e-Bikes, General Discussion

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I've been following, and excited about what's happening in the e-Bike industry, figured there's probably enough interest for it to have its own thread. :)
 
I saw Lectric this week introduced a new Long Range model variant, with a 672Wh battery, that's good for - of course, very dependent on speed, rider, weather, etc. - 65 miles, and not too much more than the standard model (an additional $200).

I'm very interested in their e-Bikes, they get great reviews, and are portable-ish, they fold in half, aren't too heavy, have nice chunky tires for a wide variety of terrain, lots of accessories, and the standard/LR are $999/$1199 so not super expensive. I have this idea about taking a couple to a fun place like Savannah and being able to navigate the whole city.
 
I don't pay attention to the industry or anything, but I really want to get one. Any recommendations for a good commuter e-bike?
 
DT said:
I saw Lectric this week introduced a new Long Range model variant, with a 672Wh battery, that's good for - of course, very dependent on speed, rider, weather, etc. - 65 miles, and not too much more than the standard model (an additional $200).

I'm very interested in their e-Bikes, they get great reviews, and are portable-ish, they fold in half, aren't too heavy, have nice chunky tires for a wide variety of terrain, lots of accessories, and the standard/LR are $999/$1199 so not super expensive. I have this idea about taking a couple to a fun place like Savannah and being able to navigate the whole city.
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they are not too heavy? my trek is 56 pounds has a smaller battery but more range and more power too. pulpit rides like a bike nota toy. but if you putt around they are ok. but if you want a bike that feels like a bike and that can climb hills get to a bike store and test ride. those fat tires ok For and and such but they suck o the road and they are noisy. I have put over 22,000 miles in the last three years on my e bikes.
 
TBL said:
I don't pay attention to the industry or anything, but I really want to get one. Any recommendations for a good commuter e-bike?
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I always tell people go to the bike shop and do test rides. otherwise its a crapshoot. Plus you never know if someone will work on your bike. its going to cost more but the bike will be more reliable too. Like a Bosch powered bike is one a lot of shops are not scared of as they are so standardized, Plus about the most reliable system out there. this I one of the best places to get info. https://electricbikereview.com
 
The Lectric with standard battery is 64 lbs, that doesn't seem very heavy in terms of lugging it in and out of the back of a Jeep :)

Yeah, I think the fatter tires are probably not optimal for purely long haul, road only, but seem like a good option for double duty, on and light offroad, and are probably pretty durable vs. skinny road type tires.
 
TBL said:
I don't pay attention to the industry or anything, but I really want to get one. Any recommendations for a good commuter e-bike?
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I mostly see the pretty mainstream bikes on car EV sites. If I was interested in a more street/urban/city type bike, I'd probably shop something from Rad Power Bikes, they seem to have good reviews, a number of bikes that aren't too expensive (for me, that's under $2K), good reputation for customer service and support.

There are some traditional bike manufacturers like Specialized that make killer products, but they're super expensive, and I'm looking at this from the perspective of a "weekend" knockaround bike.
 
DT said:
I mostly see the pretty mainstream bikes on car EV sites. If I was interested in a more street/urban/city type bike, I'd probably shop something from Rad Power Bikes, they seem to have good reviews, a number of bikes that aren't too expensive (for me, that's under $2K), good reputation for customer service and support.

There are some traditional bike manufacturers like Specialized that make killer products, but they're super expensive, and I'm looking at this from the perspective of a "weekend" knockaround bike.
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if you don't ride much then maybe but neither are really long term bikes. these are the main to we have put 8000 miles on the tandem in 2 years. my trek is my commuter they can share the same battery too. if you enjoy riding its not that much more then a decent bike. but remember when you think of support its that they will send you the part that may or may not fix it you do all the work.
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Yeah, there’s a lot of options available these days at a lot of price points.

But there are some things to consider to help whittle things down for new riders, IMO:

Check the laws/regulations in your state/region relating to e-bikes, paths available, and what sort of riding you want to do. The “3 class” system is pretty common in the US, but I don’t think it has completely taken hold yet, so some areas will be different. Each state also has different rules as to which classes are allowed where. WA state allows class 1 and 2 on multi-use paths and bike paths that prohibit motorized vehicles, but not class 3, for example. DNR lands prohibit any e-bikes currently on non-motorized roads, unless you have an ADA placard for your car and then you can use a class 1 or 2, and they have a pilot program where they are looking at potentially including class 1 or 2 on non-motorized roads. So in my case, I really only want a class 3 if I’m primarily going to be on streets and roads with car traffic, but since the bike/multi-use paths in my area can get me to work safer and only a couple minutes slower than on the highway with a car (pre-pandemic), I get more use out of a class 1 or 2 e-bike.

Knowing what your riding will be like can help whittle down drivetrain options. If you are going to do a lot of hill climbing, a mid-drive motor or geared hub motor will have some benefits over a single gear hub motor. A mid-drive motor has a different feel to hub motors, to me it feels more like a true “assist” (which I like for my joints), while a hub motor is more like riding an electric moped or electric scooter where it more “pushes” the bike while you help. But if you want a throttle, then it’s easier to find that on a hub motor setup, but a few mid-drive motors offer this as well. Cadence vs torque sensors also change the feel of the e-bike. I personally wanted something that felt more like a traditional bike to ride, but had the ability to get me up >10% grade hills, so I wound up with a bike that uses Bosch’s mid-drive motor that a few brands use.

For those with the budget, some of the really premium stuff starts adding things like internally geared hubs and belts instead of chains to reduce maintenance. Something I’ve appreciated on the 1200mi I’ve put on mine since I got it.
 
What do you guys think of folding eBikes?

I'm thinking of getting one as I may be moving further from my place of work and possibly taking the train in. A folding bike would be a lot easier to take on the train.

Specifically I've been looking at offerings from Lectric, given the lower prices:

lectricebikes.com

Light, Folding, Long Range & Step Through eBikes | Lectric eBikes

Whether you're looking for a light, step-thru or folding ebike for commuting or a long range ebike for big rides, Lectric eBikes has the perfect electric bicycle for you. Free shipping!
lectricebikes.com lectricebikes.com

YouTube reviews I've watched seem positive.
 
I didn't realize how heavy eBikes are. I knew they'd be heavier, but many eBikes are around 70 lbs. Taking it on a train may not be so easy :unsure:
 
TBL said:
I didn't realize how heavy eBikes are. I knew they'd be heavier, but many eBikes are around 70 lbs. Taking it on a train may not be so easy :unsure:
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Depends on the price, there are ebikes as light as 26lb (that cost $10k) and there are also some way over 70lb. I expect as technology advances the cheaper ones will start to get lighter. They'll never get down to 10lb, but even 30s is more than doable for taking on a train.
 
I think E-Bike’s are an excellent option for alternate forms of transportation. I think I‘d prefer a normal bike though, maybe when I’m older.

Something to be aware of, I only know this because my dad is involved in the energy industry, including batteries- a lot of this E-Bikes have really cheap Chinese batteries and they are a fire hazard. In NYC where these are quite prevalent; the NYPD reportedly responds to 4 e-bike and e-scooter an average of 4x a week. What’s worse, in NYC people tend not to leave them outside otherwise they get stolen. So quite a number of fires have occurred do these. Not to mention lithium fires are very dangerous, hard to deal with, and pose health hazard to fighter fighters.

There’s been a push for greater regulation, but apparently these companies are just counterfeiting approvals like UL and CE. And the US Government has been trying to crack down but has had trouble tracing these e-bikes back to their manufactures.
 
New version of Lectric's XP released, the XP 3.0, more powerful motor, better battery, larger brakes, more suspension travel, several other updates, currently $100 off ($999) plus $277 worth of accessories for free!

lectricebikes.com

XP 3.0 Black Electric Bike | Lectric eBikes

See our XP 3.0 Black Electric Bike engineered with award-winning features making it the most popular foldable electric bike on the market. Shop today.
lectricebikes.com lectricebikes.com

Also available with a long range option for another $200 (and claimed 65 miles range).
 
AG_PhamD said:
There’s been a push for greater regulation, but apparently these companies are just counterfeiting approvals like UL and CE. And the US Government has been trying to crack down but has had trouble tracing these e-bikes back to their manufactures.
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Pile on top e-bike conversions and DIY batteries, and it’s not going to be fun trying to get these numbers down, IMO.

I briefly considered the idea of building a battery from 18650 cells at one point, but after researching how to do it, I wasn’t convinced I’d be able to build one that I’d be happy with from a safety standpoint.

AG_PhamD said:
I think E-Bike’s are an excellent option for alternate forms of transportation. I think I‘d prefer a normal bike though, maybe when I’m older.
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I may not be that old, but my joints act like they are. I’ve been able to do rides that I wouldn’t have a chance of doing on a regular bike, and I can tune my ride for exercise, distance, or ”speed” (it is a class 1, so caps out around 18mph) as needed. Having access to a wider variety of rides helps keep me riding, which is good for health.
 
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