Used eBikes

"Slant6" (slant-6) 01/10/2020 at 09:00 • Filed to: None

0

6

A while back I posted about getting a vintage !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I’ve talked myself out of that one, main reason being I don’t have a good place to park it and I really don’t need this kind of junk lying around.

I am interested in ebikes though. Even further back I posted about some !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! I got of Craigslist. Ended up restoring one for my brother and giving the other one away to one of my old solar car teammates . They were fun, but far from a modern ebike and not something I wanted to move to Atlanta with.

This is something I definitely have thought about for a long time, I’m just having a hard time letting myself spend the money on myself. The two I’m looking at are under $500, so relatively low stakes, but I still feel like that $500 would be better saved.

What I’m looking for is something to play around with, like a moped, but that I can park inside my apartment. I’d also like to ride 6 miles to work and back, which is just the right distance for me to show up sweaty and gross when I arrive when I take my road bike (haven’t tried my mountain bike but can’t imagine it’s better).

I would do a kit myself, I just haven’t found a good enough deal on a donor bike and despite being somewhat qualified ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) I don’t want to mess around with it too much, especially if it means having exposed wires. I do already have a suitable battery however, and the two bikes I’m looking at I would probably upgrade eventually anyway.

Anyways here is what I’m looking at:

2016 Electrobike Light:

On Craigslist listed at $500. Seems like a nice aluminum frame. I really like internally geared hubs, and the overall look of the bike isn’t too ebikey. Kinda a no name brand that has fallen off the earth although they seem to have been a local company to Atlanta and still have a bike shop even though they’re not making bikes anymore. 18mph unassisted top speed, not bad. Only a 250w motor, which is small by today’s standards, but I could upgrade it. Main benifit here is the clean look. Going to look at this one today.

Trek 4300 custom:

Someone’s project. Needs brake work. For $350 it’s some good components though, bike wise. Has disk brakes, a 500w motor, a somewhat decent battery, and a suspension fork . Trek is also just a good frame. I definitely couldn’t build it myself for $350.

Sorry for the screenshots.

Still mulling this over. I think it would be fun, and could make exploring the city on bike that much more fun. It’s about riding a bike when I normally wouldn’t.

benjrblant > Slant6 01/10/2020 at 09:28

2

I think the electrobike is a single speed. I wouldn’t touch that trek conversion, but that’s just my opinion. Are you 100% decided on an e-bike?

Is your commute hilly? If not, single speed might be a good way to go and a belt drive would be even better. Something like a Trek District, Trek Soho, Faraday, etc.

Slant6 > benjrblant 01/10/2020 at 09:37

0

From reviews I’ve read the Electrobike has a Sturmy Archer 2 speed internally geared rear hub, that is a back pedal to shift . I have a 3 speed Sturmy Archer on my folding bike, works well with minimal maintenance . This listing says it’s a 3 speed, and it looks like it has a red sram sticker on it.

I have plenty (too many) regular old bikes. My commute is pretty hilly. I did it once on my old Fuji road bike and I was unacceptable (my own standard) for work. Ebike should make it possible to not be soaking when I arrive.

This is also in place of a project car. Something to mess around with. Also with Atlanta traffic I like the idea of having a throttle for getting out of my own way if I have to.

I know the trek could be a disaster, but not any more of a disaster than what I could do myself. It's more of a way to get all the right components for cheaper than individually purchasing them.

benjrblant > Slant6 01/10/2020 at 09:59

1

SA hubs from the past 10 or 15 years are quite poor quality. SA now isn’t nearly the company it once was- selling out to a SunRace in 2000 really hurt them. I once worked in a shop that sold a bike with an SA 2-spd “kickback” hub and holy shit, that thing was an absolutely disastrous hub. Crunchy as a bag of potato chips and if you applied the coaster brake when in 1st gear, it would shift up to 2nd gear making your next start an unpleasant surprise.

Seems that you know what you’re talking about when it comes to electric drive systems, so I won’t attempt to add anything here.

Do you have a bike co-op? I think ATL has Sopo Bike Shop. Co-ops are a great place to get access to bike-specific tools and a plethora of used parts for super cheap. Might be worth checking out.

Slant6 > benjrblant 01/10/2020 at 11:31

0

Ah, that’s too bad about SA. My Dahon with an SA is about 20 years old and it’s great.

I guess neither of these options are that great. I still like them both, they just don't seem like the right value. Maybe someday I'll bite the bullet and get a Rad Wagon or something.

bhtooefr > benjrblant 01/10/2020 at 20:12

0

As I understand, the SA 3-speeds aren’t too terrible under SunRace production (because they were designed around British tolerances, and therefore are fine under Taiwanese tolerances)... but the 2-speeds are knockoffs of the Sachs Duomatic, which was designed around German tolerances.

(I have a 1976 Sachs Duomatic on my folding bike. It’s good. Now, applying the coaster brake will cause a shift, but it’s quite smooth.)

That said, even if it actually were a vintage Duomatic, I wouldn’t want that in an e-bike, I’d want more gears for an e-bike really.

benjrblant > bhtooefr 01/11/2020 at 13:43

0

Interesting, I didn’t know this. I’d think the 3-speeds are a bit more robust and common.

I wouldn’t wish a modern SA 2-spd kickback hub on anyone.