A budget offering with a torque sensor (good!) and a whole lot of issues (not good).
“low-price”
“$1500”What?!? This dude should hit Amazon. You can find the models, without the issues, for half that. You can also buy cargo trikes with a 750w motor for $1599, if you need the capacity.
A cargo e-bike – not a regular bike, a long-tail cargo one – on Amazon for $750? Link it because I call bullshit.
Please, people, don’t buy cheap ebikes from Amazon’s, AliExpress, etc. Buy from a reputable brand and dealer.
Why? I am genuinely curious. I have owned about eight such bikes (unfortunate basement flood killed the original set) and other than the weird “brake is on the opposite side” thing, I have never had a problem with ebike makers I find in Amazon.
Do you mean counterfeits?
Because the batteries and charging equipment in them explode into flames far more often than stuff regulated in north America or Europe.
Far too many people have died due to cheap Chinese electric bikes starting fires in their homes.
Or you could spend a bit more and get something decent, like an urban arrow. Especially if you’re getting one instead of a second car.
That’s the “can get a good used car” comparison the author makes right off.
Those electric Urban arrows are a dream, but run around 6-7k in every bike shop I’ve seen them in.
You can get a trek marlin 5, a bbshd, and a mid-grade battery for like $1500/1600 and build yourself a quality bike for that price.
But that wouldn’t be a cargo bike.
You’re right youd need to spend another $150 on a front basket, and back rack.
Look at the lectric Xpedition
This bike sounds a lot like my Lectric Xpedition, down to using some of the exact same parts (which I can tell from the pictures). The differences are some obvious notable feature improvements like the suspension fork and torque sensor, but somewhat less careful design.
Some random thoughts:
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My bike has a slight “pedal strike in turns” issue too, but it’s not that big a deal. If the cranks on this bike are any lower/longer than the Xpedition’s that would be bad, though.
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To answer the author’s confusion about the folding handlebars, that’s mostly just so they can fit it in a smaller box for shipping without requiring the owner to “assemble” it (which scares buyers off even if it’s trivial).
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My Xpedition’s seatpost has two telescopic sections and extends way up. I’m surprised this bike apparently doesn’t do the same.
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Another example of Lectric’s more careful design is how the author complains about how the bolts for the footrests on the review bike interfere with the chain a little. In contrast, on my bike they not only don’t interfere but are also toolless to remove (which is good in case you need to get to the axle nuts to fix a flat or other mid-ride problem).
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I am very glad that I got the dual-battery version of my bike, not because I need 60 miles of range (or whatever it claims), but because those range estimates are always on flat ground with no cargo at assist level 1, and hauling 100+ lbs worth of kids up and down hills at assist level 5 is a very different thing.
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They probably ought to sell the thing as Class 2 by default, with a setting the owner can change to make it Class 3 if they want.
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It’s not mentioned in the article, but looking at the pictures, even though it comes with a rear hub motor it looks like the frame is compatible with a mid-drive. If it’s possible for the owner to upgrade it that way later, that’s a big deal!
Personally, if I needed to get a cargo e-bike right now, I would choose this one over the one I have. That said, I fully expect that Lectric will come out with an “Xpedition 2.0” within a year or so that would match the features of this at a similar price and with probably fewer problems, and in that tossup I’d lean Lectric because I’ve been impressed with their customer support.
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