I have the first generation of this bike from Costco 1.5 year ago for $1200. I have almost 2000 miles commuting on it. It's been a great bike for the cost and a good entry for an electric bike.
My biggest gripes are:
My First Gen doesn't go 20, only 18.5mph
Top speed is only obtainable at full battery. You lose about 1 mph after 90% battery.
Hydraulic brakes would of been nice. The manual ones need frequent adjustment to keep them working well.
No built in lights
It will be hard to find these features at this price. I still recommend it.
This vs. building DIY on a 90's MTB for a 25 mile commute (each way)?
Weeks to research parts/kit, or buy a kit and putting it together. Or just have something ready to go? Pro of diy is always going to be having something you picked and built. Con is hours of research and build time, and overall warranty .
Only 2 different e-bikes at Costco's site.
You would think that there would be many more by now.
In comparison, there's also the $1000 e-bike by Jetson but it has an integrated battery.
Specs on the Jetson are...
Motor 250 Watt Brushless Hub Motor
Battery 36V, 7.8Ah Rechargeable Panasonic lithium-ion battery
Up to 20 mph, with 30 Mile Range
42 lbs
Specs on the original posted one are...
350W Rear Hub Motor
7-Speed Shimano Gear, Front and Rear Disc Brakes
Samsung Li-ion Battery With Full Charge Time of 3.5 Hours
Top Speed of 20mph
36V, 9.6Ah Lithium-Ion battery provides up to 50 miles of range under normal operating conditions.
46 lbs
WINNER - and they have the 'recreational style' version with the lower bar (but it's only available in their 'small' 16" size)
Or just go to China to buy one e bike for $200 - daily commute tool for city dwellers there
Quote
from junkbl
:
Weeks to research parts/kit, or buy a kit and putting it together. Or just have something ready to go? Pro of diy is always going to be having something you picked and built. Con is hours of research and build time, and overall warranty .
This vs. building DIY on a 90's MTB for a 25 mile commute (each way)?
If you are mechanically minded and like tinkering, you can get much better performance for less money if you assemble your own. Also, there are some great values on used electric bikes on Craigslist.
20mph is still kind of slow and a deal breaker IMO. Maybe there is some law / limit at 20mph, but I know many can be increased well past 20mph, some into the 30+ range. I'm not an advocate of RAD, but was able to demo a RADCity[radpowerbikes.com] eBike for 2 months as part of my companies "Go green" commuting initiative. Overall I found it a solid bike but chose not to buy one at the time even at a discounted rate, though I still keep an eye on eBikes and have a lingering interest in them. Here's what I can tell newbies or people who haven't experienced eBikes in general but are curious:
They are fun! If you haven't ridden one see if you can go to a local eBike shop and test ride one
In general an eBike allows you to go faster than one could normally go on a manual bike
They really help out with hills and can make them almost effortless
Yes you can have the bike do 100% of the work and not even peddle, but then what's the point? Why not just buy a scooter right?
Cost wise the they are roughly double what a comparable manual bike would be
With the assist levels you can maximize human effort vs. bike assist to basically find your sweet spot
You still sweat and get a workout on an eBike, again it's purpose is not to do 100% of the work even know it can
If you drain the battery 100%, an eBike is a dog, any kind of hills & forget it... Unless you're a couple blocks from your destination you'll be calling for help. Hence plan ahead and don't run out of juice...
Overall my eBike thoughts... I like biking as a scenic cardio workout on decent weather days, I'm not an everyday cyclist and have other commuting & workout options. My work commute is 15 - 22 miles one way depending on the trail / route. Between the eBike and my $600+ hybrid, what did I find? Basically an eBike got me there 1/3 quicker and I wasn't quite as tired though I still sweat and it's a workout either way. eBikes pretty much nullify hills, you just scream past other bikers on an eBike. In the end I kept asking myself, why would I NEED an eBike at this time, and I couldn't find a justifiable enough reason, hence why I haven't gotten one, but they are fun!
I was just describing to someone today about Shanghai. Swarms of electric bikes. To an outsider there appear to be no traffic rules of any kind, no safety equipment of any kind, driving wildly in and out of traffic, and they all turn their lights off after dark to save the battery.
I have the first generation of this bike from Costco 1.5 year ago for $1200. I have almost 2000 miles commuting on it. It's been a great bike for the cost and a good entry for an electric bike.
My biggest gripes are:
My First Gen doesn't go 20, only 18.5mph
Top speed is only obtainable at full battery. You lose about 1 mph after 90% battery.
Hydraulic brakes would of been nice. The manual ones need frequent adjustment to keep them working well.
No built in lights
It will be hard to find these features at this price. I still recommend it.
This one is also 1st gen...101 and 102....printed on the frame.
Or just go to China to buy one e bike for $200 - daily commute tool for city dwellers there
Got one on eBay couple of years ago for 400. Seller closed his account soon after selling all the bikes. Manufacturer info was nowhere to be found. Bike stopped working after 2 months and no one can fix it. Buy only from a reputed seller with decent warranty. One online store I have dealt with is xtreme scooter...based in Tacoma, WA. They have decent collection of ebikes with good support. You May be able to score dent/scratch for half the price...as low as $300.
Got one on eBay couple of years ago for 400. Seller closed his account soon after selling all the bikes. Manufacturer info was nowhere to be found. Bike stopped working after 2 months and no one can fix it. Buy only from a reputed seller with decent warranty. One online store I have dealt with is xtreme scooter...based in Tacoma, WA. They have decent collection of ebikes with good support. You May be able to score dent/scratch for half the price...as low as $300.
you cannot score a scratch and dent for $300. The battery alone, unless some unbranded china bootleg, is worth more than that.
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these fall under the costco return policy like computers so 90 days?
My biggest gripes are:
My First Gen doesn't go 20, only 18.5mph
Top speed is only obtainable at full battery. You lose about 1 mph after 90% battery.
Hydraulic brakes would of been nice. The manual ones need frequent adjustment to keep them working well.
No built in lights
It will be hard to find these features at this price. I still recommend it.
Weeks to research parts/kit, or buy a kit and putting it together. Or just have something ready to go? Pro of diy is always going to be having something you picked and built. Con is hours of research and build time, and overall warranty .
You would think that there would be many more by now.
In comparison, there's also the $1000 e-bike by Jetson but it has an integrated battery.
Specs on the Jetson are...
Motor 250 Watt Brushless Hub Motor
Battery 36V, 7.8Ah Rechargeable Panasonic lithium-ion battery
Up to 20 mph, with 30 Mile Range
42 lbs
Specs on the original posted one are...
350W Rear Hub Motor
7-Speed Shimano Gear, Front and Rear Disc Brakes
Samsung Li-ion Battery With Full Charge Time of 3.5 Hours
Top Speed of 20mph
36V, 9.6Ah Lithium-Ion battery provides up to 50 miles of range under normal operating conditions.
46 lbs
WINNER - and they have the 'recreational style' version with the lower bar (but it's only available in their 'small' 16" size)
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Totally! They have awesome bikes over there!
Overall my eBike thoughts... I like biking as a scenic cardio workout on decent weather days, I'm not an everyday cyclist and have other commuting & workout options. My work commute is 15 - 22 miles one way depending on the trail / route. Between the eBike and my $600+ hybrid, what did I find? Basically an eBike got me there 1/3 quicker and I wasn't quite as tired though I still sweat and it's a workout either way. eBikes pretty much nullify hills, you just scream past other bikers on an eBike. In the end I kept asking myself, why would I NEED an eBike at this time, and I couldn't find a justifiable enough reason, hence why I haven't gotten one, but they are fun!
Crazy. But environmentally sensitive.
My biggest gripes are:
My First Gen doesn't go 20, only 18.5mph
Top speed is only obtainable at full battery. You lose about 1 mph after 90% battery.
Hydraulic brakes would of been nice. The manual ones need frequent adjustment to keep them working well.
No built in lights
It will be hard to find these features at this price. I still recommend it.
This one is also 1st gen...101 and 102....printed on the frame.
Got one on eBay couple of years ago for 400. Seller closed his account soon after selling all the bikes. Manufacturer info was nowhere to be found. Bike stopped working after 2 months and no one can fix it. Buy only from a reputed seller with decent warranty. One online store I have dealt with is xtreme scooter...based in Tacoma, WA. They have decent collection of ebikes with good support. You May be able to score dent/scratch for half the price...as low as $300.