E-bikes

[docque]

What is everyone using for N E-bike? I am just looking for one to drive around on pavement mostly. Not doing any mountain biking of jumps with it.

For example, there was a farmer's market close to where we camped. Would have been easier to just take a bike there.

 

[Johnww]

We have Electric 3.0 e bikes and enjoy them very much. Last summer we volunteered for the NPS and we used them exclusively for local travel. We purchased a pet carrier trailer to use for hauling grecories or supplies. The trailer is big enough the carry 4-5 bags of groceries up to about 50 pounds as I recall. The local town where we shopped had 15mph speed limits on the side streets and we had no problem exceeding the speed limit LOL.

 

[Conner58]

We have Electric 3.0 e bikes and enjoy them very much. Last summer we volunteered for the NPS and we used them exclusively for local travel. We purchased a pet carrier trailer to use for hauling grecories or supplies. The trailer is big enough the carry 4-5 bags of groceries up to about 50 pounds as I recall. The local town where we shopped had 15mph speed limits on the side streets and we had no problem exceeding the speed limit LOL.

These are very popular and i haven't seen anyone post anything bad about them .
I have a different brand works great no complaints.

 

[SailingOn]

Pay attention to the weight.
My wife loves her Trek ebike, but it weighs more than twice what her road bike did. No problem when riding, but hoisting it onto the bike carrier on the back of the RV is a two person job.

 

[geotex1]

Actually, the Lectrics have a pretty awful customer service rating. If you're good out of the box, you're probably OK. Otherwise, they have a flunking BBB rating, there are complaints in with the State AG, and there have been a lot of negative social media posts about it. If you have a shop that handles their test ride, which can then get you a bike, it's a better way if you want a Lectric. I recommend you find a bike shop carrying several brands and price points and try them out. Very glad we went that route!

 

[huntindog]

Actually, the Lectrics have a pretty awful customer service rating. If you're good out of the box, you're probably OK. Otherwise, they have a flunking BBB rating, there are complaints in with the State AG, and there have been a lot of negative social media posts about it. If you have a shop that handles their test ride, which can then get you a bike, it's a better way if you want a Lectric. I recommend you find a bike shop carrying several brands and price points and try them out. Very glad we went that route!

We have two of the Lectric 3.0s. Customer service has been top notch.
They are the best bang for the buck, and are now the bestselling brand in America.

 

[geotex1]

We have two of the Lectric 3.0s. Customer service has been top notch.
They are the best bang for the buck, and are now the bestselling brand in America.

My point was for the OP to do their homework. Lectric got the position due to being early to market, attractive price, and outstanding marketing giving dozens of bikes free to influencers and sponsoring them in different extents. However, you cannot refute the thousands of complaints with the BBB and the fact their State AG has assigned one Deputy just to deal with the volume of complaints. I did a ton of research before dropping the money we did, and there are actually quite a few in the same price point and more advantages. If the OP goes to a test ride shop, they can try many makes a models and price points and get the shop's experience.

Being an engineer, I like statistics. If you look at the number of Lectric bikes out there - about 500,000 was the number after the hot Christmas sale and new model pre-order earlier in the year - versus complaints, it is above what a quality manufacturer would consider acceptable. The mere fact that the continued to ship inventory with known defects to have to be resolved by the consumer was enough for me to pass. I've got enough with our Solitude! Lol.

Nonetheless, yourself and many have had flawless experience and plenty have not and love them. Perhaps if they didn't oversell their actual capabilities and were able to maintain that early level of service and the founders' mantra, but explosive growth takes its toll. Especially when your product is completely manufactured and packaged overseas.

 

[traveldawg]

What is everyone using for N E-bike? I am just looking for one to drive around on pavement mostly. Not doing any mountain biking of jumps with it.

For example, there was a farmer's market close to where we camped. Would have been easier to just take a bike there.

We have 2 full size e-bikes. Actually 27" with 2.25" tires. These are our first and only e-bikes. We do not like the small (and sometimes foldable) bikes simply because we find the center of gravity odd. Having grown up with full size bikes with 26" wheels the smaller wheels and very high seats, coupled with some really bad battery placements just make the small bikes a bad choice for us. We've had those small foldable pedal bikes in the past but never liked them much and we ended up carrying full size manual bikes.

Everyone is different. The small, fat tire bikes seem to be the most popular. Not sure why, I'd say cost and ease of carrying. For sure we hate the bikes with the batteries on a carrier on the back and didn't like a lot with the battery in the center semi horizontal member.

Pay attention to whether you want pedal assist or a throttle. Ours have a throttle thumb lever. We don't like the motorcycle type grip accelerator - too easy to forget the bike is on and when mounting or dismounting it is too easy to turn that and you suddenly find yourself on the ground.

Compare motor size and battery size (as well as ease of removing the battery for storing and/or charging). It seems some bikes practically have to be taken apart to get to the battery.

Pay attention to the electronic display. Some are pretty basic, some offer features you would probably never use; some have hidden menus to adjust things like MPH / KPH, Miles / KM; and some let you fine tune how slow or fast the slowest and fastest speeds are.

Do you want fenders to ride in the rain/wet/water? Do you want a front baskets and/or a rear rack. I think all have disk brakes. Look at the name brand of the mechanical gear selector. Do you want a head light? A brake lite? How easy is it to move the handle bars sideways for transporting (and up and down too). Aftermarket foldable pedals also make carrying them on a rack easier.

Pay attention to pedal position relative to the seat. Some have pedals more forward, some more directly below the seat.

There is A LOT to consider. We've seen folks who just buy what ever seems to be popular and "affordable" just to find they replace it in a year or 2 once they learn the difference (or fall on their butt one too many times).

Visit a bike shop or two to discuss options. There is no substitute for actually riding different bikes to make up your mind.

We chose Blix Aveny Skyline bikes. They are considered 'commuter bikes'. They have a cruiser version too and about 4 or 6 other types depending on what you want to do with your bike. We got these because we thought the quality and support was good and they had fenders (a must for us). Wife has a front basket, I put a TOPEAK MTX bag on my rear rack (easy to store/carry stuff and remove when away from bikes).

Happy shopping.

 

[lineman1234]

I have looked into making mine. I did a lot of research, online. There are kits a person can buy and convert a bike you have or get one and make it electric. One can choose the bat pack size and voltage one wants with the motors available out there.

Options i found so far, have been. Mid drive seems easy and one gets to keep some gears for peddling. Front drive, or rear drive, then front and rear drive like if a person wants to take one of those fat tire bikes up and down the sand.

Then there is the choice of the batteries and vendor to get from.

The option to make one or for someone that uses a 3 wheeler would be nice.

The one thing with buying and having of a tac welder to make the batterie pack is it can also be used to repair cordless stuff like tool packs, and who doesnt want to know someone that can or will do that instead of getting a hole new pack when usually one batterie is bad and just needs replacing.

 

[docque]

Actually, the Lectrics have a pretty awful customer service rating. If you're good out of the box, you're probably OK. Otherwise, they have a flunking BBB rating, there are complaints in with the State AG, and there have been a lot of negative social media posts about it. If you have a shop that handles their test ride, which can then get you a bike, it's a better way if you want a Lectric. I recommend you find a bike shop carrying several brands and price points and try them out. Very glad we went that route!

You have the mindset like I do. Top selling does not always mean best option. I am a Software Engineer and jumping into anything is not in my blood. Takes me a VERY long time to decide. I want what is the best option vs popular opinion.

And Influencers? Don't get me started on that. If I listened to popular Internet option, I wouldn't be buying an RV.

I will take my time on this, Just wanted some people's opinions.

 

[triplethreat]

Peggy and I have two Aventon ebikes. Mine is a Fat tire Aventure (it's not Adventure, it's Aventure) and it is heavy....about 74/75 lb WITH the battery. We always remove the battery before transporting them, which is a good practice anyway, but it also lightens the bike up by about 11/12 lbs I love that bike but I will admit that it takes both of us to load it. I pick up the front end and put it in the tire loop of the carrier while she balances it and I move to the rear to pick it up. She guides it towards the front tire loop and I place the rear tire in the other loop of the carrier. Same way unloading except in reverse.

Her bike is an Aventon Pace 500 and quite a bit lighter than mine so I just pick that one up and set it in the tire loops of the carrier myself. We've had a couple small issues with them, but nothing major and got good support from Aventon. They are both 2 1/2 years old and out of warranty, so anything that needs worked on now is on us. They are a fairly popular brand and both of us are happy with them and would recommend them to anyone that is looking. Keep in mind though the weight of the ebikes and removing the battery from them before loading. Both of ours the battery removal is simple, quick, and easy, and that's NOT the case on some ebikes.

 

[robmcqueen]

Peggy and I have two Aventon ebikes. Mine is a Fat tire Aventure (it's not Adventure, it's Aventure) and it is heavy....about 74/75 lb WITH the battery. We always remove the battery before transporting them, which is a good practice anyway, but it also lightens the bike up by about 11/12 lbs I love that bike but I will admit that it takes both of us to load it. I pick up the front end and put it in the tire loop of the carrier while she balances it and I move to the rear to pick it up. She guides it towards the front tire loop and I place the rear tire in the other loop of the carrier. Same way unloading except in reverse.

Her bike is an Aventon Pace 500 and quite a bit lighter than mine so I just pick that one up and set it in the tire loops of the carrier myself. We've had a couple small issues with them, but nothing major and got good support from Aventon. They are both 2 1/2 years old and out of warranty, so anything that needs worked on now is on us. They are a fairly popular brand and both of us are happy with them and would recommend them to anyone that is looking. Keep in mind though the weight of the ebikes and removing the battery from them before loading. Both of ours the battery removal is simple, quick, and easy, and that's NOT the case on some ebikes.

We both have Aventon pace 500 great bikes for cruising around the camp grounds. Was thinking of getting the Aventure fat tire bikes so we could ride more off road. Aventon is the best bang for buck out there.

 

[triplethreat]

We both have Aventon pace 500 great bikes for cruising around the camp grounds. Was thinking of getting the Aventure fat tire bikes so we could ride more off road. Aventon is the best bang for buck out there.

I tend to agree about the best bang for the buck. Both of ours are first gen. models, we bought them in Jan, 2022 and they've made several improvement in both those models since then, but ours work just fine for our use, so probably not upgrading them. I use mine to pull a dog cart when we go riding. Our Manchester Terrier loves to go on bike rides (why wouldn't he......no pedaling involved for him...LOL)

Here's a pic of my wife standing beside my Aventure with the cart behind and Rossi getting anxious to get moving again. We love the Riverwalk greenway in Chattanooga and go biking there a couple of times a year...

 

[Gronk1]

I recently bought a lectric xpress. For me it had the most bang for the $ over what was offered by other brands. Hydraulic brakes (a must), torque sensor, 750 hp motor, 14Ah battery for $1300. It's heavy at about 54 lbs. Service has been ok so far.
It doesn't have baskets and is a step over-I wanted a top tube. I've read that some step throughs have tail wag at speed.
I'll take my road bike any day...in the valley, but I live at the top of a ridge & this bike helps me climb those 900 ft back home from the bottom of town. I need all the help I can get at 74. We take our regular bikes rving with us so don't know how hard it is to put on a rack.

 

[triplethreat]

I recently bought a lectric xpress. For me it had the most bang for the $ over what was offered by other brands. Hydraulic brakes (a must), torque sensor, 750 hp motor, 14Ah battery for $1300. It's heavy at about 54 lbs. Service has been ok so far.
It doesn't have baskets and is a step over-I wanted a top tube. I've read that some step throughs have tail wag at speed.
I'll take my road bike any day...in the valley, but I live at the top of a ridge & this bike helps me climb those 900 ft back home from the bottom of town. I need all the help I can get at 74. We take our regular bikes rving with us so don't know how hard it is to put on a rack.

I can guarantee you it DOESN'T have a 750 HP motor..........I think you meant 750W motor!

 

[huntindog]

My point was for the OP to do their homework. Lectric got the position due to being early to market, attractive price, and outstanding marketing giving dozens of bikes free to influencers and sponsoring them in different extents. However, you cannot refute the thousands of complaints with the BBB and the fact their State AG has assigned one Deputy just to deal with the volume of complaints. I did a ton of research before dropping the money we did, and there are actually quite a few in the same price point and more advantages. If the OP goes to a test ride shop, they can try many makes a models and price points and get the shop's experience.

Being an engineer, I like statistics. If you look at the number of Lectric bikes out there - about 500,000 was the number after the hot Christmas sale and new model pre-order earlier in the year - versus complaints, it is above what a quality manufacturer would consider acceptable. The mere fact that the continued to ship inventory with known defects to have to be resolved by the consumer was enough for me to pass. I've got enough with our Solitude! Lol.

Nonetheless, yourself and many have had flawless experience and plenty have not and love them. Perhaps if they didn't oversell their actual capabilities and were able to maintain that early level of service and the founders' mantra, but explosive growth takes its toll. Especially when your product is completely manufactured and packaged overseas.

I was just on the Arizona BBB website. They give Lectric a "B" rating, I read a lot of the complaints. Most were about slow shipping times. The rest were various items, and Lectric resolved them.
I was advised upon ordering that they were running behind because of high demand.
I live 2 miles from them, and can tell you the place is BUSY.
I have had 3 interactions with customer service, and in each case it was outstanding.
Not sure what your beef is, since you did not buy from them....But I did my investigation and see nothing to be concerned about. 500,000 plus sold with only 162 complaints in the last 3 years.

 

[Gronk1]

I can guarantee you it DOESN'T have a 750 HP motor..........I think you meant 750W motor!

you're right, my bad...oops

I'd like to have that 750 hp in our Subaru

 

[sande005]

FYI - generally e-bikes are classed into three groups - but it is not a mandated standard, although used for defining "where to ride" regulations in many cases.

Class 1. Pedal Assist - you always must be pedaling, and the assist stops assisting above 20 mph.
Class 2. Throttle - as many now have, a mini-moped with a throttle control, so you don't have to pedal, but can. Limited to 20 mph.
Class 3. Pedal Assist only, but the limit is 26 mph.

Many places limit speeds and kinds of bikes, on sidewalks/paved bike trails. It literally is different from place to place.
Many of the more affordable/imported e-bikes ignore the classification groupings. Essentially, one can go faster.
Many places prohibit Class 3's on sidewalks/trails completely.

Speed checks on bike routes/trails are becoming common. Where I stayed last winter, the park rangers were handing out citations on the back trails for exceeding the posted 12 mph.
I ride a Class 3. It is near impossible to tell on most whether it is Class 1 or 3 by a cursory look. Above 20 mph is pretty fast on a bike - I only hit that on down hills. But do enjoy the extra "oomph" when climbing hills.
But I learned to just hate the Class 2's - too many people with unrefined control, going way too fast for the trails, because it was so easy to just goose the throttle. Saw many bike/pedestrian collisions due to that. If I was king, I'd mandate they be classed as mopeds, and regulated like what they really are - baby motorcycles.

 

[triplethreat]

FYI - generally e-bikes are classed into three groups - but it is not a mandated standard, although used for defining "where to ride" regulations in many cases.

Class 1. Pedal Assist - you always must be pedaling, and the assist stops assisting above 20 mph.
Class 2. Throttle - as many now have, a mini-moped with a throttle control, so you don't have to pedal, but can. Limited to 20 mph.
Class 3. Pedal Assist only, but the limit is 26 mph.

Many places limit speeds and kinds of bikes, on sidewalks/paved bike trails. It literally is different from place to place.
Many of the more affordable/imported e-bikes ignore the classification groupings. Essentially, one can go faster.
Many places prohibit Class 3's on sidewalks/trails completely.

Speed checks on bike routes/trails are becoming common. Where I stayed last winter, the park rangers were handing out citations on the back trails for exceeding the posted 12 mph.
I ride a Class 3. It is near impossible to tell on most whether it is Class 1 or 3 by a cursory look. Above 20 mph is pretty fast on a bike - I only hit that on down hills. But do enjoy the extra "oomph" when climbing hills.
But I learned to just hate the Class 2's - too many people with unrefined control, going way too fast for the trails, because it was so easy to just goose the throttle. Saw many bike/pedestrian collisions due to that. If I was king, I'd mandate they be classed as mopeds, and regulated like what they really are - baby motorcycles.

My wife's Aventon Pace 500 is a class III. It has pedal assist as well as a throttle and you don't have to pedal. It also has a top end of 28mph. The throttle only mode will limit out at 20mph, but if you have the pedal assist turned up, you can hit 28 with it.

We've never seen any type of enforcement on any of the greenways that we ride on, but then again, we a usually putzing along between 10 to 12 mph except on a couple of downhill areas.

 

[LMagelitz]

What is everyone using for N E-bike? I am just looking for one to drive around on pavement mostly. Not doing any mountain biking of jumps with it.

For example, there was a farmer's market close to where we camped. Would have been easier to just take a bike there.

I haven’t seen anyone address this yet, so I’ll post. I would recommend riding a bike with torque sensing, and a bike with “cadence” sensing. One you ride a torque sensing bike, you likely won’t want a cadence sensing bike, but there is a large difference in price. We have two Lectric 3.0 bikes, and they have cadence sensors. Each pedal assist level represents a certain maximum current draw from the batt. On level ground this essentially equates to a speed setting. As you go up a rise, you slow down, unless you really ramp up your own assist via the pedals. It takes some getting used to in order to match the gear you are in with the pedal assist level, and the amount of effort you want to add. In pedal assist 2 on our bikes, you need to be in gear 6 or 7, otherwise you have to pedal really fast in order to be expending any effort at all (on level ground).

We bought the Lectrics based on price, knowing they would be short term. The torque sensing bikes that we test rode were Specialized. They were fantastic, but about 4 times the price.