ebike technology, tips/advice?

[Operandi]

fair enough but it works great on my end still.

When I was kid we had Packard Bell PC, I thought it was awesome. It wasn't, it was garbage, same deal here.

If what you have still works and you are happy with and it just needs tires thats totally worth doing for it but from I can gather from it its "department store" level and those types of bikes are just not meant to pile on miles and are heavy, unresponsive, and just not fun to be on. If you have a good bike stop around you they'll give you an honest assessment of it, if they start getting pushy and try to sell you something right away its probably not a good shop.

 

[DR4G00N]

A cheap bike that's well adjusted is totally fine for riding trails, I just wouldn't do any big jumps on it.
I have an old Nishiki Expedition that I got for free, it was pretty thrashed but I just cleaned it and gave it a once over and it does fine.

 

[Operandi]

A cheap bike that's well adjusted is totally fine for riding trails, I just wouldn't do any big jumps on it.
I have an old Nishiki Expedition that I got for free, it was pretty thrashed but I just cleaned it and gave it a once over and it does fine.

Old vintage you got for cheap today and new cheap are different things.

 

[1freedude]

I knew the Autobike mention was gonna cause grief.

Keep riding, that's what is important. Do you bring the bike to a shop for tune ups and maintanance? If not, do it. Like Operandi said, try to find a small indy (independant) shop that does more mechanic work than sales. I personally worked in shops with just the owner and me. We worked on anything, and I mean anything. A good relationship with your LBS (local bike shop) mechanic will pay off with miles of pleasurable riding.
Regarding electrification....dont put extra batteries in a basket on your handlebars. That wont work. Get the biggest battery you can afford. Use pedals as your backup, not another battery.

I'm mixed as to buying a shop brand (Trek, Specialized, Giant, Jamis) vs a web brand. I just checked out the Sondor brand. I see nothing wrong at all with the brand, or the bikes. The XS has shop quality parts, and some trick stuff, like integrated headset. The biggest negative I see is the waiting.

My last word recommendation: get a used shop brand bike and slap a mid-drive kit from Luna Cycles. Make friends with your mechanic. Beer helps.

 

[Space Lynx]

When I was kid we had Packard Bell PC, I thought it was awesome. It wasn't, it was garbage, same deal here.

If what you have still works and you are happy with and it just needs tires thats totally worth doing for it but from I can gather from it its "department store" level and those types of bikes are just not meant to pile on miles and are heavy, unresponsive, and just not fun to be on. If you have a good bike stop around you they'll give you an honest assessment of it, if they start getting pushy and try to sell you something right away its probably not a good shop.

the auto gear landrider is fun to ride. the autoshift feature is very unique in bikes and gives it a lot of fun imo. i can control it fairly easily just with how quickly i pedal. it took a few weeks learning curve, but i have that bike mastered now, i can get going fast on it too... super fast on proper roads... not sure what my actual speed is but i know i have matched 30-35 mph cars before.

 

[Operandi]

I'm mixed as to buying a shop brand (Trek, Specialized, Giant, Jamis) vs a web brand. I just checked out the Sondor brand. I see nothing wrong at all with the brand, or the bikes. The XS has shop quality parts, and some trick stuff, like integrated headset. The biggest negative I see is the waiting.

Very little on that Sondor is quality parts. The only thing I recognize is the entry level 7 speed Shimano drive train ($20-$30 parts on Amazon) and Tektro brakes (way too weak for a bike this big and heavy) and thats only by looking in pics, its not listed in the specs so honestly who knows what you'll get if you actually buy it. Pretty much everything else on it is generic including the air fork with its spindly stanchions and stamped (I'm guessing steel?) arch. The last thing you want is no name flexy fork on 75lb fat bike (75lb is insane btw). Assuming it performs at all its going to be bad while it lasts which won't be long because its under way too much stress from that heavy of a bike and when it does fail or needs serviceing good luck getting it serviced assuming it has any serviceable parts to begin with. Sorry, this Sondor stuff is a scam.

Integrated headsets are trick stuff? They are pretty much everywhere now, pretty standard stuff.

the auto gear landrider is fun to ride. the autoshift feature is very unique in bikes and gives it a lot of fun imo. i can control it fairly easily just with how quickly i pedal. it took a few weeks learning curve, but i have that bike mastered now, i can get going fast on it too... super fast on proper roads... not sure what my actual speed is but i know i have matched 30-35 mph cars before.

Since I've never heard of this bike before today, out of curiosity I watched a Youtube video on a guy restoring one from a free road side find. It dosn't look like a dangerously bad bike, about what you'd expect on a $200 sporting goods store cruiser which basically makes it overpriced for what it is.

The auto shifting mechanism is actually pretty impressive for how it works but the why is another matter. Best case scenario is solution looking for a problem, shifting gears is easy and reliable, this is just proprietary mechanical complication. At worst it gets in the way as you often want to control your pedaling cadence based on the type of effort you are putting in, though with a cruiser bike like this I guess thats less of an issue.

The guy in the video got it shifting really well which is pretty impressive but that rear derailleur has all kinds of proprietary mechanical weirdness going on so when something goes wrong with it you are pretty much done.

 

[Space Lynx]

The auto shifting mechanism is actually pretty impressive for how it works but the why is another matter. Best case scenario is solution looking for a problem, shifting gears is easy and reliable, this is just proprietary mechanical complication. At worst it gets in the way as you often want to control your pedaling cadence based on the type of effort you are putting in, though with a cruiser bike like this I guess thats less of an issue.

The guy in the video got it shifting really well which is pretty impressive but that rear derailleur has all kinds of proprietary mechanical weirdness going on so when something goes wrong with it you are pretty much done.

my grandpa gave me this landrider auto shift. so it didn't cost me anything. and its held up for a few years so far without issue. im leaning towards getting new tires for it and calling it a day... ebikes are really overpriced imo... can buy a used car for the cost of a lot of these. just crazy.

 

[ShiBDiB]

Not trying to sound like elitist snob here but that is basic department store junk. If you are serious about putting on miles or taking it up as sport it would be money well spent to get something new/newer.

Definitely are. Biking has a tendency to have the "you need to go to a bike store and get a REAL bike or you're not really a biker" stigma that you're not helping with at all. A department store Schwinn will be fine for 98% of people. It's a hobby with a low entry price point that is all most people need, yes you can spend enough for a used car and get a high end bike but unless you're putting hundreds of miles on it a month you're just wasting money (and/or drinking the "non pushy but totally commission based bike store" cool-aid).

 

[Jetster]

Definitely are. Biking has a tendency to have the "you need to go to a bike store and get a REAL bike or you're not really a biker" stigma that you're not helping with at all. A department store Schwinn will be fine for 98% of people. It's a hobby with a low entry price point that is all most people need, yes you can spend enough for a used car and get a high end bike but unless you're putting hundreds of miles on it a month you're just wasting money (and/or drinking the "non pushy but totally commission based bike store" cool-aid).

Have you seen the prices of schwinns?
I disagree, department store bikes made out of pot steal and plastic are heavy and will not last, they also have no support for proper set up. Which is why they are a ridden a few times and then parked. For just s a few hundred more you can get a bike with a professional set up. Most all bike shops want you to enjoy riding so you return. Entry level bikes from Giant, Santa Cruz, Trek and a bunch of other brands run under $600 and come with one or two years of support. Which means you take it to them for tune ups, flats and other problems and they fix it for free. So ask when shopping. October is the time of year to buy a new bike. They cut prices on bikes for the new years bikes have room. You can also get them to throw in a free pump or a few tubes

If you want cheaper than buy used. Just learn what good and whats crap

Trivia, did you know Giant makes most of the frames for other company's and have a life time warrenty on there frames? They are the worlds largest manufacture of bikes and have the best deals

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

Get a nice Specialized Frame and build your own. I have looked into this myself and you can easily make a very nice ebike for way, way under what they sell them for. Plus you can build it to go way faster than they are allowed to build. The reason I went with Specialized is it already had all the holes and cable routing built into the very strong and light frame. Amazon sells some premade hub kits that are pretty nice and cost about 1200 for a good setup.

 

[Liquid Cool]

I saw this thread a little late, but I'm still going to comment...

I've been riding bikes for almost 50 years. I even raced bikes ALL the way back in the 1970's...BMX. Redline! I also spend time bringing vintage bikes back to life as a hobby. Here is a picture of my current project...it's been going real slow, but I'm starting to make progress. At the end of the day...the frame is like brand new with no rust, so she's a beauty. It's a 1947 Hawthorne. All original.



In some fashion...my opinion would mirror Jetster's....relatively sound advice he's given from my perspective. I can no longer ride mountain bikes(with my neck I have to sit straight up), but I'm a fan of Both Giant and Trek in your price range. Although, maybe it's where I live, but a solid entry level from either is cheaper than $600. $400 to $500 would be more accurate in my area. I also believe a good relationship with a local bike shop is a must. I can do all of my own work...but I always take care of my local bike guys.

Now...with electrical bikes and your budget. The only bike I could come up with that I would personally purchase for myself in this range is probably the Lectric XP 2.0, not the original, but the just released 2.0. They really listened to their riders and have fixed quite a bit of the shortcomings associated with their first production run. Because of the price, it has a very large(and getting larger by the day) cult following.


I've ridden both the Lectric XP and the Sondor. While I(and this is subjective) found the Sondor to be a little more aesthetically pleasing to the eye...I did not like the width of the frame. It felt too wide, especially around the crank area. I actually kept looking down because something felt off. I do remember this was the cheaper of the two Sondor models, but it still appeared well equipped. The Lectric XP was the original model, but the bike I rode was highly modified, so it's hard to compare. After 5 miles or so, I wanted one. Still do...

XP 2.0 Black

I have owned many many bicycles in my life. Very expensive bikes and very cheap bikes...but now the only bikes I can ride are beach cruiser types because as mentioned I have to sit straight up. So, I actually prefer those cheap Wal-Mart bikes that nobody likes. My current one is going on 7 or 8 years and still rides like new. Bought it for $45 used from a guy who rode it a half dozen times and parked it....like most Americans. The only saving grace for this heavy bike is...the frame is aluminum, but it still takes the scale into the 40's...high 40's.



Even with that I say unabashedly...It has to be the best money I've ever spent. I absolutely love this old bike...may not look like it but I've ridden the hell out of it. I also pamper it a bit too....

I even ride it in the winter...inside of course.

Best,

Liquid Cool

 

[basco]

i bought my girlfiend a used mateX 750 for 1250.-euro and we are happy after changing the front brakes to magura.
she drives 16km every day and 5 days is possible even more with less power and that you can optimize to your liking.

but its no mountain bike but good for little bit of everything.

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/any-bike-riders-in-here.247065/post-4554873

 

[_ALB_R3D X]

If you have the time/commitment necessary,build your strength and in a month time you'll believe you never needed an e-bike.
If you go the e-bike route than better be big brands for support and longevity reasons.
Just my 2 cents

 

[Space Lynx]

If you have the time/commitment necessary,build your strength and in a month time you'll believe you never needed an e-bike.
If you go the e-bike route than better be big brands for support and longevity reasons.
Just my 2 cents

for me an ebike is about hills mainly to be honest with you, i am aware i could build up strength for that, but some hills are so steep they will just ruin the fun, would be nice to have pedal assist on those so i can enjoy all the nature. its less about biking for me and more about enjoying as much nature as possible / distance.

I saw this thread a little late, but I'm still going to comment...

I've been riding bikes for almost 50 years. I even raced bikes ALL the way back in the 1970's...BMX. Redline! I also spend time bringing vintage bikes back to life as a hobby. Here is a picture of my current project...it's been going real slow, but I'm starting to make progress. At the end of the day...the frame is like brand new with no rust, so she's a beauty. It's a 1947 Hawthorne. All original.

View attachment 214155

In some fashion...my opinion would mirror Jetster's....relatively sound advice he's given from my perspective. I can no longer ride mountain bikes(with my neck I have to sit straight up), but I'm a fan of Both Giant and Trek in your price range. Although, maybe it's where I live, but a solid entry level from either is cheaper than $600. $400 to $500 would be more accurate in my area. I also believe a good relationship with a local bike shop is a must. I can do all of my own work...but I always take care of my local bike guys.

Now...with electrical bikes and your budget. The only bike I could come up with that I would personally purchase for myself in this range is probably the Lectric XP 2.0, not the original, but the just released 2.0. They really listened to their riders and have fixed quite a bit of the shortcomings associated with their first production run. Because of the price, it has a very large(and getting larger by the day) cult following.
View attachment 214157

I've ridden both the Lectric XP and the Sondor. While I(and this is subjective) found the Sondor to be a little more aesthetically pleasing to the eye...I did not like the width of the frame. It felt too wide, especially around the crank area. I actually kept looking down because something felt off. I do remember this was the cheaper of the two Sondor models, but it still appeared well equipped. The Lectric XP was the original model, but the bike I rode was highly modified, so it's hard to compare. After 5 miles or so, I wanted one. Still do...

XP 2.0 Black

I have owned many many bicycles in my life. Very expensive bikes and very cheap bikes...but now the only bikes I can ride are beach cruiser types because as mentioned I have to sit straight up. So, I actually prefer those cheap Wal-Mart bikes that nobody likes. My current one is going on 7 or 8 years and still rides like new. Bought it for $45 used from a guy who rode it a half dozen times and parked it....like most Americans. The only saving grace for this heavy bike is...the frame is aluminum, but it still takes the scale into the 40's...high 40's.

View attachment 214156

Even with that I say unabashedly...It has to be the best money I've ever spent. I absolutely love this old bike...may not look like it but I've ridden the hell out of it. I also pamper it a bit too....

I even ride it in the winter...inside of course.

Best,

Liquid Cool

the xp 2.0 is on sale right now for $999 and I did just get a pay raise at work... very very tempted.