Author Topic: Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes  (Read 3268 times)

jamesbond007

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 754
  • Location: USA
  • One penny at a time.
Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes
« on: May 18, 2017, 10:51:31 AM »
So my bike commute is 20 miles each way. Not fun to do every day. I am looking into e-bikes. Explored a lot of DIY options but recently tried a GenZe e-bike just for a test ride (Barely a few 100 feet). Anybody own it, or know someone who owns it? What do you think of the bike? It sells for $1400, 36V, 250W motor. Has pedal assist and full throttle mode (If needed).  The good thing is that I can remove the battery and charge it at my desk at work.


$1400 seems a bit much for me but I might get it only for $1000 via a discount program at work. $1000 seems very attractive for what the bike has to offer.


Any thought?

AlanStache

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3175
  • Age: 44
  • Location: South East Virginia
Re: Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2017, 11:07:39 AM »
I have been reading to much about ebikes lately and may get one this year.

GenZe does get basically positive reviews
https://electricbikereview.com/genze/recreational-e102/

The price for any of the ebikes is hard to get past almost by design; you are adding two things that can cost 500-1000$ on top of each other; bike + motor/battery/electronics.  So you almost cant get something that comes out cheap.

20 miles might be a bit far in the more upright riding position of that bike. 

Have you ridden much in the past?

jamesbond007

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 754
  • Location: USA
  • One penny at a time.
Re: Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2017, 12:06:48 PM »
I am avid cyclist. I ride my road bike for 40+ miles each trip on weekends to prepare for a century ride in September every year. But riding to work get annoying because of the distance (20 miles each way). Takes about 1.5 - 2 hrs on bike lanes/paved trails. Office has showers so no problem. But getting back home is a PITA. By the time I get back home and have a shower, my daughter is almost ready to hit the sack. So I am looking for options to cut down my bike commute time. E-Bikes seem to offer some advantage. It would be great even if I can speed up by 50% with the help of a motor.

Car Jack

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2141
Re: Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2017, 12:13:26 PM »
I looked at this one in-store, in person a few weeks ago:
http://www.ebikesofne.com/EasyGo-Race-p/easygo-race.htm

I really liked it and it meets your requirements.  It looks and rides like a regular bike, is 30 something pounds and the battery comes off in less than a second to charge.  It's 250W like you mention but is only pedal assist.  There are 3 settings for assist level.


jamesbond007

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 754
  • Location: USA
  • One penny at a time.
Re: Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2017, 12:17:16 PM »
I looked at this one in-store, in person a few weeks ago:
http://www.ebikesofne.com/EasyGo-Race-p/easygo-race.htm

I really liked it and it meets your requirements.  It looks and rides like a regular bike, is 30 something pounds and the battery comes off in less than a second to charge.  It's 250W like you mention but is only pedal assist.  There are 3 settings for assist level.



Looks great. I will try to find anyone locally here in the SF Bay Area that has this in store.

AlanStache

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3175
  • Age: 44
  • Location: South East Virginia
Re: Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2017, 12:26:56 PM »
I looked at this one in-store, in person a few weeks ago:
http://www.ebikesofne.com/EasyGo-Race-p/easygo-race.htm

I really liked it and it meets your requirements.  It looks and rides like a regular bike, is 30 something pounds and the battery comes off in less than a second to charge.  It's 250W like you mention but is only pedal assist.  There are 3 settings for assist level.

Have looked at that one online a lot.  My concern was that it is single speed and without gearing it will have a low top speed; your feet can only spin so fast and that caps your cruising speed - higher cruise speed is what gets you to work faster.  But maybe the gearing will get you to the high 20's?

BikeFanatic

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 826
Re: Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2017, 06:59:04 AM »
I wonder how fast these 250 watt  will go, are they maxed out at 15-18 MPH. To cut your commute time down you may need an Ebike that goes 20-25 MPH. I have an Ebike and on my 5 mile commute it only shaves of 3-5 minutes, versus my fast road bike. Do you have alot of starts and stops?

There are two places I personally  recommend for ebike conversion kits -https://em3ev.com
 and http://www.ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-kits/direct-drive.html

The battery is the most important part as it is expensive and fragile. Must get a good battery from a reputable dealer.

a 44-48 volt battery will usually be required to get you up to 25MPH, I assume you want a fast motor versus a slow wind motor that is slower but better for hills.

jamesbond007

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 754
  • Location: USA
  • One penny at a time.
Re: Mustachian Opinion on GenZe e-bikes
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2017, 09:50:09 AM »
I wonder how fast these 250 watt  will go, are they maxed out at 15-18 MPH. To cut your commute time down you may need an Ebike that goes 20-25 MPH. I have an Ebike and on my 5 mile commute it only shaves of 3-5 minutes, versus my fast road bike. Do you have alot of starts and stops?

There are two places I personally  recommend for ebike conversion kits -https://em3ev.com
 and http://www.ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-kits/direct-drive.html

The battery is the most important part as it is expensive and fragile. Must get a good battery from a reputable dealer.

a 44-48 volt battery will usually be required to get you up to 25MPH, I assume you want a fast motor versus a slow wind motor that is slower but better for hills.

I currently bike at 10mph average on a road bike. Even if I could get to 15mph average, then I am good. I looked into DIY options for almost 6 months as they get very expensive and heavy. I thought this would be a great deal for $1000. Also I am not very handy with tools. Agree that it's not rocket science but there is a cost attached to messing the assembly up and paying someone to do the assembly.