I work for an international organisation here and live quite a ways from work, in surrounding France. Biking is my preferred mode of transport

Recently I moved further away so an electric bike seemed a more reasonable option to reduce the time getting to work.

Mistakenly I bought a bike in Italy while on vacation, a Frisbee Dinghi, that the shopowner seemed happy to sell.. It has been difficult to maintain, and after-sale service non-existant, in Italie, but also no one in France knows the bike and no parts are available. The importer in Luzern was the only competent one, but this was too far away.

So after a few attempts, each worsening the state of the bike, I sent it back to the manufacturers, (at a very high cost) but have finally told them to keep the Dinghi, when they wanted 340 euros ... it is barely 2 years old.

Can anyone suggest to me a really good make in electric bike, one that is well enough known to the industry to be able to find support if needed?

I have been riding a traditional Giant for years - I love that bike, and have seen that they made an electric bike. Your views?

Thanks

Mteldj

Bonjour, international.

The first thing you want to do is break away from relying on any bike shops to be able to fix your electric bike. The majority of them, both here in the USA and overseas (not as much), know very little when it comes to electric bikes. If you have some basic tools you can build your own electric bike and have the satisfaction of knowing you can fix it when a component breaks.

You mentioned you ride a Giant. Is it a mountain bike? Does it have the capability of using a bicycle rack where you can attach the e-bike battery and panniers to? If so, you'd be much better off purchasing and installing an electric bicycle kit yourself.

I documented my own e-bike build on this thread: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...onversion-kits

Other e-bike owners using the same kit also contributed to the thread and we are all very happy with the performance of the kit. In addition, the company is very responsive to any issues you have and will respond very quickly with a solution or have a new part on the way to you.

Read the thread listed completely and copy and past the links over to a word document before making any purchases. We had products that worked for a short period before we had to switch over to a different vendor/different product so you'll see the complete history of working and using various parts. We are in the process of getting a more concise "best procedures and products" list and instructions together for future owners of the kit.

There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to install a reliable and very effective e-bike kit with assistance from Papamotor, the kit owners on this forum and those contributing to the thread listed above.

BionX is one of the few companies that have dealers internationally. You'll definately be able to find some in France, and any dealer will have staff trained to instal, maintain and repair the stuff. A few distributors are offerring complete bikes ready to go with an all inclusive warranty.

I would echo the idea that converting a decent quality bike with a good quality e-assist kit is the best way to go - unless you want to spend a small fortune.

I have my doubts about that one. Personally I think it probably depends on where you live. Here in Quebec Velec ebikes are made and designed and fully supported. Besides having a blanket warranty that the best I'm aware of, the machines are preapproved for use as electric assisted vehicles, and between the cost of a kit, buying a bike strong enough to stick it on, and a few extras - you'd be lucky to save a few dollars let alone a small fortune. And thats assuming you think your time's worth nothing anyway.

Agreed, I not aware of a company here that uses a 1,000W motor - and I see no reason to use one either. I have three bikes going at the moment: a 350W; a 350W HT; and a 500W HT version. All will do the maximum legal speed of 32km/hr without pedalling, and handle hills acceptably. The 500W HT is already ridiculous overkill unless you plan on towing a car.

The main item I'm very aware of is that the frames are built specifically to handle the extra weight, vibration and speed that an ebike will see relative to a regular bicycle.

I can't find any meaningful specs on commercial ebikes like this. For me, this is a non-starter. And I really don't think the quality will be all that great at that price.

What the performance is like and how long it will last? What motor, controller is used? What is the torque/efficiency vs speed? Battery C-rating or internal impedance? What is the quality of the frame and components?

International,
RELIABILITY
Thank you for bringing this subject in.
My view is - All depends what you use your ebike for.
One thing is when you live in warm part of USA or Mexico for example and use your ebike for recreation meaning NOT for commuting every working day
another thing is when I live in Western Canada or Europe with severe winters when -10C is average for months so I still want to commute through that winter I need reliable ride.
What does it mean reliable ebike for me?
It means that connectors do not need to be pushed back in the dark and cold when they get loose /good connector has locks they never get loose for 1000s of miles/,
It means that when I am in rain connectors don't allow water in /good connector has rubber gaskets on individual wires and on body/
It means that my motor will NOT allow water in even after 10s of thousends of miles.
It means that battery indicator on my ebike shows real battery used /not cheap useless 3-light gadget/.
It means that I never see any loose spokes for 1000s and 1000s of miles, once quality /and I mean quality/ rim is used with quality bulid it will last and last no need for adjusting, tensioning .
It means that my motor or any electronics never burns and destroys itself, not matter how long I ride uphill /it's called thermal/ overload protection on quality ebike/.
It means to me that my ebike carry me in silence.
All this means $$$$$$$$
You cannot have all this mentioned above on 1,000 dollars ebike,no way.
Stromer bike comes to mind, Panasonic drive bike comes to mind, BionX system is used on quality ebikes like Smart.

This thread is about reliability and for ebike it means reliable electric system components.

Interesting idea. You aren't the first to suggest it. I will look into it more closely when I have a chance.

Thanks a lot

Intl

Yeah, it's true. My Giant is actually pretty light, a street bike; like I said, not the bike I use to go off road, though I've pushed it now and again. Truth be told, I don't think it could fare well with a battery and weight and vibration to boot.

ok, great. I will look to those marks. have yet to see them, but haven't looked up to now. was too busy fixing the other one

thanks everybody. will keep you 'posted' if I see any of those makes.

rscamp
He wants relaible ebike
Cheap Anderson connectors
Motors allowing water in
wires too thin on motors
motors that destroy themselves on overload
Typical "battery meters" which shows empty or full and not much between
crappy duct tape batteries
That is not reliable
to me
Maybe you have different tech standards
One kit comes to mind
FALCO motors
designed to Western standards,manufactured in India.
Sold by Team Hybrid in England
Again,
You cannot go wrong with made in Canada ,software-driven BIONX .
Of course there a way to replace cells yourself in BIONX battery.

Looked at major brands ? German and NL ?

Kalkoff, Gazelle, Koga Miyata, for a few..

Giant is in fact a Giant company one of the Contract manufacturers on Taiwan that are behind making the bikes with other brand names .

I did a great deal of research prior to selecting my daily commuter electric bike. My emphasis was quality, not price. I selected the Pedego City Commuter. I ride it 18 miles round trip daily including hills, rain, etc. I maintain a site with photos and reports of my experiences with this bike.