electric bike.. how to get a good one thats worth the money and will last.

[pudding]

I figured this forum is likely a good place to get me started in researching this one.

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm thinking more the bicycle looking ones rather than the scooters.

I want to get a decent one, but not a really expensive one as so many bikes get stolen here. I'll get a big f you lock for it for sure.

Any tips appreciated!

[BikeFanatic]

Do you want a electric bike fully asembled and ready to go or are you looking to convert your bike with a kit?
I would recommend a reliable dealer. There are several small businesses that I have purchased Ebikes from and can recommend.
one is Ebikes.ca or Grin Tech  you can trust their kits and service.
http://em3ev.com/store/

Another is em3EV- they are based in china, make excellent batteries ( the most expensive and most important part  of the ebike, unreliable batteries suck). They are competitively priced.
http://em3ev.com/store/

in usa ebikekit.com I don't know if they sell batteries, their motors are goods, but remember the battery is VIP.

also I heard good things about Luna cycles in California, do not know them personally.
If you get the entire kit from the same vendor like em3ev the battery will be compatible and that is important if you do not want to learn soldering. I have been building Ebikes for myself for 12 years so I know alot,  AMA

[tallen]

Lunacycle is another good resource for diy kits. Much cheaper to go that route, especially if you already have a bicycle you'd like to convert.

[pudding]

I found a good forum for e bikes;
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=60790

[Gmullz]

Before I make a recommendation, I would want to know if you need a rear rack on your bike for carrying things, what conditions you expect to ride it in, and whether there's any laws against eBikes in your location. Also, do you have a bike already that would be suitable to add an eBike kit onto? Finally, how far do you need to go on this thing? Be careful about your decision on the last one. Maybe right now you just want to commute with it, but you might decide later on that you can sell your car and go everywhere with the damn thing, meaning you'll need a bigger battery, or the capability/willingness to bring your charger with you.

I personally like to deal with Lunacycle, because their HQ is in North America. Depending on the answers to the questions above, I would recommend any of the following from them:

1. Pre-Built Hard Tail Mountain Bike
2. Pre-Built Full Suspension Mountain Bike
3. Pre-Built Fat Bike
4. BBSHD Kit + Battery to add onto your existing bike

I should add a caveat to this in that I'm not sure I would recommend any DIY-ish eBike if you're not a little bit handy. Things can break and you'll have to be able to at the very least remove parts for replacement, as well as perhaps a bit of troubleshooting. Bike shops sometimes will be unwilling to help you.

Join us at /r/eBikes. We're a bit more inviting to newbies than Endless Sphere.

edit: As for worrying about theft, my condo insurance covers my eBike! $500 deductable. My annual premium is only $230 for condo insurance. Knowing it's only $500 to replace my eBike takes a bit of worry out of locking it up, though I rarely lock it in places I am worried about it.

[pudding]

Before I make a recommendation, I would want to know if you need a rear rack on your bike for carrying things, what conditions you expect to ride it in, and whether there's any laws against eBikes in your location. Also, do you have a bike already that would be suitable to add an eBike kit onto? Finally, how far do you need to go on this thing? Be careful about your decision on the last one. Maybe right now you just want to commute with it, but you might decide later on that you can sell your car and go everywhere with the damn thing, meaning you'll need a bigger battery, or the capability/willingness to bring your charger with you.

I personally like to deal with Lunacycle, because their HQ is in North America. Depending on the answers to the questions above, I would recommend any of the following from them:

1. Pre-Built Hard Tail Mountain Bike
2. Pre-Built Full Suspension Mountain Bike
3. Pre-Built Fat Bike
4. BBSHD Kit + Battery to add onto your existing bike

I should add a caveat to this in that I'm not sure I would recommend any DIY-ish eBike if you're not a little bit handy. Things can break and you'll have to be able to at the very least remove parts for replacement, as well as perhaps a bit of troubleshooting. Bike shops sometimes will be unwilling to help you.

Join us at /r/eBikes. We're a bit more inviting to newbies than Endless Sphere.

edit: As for worrying about theft, my condo insurance covers my eBike! $500 deductable. My annual premium is only $230 for condo insurance. Knowing it's only $500 to replace my eBike takes a bit of worry out of locking it up, though I rarely lock it in places I am worried about it.

Hey thanks for this!  I had a look over at r e bikes and lots to go on there.

I started out thinking I'd get a kit for an a bike I already have, but having read a bit I'm thinking a fat bike would be a lot of fun.

I got some reading to do as electric bikes have changes so much since I last looked.  Luna cycle looks good.

[Syonyk]

If you want a solid, reasonably decent, factory ebike with a decent warranty and excellent support, look at Rad Power.  The Rad Wagon and Rad Rover are both awesome, and I hear decent things about the Rad City, though I haven't had a chance to review it (and have no real desire to get back over to Seattle to ride one).

If you want "super slick, amazing to ride, and fuckall annoying to repair," go with BionX.  You can convert an existing bike, the ride is better than anything else I've ridden, and I make damned good money fixing stuff they refuse to support after a few years.  Obviously not my first choice.

DIY is a great way to go, but requires some reasonable skills to get things working.

[Financial Ascensionist]

I have a BBSHD kit from Luna and I really like it.  It took me about two hours to do the full conversion of my beater mountain bike, nothing really complicated and there are good videos on youtube.  You will need two specialized tools to remove the bottom bracket and tighten the motor in place. 

I think this is hard to beat and you can always move the motor to a better frame if you get bored of the ride.  BBSHD has way more power than you can possibly wish for; I unlocked my controller, but I actually never go above the the locked settings because I already go are plenty fast with "normal" assist.  You will change your brake pads surprisingly frequently, but these are cheap and it's a very simple job.