Electric Bikes - Why is this so inexpensive...?

I was looking for my stolen bike on an online listing and I saw this electric bike for 300$. They said it goes up to 20 mph and has the option of peddling with or without the boost from the motor. And the charge lasts for 40 miles. 300$ seems inexpensive, especially because it is brand new this year, here is a picture:

http://images.craigslist.org/3nd3of3l1ZZZZZZZZZ97b29949a69ad9614c2.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3p93o03l5ZZZZZZZZZ97b6792e240b5ee1544.jpg

I have contacted the seller to come see it and test drive it in person. It just looks soooo nice! Do you know what kind of e-bike it is? Is it too inexpensive? Is there a problem I should look for when I go see it?

at $300, if you like it, then by all means pls buy it. that is an excellent price for any ebike.

Since it's new this year, what is the price of a new one? That's really the only way to know if it's a good deal.

I wouldn't let the abandoned grocery cart or the car with the mis-matched front fender in the the background of the first picture bother me, much.

This is definitely a cheap Chinese import. But you can't beat $300! Of course, you should make sure it includes the battery. The picture shows the bike without the battery pack installed...

Battery's usually mounted on the chassis, so you won't see that (and you charge it on the bike).

One thing - make sure its something you want. Anything that looks like scooter/moped will be stopped by police since it won't have a license plate. You'll get away with it since its a bike... but how many time would you like to be stopped!

Battery's usually mounted on the chassis, so you won't see that (and you charge it on the bike).

Battery is supposed to be under the seat... it's not in the picture...

I don't want to spoil the party here. The bike cannot be of good quality and cost $300. You will constantly have problems with it. It will require replacement of many of the parts, that is if you can find replacement parts for it.

40 miles is an outrageous number for any ebike let alone one that costs $300.

The seat position and the pedal position don't look right. It won't be comfortable to pedal.

Caveat Emptor!

Don't listen to the nah sayers. The Chinese are making great e-bikes these days. The brushless hub motors last a long time and the mechanical parts last forever. The first thing that will have problems is the batteries. They are obviously SLA and will need to be replaced after only 300 charge cycles. That may be the reason it is cheap: time for new batteries. The controllers are the next thing that will give you problems, but they are cheap, easy to find, and easy to replace. At $300, this bike is a great deal, even if you have to spend $120 for a new set of batteries. With a 40 mile range it must have 20Ah batteries. What is the voltage, motor wattage, and battery amp-hours?
-Tom

40 miles is an outrageous number for any ebike let alone one that costs $300.

While it may be a good ebike, the 40 mile range figure is almost certainly flat-out wrong.

20 miles is more likely, if the batteries are in fairly good condition.

40 miles is doable if you travel most of the way on pure pedal power, but believe me, that ebike ain't made for that!

for this bike 300 dollar is posibile in China, and incude battery under the seat or on chassis where you could not see. Your photo indicates the battery is behind the seat but before the rear rack.

In China there are many ebike shops on the street, also some scooters shops can also repair them. If your bike is broken it's very easy to find a shop to repair and find replacements easily. So the conclusion is if there are also many ebike shops in your city, just feel free to buy a cheap bike. Otherwise you might be left by the bike on the street without any help.

I found some like this on ebay. Looks like it is 550W, 48V, 12Ah. It says it goes 40 miles. Hard to believe, but maybe if you accelerate slow.

Looks the same, but the one shown here does not have a battery pack. Maybe that is why it is so cheap. (4) 12Ah batteries will cost about $200+. And if it doesn't have the battery case, that might be a pain. Shouldn't be too much of a problem if you know how to solder. Just solder up a wiring harness and your good to go. Make sure to protect it from water for when it rains!

-Tom
www.abqelectriccycles.com

Oh, here is the link:
http://www.cozybikes.com/bikeinfo.htm
-Tom

Looks difficult to pedal. I have looked at a few of those. The pedals are realy there to make it not an electric scooter/bike. If you can test it out and it pedals comfortably, it may be a good deal.

This is one of the electric bike typically used in China on public roads & streets. Most people in China use it as a scooter more than a bicycle. As for the battery, it will last for less than 20 honest miles at 15 MPH in US standard. I know because I have been in China many many times. Even the famous local bicycle shops named Giant do sell this types of electric bikes. If I were you, I would buy an electric bike from Walmart instead since the one you mentioned does not allows you to shift and pedal like a real bike. :)

At only $300 it's more than likely to be a lead acid battery (or as some have suggested no battery at all) - very heavy, limited life, and old technology. I would pay extra for a Lithium or LiFePO4 battery - much lighter than lead acid and lasts much longer. Also the riding position does not look comfortable. But ultimately its up to you as to how you spend your money and a cheap, heavy, lead acid battery bike might serve your purposes.