E-bikes

[sande005]

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.

If you really want to ride a bike, and not just have a motorized conveyance, torque sensing is the way to go. It doesn't replace gears, but gives you an additional range for any given gear - so in some cases, you just bump up the amount of assist it gives you as you go up a hill, so you don't have to change gears. I love having the bike in a low gear, with high assist, at stop lights - I can easily get things rolling while I get my support foot back on the pedals.

 

[Gronk1]

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.

My lectric has a torque sensor, it gives a more natural pedaling feel than a cadence sensor. At the low price point it should pressure other manufacturers to bring down their TS bike prices.

 

[triplethreat]

If you really want to ride a bike, and not just have a motorized conveyance, torque sensing is the way to go. It doesn't replace gears, but gives you an additional range for any given gear - so in some cases, you just bump up the amount of assist it gives you as you go up a hill, so you don't have to change gears. I love having the bike in a low gear, with high assist, at stop lights - I can easily get things rolling while I get my support foot back on the pedals.

While I don't disagree with you on the torque sensor vs the cadence sensor, I can use the thumb throttle to easily pull away from a stop, even when stopped on an uphill slope AND pulling the dog cart with our dog in it. We have a couple of those scenarios where we ride regularly.....uphill stop and making sure that vehicle traffic does indeed stop for the crosswalk and I just use the thumb throttle to get moving and feet back on the pedals.

 

[kscaddo]

Another vote for the Lectric brand. When we got ours the shipping was inside a week. I had a couple q's and customer service put it right. We have the 2.0 versions. Regards

 

[Jerry Davis]

Thats got more hp then my truck

 

[RVwino]

What is everyone using for N E-bike?

We’ve had a couple of RAD City bikes for six years, now. They are great for zipping around!

Besides the 7 gears and the five levels of Pedal Assist, they also have a throttle. The throttle is great way to zip across intersections after a light change.

I got a traditional frame because of my height. But it isn’t easy to swing my leg over the seat when wearing jeans. When we replace them one day, I’ll likely opt for step-thrus.

Last summer we workamped on an Anderson Island in the Puget Sound. We went everywhere on the island with them.

Bike riders are charged as pedestrians when ferrying to the mainland. So we bought large 3rd-party* saddlebags and did most of our grocery shopping with the bikes, saving on a car fare. *The RAD bags were small and super expensive.

Currently, we’re volunteering at the Point Cabrillo Lightstation in Mendocino. The bikes make it an easy ride between our RV and the lighthouse, especially the uphill part.

 

[Dave & Vicki Lent]

My suggestion if looking for folding ebikes.
Check out the Blix Vika + ebike.
We have 2 of them and love them.
If interested in them, I can recommend you and "refer " you. It'll save you another $50 dollars.
PM me if interested.

 

[Gary1984]

Me and my wife have the Lectric 3.0
The weight is 62lbs . Lectric has their e-bikes on sale and will have a special Labor Day sale also. We have enjoyed ours.

 

[BoredWeasel]

we ran into a fellow who made fun of us on our lectric bikes....basically calling us peasants. he has $8k in what ever he was riding......you know we followed him to the restaurant and arrived at the same time.......and saved round 7k

 

[justdede]

My husband and I had two Lectric 3.0 bikes. Overall I loved them. They did have some mechanical issues which we managed to take care of. The most important problem was my husband has cervical stenosis and there is noway we could get the bike configured appropriately so he can sit upright and not cause him neck pain. the other issue is that the 3.0 is a cadence sensor and after trying a torque sensor we preferred that. So we went on a search for new bikes. We looked at Aventon, Rad, Pedego, Troxus, Specialized and Cannonadle. We came to these conclusions after trying out these bikes. We wanted a bike with a nationwide service network and in particular a local service provider in our area and we definitely wanted a torque sensor and a very upright ride, a low step through and tires between 2.5 and 3 inches. We ended getting a Pedego Boomerang. So far love the bikes. Not without a few minor issues but the most important features (local service and upright ride) are perfect. My advice is try out as many as possible and figure out what works for you. The Lectric bikes were great as first bikes and my two teenage grandchildren "inherited" them and they were happy.

 

[mbarry1834]

I have a RAD Expand foldable bike. Will go 40 miles on a full charge. Well made. Closeout on RAD Rover 6 for $999.00 radpowerbikes.com

 

[quailphish]

My suggestion if looking for folding ebikes.
Check out the Blix Vika + ebike.
We have 2 of them and love them.
If interested in them, I can recommend you and "refer " you. It'll save you another $50 dollars.
PM me if interested.

We have these too and like them. Great to take on the boat too!

 

[M&Lcamping]

Love our Lectric bikes, they are the 2.0 version, purchased in 2021. Over 200 miles on both of them and no issues at all.

 

[rocklorrie]

Familiarize yourself with the different types of e-bikes. Type 1,2 or 3. Type one require you to pedal to work, type 2 have a throttle and require pedaling but throttle provides a boost. Type 3 can be powered without peddling. Type1 are normally accepted any where e-bikes are allowed where 2&3 aren’t. We currently in Sun River, OR with 30+ of paths and only Type 1 are allowed. This is also the case with many NPS areas though it isn’t always enforced. At Acadia NP it is strictly enforced. We have Type 2 but remove the throttle in areas where they aren’t allowed.

 

[goducks14]

Be aware that Ebikes have two different types of pedal sensors.
Torque and cadence.
Torque sensors are generally regarded as a more natural pedal feel. The harder you press on the pedals the faster you go.
Cadence don't require the same pedal pressure, hence they get the term ghost pedaling where the rider is going 15 mph but they look like they're only pedaling fast enough to go 5 mph.

Then there's the hub style.
Mid drive or Hub drive.
Mid drive has the motor at the crank (Pedals) and Hub drive is at the rear axle.
Mid drive is the most non ebike feeling.
Hub is heaving in the rear and can cause a balance issue but generally not when pedaling leisurely.

The other issue with cadence sensors is they can be abrupt on take off. They have a tendency to lurch the bike forward once the pedal has rotated a little.

The less you pay the less technology and refinement you get.

Best thing to do is ride several to get a feel for what feels the most comfortable.

 

[lineman1234]

I still might make my currant MT bike a mid drive. But, wile looking i came across 4 options for making an electric bike. Mid drive, rear drive, front drive, front and rear drive.
Also came across 2 voltages, 36 and 48.

Front and rear, seemed good for the fat tire bikes to go on the sandy beach.

 

[BigSwick]

Maybe you ought to get one of these 80 mph hotrods....
https://hpcbikes.com/collections/electric-bikes/products/revolution-w



quite pricey though.

 

[Gpo1958]

My wife and I have Trek e-bikes and love them. Our Trek's (the Dual Sport+ and FX+) have hub-mounted motors, which make them much lighter (32ish lbs.) and less expensive ($2300 each) than the more expensive Trek bikes ($4800) with the crank mounted motor. The thing that you give up is range, a very natural bike riding feel and some wi-fi tech. The range on our bikes on the low assist setting is about 40 miles, but only about 15 miles on the high assist setting. We only use the high assist into very heavy winds or up very steep hills. Most of the time my wife rides with the power off because the bike is so light. You can't do that with the heavier e-bikes. I always turn the power on because I'm lazy, fat and my butt can't stay on a bike seat for 40 miles anyway.....

 

[txloser]

We got a couple Lectric 3.0’s delivered today. These will really just be used when we travel. First impressions….

Not a great bike as far as the bike part of it. First off, they’re ugly. But I knew that going into it. I try not to make eye contact with them. Pretty good fit for travel since the weight is easily manageable and on the cheaper side. Out of the box they had a couple small cosmetic blemishes but don’t really care about that. One bike is perfect mechanically. The other has some brake rub, but I’ll give that a little time. I like that I can adjust one to fit myself, my wife or my teenage son. They are fun to ride. Truly is cheating riding one of these.

I’ll probably still bring my analog Trek mountain bike when there’s good trails nearby. But these will be great for running around the larger campgrounds. The bike I really want is a Trek electric mountain bike, but it’s about 7k and isn’t allowed on the trails I ride. So that’s out.

Took some adjusting to get on my bike rack, but it’ll work so that’s good.

 

[kscaddo]

I like my Lectic 2.0. Being that I am 6'6" it is easy to adjust to fit me. Regards.