electric bikes

[chris poulsen]

I am considering a his and hers electric bikes to haul on the rear of my GMC. My wife and I are 70 years old.
This seems like a better option than a toad.
Any suggestions?

 

[bdub]

I got a couple I'll sell ya. We're not willing to give up air conditioning.

 

[Christo]

I am considering a his and hers electric bikes to haul on the rear of my GMC. My wife and I are 70 years old.
This seems like a better option than a toad.
Any suggestions?

We have a couple of Lectric bikes on a Swagman E-Spec rack. They've worked out well, good value for the money and a reputable/popular brand.

 

[LarryW]

I am looking for a e-trike. a 3wheel E-bike that can fold small enough and light enough to put in a Honda hatchback. Anybody got one they would recommend?

 

[Scott Nutter]

My brand of preference is Aventon. The model is the Pace 500. They have a step through frame if needed.
It’s 8 speed with throttle assist and a thumb throttle if you don’t want to peddle. Around $1,500.
We have 2 and seek out state campgrounds with miles of bike trails. Our favorite is Gulf state campground in Gulf Shores Alabama.

 

[Christo]

I am looking for a e-trike. a 3wheel E-bike that can fold small enough and light enough to put in a Honda hatchback. Anybody got one they would recommend?

Lectric also makes a trike. I like the brand.

 

[boybach]

Just get a couple of cheap ones with decent range off Amazon. For the amount you'll end up using them, they'll be fine. Most of the expensive ones are just status symbols and clever marketing. I've built and repaired several electric bikes, built electric bike batteries from raw cells and repaired e bike controllers. Stay away from brands with proprietary components unless you have money to burn.

 

[Tybalt39]

Just get a couple of cheap ones with decent range off Amazon. For the amount you'll end up using them, they'll be fine. Most of the expensive ones are just status symbols and clever marketing. I've built and repaired several electric bikes, built electric bike batteries from raw cells and repaired e bike controllers. Stay away from brands with proprietary components unless you have money to burn.

What he said.

I've also built an eBike (I wanted a full-size folding bike with high power and full-size wheels). What a learning curve! And all of the bike-specific tools I had to acquire (not expensive, but a pain to wait for them to arrive).

I ended-up with a 1KW hub-motor with pedal-assist (but not torque-based) and replacing every component on the original "donor" folding bike. Yes, I can go 30+mph (who would do that on two skinny wheels and no roll-cage at my age?), but if I was doing it again I'd buy from Amazon and call it good.

 

[Kendra]

Rad Power Bikes company-owned retail locations have an annual sale one specific Saturday in late March or early April. Six west coast locations + Salt Lake City, Denver, and Tampa. If you are within driving distance and get on their email list, they announce the sale a few weeks in advance. I waited in line at their Seattle store an hour before opening. Some people were in line several hours, and people arriving at opening time were too late. I bought a $2k bike for $1k, current model with one mile on the odometer. Some are excess inventory in new condition, some are scratch & dent. Best deals sell to first in line. I overheard one person bought several the previous year and flipped them for profit on Craigslist.

This is only at their "Rad Retail" locations - not the larger number of 3rd party resellers.

 

[boybach]

This is only at their "Rad Retail" locations - not the larger number of 3rd party resellers.

Rad bikes are nice but use exclusively Rad components, including connectors thereby locking you to the Rad environment and upgrades/accessories/batteries. In my experience, very few if any local bicycle repair shops will service, sell parts or repair Rad bikes. Kind of an Apple or Sony mentality, but hey lots of people use I-products and even bought the Elcaset back in the day too.

 

[Tybalt39]

Rad bikes are nice but use exclusively Rad components, including connectors thereby locking you to the Rad environment and upgrades/accessories/batteries. In my experience, very few if any local bicycle repair shops will service, sell parts or repair Rad bikes. Kind of an Apple or Sony mentality, but hey lots of people use I-products and even bought the Elcaset back in the day too.

L-cassette... That's a blast from the past! Mid 70`s....

 

[Christo]

What he said.

I've also built an eBike (I wanted a full-size folding bike with high power and full-size wheels). What a learning curve! And all of the bike-specific tools I had to acquire (not expensive, but a pain to wait for them to arrive).

I ended-up with a 1KW hub-motor with pedal-assist (but not torque-based) and replacing every component on the original "donor" folding bike. Yes, I can go 30+mph (who would do that on two skinny wheels and no roll-cage at my age?), but if I was doing it again I'd buy from Amazon and call it good.

Torque-based pedal assist is a superior experience. I think Lectric offers that now; wish I had it on mine.

 

[Marco K.]

Here's a photo of my 1973 GMC showing the heavy-duty single bicycle THULE rack and my "stealth" 2017 Specialized Turbo Levo Comp Mountain eBike -- an eMTB with a Bosch motor, pedal assist, a battery integrated into the frame, and 33 miles of range. I service it on a regular basis, charge the battery every 90 days (as per the manufacturer's instructions), and so far, have had no issues or component failures in all the years I've been riding it.

The Turbo Levo ebike was a direct replacement for my "Stumpjumper" -- a regular ol' mountain bike that I rode on the streets of NYC for years (a Trek MTB on the streets of London before that). By 2010, I thought I'd have to give up cycling forever -- I'd developed really painful arthritis in both knees. A few years later the eBike revolution began...

Unlike the Specialized Stumpjumper which weighs around 15Kg (depending on the variant), my Turbo Levo Comp comes in at around 25Kg, so no "bunny hopping" or mountain biking for me. I stick to gentle riding on hard surfaces, gravel, and dirt trails these days, although I do like to take the occasional trip to NYC via Amtrak to ride familiar streets and avenues in Manhattan and touring my old Brooklyn neighborhood when train ticket prices drop to $12-$24 each way.

 

[Christo]

Here's a photo of my 1973 GMC showing the heavy-duty single bicycle THULE rack and my "stealth" 2017 Specialized Turbo Levo Comp Mountain eBike -- an eMTB with a Bosch motor, pedal assist, a battery integrated into the frame, and 33 miles of range. I service it on a regular basis, charge the battery every 90 days (during the cold months), and so far, have had no issues or component failures in all the years I've been riding it.

The Turbo Levo ebike was a direct replacement for my "Stumpjumper" -- a regular ol' mountain bike that I rode on the streets of NYC for years (a Trek MTB on the streets of London before that). By 2010, I thought I'd have to give up cycling forever -- I'd developed really painful arthritis in both knees. A few years later the eBike revolution began...

Unlike the Specialized Stumpjumper which weighs around 15Kg (depending on the variant), my Turbo Levo Comp comes in at around 25Kg, so no "bunny hopping" or mountain biking for me. I stick to gentle riding on hard surfaces, gravel, and dirt trails these days, although I do like to take the occasional trip to NYC via Amtrak to ride familiar streets and avenues in Manhattan and touring my old Brooklyn neighborhood when train ticket prices drop to $12-$24 each way.

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FYI, for long term storage it's best to leave batteries at about 50% charge rather than full charge.

 

[Marco K.]

Thanks for the tip, @Christo.