“I review eBikes for a living” and these are what he chose?
These bikes are all nightmares. Please don’t buy those (well, the Yuba is legit, but not the top 3)
These are all consumer direct brands that you buy at department stores. People who put these together are generally not detail oriented. The parts spec (Altus derailleur?) is the cheapest shit possible that was not designed for an eBike application. The weight and torque of the bike is more than the parts are designed for. It will need servicing and the cassette/ chain will be roached every 500 miles or so.
Therein lies the kicker: most mainstream shops won’t service these. No name motors (maybe Bafang if you’re lucky) and batteries that are prone to catching on fire if you overcharge them means a shop won’t take the chance. With all the proprietary parts and propriety firmware for the motor a shop would have a hard time even if they did take them in. I turn these bikes away from my shop every week and a lot of them are built by fly by night companies that fold or don’t support the bike 2 years after you buy it.
If you are considering going the eBike route, get something with Bosch, Shimano, Fazua, TQ or similar MID DRIVE motor as opposed to these hub drive bikes. Hub drive bikes have weird cables that you dare not risk ripping out or nicking while taking out the 30lb rear wheel to change a flat and all that weight near the back of the bike makes for a shitty handling one.
Can attest: My rear hub sucks when it comes to tire service and my next bike will definitely be a mid drive. Maybe this guy just reviews cheaper shittier bikes for the most part (or maybe they’re getting kickbacks).
Which one of those (Bosch, Shimano, Fazua, TQ) provides parts and service manuals to the end user for dyi repair?
Opening any of these motors voids the warranty, but most reputable shops have the firmware and diagnostic tools for these motors (as well as the ability to send them back for issues/service)
If you think something like a Super 73 will be serviceable by anyone, go nuts king
I like that cargo bike but damn 6k? That’s close to cheap car territory.
I think that’s the manufacturer’s thought too, if it’s a car replacement with much lower upkeep costs, they should be allowed to charge as much as a cheap car.
Good thing the bike has low ongoing costs compared to a car: no fuel, insurance, and low maintenance costs.
Over a year, a car costs thousands just to operate.
Plus you’re comparing a brand new bike, which will go with little maintenance for years, to a cheap car, which will break down next month.
It’s still a large upfront cost.
So is a car.
No one is saying it’s not. Your statement’s implication is that because follow up costs are so low that the upfront is negligable, but that’s fallacious as it’s still significant and potentially out of reach for someone that wasn’t planning on spending as much as a car upfront.
Your statement’s implication is …
I’m gonna say the same thing after my cat wakes up:
“Ooooo big stretch.”
Have a hard time holding conversation past 1 comment?
In this case, when I wrote “You got all of that”, my statement’s implication was that I read your whole comment.
Having a hard time comprehending any comments? Maybe I should type slower for you.
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Citron ami goes for arond 8k in Europe, but I’m sure someone could find cheaper used.
And yeah taxes, fuel, and maintenance are more, but most consumers badly underestimate those costs.
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Weird picks…
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