Looking for people that own E-bikes

Streamingpete

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Apr 18, 2018
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Hello Everyone

New to the forum, trying to learn more about E-bikes. In the last year I have started a tech blog and during my searching, I discovered many new E-bikes and instantly fell in love with them and wanted to include them on my blog and eventfully purchase one.

Since an E-bike is not cheap I thought I would research my options before I buy an E-bike. Living in Northern Canada E-Bike selection is limited and so far are not that common. Getting hands-on information is a problem that I think is common for many people wanting to purchase a new E-Bike in a more rural area.

I am looking for people that presently own an E-Bike and would be willing to do an interview with me about their E-Bike.

I would like to interview you on Skype and ask you a number of questions about your E-bike and personal experience. This should take about an hour or less. I would like to have a good time with you and have you share your thoughts on your bike. You can then send a few pictures of your E-bike and I will include them in a post on my blog.

If anyone is interested please contact me and we can set up an interview date.
 
Cecil and I are not interested in an interview however we disagree that Ebikes are expensive. Only ready-built production ebikes are expensive. If you add a motor to a regular bike to make it an ebike it can be much less expensive. There is a huge markup on ebikes, especially the quality ones. One can easily build a nice brand new full suspension bike with a mid drive motor for $1500 that will compete with a production model that sells for $3000-4000. It only takes a few hours to install a mid drive motor, controls, and battery. And if you start off with a used or cheaper bike the costs can be way less that that. You can build a decent ebike for $600 or less plus a donor bike.
 
Many on this site use a BBS kit or diy hub kit attached to a frame on hand or purchased just for the job.

bafang-bbshd-48v-1000w.jpg


DIY wheel combo kits

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Prices go up with the performance of the kits.

To give your blog a rounded outlook be good to include interviews with ebikers who prefer the diy or hobby approach to transportation :D

Be sure to interview e riders who have years of experience ( count me out )
 
Yes, one can build a inexpensive ebike. With my cheapest battery, I'm riding a ebike where the conversion ($300 USD) cost less than the sales tax on a $3999USD Trek. Then again, I've put over $1000 into another ebike. You can do what you want.

I don't follow the perception that a expensive ebike is to a cheap ebike like a Lexus to a Ford. With cars, you get what you pay for in comfort, accessories, and performance, but bicycles are basically the same experience. We ride exposed to the wind and cold. No navigation, music, memory seats, etc. They all go the same speed, if you buy production ebikes Do it your selfers can go faster, if they wish. The featherweight components and light frames that make a great pedal bike so expensive don't hardly matter with a motor. A inexpensive well made bike can be made into a nice ebike. Even bike shaped objects can be upgraded and fitted to become decent ebikes.
 
If you think ebikes have to be expensive, just look at my sig line.
 
If I lived in a Northern , and Rural area I would Focus my Search on only Plus Size Tire Bikes ( 3 inch wide tires )
and
Fat Tire Bikes ( 4 inch wide tires )
A Mid-Drive or Rear Hub Will depend on the steepness of the hills/mounatins you are going up, or are you going up at all and will be just riding on flat ground or with slopes of 4% or less ?

You can get by on the cheep as others have posted, Around $ 1500 if you shop well enough to get good products at a low price.

A complete Conversion kit will work fine for you when bought from the many trusted vendors that many people here buy from.

The Best way to cut down on the price of the bike is to get a new one that is 1-3 years old , there are places that sell overstock bikes from years past.



Streamingpete said:
Since an E-bike is not cheap I thought I would research my options before I buy an E-bike. Living in Northern Canada E-Bike selection is limited and so far are not that common. Getting hands-on information is a problem that I think is common for many people wanting to purchase a new E-Bike in a more rural area.
 
Ebike cost can be very cheap. We have members on ES who had built their ebike entirely from recycling.

They can also be expansive, many of us are riding ebikes that are more ultra light weight motorcycles than bicycles.

Nevertheless, the ebike is the cheapest mean of transportation that there is. No matter how much time or money you spend to get one, you will be saving money on the long run.
 
Thanks for all the input everyone. Building a E-bike was something I had not considered but definitely sounds like an option to explore. I am mainly trying to get some hands on information for ready made bikes to get real world authentic reviews and information on some of the new E-bikes available. But in the future I would be interested in talking to someone about building a E-bike.

But I have no volunteers so far?
 
Streamingpete said:
But I have no volunteers so far?

Why would anyone invest so much time chatting on Skype about ready made ebikes from a forum which has very few people riding ready made ebikes? And you even haven't put up a link to your blog for anyone interested to see what you're about. There are tons of youtube video's and sites on the internet discussing all the ready made ebikes. Just search around :wink:
 
I'm not sure how far north "Northern Canada" means, but if you're set on buying something pre-made, there is a company called Biktrix https://www.biktrix.ca/ in Saskatoon that "manufactures" ebikes, including fat bikes with mid-drive kits on them.

There is also a blog where users share experiences at https://electricbikereview.com/forum/forums/biktrix/.

I am from Canada as well (Toronto, not the far north!) and have an early version of their Juggernaut and have been very pleased with both the bike and the support when needed.
 
Investing so much time? A twenty to thirty-minute chat. To tell me their experiences with their E-bike. I didn't think I was asking a crazy requesting. I thought it would be easier and more personal than filling out a form and maybe meet someone new in the world and learn about E-Bikes.

I am new to the forum and did not realize it was more about building your own E-bike. I would like to explore that in the future but I am trying to get some real world reviews on ready-made bikes for my blog and share that with new riders that just want to purchase an E-Bike. And if you search around there are not the many reviews. Except for https://electricbikereview.com and a few others.
 
electricbikereview.com
this guy gets mostly new ebikes and ride them for like 20-30 kilometers?
short term reviews are pretty usless and they dont tell me much.
show me this ebike after 5000 kilometers , ride it with 6000 kms and see - that is real review.
 
beside
how are you sure review is not biased,
how are you sure you dont interview distributor?
fake "everage customer" reviews are well know here on ES.
 
miro13car

That exactly what I am trying to do! Find real people to talk to about having their bike for a year or so put on some miles and get their feedback. This I think will make for a better review and better then like you said " gets mostly new e-bikes and ride them for like 20-30 kilometers. "
That is why I would like to talk to real people that own their bike and get the pros and cons of the bike and write a review with this information and if they have any follow up information or problems I will include that. I can call the company to talk to a rep but I want real people. I am trying to present good information to inform my readers to make an informed decision.

Also from a comment earlier I did not put my web address because many forums don't like that. It is a tech website and I am presently trying to grow my E-Bike content. https://geargadgetsandgizmos.com
 
The trouble is ebikes are not mainstream. Since they are not mainstream yet the prices are ridiculous. A good example would be 4k tv's, when they first came out they were super expensive but over the past couple of years they have since dropped to probably 1/4 of that price. Ebikes are similar in that a quality ebike will likely cost someone triple of what the individual components might cost. There are people converting bikes and selling them too, and their prices are not so inflated and that money is going to working people and not to stuff some CEO's already overly bloated bank account. There are also low quality bikes being sold that are not too expensive, but for around the same money a much better and more reliable bike can be built.

There are also some who prefer to recycle bikes. You see, it is not just about the bike, or about the ride. It is much bigger than that. I think Thom Pace sings it best:

Walkin' through the land
Where every living thing is beautiful
Why does it have to end
We are calling, oh so sadly
On the whispers of the wind
As we send a dying message
 
Most folks on here have either built a few kit or scratch built ebikes, or they've bought a much smaller number of commercially built ones. It's hard to find folks with a wide perspective on the commercial bikes. The folks who have that are generally paid reviewers and their opinions may be swayed by their sponsors.

Good bikes are not cheap, and good electric systems are not cheap either. So if you want to keep the price down, do you start with a $99 bike and put low cost imported electric parts on it? A small battery with no range? A cheap controller that gets hot and will fail when it rains? If you start with a better $1000 bicycle and use good quality parts with good warranty and support and give the bike some range the cost will quickly grow. If you want to keep it lightweight the cost will grow even faster as low weight costs money.

There is disagreement on whether light weight is important in an ebike. For some it is, for others it doesn't matter. If your bike is heavy and you want more range, add a bit more battery. If your bike is light and you want more range you might need a very expensive battery upgrade that is not too heavy. If you have a commercial ebike it is generally not easy to make changes to it. Some systems are closed and you cannot change them. If you want to customize the ebike to your needs the DIY approach is more suitable.

Many folks here are very proud of their super-cheap DIY bikes based on either very cheap bicycles or good used bikes. They don't think the high dollar commercial ebikes are worth the cost. Their bikes are not always easy to reproduce. Getting a used bike that will make a good ebike is not easy, there are many factors. Many are not very suitable. Then the cheap kits from ebay or similar are often used to keep the price down. Reliability and service are unpredictable. You have to diagnose problems and pay to fix them. Those who score are proud of their low investment. Some get frustrated with the problems. Some give up and we don't see them again. You have to be prepared to buy some components more than once. This is not a path for everyone.

Others start with a midrange (or good used) bike, and add high quality kits or parts. This can quickly add up to a few thousand dollars. If you compare to a commercial ebike, the price may be similar but better parts are on the DIY. As the available parts improve, this bike can be upgraded.

Another approach is to buy a frame built to be an electric bike. They are different. Then add quality parts to it. This can add up to many thousands of dollars, but the end product compares to commercial ebikes costing over 10K$. Again upgrades are easy with this approach.

You won't get unbiased views anywhere.

If you want to learn about ebikes, convert a bike with a good kit (from a major vendor with support) to start. Then build another one from parts you select. Then with your new perspective compare to the commercially available products.

Good luck in your search. There is more to learn here than one would expect.
 
StreamingPete , I liked your blog , it has good points on ebikes including the price struggles perspective users are faced with.
 
miro13car said:
electricbikereview.com
this guy gets mostly new ebikes and ride them for like 20-30 kilometers?
short term reviews are pretty usless and they dont tell me much.
show me this ebike after 5000 kilometers , ride it with 6000 kms and see - that is real review.

I watch that guy on ebikereview on YouTube....for me, his biggest asset is he does review alot of ebikes on the market , but he isn't the best person for it, because the guy weighs about 130lbs....which is very low body weight for the average adult male. Almost any ebike will have enough power for him, because he is so skinny....also he worries about stupid things..like " bottle water holders" and he takes so long to review a ebike. A 250 watt ebike will work for the guy in these videos, because he has low body weight.

IMHO..anyone that weighs 185lbs or more, should not be buying a ebike with LESS then 750 watt hub motor , especially if you want to ride in sand, trails, uphill, snow, etc . It always better to have a bit more power then you need, then a bit less.
 
The ebike market is improving as far as lower costs and better performance on premade ebikes,.

Radrover is 1 example...around $1700 for a ebike that has a solid motor/controller/battery setup on a decent bike frame. Premade ebikes usually look better/ sleeker then homemade ebikes using Walmart bike and attaching big batterys to the frame, etc.

Sondors opened up the ebike industry with his inexpensive but good looking ebike, but it was still a a bit anemic in the power dept.

Hopefully sondors will enter the MID DRIVE ebike market and bring us a product with 750-1000 watts mid drive power, 48 volt-20AH battery in a good looking sleek ebike, for $1500 or less. I would be a buyer, even though I dont need another ebike and am very happy with my STEALTH BOMBER copy that can do 60 mph if I wish { which I dont....I got it programmed for only 45mph top speed, and I dont even use that much...generally stay around 25 mph top speed } .

This stealth copy cost around $3000 including the 72 volt-26.4 LI-ION battery and LYEN sensorless controller. But this isn't really a ebike...its more of a electric moped with pedals . Ebikes do cost alot less but are limited by their weaker frames, weaker rims/ spokes, weaker brake systems, etc. ebike2.jpg
 
Ok you got my interest in building an E-Bike.

I have looked at a few videos and the big issue I see is the battery size and cost. I see the cheapest method is to daisy 4 12 volt batteries together. But that adds 30 lbs to the bike.

What are your suggestions for the lightest inexpensive battery?

I would like to start out with an Basic Amazon Kit and a basic bike and go from their.

Thanks for any input
 
Not sure where you are located, good to put in at least general terms where you are into your settings so folks can use that to improve their suggestions.

People differ on many things, but one thing everyone agrees on - no lead. At least on an ebike, a lithium battery is a game changer due to weight, size and performance.
 
My own preference is to get batteries that you can get serviced, or make your own battery.

Shipping lithium batteries is difficult because they have caused planes to fall out of the sky. They can burn so fiercely that automated fire extinguishers cannot stop the blaze. Thus the rules governing their shipment have become rather strict and are frequently being updated.

So you want a battery that is made well, and if it develops a problem you won't be able to ship it back to the vendor. So you have to be prepared to toss it, or repair it yourself, get someone local to repair it, or choose a vendor that you can get to. For example, one vendor I have bought batteries from is in Southern California, and I'm hours away from there, but in a pinch I could transport the battery back to them for repair.

A good battery may never need repair, but if it gets dropped even a good battery may need to get fixed. If you cannot get it working again it becomes a rather expensive loss.

Another technique is to buy Hobby Lipo or individual cells or pre-welded strips of cells and make your own battery. This is not recommended for everyone.

There will be other suggestions, not everyone takes the risks quite the same way. Some people have lost their houses to battery fires.
 
Hehe... "Looking for people watt own E-bikes"...

"I am looking for people that presently own an E-Bike and would be willing to do an interview with me about their E-Bike"...

Truth is, did once buy a (standup scooter-style) "e-bike" near 20 years ago:
photo_zps07a0eba6.jpg


Seen here:
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=53101

Question maybe? How much entertainment can you stand in your 21st-Century "urban commutes"? :lol:
 
I am located in norther Ontario Canada. I see on Amazon kits for $199 and kits for $1500 plus add the batteries and bike. Making any project costing at least $1000 or close to $2000. I am now trying to sort out the differences.
 
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