Pietzo electric bikes - any experiences or reviews

[drc_ma]

http://www.pietzo.com
just saw one of their bikes at an energy savings event here in massachusetts and this interested me in ebikes. I commute by bike weather permitting a few days a week 8 miles each way and may want to try electric.

I don't find any references to this company here or reviews anywhere - they are local and apparently new to the field.
Their price for the "breeze" mountain bike with lights and fenders is ~$1300.

I don't know much about motors and batteries - is the bike underpowered or otherwise a poor choice or value? Any questions I should be asking them?

Here's the specs from their website. http://www.pietzo.com/pietzo_breeze/

The bike I saw didn't have a rear suspension but did have front disk brake.

Specifications 26” Electric Bicycle
Frame Frame Aluminum Alloy Front Suspension
Fork Top Gun
Rear Suspension KindShock
Tires CST 26” x 1.95” Tires
Saddle Premium Mountain Bike Saddle
Shifters Shimano SIS Shifters
Front Derailleur Front Derailleur 3 Speed Shimano Tourney SIS
Rear Derailleur Rear Derailleur 6 Speed Shimano Tourney SIS, Shimano Freewheel and derailleur cables
Brakeset Promax Alloy Front and Rear V Brakes, Electric series Brake levers
Battery Battery 24V 10AH, Li-Ion
Motor 24V 200W Electric Motor
Charger 6 - 8 Hour Recharge Time
Charge Cycles 600
Modes Power, Power Assist, Manual
Range Range 20 Miles, 40 Miles Power Assist Mode
Speed 15 mph
Weight Weight 54 lbs
Battery Weight Battery Weight 8 lbs
Load Capacity 250 lbs

 

[spinningmagnets]

If you're asking about experiences, instead of posting experiences, you might want to post in "E-bikes general", just a thought.

Can't really tell, but "looks like" Golden Motor hubs 24V/200W. One link said they are headquartered in Bedford-Massachussetts, just NW of Boston. They appear to be an assembler/wholesaler/drop-shipper, no manufacturing. Here's the Pietzo E-bike blog:

http://www.ebikenews.org/

 

[Jerome Daoust]

They told me their sales are limited to the Boston area.
Interesting business strategy.

 

[mikefish]

looks very much like an ebay china bike called "EG":

http://cgi.ebay.com/EG-BALI-X2-26-ELECTRIC-BIKE-BICYCLE-MOPED-BLACK_W0QQitemZ140349037762QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMountain_Bikes?hash=item20ad745cc2

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/EG-VIENNA-20-FOLDING-ELECTRIC-BIKE-BICYCLE-BLUE_W0QQitemZ130333965525QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1e58827cd5

 

[ecowheelz]

Yes... these bikes are exactly the same as EG electric bikes. Probably produced by the same factory and imported by seperate companies...

We carry the EG line in our shop and sell them online as well (see our website). Feedback has been very good and we have lots of experience with these bikes. I personally ride the EG Barcelona. It's perfect for me because I like to pedal and only need assistance when I'm tired or on big hills. But for people looking for more power, another product might be a better choice. Read a detailed review I wrote about the EG Barcelona to get an idea about how these bikes perform here:

http://www.eco-wheelz.com/reviews/eg-barcelona.php

Not sure about pricing, but the EG line appears to be cheaper. You mentioned $1300, but the most expensive EGs are about $1200. They're also much nicer looking in my opinion...

If you have any questions... don't hesitate to contact us...

 

[ecowheelz]

UPDATE:

Contacted our rep at EG. Apparently, Pietzo is buying in bulk from EG and rebranding...

 

[spinningmagnets]

They told me their sales are limited to the Boston area. Interesting business strategy.

I'm sure they'll still do fine. Boston customers don't have internet access, Paypal, or FedEx......OH...WAIT!

But...now that I think about it, this is just the type of plucky company that might want to invest in my turn-signal E-bike pants,... and my new line of invisible cat-bikes.

 

[mwkeefer]

spinningmagnets,

ROTFLMFAO - Seriously man... I thought I was laughing when I saw the lycra turn signals (AssPants award?) but then I scrolled down to the cat... crap man, I nearly peed myself.

So do you mind if I photoshop that cat a bit... I'm thinking pussy riding a chopper style eBike?

---

With regards to the piezo and the EG - The bikes look okay considering all the parts involved I suppose a price around 1000.00 is reasonable but... the 200w limit or 15mph would take the barcelona off the table and personally for a 1000.00 ebike it may be better to start with a wallyworld 150.00 bicycle, a 500-750w hub motor kit @ about 400.00 and spend the remainder of the 1G on batteries.. either LiFePo4 off the shelf for simplicity or LiPo for more power, less weight but more complicated.

In the end... a grand will buy you alot more ebike than 15mph and 20mi range.

My personal preference in ebike building (full size anyway) is to source a good used Specialized or Trek, then check the bottom bracket for wiggle and bearings... the specialized I ride retailed for 1400 in 2003, I picked it up for 200 (maybe it was 250). I just checked a few dealers and it seems e-bikekit.com has a full front or rear kit, including a LiFePo4 pack for $846.00 - pretty sure that even includes torque arms as needed. So wallmart + ebikekit = 1000.00 ebike with 20+ mi range and 20+ mph (on a 26").

Hope it helps!
-Mike

 

[docnjoj]

I'd love some of those pants, but I think that the turn signals would be too far apart to really be effective.
otherDoc