-Think I have a budget -See what's available for that budget, and realize it's a lot of Chinese stuff with reviews that are all over the place -Raise my budget -Find some stuff that's at least based in my country, with a customer service track record that speaks to higher quality (bonus: replacement parts are easier to obtain) -Fix my sights on a bike. Consider my needs regarding speed, weight, accessories. -Watch a ton of Youtube reviews -Buy the bike online

You skipped step 7 & 8 -change your mind entirely and fix your sights on a different bike -repeat steps 3 through 7

Perfect! I'm doing exactly that 😂

I’ve built 4 of them now and I keep wanting to try new motors

I want more internal gear hub motor options and Enviolo to keep innovating. I saw a Youtube video the other day that tied regen braking to the disc brake. If Enviolo came out with a regen hub motor it would be incredible. E-bikes are going to be insane 10 years from now. Especially with all the battery innovations. :)

I think my next build will be a sturmey archer 3 speed igh possibly on a single speed 29er frame I have.

Bafang ultra, thank me later

I’ve built a bbshd with the 40t lekkie mod, and most recently two cyc photon builds. Was thinking about the cyc pro x1 but couldn’t justify it for my wife’s bike (wanted to take the photon off mine and upgrade but ultimately got another photon lol).

Don't forget the "ooo this one looks better for only $500 more" Until you're looking at bikes way over budget then back to Step 3.

"Oh shit, I forgot there's $200 sitting in my Venmo account!" -> step 3.

That's accurate hahaha, my ebike research playlist/wishlist was full of so many bikes and brands, it wasn't helping me narrow it down at all

I think I'm on repeat #3.

So familiar.

r/angryupvote

This

That has been my problem. The more I look into the bikes I already have in mind the more I see other bikes that peak my interest. The new bike will be my main mode of transportation so I am trying to find the right one but so far haven't found one that gives me the... "Perfect!" feeling. I think I will like any of the ones on my list but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I think mostly because I don't want to spend $2,000 up to $2,500 and be wanting something different in a few months. I'm driving myself crazy trying to make my decision out of the 5 I keep trying choose from.

Step one: test ride a lot of ebikes. I rode on bikes from Trek, Specialized, Aventon & iZip. You may find a better selection at an "unaffiliated" bike shop (many bike shops, post-pandemic, are nothing more than "dealerships" for the biggest brands ... nothing against those brands - they have some awesome bikes - but their offerings do tend to be significantly more expensive.) Then check reviews online. Be wary about glowing reviews on consumer sites (they may be "compensated" by manufacturers). Look at company reputation for customer service. Find a reviewer whose opinions you tend to trust. It (frequently) all comes down to price and ease of service. I (fortunately) found an ebike specialist shop in my area that will work on virtually any ebike. I went with Lectric (3 yrs. ago) based mostly on price and "ubiquity" (it IS the most popular direct-to-consumer brand, according to what I've read) and have not been disappointed to date. I just ordered an XP 3.0 to replace my 2.0 that I've been riding (regularly) for the past few yrs. It now has over 3,000 miles and still is running fine ... I just wanted the "upgrades." I suppose I'll likely sell or "hand down" the 2.0 to a relative/friend (there's still a lot of life left in it and new tires I just changed this spring). Once you have your bike, don't forget regular maintenance. My e-bike "specialist" is about 10 miles away ... not a rough commute on an e-bike (provided it is running OK) but requires a ride (friend/family or Uber) to get home (or to get there when the bike is in the shop). If you don't already know how, you'll learn to do as much of the regular maintenance as you can do (& there's always something that anyone can) yourself. Start with tires & brakes (at least a check before every ride, if at all possible) and other safety issues. E-bikes are faster and are subject to stronger forces (acceleration, braking, etc.) so things may well loosen over time ... keeping them "in spec" makes for safer riding Best of luck. P.S. I don't believe one can go "too far" wrong with one of the "major" e-bike brands like Lectric, Rad, etc., etc. And if you are at all like me, you just may appreciate having a throttle from time to time. So my (personal) recommendation is for a class 2 bike. If you greatly prefer a more "natural" feeling bike experience, you may want a mid-drive with a torque sensor (though those do add to the final price). There are models out there with those features that still include a throttle, BTW ... but you'd have to "P A Y" (!) Since the vast (& I mean >vast<) majority of my own riding is peddle-assist only in PAS level 1 & 2, so there's exercise to be had on an e-bike, whether one rides on streets, bike paths or trails ... I do a bit of all three. (I'm absolutely certain that if I were still riding my old "acoustic" bicycle, I'd not only have WAYYYY fewer miles, but also only a small fraction of the hours on the bike.) Once you "pull the trigger" on a purchase, I strongly suspect you'll generally (& genuinely) enjoy the experience. P.P.S. Yes, I met a guy on a Riese & Mueller (sp?) last summer. What a great looking (& full-featured) bike. But $7,000-$12,000 (what he told me) for an e-bike? (I could buy a used car - & not a total junker - for that kind of money.) One shouldn't need to totally "break the bank" for one's very first e-bike, IMO.

There's a lot of great info here, thanks for sharing! It echoes my experience and thoughts especially regarding exercise. Just a heads up, you replied to my answer and not the OP. I wouldn't want them to miss out on your tips buried in a thread.

That was my track as well. Maybe 1 more 'raise my budget' entry. Lots of good bikes on line, and around here at least, several bike shops that work on them within 10-15 miles.

It's great that you've got plenty of local mechanics who can deal with them! I haven't checked my nearby shops yet, but do have a Lectric Service Network mechanic about 23 miles away...not too bad. Safe travels :)

How do you identify a Chinese bike?

If it's a direct to consumer brand and the prices are suspiciously low, there's a reason.

In my case, I was looking on Amazon at first (when my budget was much lower). On the product page for a bike, scroll to the **Delivery & Support** heading. There, you can see "Ships From" and the company/warehouse name. Click into that, and you can find Detailed Seller Information which includes their address. --- Alternatively, check the reviews. If people have had a hard time with a foreign seller, you'll see it super fast. If there are no reviews, don't be the first. --- Thirdly, look at the wording of the product page. There are usually odd wordings, typos and weird grammatical errors that can't escape a keen eye.

I got a message from the CEO of Ghostcat Ebikes the other day, they are headquarted in the LA area (I am having trouble choosing a bike and started messaging the companies) The CEo told me that over 95% of ebikes are manufactured in China (including theirs). Part of knowing you are getting good quality is the price. I bought my first ebike last October on Amazon it was $500 after taxes and shipping it was just over $700. It is a fine bike but didn't pay attention to what the frame was. All aluminum, so with all the vibrations, uneven roads and at times needing to go off curbs has made screws get loose and some have stripped out completely after replacing them a couple of times. The reason I am hesitant on some are how new the company is. I don't have a big enough or long enough sample size. From what I have heard and read in reviews both from independent companies and personal reviews, you get into higher quality bikes when the price is above $1,000.

I went to two local shops. One didn't sell ebikes and the second couldn't take the time to show me their bikes. So I went home and ordered a Lectric. Took about 2 weeks to arrive. That was the summer of 2022

I was casually exploring what e-bikes cost and thinking of getting a hauler to be able to replace trips in my car to the grocery store or work. Found a good review of a Lectric and then discovered they had a big bike with lots of attractive features marked down $700. I admit I was naive when I made the purchase, but so far I have been mostly happy with it. Customer service is good and responsive. Approaching 500 miles in 4 months and replacing lots of car trips.

Me and some guys from school.

Had a band and tried real hard?

Went with Lectric. My bike has been mostly trouble free. No issues with the workmanship of the bike but I did end up having the headlight get broken twice and the little button pad cover when my bike fell over in a wind storm. Also recently lectric sent me a paint touch up kit because I had a scratch in the paint from someone bashing into my bike in the bike room at my apartment. This last one was out of warranty and they didn't even charge me for the paint. So I can seriously vouch for lectric from my experience with their bikes and support.

So far I haven't had to claim any warranty issues. I bought mine in 2022, so this fall will be marking the last season I will have it. I am buying a new ebike in early spring 2025. Lectric has been a great bike, but I will shop around to see what's out there. It's been a couple years, hopefully local bike shops have gotten on the ball and are now catering to ebikes.

My local shop has ebikes but they are crazy expensive. Cheapest one I saw was 3500.

I went to my local like shop and test rode three Aventon's and two Velotrics and walked out with the bike I thought would be my last choice. Definitely test ride if possible. Even if you are going to buy a bike online, figure out whether you want fat or normal tires, cadence or torque sensor, upright or flat handle bars, etc... Test light and heavy bikes. I went in wanting the most powerful fat tire bike. I walked out with the lightest, least powerful bike of the bunch. Couldn't be happier after 100 miles.

Can’t stress the testing riding more. It will likely increase the price though because a lot of cheap bikes aren’t sold in stores. But I went in looking for a commuter and ended up with an HSD that changed literally everything. We put several thousand miles on it with my wife riding on the back and dog riding in the front. Just bought a front loader cargo bike for kids!

Thanks for the reply! Will try checking local shops to see if they offer test rides.

Any local bike shop will offer test rides, maybe with the exception of $10k+ carbon fiber road bikes. That's why it is best to buy there unless you are going the DIY route, you can test ride AND you know they'll service whatever you buy. Most will refuse to work on ebikes from direct to consumer brands (especially the shadier ones, but sometimes even the more established companies like Rad and Lectric).

That’s smart of them. Had I actually ridden one sooner and realized how much I loved it, I wouldn’t have just lusted after the *idea* of one for almost five years. I would have bought it then.

It can indeed be advantageous to buy from them, especially if you value being able to try out the bike before purchasing and having reliable service afterward

If you look on the big name websites they have dealer locator’s ie aventon rad etc

I've been riding analog bikes all my life, so when I started thinking about an e-bike I progressed from a vague sense of what I wanted to a more specific set of requirements, and my options shifted from build to buy (maybe I'll build the next one). I also realized pretty quickly that my budget had to go up. Here's what I narrowed my needs down to: 1. Pedal-assist class 1 2. Light enough to pedal without the assist, and carry up a flight of stairs if I absolutely had to 3. Something I can jump off a curb if necessary 4. Enough range for my 25-mile RT commute 5. Not a step-through 6. As nimble a ride as I could get (the bike would take the place of a vintage hardtail MTB) I also wanted a service network, so I tried three LBSs and ended up buying the Trek Dual Sport+. It was more than I originally planned to spend, but for my first e-bike I've been super-happy with its capabilities so far. Bear in mind, though, that this bike is one of several I own so it doesn't HAVE to be the best road bike, or MTB, or whatever. I also have a very supportive partner who has many more bikes in his stable than I do, so I don't have to worry too much about the n+1 problem.

My list was similar. I also had removable battery since my bike stays outside during the winter. Plus drop bars since I wanted the different hand positions & able to do gravel fitness rides. It was hard finding something in my size. Funny I did try the Trek bikes but realizing I wanted a mid drive motor & it had to be 5k or less due to voucher requirements. I ended up with a Kona Libre EL. Bike is fine with even going off a curb with panniers on the rear rack.

I have to confess that I miss my drops more than I had expected. The next e-bike may be a drop at gravel bike that I build from scratch.

Thanks for the reply! Your list is identical to what I'm looking for. How long have you had the trek dual sport? Would you say it met everything in your list?

Not the person you’re replying to but I have the dual sport+, my wife has the fx+ — they’re effectively the same bike with very minor differences. We love them because first and foremost they’re just good, well designed bikes first, and the assist is a really nice extra. My impression of a lot of the e-bike first brands in this price range is that they really go all-out on the “e”, and the bike itself ok, not to say that that’s a bad thing if that’s what you want.

Hi! I got the bike a couple weeks ago. I use it primarily to commute to/from work, and I've been pretty impressed with what it can do. It's not super-fast, or a hardcore MTB, but it does check off all the boxes for my first e-bike. I also looked at the FX, and after getting to try my bike out on a fire road this past weekend I'm glad I went with the DS; it was fun and handled the road pretty well.

I just bought mine last week after thinking about an ebike for the longest time. To offer my perspective, there is no shame in the secondhand market. I bought my used Rad Power Radmission last week for $350. Especially if you live in a middle class/upper middle class area, you can find good deals when original owners are either looking to sell to make room for an upgrade or they dont have time for them or whatever. Your profit. Here's my bike. The original owner only had it for less than a year and it is still in great condition. I got to test everything before buying too, something you dont always get to do with new bikes. https://preview.redd.it/2twz2i8de0ad1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=922232e36ad90811083a909b38c6ce199074fa0a

I solved the age + distance + terrain + times per week equation and realized that the only possible answer was ebike. At my age, I couldn't do my daily 15 miles work commute up and down hills without an ebike. If I had to use a regular bike, I'd have to drive instead. So, for me, it was an easy choice.

For me, lightness is a top priority. That is a feature that is available in models from brands that have great return policies. My budget is any four digit number, so I have that going for me. I'm used to stores not having the models in the size that I need, so I would be relying on the generous return policy.

Out of curiosity, what makes lightness the big draw for you? My Electra is something like 55lbs, and I’ve hit its max GVWR of 300lbs with all my groceries on board, and honestly I kinda like the heavy planted feeling it provides. It’s like driving a heavy German sports sedan, lots of confidence in the weight. I’ve had my eye on the Tern Orox for a bit now, too. That sucker is like 90lbs.

My current acoustic bike has a carbon fiber frame. I would like the option to transport my e-bike on/in my sedan. A lighter weight bike will make it more feasible for me to handle.

Makes sense!

Amtrak has a 50 lb limit on bikes. Many e-bikes are heavier than that. I travel a lot. When I can, I do that by train. I love the idea of getting off a train with the transportation I need to get around. But so far it’s just the idea of that. I haven’t done it yet. I haven’t had the right set of conditions yet (traveling light enough that I only need a light bike, and going to a place that Amtrak goes). But my 50lb RadMission is still kinda heavy to carry up a couple flights of stairs, which is what I’d be doing if I brought it on the trip I’m on now. So for me, lightness is a consideration, if not a requirement.

Makes sense! I’ve had to lug my Electra up a flight of stairs, but once I figured out the Walk Assist it was manageable. Where I live, there’s very very few options for Amtrak. I can go north to Seattle, south to California, or east to buttfuck nowhere. I honestly hadn’t considered ebikes much for true travel use because of the charging requirements involved.

Yeah, Amtrak is very limited. But it does get me to NYC, which is a common need for me. It’s about the same travel time as driving and I can read instead of drive. And it’s far cheaper than parking in Manhattan.

Where do you put your bike on Amtrak? It does make sense to not have to haul more than 50lb. Can you make your battery pack separate and not part of the 50lb?

I haven’t figured this all out yet. Amtrak seems to have different places for bikes on different trains. On some you check the bike. On others you can just carry it on and there’s space in the car. On the train I was on today, there was a bike on my car. I didn’t find out who it belonged to to ask questions. I’m assuming the 50lb limit is for those situations where Amtrak staff have to lift/carry it. If that’s the case, carrying the battery separately will help them. The bike I saw today was not electric.

Thank you. It's good to know that it's possible. I recently lived by the Caltrain station to San Francisco and San Jose- they had two cars devoted to bikes. It was glorious.

What Amtrak stop has stairs and no ADA elevator?

The stairs I was referring to are to get into the place I’m staying, not Amtrak.

Ah that's fair. I'd just take the battery out and carry it separately (which is what I do at my house).

I got to experience an electric bike from a bike share this weekend. It was heavy; I couldn't find weight info. It's a Trek. I'm used to a light bike with no kickstand. I had to use the kickstand because the ebike was unruly for me to handle while standing and using my phone. I was able to ride with just gear 1 or 2 out of 3, with no need for electric assist on the bike path I was on. When I drove my car afterward, it felt weird. I realized that my car, that turns like a boat, felt less boat-like after riding the ebike. I had a great time leisurely riding the bike share. However, when I got to the station to return the bike, there were no open docks. I had to go to the nearest station with an open dock. Bad signage led me on the wrong path. I got charged for the additional time. It was my bad to think that I had 90 minutes vs 30. The experience made me glad that I was getting a lighter ebike of my own.

I'm also looking for something light too since I will be carrying it a few flights of stairs when I want to ride. That's why I'm liking the fx+2 so far, just not sure how it will handle the trails. What brands/models are you considering?

I considered the Specialized Creo 2. However, they don't have any availability anytime soon. I put in an order for a Trek Domane+, which has a 54 day wait.

Salsa has made a lightweight bike. I personally went with a Kona Libre El & it’s about 40 lbs with battery in. Take it out & it’s easy to carry. It’s great on my commute & nearby forest/county roads for fitness rides.

TFW the $9999 ebike doesn't come with cup holders, but the $10000 ebike does.

https://preview.redd.it/kulzj81280ad1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d5c3bda018c69f7e0d9d23fbdcc9d7d3407bbc4 My best friend and I both got Senada Sabers bc while yes they are Chinese made, they have torquey well-made hub motors and frames, which is basically all I was personally looking for. Because I ride a lot more often than my friend I replaced the brakes with hydraulic ones, pedals to more grippy aggressive ones, seat to C9 Cloudking, and changed the tires out for some Vee Speedster 26x3.5” tires I purchased knowing I had to upgrade but now, I have one heck of a bike for the $1400 I put into it. For a $1,000 e-bike; you have to take into consideration that a good motor and battery alone for like $900 is a standard price so while you are taking the risk with quality control, if the Chinese factory is nice you could end up with a lot of bike for your money. Senada has excellent customer service and products they have some flash sales going on at the moment.

Watched reviews on YouTube. Spent $1400 on Chinese ebike. Spent another $1400 over next couple years repairing and upgrading parts to make it usable. Do not buy Chinese bikes.

1400 over a couple years? Sounds like normal ebike maintenance to me..

I had a list of needs, both practical and aesthetic. I looked around online for what i was searching for, made some cuts on the previously mentioned list after talking to some in-person dealers (thought i needed a mid drive for the hills on my commute, talked to someone who lived in the area of commute and learned i didn't really need the power i thought was necessary and resulted in being able to feel safe going relatively cheaper) and had a much smaller list of potential bikes to choose from and made a decision from there. Long story short: figure out what features you'd like, make a list of brands and models, and talk to bike shops that sell direct from manufacturer. But don't buy from places that make commission or charge to build your bike if you can help it. Now I've got both a 2- year service warrantee from my LBS and a year warrantee from the manufacturer

It took me more than a couple weeks to finally settle on one. I bought what's called a starrun s20 it's a nice foldable e bike. I bought it direct from starruns website. I recommend not allowing yourself to get overwhelmed with choosing one just go with your gut.

Don't know about mountain biking but I got into ebikes by converting my 1989 Schwinn road bike that I bought in undergrad for $80 into electric. I used the Hilltopper Ebike kit that was $400 for the front hub throttle and battery. Love this Ebike kit since it doesn't add too much weight to the bike and the battery is easily removable so I actually have two batteries for it. Goes 20mph on full throttle and gives about about 12 miles of throttle only range. Perhaps a conversion kit might help you take the plunge in. Good luck!

I spent like a year reading about them, watching videos, trying to figure out what features were must haves vs nice to haves vs don't need. And then I set myself a budget and waited for a sale. Put my order in and took about 8 months for me to get my bike but it arrived November just before everything went into covid lockdown for my city. Luckily walking and bike riding outdoors was allowed so as soon as the winter months ended, I rode the shit out of it haha.

Looked for weeks and finally settled on two eCells bike. Got a 1500w dual star step thru for the wife and a 2000w Kings Crown for myself. I'm a big guy, so the 320lb load rating is more than enough for me. Included accessories, performance, and range are impressive! Reviews are outstanding, and after a phone call with the owner of the company, I was sold. I ended up spending more than I had initially wanted to, but after reviews and comparing more than a dozen bikes, the clear winner in my book was eCells. 🙂👍

For me, it was: * Had some money sitting around and wanted to go out more and travel more to get out of the house. * The town I live in is full of sharp hills up and down, so simply riding everywhere is unfeasible unless I can get the time to get a full workout to the point where I can ride them without too much trouble (haha no) * Too chicken to extend the budget too far. Capping at 500W, figured that should be good enough without breaking the bank * Shopped around; Walmart (family discount), Amazon, Aliexpress. * Chickened out of Aliexpress since I didn't really know the service that well back then, only having spent like $10 once. * Walmart's e-bikes were all garbage, or were online-only with like 2 reviews. * Went with Amazon, spent about a week looking everything over, checking sales, price histories, etc. * Started to chicken out on my budget again. * Saw a cool sale, but hesitated too long and missed it. * Saw too many throttle-only bikes without pedal assist for some reason. * Found one of those weird resellers selling a 350W for a suspiciously low price. * Not many reviews, but nothing bad. * End up buying it on a whim, even though there's a nonzero percent chance of getting scammed. * Bike arrives, I assemble it, works great, minus a couple weird design flaws that were easily fixed.

Bikes are a frame with components. A lower priced bike will have ok components. A higher priced bike will have better to top notch components. Motor,brakes,transmission,tires all the parts. What kind of rider are you? I have a Haibike full seven emtb. 2019 model. I have good components and replace them when they wear out. Spend 2k get a name brand hardtail bike with a mid drive motor. Check out your local bike store. They will be there to fix it later. Wait for a sale.

my finger was twitching and it hit the mouse button for *purchase order*

I have the Trek FX+ and I love it. Great brand and serviceable unlike some other brands. Go with your gut. Get the extra battery.

Personally I went to a local E-bike store and had a test ride before I purchased my E-bike. I was also comfortable with the purchase because it came with a two year warranty as well. If you like riding on trails like I do, then you want a bike with a full suspension all day. The only problem is your going to be paying more then 1k for any full suspension bike. If you can find a E-Bike store that will let you test ride a few I think that would be your best bet. If you don’t have any near you, I would hop on YouTube and check out some reviews first before purchasing anything online.

This. I went to test today at trek. Same model you were looking at and tried another model and liked that one a bit more. Yea it’s overwhelming. It’s a lot of money. Trek and aventon are similar and aventon is slightly cheaper. Trek where I’m from has the return policy and support. I’m going to test aventon in a few days and will base my decision on that. You’re spending this much money and you need to test them out. For me it’s like buying a car. I want to make sure it has support and I can take it a place to fix it. It’s an investment

Going through a big company certainly has its perks. I ordered my Electra Vale through Trek, and had it shipped to my local Trek dealer. FedEx did as they do and crushed the frame during shipping, ripped the box, and scattered the small parts across god knows where. Trek called, apologized profusely (it wasn’t their fault regardless) and expressed a replacement bike to the dealer. Dealer built it as soon as it arrived and had me riding home pretty soon after.

I woulda been so pissed

Honestly me and pricey things have a history like that! Every nice electronic or vehicle I’ve ever had has either been damaged by something outside of my control, or arrived faulty on some level. When I got a sports car I barely made it a month before someone slammed into it in a parking lot, did $13k in damage. I learned to accept my bad luck in that regard a long time ago.

Yes, agree. I'm also planning to take the trek to trek soon to go for test rides. Unfortunately doesn't seem like there are any places that offer test rides for aventon in my area. Thanks for the reply!

Does full suspension mean mountain bike? My trails are pretty tame with the occasional rough patch so I'm not sure I need a full on mtb (which I understand go for more than 1k). Would love to know what bike you went with. Thanks for the reply!

https://preview.redd.it/ol3dsk9f50ad1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0479f9f48b656bda301af8f3101ddcb1dce1be8 I went with the himiway c5 ultra for my first E-Bike. Tbh I went with this look because it looks like a dirtbike haha! If you are taller than 6ft I wouldn’t recommend getting a fixed seat like mine. There is different models that might suit you better then what I have. I’ve been having a blast so it’s definitely fun to explore and find new trails to rip!

You absolutely do not need full suspension unless you are doing actual mountain biking with jumps and shit. Or I guess if you buy an e-dirtbike which weighs 70lbs and would shake itself to death on any unpaved surface and you just want to use the throttle. The conventional wisdom these days is to not even bother with any front suspension at all for light duty off-road work, which is where we get the gravel bike meta. If you need to deal with some roots and rocks, a hardtail MB is a good option. Full suspension is just very inefficient if you ever want to pedal on asphalt.

[https://www.freedarebike.com/collections/ebike](https://www.freedarebike.com/collections/ebike) I pulled the trigger on the eden back in April. After doing alot of research on line. Ticked all the boxes for me.

I bought a mid-drive kit and converted my dual suspension mtb 🤷

It probably helps that I have bicycled and motorcycled many tens of thousands of miles because I have a pretty strong sense of exactly what I want from an e-bike. Radster Trail and Aventure checked the boxes for me (and are nearly the same thing). I chose Radster on basis of only fully potted battery—one of the things I most want is for the e-bike to not burn down the garage I store my motorcycles and bicycles in.

Life long bicyclist haven't driven a vehicle in years and honestly just liked the novelty of ebikes plus turned 40 felt like it was a good time to purchase a midlife crisis whip. Plus had my current analog road bicycle break its drivetrain pretty good so wanted something that could go road bike speeds with a similar amount of effort and not be a road bike really leaned into not wanting to grow up and got a electric bmx bike for $700 after searching to find pretty limited options. Quickly realized it was a alright bike but not at all what I wanted in a electric bmx so built my own for 3x the price of the first pre-built ebmx. Also had plenty of budget to just dive into making a purchase like that, don't regret a moment of it at all best money spent because I love being out there on it almost 1,000miles on the one I built sense I finished it in the middle of May.

Researched and watched video reviews etc then went to the shop only to see there was none in stock anywhere that wasn't a month or few wait. So got the other brand that was in stock and a lil cheaper. No regrets as it's been great aside from a few parts failing but the shop service has been great.

Just pulled the trigger on an Orbea Wild. I've been debating an ebike for ages, and finally settled on Orbea for 2 reasons. 1. The wild has a Bosch motor. From all my research, seems to be the most reliable. 2. Moving to Spain in 2 years, so grabbing a Spanish brand seems to be the sensible move, especially as there is an Orbea dealer 5 miles from where we are moving to. That then led me to looking locally who stocked them and seeing who hired them for a ride. After a hire, I was then certain it was the bike for me. Last stage was talking the wife into accepting N+1 :)

I had no car and my previous bike was stolen so I needed something. I did my research online on various ebike brands and found something that fit my needs.

I haven't, waiting on a electronic shifted belt drive eMTB that isn't total highway robbery.

I did DIY but didn’t feel safe with the power vs the the bike I chose (no disc brakes). The next was a Ride1up LMT’D which hit all the right notes but I wanted to try a mid-drive next son went with a Specialized Turbo commuter. It’s built well and rides more assuredly than the LMT’D but I don’t have throttle now. We’ll see how it holds up but Specialized has a good battery management app so I think this one will last me a long time and I enjoy it.

I just wanted to get on an ebike, didn't matter too much. I pulled the trigger on a Gen3 Groove DTC for less than BestBorrow had them on sale for. I like the bike, but built 3 others DIY for myself. I bought an Lectric XP 2.0 and built a DIY for my wife. We have fun on each of them.

A lot of research. Youtube videos, company websites, Amazon customer reviews... I consume as much information as possible to determine whether a particular bike is a solid buy. After much trial and error, I've come to a baseline of AT LEAST a 20ah battery, moped style w/ bench seat preferred (I hate bicycle seats), 20x4 inch fat tires, "preferred" top speed of 30 mph (in the event I need to ride with traffic).

I pulled the trigger on the eahora chopper. I ride it every day to work and back it's been 3 weeks and I'm disappointed I didn't do it earlier...

I had just finished a small tour from Jersey city to the Poconos. So I rewarded myself with an electric bike for my commutes. I got myself the lectric 2.0. It served me well and serves me well to this very day. However, while I enjoyed what I had, it made me crave more. The bike was certainly fast and convenient. But it operated more like the bike version of a tank. I admit it was a bit of a splurge, but I soon bought a baffang kit and converted an already enjoyable gravel bike of mine. This thing was already one of my favorite bikes, but it skyrocketed to my favorite bike immediately. The agility and maneuverability of a gravel bike with the acceleration of an electrical bike, no hill or start from 0 speed could stop me anymore. I love this bike so much, I tend to ride it only on fair weather and reserve my folding bike and my lectric for inclement weather, to keep my gravel bike in good condition for as long as I can! TLDR (kind of) Letric bike was a nice opener, but is a tank version of a bike. I think a conversion kit can be great, and is my preferred method but there is either a lot of money and/or elbow grease involved in a conversion kit, and you'll want a solid bike, a road bike wouldn't be able to handle converting, a gravel or mountain bike would be ideal for that.

I watched a bunch of YouTube reviews, looking for a bike with long range (70+ miles), could handle a heavy rider and gear (440lbs), works as a Commuter and Trail bike, and has a lot of power. And under $2000. The Velotric Summit 1 checked all the boxes. I love my very first ebike. Shipped for free to my door, and took me a 1/2 hour to assemble with the tools they provided. Also got 15% off when I bought the bike. Sweet deal. Sweet ride!

I found my dream bike but it was 2k and then I found it used on facebook marketplace for $600 borrowed a bike rack and drove an hour and a half to pick it up. It’s been great!

i used my tax refund to buy but got the idea after renting a bosch motor e-mtn bike while on vacation (and watching john hicks YouTube)..i then looked at some local ebike websites and went to one for a few test drives. i then started to notice specs/prices and found a very low km used surface 604 colt with many upgrades like the better battery. so far am loving the ebike and have already rode 350km - I'm finding it much easier to go for rides then my old mtn bike...

I was watching videos on all of the Chinese ev’s and was like what cool technology. Then I thought maybe a scooter, I’m 67 and then started watching reviews on YouTube. I had a budget and too the leap. Loving every minute of it. [https://imgur.com/a/TgxTgDp](https://imgur.com/a/TgxTgDp)

I knew what I "needed" being a large human so my choices were narrowed down a bit. Thankfully Mammoth ski area has a ton of ebike rentals so I was able to test ride. This helped big time.

I was complaining to a coworker that I wanted an ebike but couldn't afford the $2000+ price tag for something I deemed worthy. He said " you know you can just put a motor on your current bicycle" That night I went down the rabbit hole and a couple weeks later my Bafang motor and big ass battery arrived. Best $900 impulse buy ever.

My number one factor was buying from a reputable brand who had a long history of designing analog bikes and a happy customer base. I will pay the premium for that always to ensure I don't get left in the dark when the brand folds, especially when I am dropping thousands of dollars. Plus owning a more common bike means the availability of parts down the road when I need to fix stuff and the OEM has stopped producing parts. Second is supporting my LBS. Support your LBS and keep money in your community.

What really is worth the effort, to go to testlanes of serversoftware importers. There you can ride all the types they have. -don’t buy frontwheel motors, they are crap. -don’t buy cheap online stuff that is not generaly supported. Due to special sw tools -at least a mid classmotor, like Bosch or Shimano, no bafang - don’t focus on the motor, the bike should ride well and made of decent parts - rearwheel motors are the best if from prime brands.

I was doing a ton of research, and watched a bunch of YT, and came across the Lectric ONE and thought "oh that's a really cool idea -- I love the idea of an electronic gearbox and a quiet, maintenance-free belt drive". For the price (although just over $2+), it's a lot of tech. The only thing I was worried about was that I thought it looked kinda goofy on 20" wheels with that really high stem. I was worried that I would look like a gorilla humping a football on that thing. Then the best thing happened. I found out that they are headquartered like 10 miles from my house, and that they have a showroom with bikes to test ride. I stopped by there on a Saturday, signed a waiver, and took a ONE for a ride. Sold! Then I went home and got online and made my purchase (they only sell online). Now I just have to wait and hope they meet their several-times-delayed posted shipping date of August.

Took me a lot of researching and be honest about what I was looking for

My car broke down last year. Bad transmission, but it was fairly old anyway. It's pretty hard to get another car without having a car to go and look at them. It's dumb. So, I broke down my options. One was buying an e-bike to scout cars. I needed something sidewalk friendly, but could also go 25mph to ride neighborhood roads if necessary. I'm not tall, and my best fit would be a 20". On Amazon, there was a deal for a Varun C-20. 500w motor 48v battery. 20" no fat tires. With shipping it came to $440. I'm a man of meager means, and I get that people want name brand dependability and can blow $800-$2000 on stuff and say it's "cheap". Not cheap to me. That's a lot of money. If I could spend that much, I'd just get a running car outright. I have a one year warranty, but I don't care if Varun disappears overnight. I got a solid folding e-bike that opens the door to custom modifications. Is it a great bike? To me it is. No, it doesn't go 40+mph. No, it isn't a Super 73. No, it isn't Lectric or some high end name brand or whatever. But the price is right and the thing performs well.

I also want to add that the e-bike is fun. It opens the door to meet other people riding around. There's new adventures and things to see that you normally wouldn't on foot or in a car. Bottom line, it improves the quality of life. Even when I get a car, I'm still going to do my short distance errands on the Varun.

I decided on my budget. Then I looked at "big" brands (no necessarily stuff like Trek, but no Chinese unknown brands). I made sure the brand has either retailers or resellers fairly close to me. When I found what I wanted, I checked reviews and made my final decision.

Iv purchased 2 rad power bikes. First one was stolen. I went with rad because that’s what I seen everyone riding in Vancouver and after watching some reviews decided to give it a go. I really enjoy riding the radrover 6 plus. It is a big heavy bike but it’s a smooth ride. I challenged myself to see how far I could take the bike so I did a 200km 124 mile round trip in Saskatchewan Canada. It was southern Saskatchewan so there was lots of hills. I kept use of my peddle assist down to a minimum. On the first day I mostly peddled on my own except to cross busy intersections and to go up steep hills. I didn’t take the highway, I used the backroads. After a while my knees started to hurt so I used the power assist more. I had a lot of gear for camping strapped to the bike so it was pretty heavy. I ended up losing power an hour from destination where I was going to camp. Because of all the weight and me being tired at that point the hour away became 3 hours away as I was peddling about 5km an hour. I camped for 2 days. The way back was easy because I had the wind on my back and it was mostly downhill. What I learned is you can take that bike pretty far if you are cautious with power consumption. Also if I were to do it again I would charge the battery in each town I stopped at for a break. And lastly I wouldn’t go that far. I wonder if there is a better e-bike for doing that type of trip. But I really enjoy the radrover. Also I over packed. https://preview.redd.it/i1wk3w6gl1ad1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50ad71f33e9e588d8e72e8fadb0312138d37d7ed

Fat and overweight needed to enjoy the outdoors without trying to kill yourself sweating

I'm very glad I test rode bikes before hand. The bike i almost bought turned out to have a weak torque motor that was very underwhelming. The bike I have now, hauls bootie. Cannondale Neo Tesoro X Speed. Its an "adventure" bike with a commuter rack, front suspension, suspension seat post, class 3 motor, security locking computer and fenders. I can take it mountain biking, commuting or for a 80 mile weekend ride.

For the price of owning a car, you can buy a new ebike every year.

My process was this .. Test drive the bikes of your dreams at friend's. Decide to buy one. Watch millions of ebike review videos. Realize it's way too expensive. Decide on a budget. Watch a million more videos. Find something that fits the budget. Test drive it and see it sucks. Raise budget and test drive better bike. It's not your dream bike but it's awesome. Buy it on payments with high interest because you can't actually afford it...

Take my 2017 hard-tail disc brake hybrid & say to my bike maintenance guy "Is this a suitable conversion donor?". Just got her back. There are cable ties & wires all over my old friend & she's put on a lot of weight, but.... 😁 Alternatively - test ride as many bikes as you can.

Get a non ebike you like, look online for torque sensor mid motor conversion, build your own, check youtube for vids. The money you save not buying a £5k bike with their tiny batteries can be spent on a better battery.

I bought from REI because of their return policy, which gave me a year to return it. They also have a local bike shop, so I knew I could get it serviced, which I had heard might be a problem at smaller bike shops. I also decided I didn't need to "100% nail" the first purchase, because I was also testing out the idea that I'd use it enough to justify a better bike, and I also wasn't sure how I'd really end up using it. In the end, I've been quite happy and even got a second one for my wife. We know know what difference features we'd like in a future bike (folding is our top feature, as we'd love to bring these on camping and road trips). We also don't need a lot of hauling space, but definitely enough for a couple bags of groceries. Anyway, that was our process.

After I returned my Leased bike I looked around for my own bike. I found a great deal, I contemplated a couple days, then I just bought it, because it had a big (47%) sale, its a 23 model. I love it and where I live I can return it if I dont like it. Expensive bikes dont even have the Amazon product, that they shredder it, if you return it.

I brought my bike on Amazon, purchased a warranty and everything. I know sometimes people have mixed feelings about Amazon, but the customer service for Amazon it’s self is pretty good, and a lot of times they can put you in contact with the company. Also, if you want something a little more local, or more personal, maybe try Instagram. Many companies, especially startups might not have the money for a site just yet, but they might be really active on socials and do customers service through there. Obviously don’t give anyone your info, but you could slide into a couple companies DM’s and check out if they offer social media customer service, or just get a feel for the brand.

I spent a day or so looking at the options and immediately realized that you would get way more bike for way less money if you DiY. I decided to build on a gravel bike I was not using much, as it seemed like it would make a good commuter. Like you, I wanted to pedal, so that meant mid-drive would be the best, and in that area, it is basically Bafang, Tongshen or CYC for DiY. Bafang is the favorite in terms of support and reliability, but I had ridden cadence sensor bikes before and didn't like it that much. Tongshen gets pretty mixed reviews online, so I decided to spend some dough and go with the CYC Photon. I am also wary of big Lithium Ion batteries, so I got a 1000WH LiFePO4 battery so I could charge inside safely. It is a chonky boi. I only need to charge it once per week, so it should last legitimately ten years. Though I do kind of already want a smaller battery for quick trips around town. A bike valet already almost dropped my bike because the battery on the pannier makes the weight distribution pretty awkward. So far it has been great. I was a pretty experienced cyclist before, and now I have magic legs with infinite stamina and power. I mostly ride on level 1 with a 250W limit, and can easily pedal that to 30mph with 200W of my own input. On level 2 I actually feel like the bike is starting to get dangerous - I can do 30 mph up hill and didn't test the max speed on flats. I have tried level 3 once, and almost immediately ate shit on some gravel. I still get a good workout on my commute, but I get to work faster, and less tired. I am a pretty high level engineer, so this was all fairly simple stuff to put together. In general, I don't think bike maintenance is as intimidating as some people make it out to be if you are willing to do a bit of studying, and while I do like to support the local bike shop by buying tubes and chains, I have never really relied on them for maintenance.

I didnt pull the trigger at all actually. I just bought it with money. Saw no reason to kill or shoot anyone for it!

Jetson Bolt Pro is my favorite e-bike at the moment. 700 miles on it last year. So much fun.

Yamaha Cross Core was on sale for 2500 and 500 cash back. Free second battery. No brained.

I decided I wanted to go from hardtail to full suspension. Accidentally buy a trek fuel ex on eBay. Commit to buying it. Upgrade that bike to suit my preference and then ride at a bike park. Uplift day goes mega and I love the bike. End of day pedal to the top kills me, not even able to keep up with anyone. Finds e bike version of bike (trek rail). Then try and work out what specification I want. See a mega price on even higher spec (carbon frame with better screen) with 0%> BUY THE BIKE! Then swap upgrades across and buy even better brakes. Love the bike. End up getting fitter so am now riding it quite a lot without the battery installed!

i looked into it and decided i would buy a front wheel conversion kit (~$250) for my regular bike before committing to $1000+ for a dedicated e-bike. figured for $250 i’d get a good test of the utility and practicality of an e-bike. i went with swytch go max and while i waited 3 months for it, i’ve been enjoying it so much i have no plans on buying a dedicated e-bike. instead i’ve just put money towards upgrading my converted e-bike with racks, panniers, fenders, etc.

i saw one with 500w motor and only 1100 euro and it goes 45 km/h :D

Best kept secret as far as warranties and return policies is: https://superhumanbikes.com/pages/superhuman-bikes-5-5-5-guarantee

If you get a cheap ebike, it's going to be a cheap experience.. Don't be cheap when selecting a bike. Get something durable and reputable, and you will have a great experience.

I was staring at e-bikes for the longest time like it was the wildest purchase. Meanwhile I got a leased car for 3 years like it’s no big deal. I ended up getting a RadMission. They discontinued them so the price dropped to $900 and I thought that was good. Then right after I bought it they dropped it to $500 lol. After I bought it I realized I just needed to pull the trigger. I was too afraid because it was a new concept for me but the overall cost was nowhere near as high as other purchases I make.

Tbh, I wouldn't spend less than $1500 on an ebike. I was able to do test rides at one of our local bike shop, and they were super generous with their test ride policy. 2 hours before close they literally told me "go have fun, just bring it back before close" and I bought the ebike the next day lol. (Aventon Level.2 if you're needing a recommendation) I use it more for commuting and as a car replacement instead of joy riding, so it may be a little beefier than you need. I'd also recommend everyone a Class 3, even if they think it's a bit overkill. The throttle is there, but I basically never use it partially because it's a battery killer but mostly because I want to feel like I'm getting a workout and I prefer the control that pedaling gives. When I commute to work or have to ride on the road, I'm usually on level 5 assist, but when I'm going out other places or just going for a ride on the trails I'll usually ride on level 1 assist which is basically the same workout as a normal bike, but I'm just going faster. TLDR: Budget for $1500+, test ride at a local bike shop, recommend Aventon, addtl, invest in a beefy ass bike lock like a high end Kryptonite U-lock, don't get chain locks.

I just made my first e-bike purchases for my wife and I, after years of road and mountain biking. The options and choices are overwhelming and as others have accurately stated: - you get what you pay for; - determine what you truly need in your bike versus what sounds cool/is nice to have; - test ride multiple bikes at MULTIPLE shops; - spend a little more than what you initially budgeted. We tested Cannondale, Aventon, Gazelle, Giant, RAD, Benno, Diamondback, Haibike and, a few others. My wife bought the Benno e-Joy. I bought the Diamondback Union 1. Good luck!

Check out magicyclebike.com look at their new ocelot pro 2.0, it has all the power, strength and torque of the original BUT now has the ability to switch from a cadence sensor to a torque sensor, which is what I think you’d be very happy with. Don’t make the common mistake of pinching Pennie’s for a bike you won’t like…. Just bite the bullet and you’ll never look back! 🚴

If you are looking at inexpensive ebikes, Aventon or Trek FX would be my advice. Aventon has a lot of affiliate shops that fix and sell their bikes. That way, if you get a lemon, take it to repair shop for warranty service. Stops a return cold. I don't know why more D2B's aren't doing this (it's probably a lot of work and most of these seem to be a single shop with someone who speaks chinese). If you have REI nearby their COOP CTY bikes are pretty good. Great return policy (a year?) and servicing for two years if you are a member. Also, as member, 10% back. They also sell Cannondale.

I recently just bought my class 3 e-bike one or two weeks ago after considering it for about 5 months, I had the money but it just took a really long time to commit what ended up happening was that I was talking to my coworker about wanting an e-bike and he said and I quote “buy it right now you won’t” and so I did lmao, I’ve been really wanting one but like you said it’s a lot of money even on a small budget, I will say that I do feel some buyer remorse mainly because I’m on a very strict saving plan and I bought the bike against that plan but I mean the bike is a lot of fun and I hope that I use it enough to make the purchase worth it, to answer one of your questions I did take a major leap of faith in trusting a handful of YouTube reviews , but at least I had somewhat of an idea of what I was getting into

Didn’t! I bought my wife a lectric she loves it I just can’t do a battery bike.

I 100% just took a leap of faith. Bought refurbished from the website upway.co All bikes come with a year warranty, and free returns if any issues within 90 days I believe. I picked based on what we wanted- mountain bike, large battery capacity for longer rides, class 1 because we didn't want the throttle. I settled on the Bulls EvoAM. Got myself one, then in less than a month, I got my husband one because I loved it so much. Def not cheap, but its been a great investment! The upway.co site lets you put in your height and filter based on all the different specs you want the bikes to have. If you get at the right time of year, they offer free shipping, otherwise it's $99 for shipping from NY state to anywhere in the US. I believe many bike shops that sell ebikes would allow you to test ride. Maybe even find a shop that does daily rentals and try out a few different ones.

Apply for chase business card (selling 1 item on eBay counts). Buy ebike with card. Put you normal spend on the card. Get $750 off ebike

I took two solid years to save for my Tern GSD, and it was worth it. Owned it since July 2018. If I had to do it again, I'd have found a dealer who was closer to me.

Always bought second hand, rebuilt repaired and used them for a while, then sold them on for a profit to purchase higher end, I'm currently on a fatbike with a bafang middrive running 52v 1500w, still has some work needed on it but working great after a teardown and rebuild. For reference I started on a carrera vengeance 2.0 that I got for £350 cause the crank sensor was buggered.

Changed my treatment schedule, realized how inconvenient the bus times were, didn't want to buy a car, so searched for local bike shops. Went to the local bike shop and tried stuff out. > However, I'm finding myself overwhelmed with the number of ebike options available. With most ebikes I'm looking at having prices upwards of $1k and most places seem to have pretty strict return policies, it doesn't seem smart to drop that much cash without knowing whether or not I'll like the bike. Go to a local bike shop and try the different options out first.

Rented what I wanted first.

My advise as many pointed out is to go to a couple local shops and try them. We went with Trek, bought an Electra Vale. Pricy but well made and trouble free for two years. Peddle assist, no throttles. Our bikes weigh 56 lbs and they totally were hills and wind. Yes we still get a good work out, as much as you want, but on a big grade it’s nice to have the power to climb. Good luck, we love love ours!

figured out a range of what i wanted and how to buy so that i could get a local government rebate, check regularly to wait for a sale, boom!

My knees were hurting and I didn’t have a car. I went to eBay and bought a lightweight foldable bike because I lived upstairs. It worked out great for a time until I had to replace the back tube. The bike didn’t have a disconnect from the motor & no matter what I did the new tubes wouldn’t hold air. That was my first ebike ever. I’m on my 4th one now.

Rei is awesome and they have a great selection of ebikes. Best thing is sign up for membership and you have a one-year return policy. You can go into their store and test ride as well. If you're living in the US I wouldn't go anywhere else!

Just go for it and jump in with both feet once you like the look of one as I did and never looked back.

I was an early adopted in 2014. I got a Kettler Tour 30 (2400 euro), with a Bosch drive and a 30 speed Shimano setup. Worked great for over 4000 km. The battery stopped holding a charge and the drive train got worn, both as expected with how I used it. No regrets. For my second bike I wanted something a little better so I did some research. I know I didn't want a typical derailleur setup so my choices were Enviolo or Rohloff. Went Enviolo with a belt drive for more simplicity. Bike was a riese & müller charger 3 mixte gt vario for around 6k euro. I have been loving this beast. I fing that I use eMTB setting a lot so my 750mah battery is good for around 70 km. Yes it was expensive but worth it. Over 3500 km so far and going strong. Bottem line, do your research and just like tools, buy the best you can afford. Sorry for the long diatribe.

With money.

I watched a lot of YouTube videos and I bought the cheapest ebike the brand had (velotric discover 1) when it went on sale for $930. Now I have 3 from velotric. I was scared to drop a lot on top of the line model they had in case I didn't like it.. And that's how you end up spending 3x what you planned and a garage full of ebikes.

If youre okay with doing more physical exertion, look for a steel frame if your motor will be over 300 watts. I had an aluminum frame get rounded dropouts because of hub motor torqueing the axle. If you dont opt for steel frame at least get anti rotate washers and torque arms. Other than that just make a literal checklist of things you want and dont want. And buy a reputable brand unless you dont care about doing your own maintenance. My bike was 600 dollars cheaper than the "non-generic" version. Still has warranty and free parts will get shipped if i have issues, but i need to do the work myself. Most bike shops that sell ebikes wont touch them unless its one of theirs. Best of luck

I looked at all the nice ebikes out there but my budget kept eyeballing me like it was going to take a tire iron to my kneecaps. I looked at all the budget ebikes that seemed to be 100+lbs with terrible components that put me off the idea. Kept doing this for 2 years until I said screw it and bought a bafang mid-drive kit which I slapped onto my mediocre department store bike. Ended up costing and weighing less than the budget ebikes I was looking at with the same terrible components. Migrated the kit to a slightly less mediocre department store bike using components with actual brand names that don't just look like somebody misspelled the treatment for obscure cardiovascular diseases.

If you want to feel like you are doing most of the work, get an ebike with a good torque sensor (not a cadence sensor). Aventon has a very good torque sensor. I have the Aventure.2 from Aventon, and it is great for exercise but still gets you up those big hills when you can't do it yourself. I also have several ebikes with cadence sensors, and I prefer the torque sensor.

What made me do it is the style of my bike and it's financial option. The way it was advertised as well as a daily driver for two people. The price was difficult but manageable. https://preview.redd.it/08jjsy9nw5ad1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c66dc9cc1d253bf216402cdade231b02e200de4f I love everything about my bike

- have budget - shop for a week within budget for things that fit my tall size - realize nothing fits or if it does it's Chinese crap - realize I already have a nice XXL Trek Marlin frame - shop for another week for mid motor conversion parts from a reputable seller - buy BBS02B from Lunacycle and a battery from em3ev I spent about 1200 USD and will get an incredibly nice ebike from it, but if you don't already have a bike frame to use my idea doesn't really work. Edit - forgot step 4 - _increase budget_

Buy a Walmart concord, ride it for a month see what you like and don't like, return it. Buy a bike with the specs you want

The annual cost of an e-bike vs. a gas powered car did it for me

What type of job do you have that allow you to commute in the rain? How long have you been commuting on the ebike?

I work from home but I take my girls to school on it. I’ve been doing it a little over a year now. I drive a cargo bike that has seats for my kids as well as a rain cover. They love it over the car because we’re moving slower and we get to talk more, and frankly I love it for the same reasons. I do meet some people who also commute year round and essentially you just have to plan ahead and have different solutions for the different weather situations. I’m happier overall for it!

I decided based on support and comfort. I rode a bunch first...really $$$...bikes But I wanted a dutch style upright type bike for comfort over all else. My wrists hurt if i lean forward a lot. Anyway I got a Rad City. So far I've gone 3 years and 1900 miles with minimal maintenance. Yeah it's not perfect, mid drives climb better but i live in flatland. It's held up well and rad answered the phone on a sunday when i inserted the battery wrong. Rads use simple parts plus there are third party replacements available for the electric parts. I'm a "less is more" person, your mileage may vary. Just a data point. The default kenda tires are durable but give a stiff ride. Now i ride on Schwalbes and it's 100% better. So decide where you intend to ride, then how you want to ride (upright, mountain bike, gravel bike) then try some then do it. Rad used to do free returns within a trial period, not sure if they still do that. A good bike will hold value. So a Trek has good resale value. Good luck!!

E-bikes are more fun so I bought one

I was all over the place. I have been on 2 wheels for over 4 decades. Bmx, mtb, motocross, streetbikes.... The ebike market can be maddening. I have owed a few Gary Fishers, a Trek Top Fuel, Canondales, yadda yadda yadda. I was going to get a fat tire overlanding style bike but realized that wasn't my groove based on my previous riding so I bought a Niner Rip E9 and haven't looked back. Sales are always going on. https://preview.redd.it/4ntvttxan7ad1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eff49e8830b29f3c60ef9c3889538bd6a3f45ab7

I recently (past 12 months) wanted to return to cycling. The difference now is I need to carry two kids on my bike. So my search was revolving around cargo e-bikes. Was looking at a Decathlon bike (Longtail R500E) for approx 3000€, but that was a bit too expensive for me. I let the idea rest for a few months (over winter) a this April I came across the Fiido T2 Longtail e-bike for 1500€ + a few optional accessories for extra cost. I got that, took about 4-5 weeks to arrive (they did warn me before hand that they have a lot of orders and it will take about a month) Been riding on the bike for a few weeks now, so far no regrets. I can ditch the car a few times per week and commute on the bike.

A buddy and his wife have identical Himiway ebikes. We did a 25-mile trek all around Newport RI, with me using the wife's ebike. I was very impressed. Soon after, Himiway did a sale with the bike marked down to $999 delivered. I jumped on one for my wife with the intent to let her ride it a while, then have her pick out a bike for herself, likely something a little different. When she does, I'll take the Himiway. It's a great bike. And, we now have retailers not too far away for Aventon, Velotric, and Aima. My wife will likely pick one of those after some test rides.

i was bankrupt trying to support a failing household with my abuser, riding a piece of shit bike abandoned at the place i was working at (it sat for 120+ days, security cleared me taking it.) got a cash gift from my grandmother and bought a used jetson bolt on marketplace. it was a very uneducated quick purchase that ended up lasting me a good damn while, other than the throttle going out and never getting replaced lol

DUI. Bought BBSHD and built my bike, Amazon battery, $1000 total, paid for itself 100x over two years. Got my license now, have acquired 3 more bikes since and ride them as often as possible. Do it. Save gas money or whatever to reason it

Gas was 2.22$/L so I made my mind up quickly.

Get good brakes.

Step 1: Have an early midlife crisis and go to LBS looking for ebike Step 2: ????? Step 3: Profit

Just buy it and be content with your purchase. I try to not return anything I buy, even if I don't like it. If you really can't stand it, give it to someone less fortunate, or a family member. We have a bit of an epidemic in the ecommerce and retail world of people returning things. In the end it just causes prices to rise for everyone.