utility cycling

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Ebike Buying Advice: What's a good repairable/maintainable electric utility bike? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Heyo everyone. For the first time in my life I'm in a position to be able to use an ebike for most of my commuting needs, which I'm pretty psyched for!

As ebikes are a somewhat hefty investment, I want to do my best to get one that will last a good while, and can be maintained and repaired by just me. I've read that Bosch motors are proprietary and refuse to sell parts to anyone who isn't a dealer, so I figured I'd ask here for advice before making any decisions.

The criteria I'm looking at is:

Budget of around $1200
Plan to haul groceries uphill regularly (not super steep though)
Decently fast, at least able to achieve Class 3 speeds
Enough torque for hauling a small trailer (costco runs)
Replaceable/repairable battery
As many non-proprietary parts as possible
Ability to fold is a bonus, but not a requirement

If any of you have any experience you can share, I'd be most grateful!

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Your budget is too small for your needs.

I would look at a Grintech hub wheel and building it yourself. Their tech is incredible. I've built a mid drive and using grintech's regen hub and it's incredibly responsive. I'm also convinced it will out last my frame.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I appreciate the suggestion!

After pricing out a Grintech motor from one of their kits, it comes to 1,479 for their basic 48v system, and considering I don't have an existing bike to modify, I suspect that route might be more expensive than a pre-built ebike, and unfortunately would be stretching my budget.

Are you sure $1200 isn't enough? From what I've read, a Lectric XP 3.0 or Ride1Up Portola is capable of towing a small trailer, and they only retail for $1000. It seems like they'd be capable of filling my needs, but I'm not sure how repairable they'd be.