E-Bikes

[Tracy30]

Originally Posted by Brucelas

We have these. https://lectricebikes.com/
They are not wobbly and unstable, a little heavy but fit perfect in the front storage of my 3791rd

I agree! Very stable, not any more difficult to pedal than a regular bike. Ours go in the front pass-through compartment of our HC 372RD. Love ours!

[Zinnman]

We have two Rad City bikes, the 16” and the 19” and love them as all have mentioned. There combined weight is over 120#s and I will never put them on the back of my Montana. We go long distances and I know about the bounce on the back end. Thus, we had a 2” hitch added to the front of our F350. We purchased the Hollywood rack and have been pleased.

Be careful covering the bikes as the cover can easily block your lights on the truck. We found plugs that fit into the batter connect and we cover the screen with a plastic bag. I had contacted Rad about moisture and the guy told me, “We are in Seattle Washington, it’s wet here all the time”. I’m 65 and my wife a bit younger. These bikes have given us a new lease on outside activities. You will not be disappointed.

[kjohn6363]

The hitch on my Montana will hold up to 500lbs.
The correct cover is important.
Put over 7500 miles on a trip out west last year, not a problem carrying our E-Bikes on the back of the camper.

[jeffba]

Originally Posted by kjohn6363

The hitch on my Montana will hold up to 500lbs.
The correct cover is important.
Put over 7500 miles on a trip out west last year, not a problem carrying our E-Bikes on the back of the camper.

Mine has a sticker saying it is rated for 300 pounds. Even the 2020s that are rated to haul a trailer are rated for a tongue weight of 300.

[Razahoryin]

Check out Sondors e bikes
Very reasonable prices
I love my thin version
Under $1000
They make about 5 dif e bikes
Yes a little heaver then standard bike
But I would not travel without..

[lightsout]

Originally Posted by kjohn6363

The hitch on my Montana will hold up to 500lbs.
The correct cover is important.
Put over 7500 miles on a trip out west last year, not a problem carrying our E-Bikes on the back of the camper.

If your hitch is rated to 500lbs then you have a special one off aftermarket receiver hitch even then In believe the 300lb is also the Keystome limit in terms of frame also. I spoke to Keystone directly about the limits of their hitch as I was planning to haul a Honda Scooter whereas alone was pushing 300lb and the scooter rack was close to 100. My previous two Class A Fleetwood Bounders receiver were only rated at 300lb.

Montana only installs class 2 receivers which have a limit of 300lb they do not offer a class 3.

[lightsout]

Originally Posted by kjohn6363

Our bikes are the Aries and Aurora both 500w Mid Drive motor w/NuVinci N306 Drivetrain
The Rockshox front forks and mono shock rear make them very rideable.

We were only looking at the folding Evelos which have the 250w and 10AH batt.

What we learned about the most current Ebikes and technology is that the higher the watt motor the more robust the motor. One reason other than lower cost that you see 500W motors is Canada has a 500W limit to ride e-bikes on trails (both on and off road). Whereas in the US 750W is the limit. Some Companies make models with both wattage options (Canada and US) whereas some only make one with the lower 500w to accommodate both country's.

For Fat tire (4") Ebikes you want the 750w as it handles the resistance of the 4" tires better as well more torque for off road riding and hill climbing.

For us Folding was the only option as they easily fit in our front basement or the rear basement on our 3791RD, non folding would take a lot (too much) of storage space.

[Gunny B]

We chose pedego bikes as we wanted the ability for them to get serviced in the future. I had some bad experiences with mopeds and getting them serviced. The moped from China had no OEM parts available for sale, so when we saw ebikes from China we thought the support afterwards was non existing. Saw one response to a purchase where a buyer was trying to find a battery now and was not having any luck. The other was a Peugeot moped we bought from monkey wards and had the same problem when the pedals broke and the throttle cable. When it comes to locking ours up I use multiple locks and not the cheap ones either. Our bikes have GPS on them to for tracking purposes and alarms are sent to my phone if they are fiddled with.

[jeffba]

Originally Posted by Gunny B

We chose pedego bikes as we wanted the ability for them to get serviced in the future. I had some bad experiences with mopeds and getting them serviced. The moped from China had no OEM parts available for sale, so when we saw ebikes from China we thought the support afterwards was non existing. Saw one response to a purchase where a buyer was trying to find a battery now and was not having any luck. The other was a Peugeot moped we bought from monkey wards and had the same problem when the pedals broke and the throttle cable. When it comes to locking ours up I use multiple locks and not the cheap ones either. Our bikes have GPS on them to for tracking purposes and alarms are sent to my phone if they are fiddled with.

You may have issues finding parts for the same reasons with pedego bikes

Where are pedego bikes made?
It is the largest electric bike retailer in the United States. Pedego produces several models which are produced in Vietnam, with many components coming from other countries such as Japan, Germany, Italy and China.

[jeffba]

What is holding me back from an E-Bike, besides price, is battery replacements. All I have seen the batteries are good for 800 cycles. And from what I have seen, they are for the most part proprietary. So once the battery dies so does the bike

[rvman]

FTH Power Works can rebuild virtually any E-bike battery. Here is a video from Electric Bike Review that explains their process in detail.

[lightsout]

Originally Posted by jeffba

What is holding me back from an E-Bike, besides price, is battery replacements. All I have seen the batteries are good for 800 cycles. And from what I have seen, they are for the most part proprietary. So once the battery dies so does the bike

I do not think any of the Ebikes are made in the US and most are Asia, however to address your battery issue is probably the least of the maintenance issues with Ebikes, the Motor in the Hub and the Controller will be more the short term issues, however those are all replaceable including the battery, while these are all proprietary to each brand as long as you select a reputable US based brand parts should not be an issue at least for the next 5-8 years. Like most technology these days it all has limited useful shelf life.

So with that said buy from a seller that is US based preferrably with brick and morter support as many of the Ebike Brands mentioned here are. Then buy directly from that source not just some store that sells them and can change brands at any time. Call the Ebike tech support just to see how responsive they are. Before we Purchased our RAD's I call their tech support with questions amazingly I got a real person in less than 1 minute.

As for the battery life you can always buy a spare battery at time you purchase the ebike, keep in mind though these batteries are designed to last.


Just do not buy one without seeing it and riding it first.

[bigred715]

We prefer our 7 speed street bikes that you actually have to pedal by human power. No worry of batteries and being too heavy. I'm 72 and still enjoy the physical part of biking. If PNW Fireguy lives in Washington, how can he tow triple? Our "real" bikes are way cheaper and are still going after 10 yrs.

[Gunny B]

Thanks for the post. I knew they are likely to be rebuild able able especially when one cell goes out. I've been dreading the day I have to buy a battery as they may run close to about $1k for a 48 volt lithium.

[Gunny B]

Originally Posted by bigred715

We prefer our 7 speed street bikes that you actually have to pedal by human power. No worry of batteries and being too heavy. I'm 72 and still enjoy the physical part of biking. If PNW Fireguy lives in Washington, how can he tow triple? Our "real" bikes are way cheaper and are still going after 10 yrs.

The wife and I did a 60 mile ride last summer and that's something we would have never been able to do 40 years ago and a bit younger too. We are disabled so these e bikes gets out again.

[PNW Fireguy]

Because he uses a Freedom Hauler, formerly known as Idaho Tote, which is not a trailer but yet an extension or dollly which 49 DOT’s agree with.

[jeffba]

Originally Posted by rvman

FTH Power Works can rebuild virtually any E-bike battery. Here is a video from Electric Bike Review that explains their process in detail.

Great video. Nice to know that there are places to get the batteries rebuilt. That way the bike does not become a throwaway

[rvman]

There are three basic types of motors. Direct Drive, which is the larger sized motor, is generally quieter, has less off the line power and climbing ability and is the quietest for the money. Hub gear drive motors are smaller, have faster take off and better hill climbing ability, but can be noisy under load and are less efficient at high speed. Mid Drive motors are at the crank position and are on higher end bikes. Brose and Bosch are the motor builders of choice for mid drive. Road legal in most US states is 750W max and in Canada the limit is 500W. Class 3 bikes with a throttle that allows speeds of over 20MPH are legally tricky in some jurisdictions.

[richeyb]

I purchased a M2S All Terrain 500 with fat tires.... it come with front suspension and I’ve added a Crane Creek Thudbuster seat post to help, with rough roads. Battery provides up to 35 miles range with pedal assist. Weight 70# but easy to load into my TH space. I use it for great low impact exercise since you must pedal to keep the electric motor providing power. At 70# with fat tires it is a heavy push to pedal without assist. I went with the 500 due to the price point of approx $1200. and don’t think I have any plans for any long trips. M2S are a company in Flordia shipping bikes made in China, so far they have provided quick response to any service questions.

[Gunny B]

We were at Gulf Shores State Park and they would only allow those that are disabled to use them on the trails. When we saw the park rangers we would be pedaling. Myrtle Beach is really bike friendly. On the Nickel Plate trail we were harassed by somebody on a normal bike pointing to a sign indicating no motorized vehicles. I ended up saying I would be glad to call the police and discuss this with you further. You hear alot of complaints about ebikes being so fast, but we are passed up all of the time by riders wearing black spandex shorts. No motorized vehicles would mean those in scooters or motorized wheelchairs are not allowed either. Personally I think it's a ADA issue. I might start hanging my handicap placard on my bike. Most purchases of ebikes are by those that are 55+, and have the income to buy expensive toys like a Montana. On the street going to and from work each day is the only time I'll be doing 23mph trying to get to work on time. Plus I'm dealing with automobile traffic so speed is based up road conditions too.