Chris (and LT), I looked around quite a bit before settling on the Priority Current ( https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/current) which I absolutely could not be happier with. Priority is a New York based direct-to-consumer company, and they have been great to work with. They respond to emails instantly (sometimes even the owner) and have been quick to provide helpful after-purchase support on a couple of occasions. There's a lot of things I like about the bike - it has a powerful motor and large battery, it is ruggedly built with wide tires that can handle Lincoln's gravel/dirt paths, it has a removable battery that can be charged off the bike (bring it indoors for the winter!), and it uses an internally geared hub and belt drive rather than a chain and gears. Belts are nearly silent in operation, and you don't run the risk of getting chain grease all over your pant leg. The combination of the belt and internal hub means that there is very little to service on the bike - it "just works". It still feels, looks and acts like a touring/commuter bike though, not a moped.
Prior to buying an electric bike, I had maybe ridden my "acoustic" bike 5 times in the previous 10 years. I was not a biker. Since getting my ebike last July, I've put 750 miles on it, significantly reduced my reliance on a car for commuting, gotten a bunch of exercise, and explored much more of our surrounding community. They are fantastic ways to get around, and a ton of fun. I don't think there's any one right answer about which bike to buy (though I really like my bike!), but here's a few general thoughts from my experience so far: My bike is pedal assist only, which has been perfect for me. If I don't pedal, I don't go anywhere. If you get a decent bike (and with $3500 budget, you can) then the assistance is a very natural feeling, and controllable in level. On my bike, you can go from zero (no assist - just a bike) to five (make the library hill painless). That lets me decide how much exercise I want, including 'minimal' when I just want transportation (e.g. headed to work). When I go for a ride on the weekend, I typically leave it at level 2-3, and can do 20-25 miles while returning with half a battery. The shortest distance I've been able to drain the battery, riding on the roads, fast, with lots of assistance (lazy mode), is about 20-25 miles. They make an auxiliary battery you can add in to double the range, which would really only be necessary if you're bikepacking or touring. My bike is "Class 3", which means that it can provide assistance up to 28 miles an hour. That has been helpful when competing with traffic - cars are slightly less pushy about passing when you're at the speed limit, than if you're 5mph below it. That said, my typical speed is more in the 15-20 range, and a class 2 bike wouldn't have been a huge setback from that perspective. Class 2 bikes are often lower power (less torque) though, which might have made them less useful on the hills around Lincoln. A bike like the Specialized Turbo Vado SL (class 2, 30 pounds, smaller battery and motor) is tempting - it's lovely how light it is. If I was already a hardcore cyclist, I think I might have preferred something like that, but I'm not sure. In my case the goal was to reduce reliance on the car, and sometimes I'm just feeling lazy and want the bike to help out more. I appreciate having the ability to decide whether I'm looking for transportation, or fun/exercise, each time I take it out. The weight of my bike (50-60lbs) is only really an issue when putting it on and off the bike rack (you should probably plan on getting a platform rack like a Kuat NV2 for basically any E-Bike, if you're going to transport it by car occasionally). As for the specific use cases you mention - it (and most e-bikes I suspect) would cover all those with ease. I've carried a phenomenal amount of groceries on my bike back from Donelan's, and I'm sure it can take a toddler seat as well. I've also towed a small "Bob" bike trailer. I've done many of the bike paths in the area, including Minuteman, Mass Central, Bruce Freeman, Dr. Paul Dudley White... My commute includes the stretch of road you mentioned - I go from Old Winter Street to near Hanscom - and the (granted, quite steep...) hills are not an issue. Good luck with the search, feel free to shoot me a direct note if you have additional questions or want more details on my setup. Happy to do show and tell sometime, if you'd like to take a look in person. Cheers, Chris Murphy On Tue, May 3, 2022 at 10:50 PM Chris Coke <[email protected]> wrote: > Does anyone have a recommendation for an electric bike? > > My basic requirements: > - can comfortably ride 10-15 mile trips on hilly roads like the start of > Bedford Rd near Rte 2 > - easily fit (a) a toddler seat, and/or (b) a bag of groceries (or the > equivalent size+weight) > - can hop onto a variety of easy-going trails and roadways, from Bedford > Rd to the MinuteMan Commuter bikeway to some of Lincoln's bike trails > through the woods > - under $3,500 > > I'm having trouble deciding if I should be looking at the Radpower end of > the spectrum (75 lb+, full throttle available, marketed as a vehicle > replacement) or the Cannondale end (~30 lb, pedal assist only, marketed as > an ebike that almost looks like a regular bike). > > Thanks, > Chris Coke > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
-- The LincolnTalk mailing list. To post, send mail to [email protected]. Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. Change your subscription settings at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln.
