Which electric bike is a smarter choice?

dhagman

dhagman

1 µW
Joined
Aug 22, 2015
Messages
2
Hi,

I am considering buying an electric bike this weekend and I am looking at both the GenZe e101 sport bike and the Emazing black daedalus 72pv. I live in San Francisco and there are a fair amount of hills (although I can take a more flat road to work). The GenZe e101 comes with a year warranty and wasn't used much. The Emazing black daedalus is owned by a suburban father who didn't ride it much.

If you could buy either one at the same price, which one would you choose?

Thank you,

Drew
 
mark5 said:
Mahindra GenZe e101 Sport e-Bike
"36V 250W Brushless Rear Hub Motor"

Emazing Daedalus 72pv
"250W DC brushless motor installed in rear wheel"
"27.5"/700c wheel road/commuter electric bike"
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Mark but I am still unsure which to choose. I have done lots of research already. Main difference between the bike is the peddle assist versus the throttle, but I'm also wondering if the Emazing bike is faster. I have read from some websites that the top speed of the GenZe is only 16mph, but I have also read from other websites that it goes 20mph.

I'm looking for some expert opinions before I pay a lot of money for this bike.
 
Only posted those as a courtesy to people who can answer your question.
 
Prices would be a first question. As to use, I'd wonder how they treated the batteries. I picked up a used battery, with warranty. It had "light use". It failed and was covered but it obviously had been abused. Likely left on the charger constantly. Not good for what I've learned and seen. Again, I'd like to know what they are selling for. They are both also probably somewhat anemic for SF hills, but you don't mention how you ride. Good shape and want mild assist, or old fart that needs power. Or somewhere in between.

I think I'd expect to potentially need a new battery. Kinaye is sold out but had a compatible batt for $300. 8.7Ah battery is pretty anemic too. I see the Emazing is quite a bit lighter with battery. But I've never touched or seen the quality.
 
No 1st hand experience but I’m not blown away by either of them. By specs I kinda favor the Emazing. If for no other reason than it’s 10lbs lighter which is always king for city use.

I’ve kit-built a couple similar 700c bikes (see sig) and it can be a great platform for city riding. 250W is pretty mild rating though. I like 'em delivering 700-900W peaks through a small geared motor.
 
If you can get one for $100, you might try it for a while until you figure out it just doesn't have enough power or speed.
 
Neither one will be a stellar hill climber, unless you are very light weight yourself. 250w is not much assist when in a hub, because it has no ability to gear down. 250w in a mid drive can be quite a bit of power, in the lower gears. But as you said, can take a flatter road to work.

One beauty of e bikes, is that there is little pain in taking a longer route, especially if it's a safer route.

I really can't say which will be best for you, but the gut reaction is neither one for hills if you weigh closer to 200 pounds. No surprise they are both for sale, in SF. But would be a great bike in a flat inner city.
 
dhagman said:
Hi,
.....
If you could buy either one at the same price, which one would you choose?

Thank you,

Drew
Click to expand...

The would need to be very very cheap before I would consider either.
And then, only the one with the throttle would be interesting. 16mph is boring, and hardly worth the effort.
 
Go a ride both. Consider which you would rather have.

If you have a spare bike already, should also compare to retrofitting a kit for that money.

I would be looking for more power - I've done the 250w thing, just left me wanting more.
 
How about the Prodeco Phantom X3? It's one of the best. Another choice that I personally like that you may want to have a look at too, is the Watseka XP. And I also agree that 250w is not much power.
 
I would test ride both these bikes and see how they feel. Ride them up a long incline to see if the motor cuts out and also what the top speed is on the Daedalus.
For the hills of SF and especially with limited power, a mid-drive is ideal. If you can consider upping your budget, you can get something like an Izip E3 Peak if you can find one used, or considering building one with something like a Bafang BBS02 with is around $1100 along with a donor bike. I don't mean to turn this into a FS thread, but I will have a bike with the BBS02 for sale pretty soon - PM me if you are interested - I'm in the Bay Area.
 
For San Fransisco 250 Watts if that's the actual motor Wattage doesn't seem like much. Max of 16mph - 18mph didn't do much for me on my first ebike.

I now have a 1000 watt brushless motor on a mountain bike with a 48v 15mah battery. With a Ping Battery it ran 28-30 on flat. With a Calibike 48 Watt I'm around 24-27 flat but I can pedal it up to 28-30 range.

I've found the sweet spot for riding a ebike is around the 22mph - 28mph level. Below 20mph is too slow and very boring. Traveling at 30mph is just too fast and a lot of wind resistance. Too fast means that if anything happens you are toast.

For San Fransisco you'd want a bike with some torque and power.

If you have the money go for a 48v or 52v setup.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Chimera”... Antique style E bike build, circa 1915...why and how
Replies
6
Views
966
classicalgas
C
L
Joe's E-bike build
2
Replies
47
Views
4,372
lightbulb010
L
E-HP
Which electric bike should I buy?
Replies
3
Views
729
MarkJohnston
M
B
2022 M2S Ultra HT (hardtail fat-bike) review
Replies
6
Views
2,332
2old
2
R
    • Like
A critique of mid-drive riding recommendations (and hub drive criticisms)
Replies
15
Views
5,152
Bullfrog
B
Back
Top