would come lose. Had to adjust the breaks and derailer. Bike works great now except on hills. Yes it was cheap but it gets me out with my kids riding again. Walking the bike up the hills are easy because the bike can pull itself up the hill with ease. But if I had to do it again I would get a more powerful E-bike.
Excellent video. I would tell anyone who's shopping for an ebike to watch this. Nice reccs on the brands. I saw people talk about Biktrix in comments and bought a Stunner LT5 on sale. It has a 20 amp hour battery. That's all I use for my DIY builds. You get more than 40 miles of range when you put a 20ah battery on a 2" tire bike. I thought about putting a second battery & motor kit on my Stunner to get it past 30mph (only hits 26 on a fresh battery full pedaling in 7th gear, and it has an 8th gear I don't use) and seeing your dual motor setup is really eye opening. Great job on your setup. You've hit the sweet spot for what that frame, tires, and brakes can handle, giving yourself usable speed. I run errands using the bags on my Stuner. I call it the BUV - Bike Utility Vehicle. Perfect as a golf cart on the disc golf course. I can swing my leg over the side and hop off when I pull up to my disc!
Great vid. Here is my problem with the battery pack. When 1 cell goes bad, that whole pack is dead. These packs are made so that there is no easy way to check for the bad cell and swap with a new cell. The whole pack goes into the recycle. What a huge waste and cost in replacement.
just discovered your channel and i subscribed! EXCELLENT video and PERFECT timing as I am brand new and have not yet bought my firs eBike. Also, i have osteoarthritis in my left hip so your suggestion to go SEE an eBike ... first ... before you buy ... is a great great IDEA!
Hi there bought ebike off ebay make of bike is gzsamebike with alloy wheels 26inch 350w and 48v? The complaint I have is the bk brake and it's on the wheel it's the disc the bk wheel spins dead straight but the disc is not straight it looks like a buckle when u watch it go round? I've had to loosen up bk brake alot as it rubs both side of the brake pad? Any ideas on wot it could be I would b grateful and like ur vids keep it going I've subscribed too 🎉🎉
Yes I'm also not happy with the quality of the bike looks nice but the welds ain't very good also got to tweak my gears on the cassette any ideas how to do that very good so they don't skip gears give me a txt would appreciate that I'm 51yrs old now bike are bit different from when I was younger thankyou
@Shaunusprowire1748 you will need to try to straighten the disc. it probably got bent during shipping. sometimes it can be done, other times you just need to replace the disc. For your gears, I would watch the video from Park Tool, adjust rear derailleur. Also both of these things could be fixed at any local bike shop very easily. I hope that helps.
I have a relatively inexpensive Go Trax e-bike from Wal-Mart on-line. It has exceeded my expectations, and continues to do so. I get about 60 kilometres per charge. I wear out before the battery does. I'm 75 years old and I wanted some help on the hills. It came with fenders though I didn't expect them. So? ALL GOOD!
I got my own e-bike I have had since last June. It is a Rad Runner 2 from Rad Power Bikes. Going over your points on common complaints here is the list: Build Quality -Bike feels very solid -Cables routed very well -Very solid kickstand included -Brakes work well too -They did cheap out on the controller as it only has LED lights on it to indicate battery life in 5 lights, what PAS level it is on, and if the lights are on or off. No speedometer, no mileage recording. This was not a deal braker for me though. Battery Range -On one charge I did manage in the summer to bike out of my city and to the next town and back (almost 40km range mostly throttle and little help from me) and still had 2/5 bars on battery when I got home. Winter when it was -25c my range did feel shorter, almost cut in half. Still enough to get me to where I need to go. Only 14 amp hours 48v battery. Accessibility -Step through frame really easy to get on and off -Comfortable posture when riding, almost a moped feel -My Radrunner 2 bike is smaller than my old non-ebike, Norco Bigfoot 2 2019 bike. Lack of Power -limited by Canada's class 2 spec for 500w motor and 32kph max speed for motor assist -With some help of me I can easily get up the steepest hills in my city. -Would be nice to have more power but that comes at a cost of battery life Weight -Not gonna lie, my bike is like 70-80 pounds. It is a tank of a bike - I still will carry my bike up a set of steps (not a full story of stairs) with groceries still on the bike, so a good 140-150 pounds total. -Due to lower total clearance on bottom I cannot roll it up the steps like I could with the Norco or else the kick stand hits the steps. Overall I am fairly happy with my e-bike, it really helps me get around my city a lot better than my old bike.
Thanks for posting have a couple regular truck road bike and track mountain bike road bike I can pedal 18 miles an hour all day so ebike I need more than 20 miles an hour that's one of my biggest problems main issue how much does it cost how fast will it go and how far will it go
Very good information video! My commute is 5 miles and it’s doable in good weather. I don’t ride in rainy or icy weather. 50 yo. I live in a hilly area so class 3, 750w-1000w peak motor, dual battery, 20x4 wheels, slicks not knobby tires. It’s heavy and cumbersome to pedal up a grade w/o assistance. It’s only transportable via truck bed, pretty much a pedal assist e-moped. Reliability is a question and I feel like a Guinea pig, but good fun till it breaks. Only thing I’d suggest besides accessories, is tightening bolts and spokes and silicone taping plug connections.
Thanks for your very helpful advice. All considered, i ended up buying a Canadian e-bike "Carbo model X". Opted for the big battery, weighs only 35 pounds, torque and throttle control, folds into a 20" bike bag.
Excellent video. I think people need to know that there are roughly two kinds of electric bikes: fat tire and "normal" tire like 20'' x 2.125. I go for "normal" tire bikes in 12, 14, 16 and 20'' wheel sizes, foldable, with a 250 watt motor, throttle, up to 15 mph and weighing between 30 - 45 lbs. Step through models. This is what you want if you are not a super, strong person. You'll be able to ride a long way, put your bike in your car trunk and carry your bike into your house or apartment. ;-) These little bikes handle hills quite well. I currently have a Fiido D3 Pro.
You are right on the mark on these complaints. I am 5' 11" with 31" pants inseam and my 26" X 4" ebike (Mokwheel Upland Plus) is just too damn tall! It's like you say...these 26" fat tire bikes are HUGE! Here's what I have done that has helped: 1) I wear boots with 3/4" heels, plus 1-1/4" lift shoe inserts (from Amazon) adding a total of 2" to my leg length, 2) I wear an athletic supporter to keep the "boys" high and away from that "evil" top bar, 3) I lowered the seat a bit lower than it should be for proper pedaling - not good for the knees, but helps keep control when stopped (understand, I didn't move the seat low enough for my feet to touch the ground at stops, just to shorten the distance from being seated to standing flat footed on the ground), 4) I treat left hand turns like a pedestrian would - that is, I stay in the right land and cross the cross street, then I stop and turn my bike to cross the street I was just riding down also in the right lane (I found the biggest problem with control of the bike is when I'm in that left turn lane and feeling pressured by the traffic in front and behind me). The size of the bike is really not that much of a problem when you're riding - it's when you're stopped. Number ONE: unless you are 6' 4" or so...GET A STEP-THROUGH BIKE, NOT A STEP-OVER (like my Mokwheel Upland Plus). Number TWO: IMHO, the ebike companies should IMMEDIATELY STOP making these 26" fat time bikes...at the very least, they should go down to a 24" wheel - I think that would make a huge difference! I'm definitely having buyer's remorse on my Mokwheel Upland Plus - trust me, this is a solid, powerful, well-built bike...but it is just TOO DAMN BIG, and the top bar of the step-over frame is just too high for comfortable control when I am stopped. I bought the step-over because it was $100 cheaper than the step-through version (Mokwheel Mesa Plus ST), but that would have been $100 WELL SPENT! Oh, one other thing: when I purchased the step-over model, I thought (like probably a lot of others) that I could just lean the bike over a bit to make it easy enough to throw a leg over. Well, I thought wrong - you have to lean it WAY OVER and it is STILL not easy to throw that leg over! And FYI, I'm 72, 5' 11", 220 pounds and in somewhat better shape than average for someone my age.
Great video! I learned a bunch. What are your thoughts on an E-Cells Five Star? It has dual batteries with lots of power but it’s heavy at about 90 lbs. I’m tossed on going with a torque assist pedal system or cadence system? Any thought in this regard? Thanks for a reply. Rick H.
I subscribed after listening to a few of your videos . Your coverage on e-bikes and testing is good but most of all you read and answer questions from your viewers ! 👍
You are 100% right on target. I'm 72 and bought an Ariel Rider X-Class step-through, so that I could get out ride the trails and enjoy the outdoors. I though that part of my life was past me. I don't have the strength or flexibility to pedal a regal bike. Really enjoying your channel, and getting out and riding often.
The X class is a great bike, Glad to hear it's getting you back to the outdoors!
@@CitizenCycle925 GUN TO HEAD : 3500$ (ish) SCOOTER (what one) OR EBIKE AND GRIZZLY OR CTY2
SEMPER FI
GUNNY
@@CitizenCycle925 quanto é o valor essa bicicleta azul
@@CitizenCycle925 do u think your wife can get on the class step thru with ease? I’m 5’2….
If you can't ride a regular bike, then you shouldn't be riding an e-bike in my opinion because they are fast and heavy.
CC, thank the bike gods for you. I’ve learned so much about how to fix, maintain, upgrade and improve my E-bike watching you over the last year or so. You know your bikes and you certainly know your audience. Regards from the UK from a 45+ guy, out on the green trails and away from Netflix and mobile phones.
Awesome comment, Glad you found the content helpful!
Bought an Aventon Aventure through a local dealer and absolutely love it. It's 73 lbs and is the step thru model that I ride everyday. I am 80 years old and so far have had no problem riding it. Thru the Aventon App I was able to upgrade the software which changed it from a Class 2 to a Class 3 bike. Rode Harley's for years and definitely loved the speed boost the upgrade gave me.
i still ride harleys but not until license back. BEST HARLEY REPLACEMENT IS THE ARIEL RIDER KEPLER. mine is "BLAZE" its my second bike and wish found this one first, reminds me of my shovel. its a aboulute BLAST SPEED TORQUE no bike compares. but CS sucks. but if you no how to figure out quirks. make it yours.
Test ride the e'cell fat bike,it has dual batteries and dual motors,I have one and I love it 🇺🇸🦅🚲HAMMER TIME 🚲
How has your experience been with pedal strike. I find that I cannot pedal while turning.
@@jamesbuchanan3888 I’ve put over 600 miles on mine since Spring. I’ve had about 3-4 pedal strikes. I’m 63 so I don’t ride super aggressive but don’t ride like a grandpa either.
I think there’s a video out there about this that I watched. Somebody had a list of parts for new different pedal cranks that are shorter that worked well.
It hasn’t happened enough to me for it to be a showstopper issue. But now I do try to have my “inside” pedal up high when turning.
Thank you.
I just watched this old video. Wanted to comment in hope of giving it a bump. This is great advice that has held up well and is still just as relevant today.
I purchased a Specialized Turbo Creo "e-assist" bike in March in time for my 65th birthday. While I still ride regularly, I have always struggled going up hills. This bike was a game changer! You must pedal to get any assist at all. I find when riding in a group, I use the lowest level of assist (about 30%), or turn it off altogether. The assist kicks out at 32 kph (20 mph), so while you can go any speed your legs can take you, above 32 kph, it is all "you". There is absolutely no motor drag with the assist turned off, so if you drain the battery on a ride, it is not a problem to simply ride hoe under your own steam. That being said, I have found I get over 100 km range in low assist, about 70 km in medium, and about 50 km in the high (turbo) assist. Even after the 50 km in turbo assist, the battery is at about 20%, where it lowers output to about 30%. I have never completely drained my battery. The bike version I got was the aluminum frame. It weighs in at about 33 pounds, but you pay for that. The bike before tax came to about $6700 CAN. The bike is very well designed, and built. While 95% of my riding is on road, it can accommodate tires as wide as 700X42, so gravel is no issue. It even includes a spring incorporated into the headset for a bit of suspension. A gravel version with flat bars and a dropper seat can also be purchased at the same cost.
Dammm it's expensive!!!
I'm sure you have a awesome time and don't regret it a second.
But... what do you think about getting a 1500$ 500W chinese version with a large battery size instead?
Have a nice day Rodger
Alex from Montréal
You get what you pay for in my humble opinion. I don’t want a throttle in mine, just pedal assist. I want to still be able to get a workout with some “help” on hills. Still shopping around to see what I need but what is the difference between one with the throttle and a moped? I don’t know much about these bikes yet, I ride a Trek Marlin mountain bike. I’m 64 and looking for a user friendly pedal assist only e bike. They’ve come a long way from 2 years ago so it’s exciting.
@@Pasos4me Pedal assist is awesome. Throttle added will get you up steep hills.
By far, yours is the most informational, educational, and encouraging video site for ebike riders and those considering the purchase of a bike. Thanks for all the time and care you put into doing these. So very helpful!
Wow, thank you for your comment!!
I'd like to tell you that I really enjoyed this video and thank you for helping us all out here to decide maybe what bike to go for I'm 65 years old and you're showing in this video the complaint but the solutions and I appreciate that so much
This is a really helpful video. I got into this last year, and now have 2 escooters and an ebike, and my wife has an ebike. After a year of experience I can say your video is spot on. The ones that really hit home were power and portability. My first scooter had a 500 watt moter which turned out to be not nearly enough to get me up the local hills (I weigh around 230). As a result it wasn't serving my purpose so I ordered my 2nd one, a dual motor 2000 watt beast that chews up hills and spits them out. My ebike which I just got is 750 watts and 1000 watt peak. It needs help on our largest hills, but I just engage my 2nd motor (my legs) and it gets up no problem.
Portability is another issue. The scooter no problem. It folds up and while it's heavy (around 75 lbs), it's not awkward so it's pretty easy to get into the back of the SUV. My wife's ebike is another story. It folds, and it's lighter than the scooter, but it's a big awkward mess trying to muscle the thing into the SUV. And my new one is even heavier and doesn't fold, so I have no delusions about getting it into the back. Honestly, if you get one of these and want to transport it, plan on getting a bike rack. I'm looking into those now as I'm fed up with dealing with my wifes, and I want to be able to use mine other than just around home.
Most of the major complaints can be reduced by going with a NON-FAT TIRE ebike. If you want the comfort still, just make sure to get tires that are 2 in or thinner, with front suspension, and a suspension seat post. With non-fat tire ebikes, the frames can be thinner, motors smaller, less dead weight to have to move around, longer battery range on a smaller & lighter weight battery. Most ebike importers make bigger profits on the fat tires, but a few are starting to sell product lines that is more efficient (much more popular in Europe & Asia).
100% agree. If you avoid a 4inch tire wide e-bike, all the problems go away. These massive ebikes are more like an electric motorbike (limited speed, ok). Get a Ride1up Roadster or Prodigy or even better a Velotric Thunder 1 : just 36lbs !!! 70miles range!! Lightweight, looks like a bike. They are electrically-assisted bicycles, not monstrous 70 or 90lb huge bikes. More range, easy to lift, smaller, lighter, healthier for the user. They have torque-sensors and you can adjust the amount of electric assistance.
I predict the new Velotric Thunder 1 and Velotric ST will become best-selling e-bikes this year. They're superbly well reviewed.
Aventon do great bikes too : the Soltera for example As the saying goes......Sometimes.......less is more.
Any foldable bike with non fat tyres ?
Bingo! Bingo! Bingo! If you can't ride that e-bike as a regular non-powered bicycle for at least short distances, you are setting yourself up for a world of problems the day your battery runs out a mile from home. While you're at it, forget the front suspension and suspension seat posts. 2.125" wide tires on the average e-bike provides a cushy enough ride, and it's still a bicycle.
@@DV-hr5wd The presenter of this video mentioned Electric Bike Company as having a good build quality. They sell a folding e bike with 24 inch tires that are only 3 inches wide. They aren't skinny tires, but they are manageable. Further, that model weighs 56 lb. The battery itself weighs 8 lb, so if you take out the battery during the folding process, the bike is 48 lb. Still heavy, but manageable. That model comes standard with front suspension. I have that bike. The only down side of it is that they made it without a proper stand so that you can balance it after it is folded. I bought mine 13 months ago and have told them about this problem. If you call them, ask them whether they will build you on with a proper stand. They build their own bikes, and for a fee, they will ship it to you completely assembled. Other than that one glaring problem, I have enjoyed riding it each and every time I take it out.
Fat tires are great for snow, sand, and rough trails, but yes they are heavy and inefficient for other purposes
12:32 I'm a 20 year old who's about to buy an ebike to commute to and from work. I don't have a car, don't know how to drive, and I don't want a car. I'm just tired of having to take 40-1 hour bus trips to get to and from work. Work is already tiring enough, there's no way I'm riding a non electric bike both ways every day too. For me my ebike is going to be my car replacement. It'll be cheaper to maintain and I won't need to pay $120 parking/month fees to keep it. On top of that, I pay about $120/month in bus fairs right now. If I can skip using the bus entirely I think it'll pay for its self.
Here in Minnesota the local government will be providing financial assistance up to $1500 for buying an ebike starting July 2024. I'm waiting for that date to buy an ebike.
I've heard of some other younger people who are getting ebikes for similar reasons. For me this isn't about going green or getting out, it's about the cheapest means of transportation.
I love your videos, they're very informative. Just wanted to let you know work commuters exist
How is the commute working out for you? I’m buying one tomorrow for my 16 mile mostly flat trip, I’m 53 and want to do it but still a bit worried for my safety along our roads.
Instead of fixing my car about 14 years ago, I bought a new non-electric bicycle to commute 10 miles round trip. I learned how to pack shopping panniers not only for a change of dry clothes, but also for groceries. For longer trips I would load the bicycle on a bus rack or in a commuter train. With all the money I saved when I retired at 65, I bought a fancy new Biktrix Juggernaut Hub Duo Step Through with dual batteries. Still no car. The E-Bike is too heavy for me to lift on to a commuter train, but that is ok as I can ride the E-Bike as far as I would have on the train. I do all my fun trips and chores with my E-Bike. I am keeping my bicycle, just in case and besides, we had many adventures together.
@@maisydaisy9216 Is your 16 miles round trip or one way? In any case, with an e-bike the road will seem like flat all the way even with a headwind. Safety is not to be taken lightly. You may want to do a trial run with loads of time and make note of any trouble areas. A longer safer route may be needed. I will go the long way to avoid some scary roads in Central Florida. I watch out for the distracted driver. Just because you legally have the right-of-way, doesn't mean some drivers will obey the law. Try not to flip them off, they may have a gun. I have been riding around different parts of Central Florida for over 14 years. I love the multi-use paved paths.
@@lordfubar1
That is excellent advice, I was about to pop in to say most of what Lord fubar said so +1 to his comment!
@@lordfubar1awww I know right? I couldn't just get rid of my old bike either. I know it's weird but there's definitely a lot of sentimental value for a machine that's been with you through thick and thin
Buy from a bike dealer/shop.....not the internet. You can see what you are getting, you can test ride before buying and the personnel staff can answer any question you may have about ebikes or accessories. I just purchased a step through, 36 volt / 250 watt motor / top speed of 20 mph / range 20 to 50 miles / disc brakes / electric horn / and has both pedal assist and throttle that is equipped with a boost control for extra power. Headlamp and tail light are automatic. Also came with fenders and luggage rack and a free annual tune up for life, $1799 but was on sale for $1599, so far I love this bike as I am 79...the wind and hills no longer a challenge for me, my Cannondale and Fuji have just been retired. Been riding bikes for about 40 years now.
Thank you!! This was a real eye opener! I’m watching videos for a month or two and even though I know I need a light bike, no one has made weight an issue like you have! Why? Because most YT guys are trying to sell the bike they are demonstrating. Thank you for your honesty!!
Idk man, for me the weight is a bonus, I use my bike for exercise as well as commuting, and when I turn the motor off it's a heavy work out, and when the motor is on, it's the easiest ride ever. Super fun all around.
I have an Aventon Aventure I bought from my local dealer last month. The one advantage that I had when buying locally was that I was able to try out my bike and make sure it fit perfectly as I initially had questions on how I would fit on it. I found that in the end that it did fit me perfectly and I've been enjoying it since. As for battery range, I'm only able to get about 25 to 30 miles out of it per charge. That is less than what Aventon advertises on their website. Of course, there are factors involve that make the range vary. One factor is my weight. I'm 300 lbs and the weight of the rider I believe is a big factor in battery range. Another factor is that I ride at pedal assist level 4. That helps me maintain a speed of around 20 mph. The higher pedal assist levels use more power, so I can understand why I'm not getting 40 miles out of my battery. I'm actually trying to train my legs to get used to riding again as I haven't been on a bike in 7 years. I'm hoping I may step down to PA2 or PA3 when my legs get stronger. Aside from all that, I'm happy that this bike can take me wherever I want to go around the city I live in and still have plenty of power left to see me home.
I just bought one as well. I heard the list the range for each PAS on their website. It’s around 25 miles for PAS4, 19 miles for PAS 5 and 27 miles for Throttle only. I’d say you’re getting good range. Depending on the temperature and terrain as well.
I understand your situation, I’m 235 lbs and I use P A level 3-5 a lot too . I bought another battery to help with the range . Love it now I don’t worry any more . Keep building up the leg strength and you will be happy camper too .
Great video!!! Your extra suggestion of service was probably the most important. Our local bike shop is gracious enough to do normal bike maintenance but as far as controller, battery, wiring, or motor is concerned you are on your own. That is why buying from your local bike shop is so important. Again, excellent video!
Yes, I bought mine from a company that builds their bikes, and fortunately for me, they are local.
Most off the pitfalls mentioned are the result of the direct to consumer eBike business model. I don't think I will buy another eBike that I can't test ride at a local bike shop. I'll even drive several hours for a test ride if need be.
This is the risk you take buying directly from the manufacturer/distributor. Unless you pay a bike shop willing to set it up for you and even then, you could have shipping damages.
@tj ward Relieved to hear, thanks! My insured Kepler will arrive Monday.
The shop where I bought my ebike said that if you buy a bike on the internet and bring it to them to assemble for you they will charge you $300 to assemble it. My ebike came with one free annual tune up for life.
Thank you for all your efforts helping folks with the ebikes. I have never owned an ebike so this video is just super outstanding and very helpful for me. Thanks again, Jeff.
Excellent video - cutting right to the chase about folk's outstanding concerns. The two last ones especially that were discussed, seemed the most interesting, i.e the weight, and the paucity of customer service and repair. Issues like build quality, range, power, etc. are pretty straight forward obvious, and would determine one's choice of brand. But weight and repair! Some folks - even if they could - might not want to bother repairing more than for annual checkups, etc. But if you are not a body builder or weight lifter (or just not young and strong) many of us could have big problems with the weight issue. "Fat four inch tires" pet peeve: a lot of weight could be saved with narrower rims and tire sizes. 3 inch tires should be plenty adequate. Whatever. So, "caveat emptor" you'all, and thanks for the good and helpful video.
I am 72 years old and my obsessive hobby since I bought my first car at 12 years old, fixed it up and sold it has been to buy and restore anything with an engine. My 15 year old grandson came to my home shop the other day with his Zooz Urban E-bike. He put a new back tire on,, adjusted the chain and bled the brakes. I’m hooked! He changed the seat cover and fiddled with the controller to get more speed. I own a construction company that helps with my obsession. I am getting ready to retire and have a large building. I am very intrigued about the part of your video where you said there are few if any quality repair shops for e-bikes. A few years ago I talked to the owner of the Yike bike about a dealership but that bike is not for the masses and one brand will not sustain a business. Your video is very well done and informative, riding the bike and talking at the same time works well to keep a viewer interested. I had an executive producer who did 26 segments about construction for Verizon using my company. I don’t have the ego for that type of tho h and it held up my workers and jobs so I did not renew. I know about attention spans and you did well, great video super informative
You are so right about us old people buying these ebikes. I'm 68 an bought a Juiced Scorpion X. Love it. Granted there aren't really hills in Tampa but this thing goes plenty fast for me with no effort. And it weighs 100lbs. My friend has a 26 inch and it's a monster. 20 inch is just fine for me, even at 6 ft tall. Only complaint would be the brakes, which work fine but squeak very loud.. I was impressed at how in touch you are with your audience and how we ride. Thanks.
re-center your brakes stops the squeaks
A great and informative video. My wife and I went with the Lectric XP 2.0 step through after watching a bunch of videos. I'm in my mid 60's and she's in her late 50's so they seemed like the best choice for us.
Great information! 71 years old and thinking about e-bikes.
Do it! 65 and back into biking because of e bike
Wow! Okay thank you!😅
71 here too, did you buy one and what size??
@@MC23-l9i I was given an Lectric step thru 2.0. It is different kind of riding experience, electric vs. mountain bike. Definitely easier to go further, and conquer hills on my rides!
I'm a senior. Bought mine two years ago from a company that makes their own and has a couple of local shops for repair. So far, 5,600 miles and counting. I would never have chosen to order one online. I went to the shop and test rode one. It had to feel right, and it had to go up steep hills fairly well. Replaced one stretched chain and one set of brake pads. Battery malfunctioned a few months back and had to replace it. There IS more maintenance to ebikes than traditional bikes.
I can also confirm that accessibility and range are my two biggest gripes with ebikes. The EMX Xtreme (dual 750 watt motors) is the closest I've found to being just what I've been looking for. Even then I had to cut about 2" off the seat post to enable me to plant my feet firmly on the ground when stopped. The hefty weight would be my third gripe. It would be pretty hard to peddle them like a regular bike if you ran out of juice a fair distance from home. I also wish more ebike manufacturers would add regenerative braking to charge up your battery a bit each time you apply the brakes. Finally, YES, the local bike shops don't want to touch them. You're definitely on your own if you need a repair. BTW, great video's Citizen. Keep 'em coming.
Yeeeesss regenerative breaking to use on downhills
Oh but I have to add, running out of juice is a non-issue. These are not motorcycles; you can pedal them if you need to.
The way I see it you can avoid running out of energy by only turning on pedal assist for going up inclines.
Hey Citizen, in my observation you really know who watches your channel & what they want from e-bikes. As a result you are 100% on-message with great practical advice. Thanks for that! My personal complaint relates to the more I research, the more I realise many local shops are just selling (identical or nearly identical - but differently branded) products I could order on-line for more economical prices. The sell the same stuff, falsely market it as if they designed it themselves, and put a huge premium on it because I can see it in person before I buy it. Even products from some well-known brands seem to be also marketed on-line under lesser-known branding. It is frustrating as a consumer who tries to be informed before I make a purchase.
In general, online sellers on ebay will answer questions,,,truthfully??? I dont trust amazon sellers much so far,, but would quiz em hard if I wanted to make a purchase. Ive found, that if U insist on getting a free returns type item, seller pays for return shipping,, you will get the straight scoop on the item eventually. If U dont ask, U wont know.
Thank You for this Awesome Video. I learned a lot from this. I am 73, bought an Electric Bike last year, still learning, but your video answered a lot of questions that I had. I live in NH, I wish I had the paths here that you rode on. I actually had a mishap on my bike last year while camping. I missed judged while coasting at 5 mph, a turn, ended up in a ditch that had rocks in it. 5 broken ribs, broken arm, 2 surgeries , but, I am going to get on the horse when the weather breaks, with my e-bike, and kick some ass. And your video helped me, Thanks.
You definitely know the key market for the growth of ebikes! It's us older folks! We want to still get out, walk, run, ride, what-ever but we do not have the strength or conditioning that we would love to have but our perceptions of what we can do, do not reflect, what we can do! So, eBikes are a route we can take advantage of! Great analysis and presentation! Thanks!
I agree with everything. Except for one thing. I want fat tires because Mitsubishi said it "Wider is Better". I feel even on a commute, it's safer because it gives more grip.
With a fat tire it is more likely you will have flats, they are more stable, but higher weight and more expensive. If you actually DO run out of battery away from home, remember you will have to push it.
Great build! That’s what I’d call a sleeper!! Looks like a cruiser you wouldn’t expect that to zip by at over 35 mph. Nice going there!!! Awesome
You hit the nail on the head in the "Power" segment. When we vacation in the St. Pete/Clearwater area, our whole family rents ebikes (Electric Spinz - great people!) and hit the Pinellas Trail. It's so much fun!! I'm 62. Peace.
My local bike shop will work on mechanical issues but nothing to do with electric components.
They will lose out bc ebikes are gaining in increasing popularity.
That's the one thing that is deterred me from buying one of these. I don't own a car but I live in a small City so it would be perfect. Except the nearest bike shop is 35 miles away
Support from the manufacturer or local service is high on my list for requirements. Or it's basically buying two cheaper second hand bikes the same, one for parts and swapping parts in yourself
Thanks for caring and helping so much appreciated
I appreciate this video. I have been watching numerous videos and taking notes. I am 5'2 woman and that is one thing I was afraid of was the height.I have only ridden a RAD step through that I rented but want to buy one. I'm going to look at some of the bikes you mentioned. I love your videos and they are always full of great information.
Did you ever find an e bike and if so what did you choose and what type of riding do you do? I’m 5’2” also, 64 and want a pedal assist only. I don’t want a throttle as I’ve heard they can be dangerous for some folks. Anyway, I’m shopping and looking for lightweight and gal friendly. 😊
@@Pasos4me The Lectric step-through bike or trike might be for you. They have throttles, but the trike has a "beginner mode" which most seniors stay in.
I'm 70. Bought the Lectric XP. Love the bike. I live in a wilderness on a mountain. My bike gets me around well though I wish it came with a bigger battery. Lectric Bikes offers a duel battery bike do I'm wondering if I can use that wire harness to modify my single battery systemto the dual system of the other Lectric bike?
One criticism is the tiny 20 inch tires. They look whimpy. Lol. Thanks for the vid!
Great overview on what I'll call "stuff to consider and be aware of" when buying an ebike. My wife and I are in our 60's and while we still enjoy our traditional road bikes we have found ourselves getting too tired on some rides. We also have an RV and always take our bikes with us. Last year we decided to get ebikes. The only local dealer was a Pedego store. The bikes seemed nice and all but were also $$$. After some online research and cruising the forums we settled on Juiced RipCurrent S models. 26x4 fat tires. 20Ah batteries. About 80lbs each. I'm pretty handy with bike repair and electrical stuff so the bikes were fun (and challenging!) in that area.
I also ended up purchasing a hitch mount dual dirt bike carrier. Other bike racks just seemed marginal even when they stated they were rated at xxx pounds. When we tow the RV the bike rack goes on a front hitch on our Ram 1500. I take the batteries and seats off, loosen and turn down the handlebars, and winterize the bikes with some clear wrap. Bike without battery and seat is still about 65lbs. So far so good...
We have had some great fun running fire roads in New Hampshire, rail trails just about everywhere and even some sandy beach trails down in Florida state parks.
Cool that you modded up your own ride!
Thank you for your review of bikes and your independent survey of complaints and your insight, experience, and suggestions for resolutions.
I've been in the market for an e-bike for awhile now and your channel has been amazing in helping me make an informed decision. Keep up the great work!
Very good post, TY. For build quality I would MOST CERTAINLY INCLUDE AVENTON! I am 65 years old going on 2 back operations so, an electric bike is the only possibility for me getting back into the saddle as I did in my younger years when I used to ride a road bike. There isn't ANYTHING that I do not like about this Aventon Aventure. The build quality is OUTSTANDING!
As our English friends might say, "Spot on" with this video! Related to the bonus complaint is shipping damage. We've bought 3 ebikes direct to consumer and all three had some shipping damage issue that needed to be addressed, either by us fixing it in one case after being instructed what to do over the phone, or taking the bikes into a shop in the other two cases. The company did send us the parts and did pay the relatively modest repair bill, but what a giant chore with our brand-new bikes. And as you say, initially, and long term, the big surprise, and the challenge is, as you note, weight! My wife and I settled on a somewhat lighter weight model that is only 54 pounds with the battery. Still heavy, but significantly easier to mount and handle than the 62-pound "light weight" models we first ordered - and still have sitting around and collecting dust. I'm coming from many years of two-wheeled acoustic and more recently a tadpole recumbent trike. All of those cycles, even the trike, are half the weight of the ebikes. One pet peeve I developed in this experience is an objection to marketing ebikes to senior citizens as some easy solution to aging. I found them more challenging than any other type of cycle experience and although once you get going you can move faster with less effort, putting that over everything else is like the blind men looking at the elephant.
Buying an ebike to commute to work, and giving up one car, one year insurance cost saving alone will pay for the bike. Gas and maintenance savings is money earned.
The main problem is the lack of research before buying.
I am picking up my ebike in a few days. I have done a lot of research! Pedal assist only vs throttle, mid drive vs hub, etc. I decided on pedal assist only I didn’t want a class 2 bike I want to be able to ride in n greenways & when I live class 2’s are not allowed. I’m also fortunate to live in a city with the option to ride a couple in shops and that has a decent used market on fb market place. I rode several and there was a definitely favorite. I decided on a Trek Verve 3 low step it checked all the boxes for what I wanted and was fun to ride. I can’t wait to get out and start riding!
Hey Thanks did you just blow through a stop sign lov it.
I bought Aventon sinch from a local bIke shop, was not my 1st pick, but the weight of the bike to lift on and off bike rack was just right. Best Buy ever, no regrets I’m 6 months in and I really enjoy every single ride, and especially beach rides. It’s my travel buddy. Aventon is a quality built ebike. Side note, 1 up bike rack with expansion kit for fat tires makes travel complete.
WOW! I should have watched this first....trying to catch up on all of your videos. BUT I still would have bought my 2023 Fabulous AWD Road Warrior. Weight and size was surprising. AND I added a rear cargo basket; front basket; Krytonite Lock; and, more....it is heavy. AND I still LOVE it....probably more than I did my Corvette. I weigh 250lbs and even with all of my additions I have hit 43.4 MPH....AND I rode from BWI Airport to Annapolis and back AND had 1/3 battery life left. (38 miles) I got 50.2 miles and still had 58 volts....PAS 1 and pedaling on mostly level paved bike trail. YOUR Videos are Outstanding and HELPFUL! Thank you!!
I bought mine at a local shop. They let me test drive any model I wanted so got the right bike. They even added a stem extender to one to help me choose.
Thanks for the info and all you older riders help me make up my mind im63 years young and was thinking this was for kids and younger adult now i can't wait to get one!
Great video! The last point regarding repair is so important. I’m considering a Gazelle c380 because it is more trouble-free w Gates belt drive and cvt trans. And, of course, Gazelles build quality. Thank you!
Great information in this video. But I really want to know what town in NC are you in? It’s beautiful there!
I live in Clayton, NC :)
I am an almost 78 year old male and have been looking at these for about a year now I think I'm going to go ahead and take the plunge, even though I am almost 78 I'm in pretty good shape and I'm going ahead with this, your video was very helpful keep up the good work, I have subscribed and I'll let you know how an old man gets along on one of these. I like the Lectric 2.0, any commentsThanks again. 🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀🚴♀
I am glad you mention these bikes are not really bikes. The best term I guess is a moped. To solve some of the complaints you might have suggested the obvious solution-go to an honest-to-god bicycle shop. There are much lighter bikes. And…they have access to service technicians. I wouldn’t buy a Lectric or similar as there is no shop in my town that will service it for liability reasons. The lightest bike is probably a Specialized version (the Vado I think) that comes in at 30 pounds. Taking a “bicycle” on a walk/bike path is just crazy. For the others. Fun for you.
Love the content, keep it up!
I am one of those weirdos that got an ebike for commuting and have even gone to the effort of calculating my CO2 impact for extra nerd points.
Like so many of the complaints that you saw, finding a bike that didn't weigh a ton was hard. What I ended up doing was buying an entry level name brand (read decent quality starting bike) 29er hardtail mountain bike and adding a mid-drive motor to it. With the motor and battery it's a little over 50lb compared to even the lightweight bike you list as over 60 lb. Since it's an aftermarket kit, I can buy all kinds of aftermarket "generic" batteries for replacement and not have to worry about sourcing proprietary batteries.
I talked with the local bike shop about what I was going to do to the bike before I bought it and they said they would work on the regular bike stuff but wouldn't touch any of the ebike stuff if I converted it over. Having the middrive is great because that means the only thing that isn't regular bike stuff is the motor/battery itself. All my wheels can be quick disconnected and worked on normally in the event of a flat, and they are standard size wheels, not fat tires. The downside to the middrive though of course is that I will have more maintenance on the chain/sprockets because I'm putting inhuman amounts of force through them.
FWIW, Other advantage of rear hub vs mid drive, is that it will still work if your chain breaks. Slightly safer overall, especially with less strain on gears and chain.
The youtuber is wrong about why people buy. Commute and chores is a reality for some of us, and there’s multiple reasons to get an ebike.
@@luzhang2982 Yes hubs are easier on the drive train. I would rather swap a cheap spare chain, in under 10 minutes, which I carry than fix spokes which I don't carry and take more time to replace. For some reason hub lovers always neglect the added torque the spokes take from a hub motor bouncing around the midlle and turning the wheel directly, no chain or drive train softening the blow of the torque.
I'm not good at truing wheels and my local bike shops wouldn't touch the job on a wheel with a hub motor.
I wouldn't worry too much about that if you maintain your bike. I put a BBSHD on a decade old Cannondale and got another 1k miles out of the original chain. It might not have snapped when it did if I hadn't been so stupidly abusive, climbing a ramp on throttle and downshifting. That was about 1.5k miles ago (the chain shows no stretch according to a gauge). Just shift into low gears before climbing and you should have few issues. I also suggest a gear shift sensor and using the throttle gently (if at all).
Bike shops will be missing out more and more if they wont service ebikes bc they are important for future transportation and general fun.
@@5DNRG I've had a few individual bike shop guys give me a thumbs up with my conversion, but most others are not too happy to hear that I've converted my bike and won't touch it for maintenance.
4 years ago I purchased a pretty expensive bike rack for my car. It has worked perfectly for our regular comfort bikes. But now we are interested in E-bikes but my expensive rack only holds 50 lbs per tray. This puts a huge limit on what I have been looking at. Yet I don't want to spend five or six grand on a light weight e-bike. I may have to bite the bullet and purchase yet another bike rack that is capable before I buy our E-bikes. All good information in this video. Thanks for taking the time to do these.
I’d like to comment on weight. If that’s a concern, buy one that has an easily removable battery. Batteries are pretty heavy by itself and removing makes it 20-25 lbs lighter. Also more convenient for for lighting the bike itself. I bought mine because it’s foldable and fits in my little four seat airplane for when I travel and I just remove the battery before folding and storing in the plane.
Yes, mine is foldable and weighs 56 lb. The battery weighs 8 lb, so when I slip it out, the bike is now 48 lb. Makes folding and unfolding easier.
My personal opinion....if you can't wrench a bike or change electronics on a bike, don't buy direct. Even though most parts are plug and play, you still need to be able to take bikes components apart to get to them, and you wear out parts faster. I have learnt so much having a ebikes (Kristall). I look after my family and friends ebikes imported from China. I have changed chains, brake pads, peddle sensor, upgraded brake calipers, replaced controller, LCD screen, replaced spokes (we know hub moors are prone for doing that). I bought a spot welder and soldering station, as I am building a battery pack. The key thing is make sure before buying a bike the parts manufacturers are known, to enable you to buy parts (e.g controller and LCD brand). Thanks for the video.
Nice honest video on this eBike subject. You hit on a lot of important down sides to buying and owning fat tire eBikes and all all true and important, plus u added a few others. Im 76 and have been interested in these for since they came out. Now they finally have reasonably priced, high powered, full suspension ebikes with large capacity batteries and great brakes. When u r old, or if u have back problems, u don't like bumps of any kind, unless they r well dampened. But here's the biggest problems I see with these bikes in suburban areas like where I live. Any bike lanes on very crowded roads are not only a very dangerous joke, but are maybe 2' wide over very unlevel ground. U literally have people driving inches away from u at 40 mph faster. If u think that's too dangerous and ride on the 6' wide nice sidewalk next to the road, u get a $50 ticket.
I see in most videos that people make for these ebikes that they transition from using traffic rules to innocent(made up on the spot) bicycle rules like ignoring stop signs and not stopping etc but turning onto grass patches etc. To a cop, if they suspect that your bike is MOTOIZED, u r a money maker if they catch u. To them, u r driving a high powered MOTORIZED vehicle on the SIDEWALK for Christ's sake. U r a criminal. U r endangering people's lives and deserve to be punished.
So the point is, where I live, if u drive a bike on a road, u must obey all traffic rules including going too slow (if there is not a designated bike path) and causing a traffic hazard. U can not drive any bicycle, eBike or pure peddle on any city or county sidewalk in Georgia, and by all means, on areas not designated for any vehicles like patches of grass owned and maintained by the city or county. If there is no one on the sidewalk and the traffic is bumper to bumper next to that same side walk, the cops will stop all the traffic to give a person riding an eBike a ticket. So these ebikes are for cities where there r some type of reasonable laws concerning bicycles (which may not exist outside of California) or for cities and towns where cops have better things to do than pull over criminal ebike riders. Oh, there's some people that can get away with it now and then, but not forever. So how many decades will it take to fix this problem? it's killing a lot of eBike sales in this country. Not only over zealous cops, but do-gooder civilians that want to make citizens arrests on anyone they can. And if u r enjoying yourself riding your eBike, they think u need to be arrested for breaking some law.
This is why I won't buy an eBike, and I don't dare ride my 15 speed bikes any more.
I'm truly sorry you had this experience and wish you had bike trails you could enjoy.
Having to fix it your self - that brings back memories. Forty years ago, fixing bicycles myself because the bike shop was too expensive. I did just about everything - fixing flats, new chain links, trueing rims, new brake lines and pads, etc. So I will take care of my e-bike myself. I have solar panels and a voltage booster to charge my battery when out on the range.
Pedego makes excellent ebikes, and their shops service them completely. Great combo!
Great video. I find every TH-cam video and every e-bike website is inadequate or will never answer the obvious question.
How much power and torque is necessary to climb 2km of steep 30degrees uphill, without pedal assist, carrying a 40kg backpack, starting at 50% charge. On grassy to loose rubble terrain?
An easy ride around the flat neighbourhood just won’t answer the standard needed for the uphill task. At the moment they just satisfy the speed thrills for regular streets, and they don’t seem suited to tackle offroad.
As far as battery life is concerned, it is what you make of it. I have aventon aventure and I did 40 miles on it and was still at 70% battery. I still like to use my bicycle as my primary source of cardio so I usually only use the electric to get momentum. I start pedaling harder than what the motor is trying to give and eventually the battery motor contribution is far less than my own physical torque. Thus saving battery throughout the day. If you want more range, pedal harder.
I suggested this video to 2 people today that saw my WIRED FREEDOM and want a ebike. You keep it clear and to the point.
I have an Evelo Galaxy 500, and it is a small bike for short women. The frame also seems smaller and fits me. I had a Lectric XP, which was just too big for me (It fit my over 6 ft. nephew quite well. The Evelo Galaxy allows me to sit up, like Dutch style, and it is so comfortable. Also it is rather lightweight. I believe it is around 56 lbs without the battery.
VERY Informative! I got a good factory build but custom tweaks hopefully I don't have to change a motor!
My bike was a custom build, orginally with a front hub motor, then switched to Luna Cycle BBS02. The motor was an improvement, but for an extra $200, I should have purchased a BBSHD (more power, more speed). I like your setup with dual motors!
Very good point at the end about local bike shops refusing to work on your ebike.
I'm a shorter person a bought one of the heybike explores. I found I was able to make it work by switching out the seat post to get the seat a couple inches lower. If you're short and still feel like you can do it, get one without the suspension seat. After doing that I could get my toes reliably on the ground and it was fine. The thing is a tank though. A car might hurt me, but this bike will destroy their car lol.
Looking to start riding again. This video will help when i finally decide which one to get.
The bike is so heavy that using your front and or back racks, make the bike is so top heavy it is easy to lose balance upon stopping. I have a beautiful Aventon step through, red and cream
Hi, I started using pannier bags when ever possible.It moves the balance downward.
Thank you, I was thinking about doing that😃
Excellent video for the important basic things to look for, when buying an E Bike. I
like that yours has 2 mirrors, one for each side. Also would like electric turn signals.
Thanks bud. I already got that these things are heavy, like a bag of concrete only awkward. My main takeaway today is that 20" is not a kids bike. In my bike riding days, 20" ers were the banana bikes. You could pop a wheelie and ride it forever. Well done, well thought out video, succinct and to the point. Thank you!
Lucky not to have needed to find out the hard way but great bonus tip about bike shops not being helpful although, seems like a market needing filled there, at least in densely populated area or just outside them?
I got mine (Radrunner) to commute 36 miles round trip back in 2019. The motorcycle style kick stand was very useful on the metro to avoid having to stand and hold my bike. Now my commute is 1.5 miles. It's a workhorse several years later. I use it to take my child to school and as a grocery getter. I even have taken the wife to and from the car repair shop since we only have one car. It is great biking pass the pump. 8000+ miles on it. Hardest thing for me is finding and changing the 20x4 fat tires. So difficult to mount.
Swap to 16x3.5 motorcycle tires. Haven't had a flat in 4k miles. And almost no tread wear. I commute 26 miles round trip every day
Me to ! I bought all the Park tools and do all myself ! 1500 watt mid drive dually Bafang BBSHD Throttle over drive ! 67 clicks ! 25 ahn battery 52 volt and works with 48 volt too ! Twin hook up ! Tubeless tires ! Dropper post ! Custom 55 lbs ! XC 27.5 Loud large frame !
It really is a big bike, I was shocked when I got my cruiser. And could totally relate to the mobility issue with stepping thru. Had to switch to big dog step thru.
Big Dog from Addmotor?
Glad I found your channel. I just started my search for an e-bike and this particular video was important for me to watch. You're right, service is a very important issue. I live close to a major city where there are several bike shops that sell e-bikes. It makes sense for me to talk to them about what bikes they will service. Thank you for the advice.
Brian, great video. Here is another suggestion for people trying to decide on what bike to buy.
Pick a bike that uses very generic components. Especially when is comes to the batteries. Although the newer in the frame designs are really cool looking. Trying to find a generic replacement for them might be impossible as time goes by. Brakes, shifters, gearing are pretty much available everywhere, or exchangeable with something else. Motors and controllers are another issue although some brands like my Himiway have motors that are swappable with Bafang motors as it turns out. This is one of the main reasons I bought a Himiway Cruiser. 😄
Love the Himiway Cruiser. At 66yrs old with a bit of a bad knee I take this beast just about anywhere. If I see what looks like a trail leading deep into the woods I take it. Rocks, branches, ruts, this bike gets me out everytime! 640miles now with nothing to complain about. The Cloud Nine seat a bought squeaks though.
Great video and cool bikes. I did some research and numerous bikes online. I tried to visit the few bike shops in the area and they were far too costly. I finally found one that has a 2 year warranty and does maintenance indefinitely albeit with a cost depending on your fix. I got to test a few out before I pulled the trigger on one. I'm in my mid 30s and had the biggest smile on my face when I first rode it.
Number #1 Price 😂
That separate front and back motor setup is something I'm thinking about. Do you have a video going through the pros and cons of that setup?
check out this video th-cam.com/video/_hK193tkp-E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=xeYyuAII1bBHNzp1 explanation starts around 2:13
I have a suggestion for people who want more power: buy an extra battery, when the first one goes dead/week, swap the batteries out. My suggestion for weight would be to get a 20 inch wheel bike that folds, making it easier to load/unload. Always remove the battery before lifting your bike, that makes a big difference. If the battery cannot be easily removed, don’t buy the bike. I own two E bikes, I did have a rad rover, but sold it when I moved. I had to get a bike rack for my car for the red rover, the other two bikes I still own are folding bikes. I carry one in my RV, the other one fits in the trunk of my Toyota Avalon. People who have never owned an E bike should rent/borrow an E bike that they are considering. Personally, I like to carry the bike in my vehicle, travel to where I want to go. When I want to explore a city neighborhood or rural area, I use my E bike. I get tremendous satisfaction and joy from my E bikes.
What folding e-bikes do you recommend
Good advice, when one gets low, swap and charge. I don’t really do more than 20 miles a ride anyway.
Got a 350watt E-bike to help rehabilitate my knee. It works great on small slopes and flat surface’s. It doesn’t help going up hills at all.
The bike had lose bolts and parts. Tightened up the bolts and used locktite on some bolts that would come lose. Had to adjust the breaks and derailer. Bike works great now except on hills. Yes it was cheap but it gets me out with my kids riding again. Walking the bike up the hills are easy because the bike can pull itself up the hill with ease. But if I had to do it again I would get a more powerful E-bike.
Excellent video. I would tell anyone who's shopping for an ebike to watch this. Nice reccs on the brands. I saw people talk about Biktrix in comments and bought a Stunner LT5 on sale. It has a 20 amp hour battery. That's all I use for my DIY builds. You get more than 40 miles of range when you put a 20ah battery on a 2" tire bike. I thought about putting a second battery & motor kit on my Stunner to get it past 30mph (only hits 26 on a fresh battery full pedaling in 7th gear, and it has an 8th gear I don't use) and seeing your dual motor setup is really eye opening. Great job on your setup. You've hit the sweet spot for what that frame, tires, and brakes can handle, giving yourself usable speed. I run errands using the bags on my Stuner. I call it the BUV - Bike Utility Vehicle. Perfect as a golf cart on the disc golf course. I can swing my leg over the side and hop off when I pull up to my disc!
Great vid. Here is my problem with the battery pack. When 1 cell goes bad, that whole pack is dead. These packs are made so that there is no easy way to check for the bad cell and swap with a new cell. The whole pack goes into the recycle. What a huge waste and cost in replacement.
The best introduction video to electric bikes period! Well presented, thank you, spot on! SkipRay, Ireland.
just discovered your channel and i subscribed! EXCELLENT video and PERFECT timing as I am brand new and have not yet bought my firs eBike. Also, i have osteoarthritis in my left hip so your suggestion to go SEE an eBike ... first ... before you buy ... is a great great IDEA!
Hi there bought ebike off ebay make of bike is gzsamebike with alloy wheels 26inch 350w and 48v? The complaint I have is the bk brake and it's on the wheel it's the disc the bk wheel spins dead straight but the disc is not straight it looks like a buckle when u watch it go round? I've had to loosen up bk brake alot as it rubs both side of the brake pad? Any ideas on wot it could be I would b grateful and like ur vids keep it going I've subscribed too 🎉🎉
Yes I'm also not happy with the quality of the bike looks nice but the welds ain't very good also got to tweak my gears on the cassette any ideas how to do that very good so they don't skip gears give me a txt would appreciate that I'm 51yrs old now bike are bit different from when I was younger thankyou
@Shaunusprowire1748 you will need to try to straighten the disc. it probably got bent during shipping. sometimes it can be done, other times you just need to replace the disc. For your gears, I would watch the video from Park Tool, adjust rear derailleur. Also both of these things could be fixed at any local bike shop very easily. I hope that helps.
I have a relatively inexpensive Go Trax e-bike from Wal-Mart on-line. It has exceeded my expectations, and continues to do so. I get about 60 kilometres per charge. I wear out before the battery does. I'm 75 years old and I wanted some help on the hills. It came with fenders though I didn't expect them. So? ALL GOOD!
This video is extremely helpful. I haven't bought my ebike yet and am glad I didn't until I look into it more.
Thankyou
I got my own e-bike I have had since last June. It is a Rad Runner 2 from Rad Power Bikes. Going over your points on common complaints here is the list:
Build Quality
-Bike feels very solid
-Cables routed very well
-Very solid kickstand included
-Brakes work well too
-They did cheap out on the controller as it only has LED lights on it to indicate battery life in 5 lights, what PAS level it is on, and if the lights are on or off. No speedometer, no mileage recording. This was not a deal braker for me though.
Battery Range
-On one charge I did manage in the summer to bike out of my city and to the next town and back (almost 40km range mostly throttle and little help from me) and still had 2/5 bars on battery when I got home. Winter when it was -25c my range did feel shorter, almost cut in half. Still enough to get me to where I need to go. Only 14 amp hours 48v battery.
Accessibility
-Step through frame really easy to get on and off
-Comfortable posture when riding, almost a moped feel
-My Radrunner 2 bike is smaller than my old non-ebike, Norco Bigfoot 2 2019 bike.
Lack of Power
-limited by Canada's class 2 spec for 500w motor and 32kph max speed for motor assist
-With some help of me I can easily get up the steepest hills in my city.
-Would be nice to have more power but that comes at a cost of battery life
Weight
-Not gonna lie, my bike is like 70-80 pounds. It is a tank of a bike
- I still will carry my bike up a set of steps (not a full story of stairs) with groceries still on the bike, so a good 140-150 pounds total.
-Due to lower total clearance on bottom I cannot roll it up the steps like I could with the Norco or else the kick stand hits the steps.
Overall I am fairly happy with my e-bike, it really helps me get around my city a lot better than my old bike.
Thank you Friend for giving us the Pros and Cons about eBikes, love the feed back l can't decide which ebike to Buy? Thank You
Thanks for posting have a couple regular truck road bike and track mountain bike road bike I can pedal 18 miles an hour all day so ebike I need more than 20 miles an hour that's one of my biggest problems main issue how much does it cost how fast will it go and how far will it go
Very good information video! My commute is 5 miles and it’s doable in good weather. I don’t ride in rainy or icy weather. 50 yo. I live in a hilly area so class 3, 750w-1000w peak motor, dual battery, 20x4 wheels, slicks not knobby tires. It’s heavy and cumbersome to pedal up a grade w/o assistance. It’s only transportable via truck bed, pretty much a pedal assist e-moped. Reliability is a question and I feel like a Guinea pig, but good fun till it breaks. Only thing I’d suggest besides accessories, is tightening bolts and spokes and silicone taping plug connections.
Thank you for the information on ebikes. I was ready to hit pay now on one, but will be researching this more before buying.
Great video and info for the public. Really helped me to make a wise decision on possible purchuse!
Thanks for your very helpful advice.
All considered, i ended up buying a Canadian e-bike "Carbo model X".
Opted for the big battery, weighs only 35 pounds, torque and throttle control, folds into a 20" bike bag.
Subscribed and thumbs up.
Great rambling video and comments. I hope I remember to watch again once I'm ready to buy.
Thanks for the sub!!
Love your Honesty...good video😊
Excellent video. I think people need to know that there are roughly two kinds of electric bikes: fat tire and "normal" tire like 20'' x 2.125. I go for "normal" tire bikes in 12, 14, 16 and 20'' wheel sizes, foldable, with a 250 watt motor, throttle, up to 15 mph and weighing between 30 - 45 lbs. Step through models. This is what you want if you are not a super, strong person. You'll be able to ride a long way, put your bike in your car trunk and carry your bike into your house or apartment. ;-) These little bikes handle hills quite well. I currently have a Fiido D3 Pro.
You are right on the mark on these complaints. I am 5' 11" with 31" pants inseam and my 26" X 4" ebike (Mokwheel Upland Plus) is just too damn tall! It's like you say...these 26" fat tire bikes are HUGE!
Here's what I have done that has helped: 1) I wear boots with 3/4" heels, plus 1-1/4" lift shoe inserts (from Amazon) adding a total of 2" to my leg length, 2) I wear an athletic supporter to keep the "boys" high and away from that "evil" top bar, 3) I lowered the seat a bit lower than it should be for proper pedaling - not good for the knees, but helps keep control when stopped (understand, I didn't move the seat low enough for my feet to touch the ground at stops, just to shorten the distance from being seated to standing flat footed on the ground), 4) I treat left hand turns like a pedestrian would - that is, I stay in the right land and cross the cross street, then I stop and turn my bike to cross the street I was just riding down also in the right lane (I found the biggest problem with control of the bike is when I'm in that left turn lane and feeling pressured by the traffic in front and behind me).
The size of the bike is really not that much of a problem when you're riding - it's when you're stopped. Number ONE: unless you are 6' 4" or so...GET A STEP-THROUGH BIKE, NOT A STEP-OVER (like my Mokwheel Upland Plus). Number TWO: IMHO, the ebike companies should IMMEDIATELY STOP making these 26" fat time bikes...at the very least, they should go down to a 24" wheel - I think that would make a huge difference! I'm definitely having buyer's remorse on my Mokwheel Upland Plus - trust me, this is a solid, powerful, well-built bike...but it is just TOO DAMN BIG, and the top bar of the step-over frame is just too high for comfortable control when I am stopped. I bought the step-over because it was $100 cheaper than the step-through version (Mokwheel Mesa Plus ST), but that would have been $100 WELL SPENT!
Oh, one other thing: when I purchased the step-over model, I thought (like probably a lot of others) that I could just lean the bike over a bit to make it easy enough to throw a leg over. Well, I thought wrong - you have to lean it WAY OVER and it is STILL not easy to throw that leg over! And FYI, I'm 72, 5' 11", 220 pounds and in somewhat better shape than average for someone my age.
Great video! I learned a bunch. What are your thoughts on an E-Cells Five Star? It has dual batteries with lots of power but it’s heavy at about 90 lbs. I’m tossed on going with a torque assist pedal system or cadence system? Any thought in this regard? Thanks for a reply.
Rick H.
Do you have a video or any links to info on how to properly diy a dual hub setup like you have?
Definitely interested in it.
I subscribed after listening to a few of your videos . Your coverage on e-bikes and testing is good but most of all you read and answer questions from your viewers ! 👍
Thanks for the sub! i certainly dont get to all comments but i'm trying :)
I love my Himiway Cruiser. Added an accessory bar and put a phone holder and a led light and Tannus armor so no flats. Now it's PERFECT.