cyber.snow

My wife and I have been riding hybrids relatively flat land and typically ride 20-30 miles a trip. We have a cabin up in Northern Idaho and as we get older, the hills are getting steeper. Recently we rented some E-mountain bikes in NZ, where there were nothing but steep hills and decided that a good e-bike is now what we want to get.

The more I read about them, the more confused I get.

Since I am more of a Clydesdale than your typical lean road biker, I need something that will really help on those long steep climbs. I think I need a mid drive system and something close to 500 watts or better.

Do I try to convert my Trek 7.4FXs or just bite the bullet and buy new bikes? If new, I would like to stay under $4,000 a hike. I have looked at a few, but they seem to run the Bosch system which appears to be 350 watts.

Most of our riding (70%) is on roads with the remainder on gravel roads or bike paths. I would like to be able to actually ride 30 miles plus on a charge.

As we are really new at this, any advice, recommendations, etc., is appreciated.

dilkes

A good option for an add-on kit:
Bafang BBSHD 1000 Mid Drive Kit - IN STOCK!
Lots of torque plus uses the gears on the rear cassette.

admrlawesome

I'm pretty new to this as well. From all of the research that I've done, Flux bikes offer some of the most bang for the buck. It's mid motor with a good amount of torque so it'll get you up those hills. Plus you can pick one up between $1150 - $1850 depending on your suspension needs. The one I went with is the roadster because I'm planning on staying on paved paths. Check them out. Here's the link. https://igg.me/at/fluxbike/x/13548539

NoPhart

If you don't want to convert an existing bike that you fit and like, I'd wait just a few months to see what all the new offerings are from the E-bike builders. They are changing fast and batteries getting better too. Thirty miles doesn't seem like much when you read the "stated" ranges, but that is a high range and would normally require about a 600Wh battery; something not common at present.

I just now came across this new Focus entry that does have a 612Wh battery, great gearing for eMTB riding when you require hill climbing ability, has a lockout on the somewhat low end RockShox fork, shift sensors, etc... (Don't know the price?)

https://www.focus-bikes.com/us/en/bikes/2016/electric/e-sport-jarifa-i29/jarifa-i29-pro.html

It looks like a quality build on paper, but does only have a 350W/36V motor. That is the same as my current BaFang with ~400Wh battery. Best to just simply divide the Wh by 20 for an estimated range at full power. I get ~20 miles, so my best guess is this bike should be able to get a relaible ~30 miles.

Actually 350W/36V motors provide a lot of assist. The only area it lags is when climbing steep hills. That can be overcome by proper gearing. With a 36 x 10-42 11spd that Focus should be a good climber!

At your price point you can easily look at the Bosch and Yamaha powered Haibikes. In fact if you are willing to spend $4K per bike (most people aren't), then there are plenty of bikes out there for you to test ride.

Always best to test ride the bike before you buy it. If you have the means, go to one of the E-Bike Expo's and ride them all.

I mention this new Focus Jarifa I29 Pro because you want a "reliable" 30 mile range and hill climbing ability. A 600Wh+ battery and gearing are your keys to that.

Good luck!

ADDED FOR REFERENCE: I'm 6'2" 225lbs.

fancyui

i think you need a mountain ebike, these ebikes usually use lithium battery, 500 watss ebikes really need time to look for.

tattoogunman

Look at something like the iZip Dash - it's a mountain bike with 500w motor and REI has them on clearance for 50% off in my area (so they are $1600). Just about every store in my area has all of their ebikes on clearance right now for 50% off because they either aren't selling or they are clearing out the old models, so I would check around.

Doc_Wui

There are a few shops in Sacramento that sell e-bikes. Test them. Make a deal.

As for 30 miles, it's possible if you're willing to put in some pedalling. It would be boring to coast with the thumb on a button anyway.

jjr

Hi there,

I own a 28" Pedego City Commuter bike and I commute daily with it to and from work, 30 miles round trip. I bought the bike last year and I've put about 2000 miles on it just commuting back and forth to work. I'm quite happy with this bike and glad I bought it. I bought the 48v version with 15ah battery which cost me $3200.00. At the end of my 30 mile round trip commute, I still have enough charge on the battery to go another 20 miles but, I put it on the charger when I get home so that it's ready each day. I live in Westminster Colorado and commute down the Niver creek and South Platte river trails to downtown Denver. It's mostly flat on the Platte River Trail but the Niver creek trail gets quite hilly. Anyway, I highly recommend this bike but if I had to do it again, I'd buy the step-through version for easier mounting and dismounting.

BTW, I use panniers on this bike and found it hard to find any that fit the rear rack. I did find that Ortlieb panniers work quite well on it but, you have to buy the 20mm clips as they are the ones that fit on this bikes rack. THe 20mm clips are about $15.00

Here is an online review of the bike: https://electricbikereview.com/pedego/city-commuter/

Good luck in selecting your bike.

John

cyber.snow

I looked at this, but am not sure what comes with it and what I need to buy extra. Any ideas?

cyber.snow

I looked at this, but am not sure what comes with it and what I need to buy extra. Any ideas?

dilkes

The BBSHD kit is self-contained and the only other thing you absolutely need is a battery (48V or 52V) and charger. There are some other options you can choose if you wish, with the main ones being a "gear sensor" and a different "chain ring".
At Bafang BBSHD 1000 Mid Drive Kit - IN STOCK!, you can see the whole ordering business and options.
Also there is a Forum at Bafang Mid Drives - Electricbike.com Forum which has a lot of discussion about the kit, including an install video.
Also some interesting stuff at https://electricbike-blog.com/tag/bbshd/

Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in Luna Cycles, but they seem to have a good reputation and are US based.

speedy25

admrlawesome is sounding more like a corporate shill than anything else. The Flux bike might be good but nobody has one to tell for sure.

Check out Haibike for what you want. They have the new Yamaha mid drive that works VERY well. While I didnt have any real hills to test ride any of these bikes on I did like the Yamaha over the Bosch system which really is good too.

If you want the big watts to go flying up a hill you have to build it yourself.

-SP

cyber.snow

i went to the website but discovered that the motor is only 250 watts. This might be great for the city, but I doubt if it will handle a really steep long hill. Plus, the delivery date for this unknown bike is July. Will pass on this one.

allan6344

I would recommend visiting a few e-bike shops in your area to see what you like. On a whim I stopped in an ebike shop that was next to a "regular" bike store. I went from not even thinking about an e-bike to getting a Specialized Turbo. It wasn't even on the original list but it's the one that rode best for me. Build your own or have your own adapted is also a very good option too.

2old

To give you an idea of range, my friend and I ascended a nine mile, 3000'+ elevation gain trail yesterday at an average of 8 mph or so (we were gabbing and getting moderate exercise). He rode a Felt hardtail with Bosch 350w motor, 400 w/h battery while I was on a steel hardtail with 750w BBS02 and a Luna 52V, 10 a/h battery. He used 60% of his battery while mine was almost drained. Of course, the nine miles back was mostly on the brakes. Haibike has SDURO (Yahama) systems, which should have similar range, for less than $3000. I'd consider making a deal for two, or if it's feasible economically, for XDUROs if I were you.

BruceMetras

Well, if your friend had a battery with 40 times the capacity of yours, I could see where he would have plenty of juice left... :-)

2old

Bruce, thanks for catching that (didn't think that anyone read my posts); made the correction.

Robert C

I will point out that, in most areas, visiting a few e-bike shops is as practical as visiting a few recumbent bike shops. If you have one within a hundred miles then you are in a unique location. Like recumbents (or a velo-mobile), e-bikes are often purchased sight unseen.

BruceMetras

Sure, I read them! Being new to e-bikes, I'm a reading fool so I can try to make good decisions upfront and avoid falling over the edge on my projects ...

I'm finding e-bike efficiency has so many variables .. just got a new dashboard for one of my BBS02 bikes .. shows instant amp draw or watts usage while under way.. easy to see a downshift can cut watts in half .. or a reduction in speed of 2 or 3 mph .. or watch it go up with the slightest incline, or drop to zero as soon as you pedal over whatever assistance level you are using.. yesterday, ran a routine, mildly hilly 15mile loop with a speed of 20 to 25mph for most of it.. lots of headwind for the last few miles .. I was running along at between 200 and 300 watts until I hit the headwind.. up and over 500 watts .. downshifted, reduced my speed to 20 and tried to pedal hard enough to keep it below 400 watts.. end result after 15 miles , about 14 watt/mile... same route and same speed without the wind, 10 or 11 watt/mile

dilkes

Which dashboard is it that gives that watts used info? I have the C965 display and was thinking of getting a Cycle Analyst but maybe this would be a better option?

BruceMetras

It's the new Luna color display .. you can toggle between whether amps or watts are showing while underway.. also has a voltmeter at the top .. it doesn't accumulate watts/amp data, but shows what you're doing at the time you're doing it.. the data accumulated is the normal speed/distance logs..

allan6344

I should have said if possible visit a few stores. We have a least three specialty e-bike stores in Seattle and I don't know how many shops with a mixed fleet. I just found the bikes I thought I wanted from reviews were not on the list after a test ride. I considered Bafang to convert a bike but I wanted a better pedelec sensor.

cyber.snow

I am still in New Zealand on vacation. We have rented e bikes twice now but both were driven at the rear axel. We did have the chance to rent one that had front wheel drive but have not seen any rentals with mid drive.

i am now considering just building one. I have a Trek 7.4 (hybrid), a Felt V85 gravel bike (disc brakes, fiber front fork, Shimano 105 gears, aluminum frame) and a Surly Disc Trucker (steel frame, 26" wheels, disc brakes). Are any of these good candidates for an upgrade (like a Bafang 1kw)? Or should I be cruising Craig's list for a mountain bike?

powell

voltmeter at the top?
pretty useless indication of State of Charge SOC of battery. Modern Lithium cells have such flat discharge curve so voltage is VERY approximate indication of SOC of the pack. Real ebikes ebike drives like FALCO use Columb count chip to display accurate SOC.
Cycle Analist CA is real deal - indicate Ahours used, Whours used, etc. but it cost 10% of price of many ebikes - $160-170

BruceMetras

Knowing volts is an indicator of SOC if you know your battery and monitor your charging and record your readings .. that V reading tells ME approximately how many amps I used in 15 miles based on charge scenarios from the past .. certainly a CA is a better meter with much more functionality .. I have two coming my way next week.. but for a BBSxx system, it is a nice plug and play step up from the stock dashboards..