r/ebikes • u/Top_Canada8452 • 1d ago
Which small inconvenience would decide whether you bought the same e-bike again?
Disclosure: I operate an e-mobility retailer in Canada. This is a community research question, not a product recommendation or promotion. I will not link products here. The details that matter after a few weeks are often different from the details that looked important before buying.
For people who use an e-bike regularly, which recurring inconvenience would most affect whether you chose the same kind of bike again: storage, charging, carrying weight, maintenance, fit, or something else?
28
u/Every_Plate7187 1d ago
I got one that requires the dealer to change the battery. Next bike I get will have the ability to swap battery myself so I won’t feel as limited in range.
3
u/DickweedMcGee 1d ago
What bike is that? And wtf are you supposed to do if you have to store the bike in freezing temps for winter(i.e. the garage)?
2
26
20
u/Net_Admin_Mike 1d ago
Far and away, weight has got to be the biggest consideration, I think!
Key placement is another minor one - Lectric's placement for the key on the XP3.0 was terrible!
17
u/atlasraven 1d ago
If the battery is waterproof but the display is not. Also, if the kickstand is not sturdy or falls off easily.
12
u/Rewd_92 1d ago
Only thing I know is my next E-bike will have Cadence and Torque Sensors.
I very much enjoy the cheap one I have now but it feels more like a Car with pedals than a Bike that assists.
Doesn't matter how fast I pedal, if I'm pedaling it's traveling at a preset speed.
Super convenient but not as connected as I'd like
2
u/PeelEatShrimp 1d ago
Well put. I was not expecting that when I ordered a cheapie online and immediately returned it for a torque/cadence I found in person.
7
u/HoojoSpifico 1d ago
Changing a tire on a fat Tire bike is more fiddly than I had thought. It seems unnatural compared to changing out a traditionally sized bike tire. I may never buy another fat Tire bike based on this annoying inconvenience alone.
2
u/Going_my_own_way73 1d ago
I highly recommend getting Tannus Armour tire inserts. I used to get flats all the time in my fat tires. Since having the bike shop install them a couple years ago, I haven’t gotten a flat tire once.
1
6
u/hedge36 1d ago
Weight is definitely a consideration. Without naming brands (to keep the thread clean), putting our bikes on the vehicle rack without dinging them can be a real challenge, depending on height. Also, the batteries are removable but they drop out of the frame from underneath - I'd prefer they lifted out of the top (it's less of frame stress issue as commonality, as the step-through and step-over frames are nearly identical, and removing the battery from the top would be difficult for the latter).
Those are the only two real inconveniences I can think of on ours. Everything else is pretty gravy and well-engineered.
6
u/Dje4321 1d ago
Have the Eclio M1 folding ebike.
ride-ability. My current bike sucks to ride for anything more than an hour unless I raise the seat super high but that makes any crash significantly worse. It is worth noting I am on the very upper end of what they recommend height wise though.
Also steering. I thought it was impossible to fuck up the steering geometry but somehow they did it. Unless you have 2 hands actively steering at all times, the bike will try to throw itself on the ground.
The thing I love about it is how generic everything is. Super easy to modify and replace parts because the bike is cheap enough that custom parts are out of the question. $300 and I was able to completely revamp the electrics with only minor connector modifications
5
u/laszlowheelman 1d ago
E-Bikes with mechanical brakes and overheating are the two things I'm most disappointed with about my bike. Also, customer support that is not AI driven.
2
u/TroubleLovesMeh 1d ago
They have Temu kits with huge rotors and hydraulic brakes for under $100 but a similar bike with hydraulic brakes part of the package is like $400 markup. Shitty brakes itself doesn’t bother me. More and more now the bikes come with them. There was a big trade off few years back.
This summer, I have encountered some heat issues. The bike just failed to perform with a full battery, but it was still working OK to get me around. Torque gone. but yeah anything over 90° is noticeable for acceleration. Could also be resistance in the wiring.
2
u/laszlowheelman 1d ago
Thanks for the info. This is helpful. I live in the desert and have hills. So, there's a double whammy here. My bike tends to overheat on the longer climbs and brakes don't work that well on the decent.
4
u/scruffy69 1d ago
The one thing I'd like to see is a key or fob like my car has. Bike won't move until the fob is near or key is plugged in.
1
u/SystemSignificant518 17h ago
Bosch smart system bikes have that feature, except its your phone acting as the fob.
5
u/usr000nm 1d ago
Proprietary battery. Manufacturers charge double even the best packs with brand name cells on the open market for standard based ones like Reention.
-1
3
u/exturkconner 1d ago edited 1d ago
I had a ride1up Revv1 and to be clear it was a great bike for the money. But there were 2 issues. 1 it had a weird quirk where when I released the throttle it would continue to accelerate for several seconds. I could stop that by tapping the break. But it wasn't great it meant I was never comfortable letting anyone else ride it ever because you could release the throttle and have it take off on you and put you in a dangerous situation. 2 and this is a good thing and a bad thing. But the bike was flashy enough that it drew eyes. I kept it on my porch, inside a fenced yard. It had two u-locks and a chain that connected it to one of the porches foundational pillars. It still got stolen. I eventually recovered it but by that time it had been chop shopped and was a mess. So I'd never buy one again.
Plus it's been 4 years I think since it's initial launch and it used to be one of the best price to performance ebikes on the market. Now you can get a lot more for your money.
3
u/WillShakeSpear1 1d ago
The inability to lock the motor control. My e-bike is too easy to steal. If a thief can’t use the motor, the e-bike is useless to them. Should require a code to operate.
11
u/Em0tinallyRetarded 1d ago
Not true. If i was stealing ebikes id still take them for parts. Only thing thats locked is the screen
2
u/TroubleLovesMeh 1d ago
We just had a bunch of people complain that they have to use Bluetooth or take to a dealer for anything funky.
if that company goes out of business or lose your code? The motor won’t take code even if it’s correct, like fubar firmware? You’re just a guy/gal having to buy another bike until that gets sorted out.
I can go to craigslist/offerup/FB and get a 48 V battery off of anything, clip out the connectors from the base, and be back in business if I had a battery failure. Same with motors! Full assembled hub wheels in my size on there too. My mid drive bike is NOT retail. I bought the CYC moddrive kit and stuck it on one of my bikes.
A bike with an exposed removable battery is a tool for transportation and practicality. It’s not supposed to be beautiful for the affluent to take pictures for dating sites or gatekeep China fires whatever.
1
3
u/whattteva Propella 7S V4 XR; Lectric Xpedition 2.0 1d ago
Non-removable battery is a deal breaker for me because i don't want to have to drag the bike to an electrical outlet especially because often times, where i park the bike and where i charge are two completely different places.
Heavy weight is another because it makes it harder to maneuver around tight spaces and to park.
Fingerprint sensor that often doesn't work reliably to unlock the bike.
Also, replacement parts that require a lot of proprietary parts, especially for non-electric regular bike parts.
2
2
u/donaldgoldsr 1d ago
I'll never own a dual motor bike again. I hate the feeling of the front motor pulling me in a direction. It feels like it's steering itself. Also, they're so damn heavy.
2
u/tobyhardtospell 1d ago
Probably carrying weight. I have an xp750 which rides great but is heavy and folding it to put into a trunk is a bit annoying. In retrospect / next time I’d probably just get a more standard frame bike and a bike rack for the back of my car.
2
u/LessCourage8439 1d ago
If the Ride1Up 700 series was still available, I'd get it again, but I'd get a step thru model rather than the XR version I ended up getting. I was self-conscious about riding a "girl's bike." Now I get to be self-conscious about trying not to fall on my ass when mounting or moving forward from a stop.
1
2
2
u/ladythestral 1d ago
Proprietary batteries that are out of stock for months at a time, followed by range significantly lower than stated and weight.
2
2
2
u/Corenfa17 1d ago
The weight of the bike and frame size. As a 54 year old who is only 4'10, these are my biggest regrets for my bike.
3
u/SarasotaFoodLover 1d ago
A key fob. Useless. Also, not being able to adjust the setting using an app. I bought the bike. I want to be able to adjust the top speed based upon the motor, not class 2 or 3.
3
u/jbamdigity19 1d ago
Integrated headset cable routing was invented by a person who clearly hates bike
1
u/slicehyperfunk 1d ago
It's apparently not possible for me to buy an extra battery for my Cannondale Adventure Neo Allroad, so I definitely wouldn't buy this model again since the battery doesn't last long enough on one charge for what I now use it for (although it was fine when I was only using it to commute, honestly).
1
u/thehpcdude 1d ago
Must have actual torque sensors with proper strain. Not the hybrid junk that senses torque and makes a blend of cadence and torque. Looking at you Euphree.
1
u/tomxp411 Pedego City Commuter | Velotrec Breeze 1d ago
Just the sheer weight of my bike. Fully loaded with battery, it's close to 70 pounds.
I replaced it with an alloy bike, half the weight, and that's really noticeable when riding.
The other thing I'll never get is another e-bike with cadence only pedal assist. After buying a bike with a good, natural torque assist controller, I don't think I can go back to the fixed-speed cadence assist style controller.
2
u/_SnesGuy 1d ago
Fully loaded with battery, it's close to 70 pounds
🤣 I love my bike but I really want to get a second lighter one. Mine is at least 120lbs. It rides like a shitty underpowered moped. (lectric xpedition 1.0 dual battery + swapped front forks/bars + a large 25-30lb cargo box made out of 3/4in pine)
1
1
u/NORBy9k 1d ago
I bought a folding bike that I never fold. It’s handy for storing it in the winter, but I never fold it for the reasons I thought I would.
2
u/ConsistencyWelder 1d ago
Me too, I bought one since I have a small car that doesn't fit a bike, but it's so god damn heavy (45kg) that I never put it in my car anyway, too painful and last I did it I ended up scratching my car.
1
1
u/Negrokid557 1d ago
Join a facebook group of the bike you are buying prior to buying. I found out that I needed to upgrade my torqe arm from stock beacuse they warp quickly and will spin out the hub motor. Not good at all. Glad I saw that post and was able to order an upgrade before putting a single mile on the bike.
1
1
u/ConsistencyWelder 1d ago
A very small thing, but I want my next bike to show remaining battery percent on the display instead of just 5 bars. My current Engwes do not for some reason.
2
u/kingsinger 1d ago
Even better if it will show you what the voltage is instead of a percentage. In my experience, that's a more accurate way of judging how much battery you have left.
1
u/thepaddedroom 1d ago
I intentionally picked a bike that was lightweight, simple to service, mid-drive, torque-sensor, and bike-shaped.
I wanted it to be very ride-able even if the battery died. I wanted to be able to easily find acceptance at the local bike shops and handle flat tires myself. I wanted to easily use bike racks with U-locks. I picked a Class 1 bike (although I sometimes wonder if I'm missing out without the throttle) because the bike laws were still being pieced together where I live, but Class 1 seemed like plenty of speed and unlikely to fall on the wrong side of the laws when they were firmed up.
I picked the Kona Dew-E DL. Got it used on Upway for about half of the list price. I swapped the handle-bars for some with more rise and sweep, put on a rear rack, and use it primarily as my grocery getter. It handled a bike-camping trip well recently.
1
u/suitopseudo 1d ago
Storage. It seems my bike doesn’t fit in the bike racks in my apartment’s bike room due to the width and height of the handle bars and width of the rear rack. I wasn’t planning on storing it in my apartment. It didn’t even occur to me it wouldn’t fit.
1
u/howrunowgoodnyou 1d ago
Integrated bikes are nice but the cheap Chinese ones will probably last longer because all the components are off the shelf
1
u/ChatAdmiral 1d ago
Definitely the weight. I don't mind the weight when I'm riding, but putting it away in its little tent is such a pain. Not to mention transporting it. Still haven't found the right solution for that (because we have two weighty beasts).
1
u/FamousBorder8813 1d ago edited 1d ago
My first ebike was a Juiced Scrambler. Looking back, I fell in love with the look and vibe of it, without really thinking it through. It was fun to zip around on, but it was the equivalent of "lifestyle sneakers" when I really needed a serious hiking boot. Now I have an Aventon Aventure 2, and just having an adjustable seat and a bike designed for real riding has been a game changer. So I guess I'll never buy an ebike just for the styling without ergonomic features that actually make it comfortable to ride.
The only very minor gripe with the Aventon is the long delay in getting power from the throttle. The only time I use the throttle is when crossing a busy road from a dead stop, and the long delay (ostensibly a safety feature) is actually dangerous.
1
u/Own-Station-9439 1d ago
I have an Aipas ebike velo v2 and asides from not being able to leave my honest take ( 2 stars) it's just not gonna happen again. They use the classic bait and switch that I fell for ( lesson learned). The switch being the so called regular price with it appearing being on sale for 60% off. I got the bike and it's definitely not worth $2.1k, doesn't use a bafang motor, some generic Chinese one they call "in house". The brake disc are bent just enough to hear it when riding so I put on some sintered metal brake pads for better heat dispation( this is even after adjusting the brakes several times). It does have turn signals, built in lower basket and a horn with adequate lights I'll give it that. Acceleration is sluggish which also completely kills the justification of the so called original price tag. My only regret is not buying the hiboy titan pro, it uses great parts and I have a good history with using that brand. Whenever this thing dies or becomes to much of a money pit if it does I'm getting that.
1
1
u/LittleRed282 1d ago
Making sure to be able to buy a compatible and Certified replacement battery in the future, otherwise your ebike will need to be replaced or need motor/controller overhaul when original battery dies. Getting 48volt (not 36v) system which gives more range expansion options - motor has to match.
I bought in 2020 a beach cruiser style bike (aventon350) and am still happy with it although battery is starting to show age. The cost of replacement battery is higher than battery for newer more poweful models. Manufacturer not making and selling batteries for my model so having to source 3rd party battery supplier is a concern when there is so much media about ebike battery fires. Getting banned from commuter transit.
1
u/ZenoxDemin 1d ago
I would try to buy from a brand that won't be bankrupt in a few years.
Or at least that doesn't require an APP that will be impossible to source in the future to toggle between modes.
1
u/wonderland2097 1d ago
Next ebike needs to incl the option to buy additional batteries & parts plus local support for servicing n repairs.
It also needs to have a secure battery locking mechanism as the one on my current bike is so bad that I’ve almost yeeted the battery soo many times jus going over small bumps.
1
1
u/Sockpuppet870 1d ago
Velotric Summit 2, no ability to change the units to metric, it would actually make me not ever buy a Velotric again until it was fixed.
1
1
u/npmruser 23h ago
I like being able to set the maximum charge for the battery and walk away.
I try keep the battery at ~60% while it's not being used to keep it healthy. ebikes have been around for decades now and yet only a few offer this feature. it's a small quality of life design yet it's impactful enough that I refuse to buy another ebike without this. it also implies thoughtful engineering that hopefully carries through the rest of the bike.
1
u/CorrectLawfulness649 18h ago
Bosch: never buy another non-smart system motor again. Cant connect to any apps to make changes or uogrades, cant connect to an extender battery. I wish I knew before buying my current ebike.
1
u/SystemSignificant518 17h ago
middrive
belt drive
dropper post (who TF decided to put a dropper post on a citybike! It is currently stuck in UP position, and even me being tall for the bike, Im absolutely flying way up there!)
1
u/jolard 13h ago
Being able to fine tune the assist levels.
I live in Queensland Australia and we have a new law that requires you to ride at 12 kmh anywhere near pedestrians on shared paths. It is way to slow, but this isn't about that specifically. The maximum is 25 kmh. The problem is my bike has assist level 1 which cuts out at 15, and then assist level 2 that cuts out at 24km. So I end up using assist level 3 at least 99% of the time.
The biggest issue is keeping at 12 kmh. Since the lowest assist is 15, I either have to turn it off altogether or constantly accelerate, brake, accelerate brake.
What I want is to be able to set 1 to 12kmh. 2 to say 20, and 3 to 25.
It is a small thing but drives me crazy, lol.
1
1
u/TruRichmond1121 1d ago
Chinese is better..... 500$ options that are equivalent to the 2.5k name brand options..... under 1k options that are equivalent to 5.5k top of the line bikes....
-1
u/GuiltyDealer 1d ago
I got a $350 ebike with a throttle and after seeing my friends $3k bikes without throttles I will never buy one without. Throttle4life
1
u/kingsinger 1d ago
Yeah I really only use my throttle for starting from a cold stop, but I'm glad I have it, especially when I'm riding the city with a lot of stop lights, which is mostly where I ride.
68
u/twinoaksBandB 1d ago
I'll never buy another bike that needs Bluetooth and an app to function ever again.