Sponsor

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I have to comment that so many of the bikes you picked have the WORST customer service when something goes wrong! Aventon has nothing but complaints in their comments online. Rad isnt much better. AT least you picked a few bikes that are brands supported by actual bike shops.

  2. This article and almost all product articles of late are missing the huge elephants in the room, 1) product availability. 2)parts interchangeability, supply chains that are a disaster and in no ones best interest.

    You keep writing articles on thebbn products and innovation. But meanwhile Ive had an ebike on order for a year, there is no word on when it will be available, and when it is finally ready no one can tell me if it will be a 2020, a 2021 or a 2022 model !!! That, is absurd and a disaster no one is talking about in these articles and reviews.

    Lastly, the dirty little secret… bike companies stop talking about new stuff, and start by fixing lack of parts and interchangeability in the bike designs. Ok when you had a $300 schwinn and you needed stuff for it, you maybe fixed it, or often. simply bought a new bike. .Now? The bike is worth several grand. And the bike companies are laying back and running the same old sloppy business, taking our money but not giving us flexibility to extend life, reduce long term cost, ensured Parts avail, and fix the asset.
    Lastly related to the above, it took me 12 months to get a shimano part… really??? Turns out they were playing favorites. This shits gotta change or the lower end of scooters, motorcycle mfgs, etc are going to eat your lunch, just watch… they can do it because they already do, only needs new products and we know bv now that product is the simple piece.

    • I think it all depends on what you are ordering and from who. I placed my order online with free delivery and had it at my doorstep 29 hours later.

    • I agree, Rich. These bikes sound great. I would buy a Specialized Turbo Vado this afternoon if I could.

      BUT I CAN’T. What about the part where few if any of these bikes can actually be purchased? And won’t be available this year, and maybe not even in 2023.

      It might be helpful if these lust-inducing reviews included helpful information like wait times.

  3. I do find it peculiar that you haven’t included the Priority Current in your reviews, or at least a “best belt drive” ebike category. Priority does not seem to need ongoing advertising to consistently sell all the Currents they can produce. It would appear that Ebikes with the capability of enabling a 28 mph top speed for the U.S. Market are hot sellers! Their lack of a front suspension in their design is somewhat offset by the combination of the low-maintenance Gates Carbon Belt drive and the Enviolo rear hub. The only thing lacking is a theft-proof system to lock the entire bike via phone, or perhaps, a key fob. I’m talking about a total locking of the bike so that it couldn’t even be walked away. With the high cost of replacement, ebikes may never be truly practical until such safeguards are part of the total package.

  4. Some very nice ebikes for sure and the Aventon’s prices look very attractive compared to many of these pricey models. (my sister has the Aventon Level and I’m impressed with its quality and components). BUT, I just can’t see paying $4000+ for ebikes with chain & derailleur drivetrains unless it’s a mountain bike. Many casual riders (and those without any “10 speed” history) rarely shift gears on an ebike. So, if I’m going to pay the big bucks, I don’t want to explain to my wife that she has to gear down at every stop sign (and she’ll have to continue peddling to accomplish this). That is why we’ve sold all our previous ebikes and now own Evelo ebikes with Gates belt drive and the Enviolo automatic hub.

    • I also have to say that I wouldn’t consider any ebike without a throttle! You shouldn’t have to stand up on the peddles to get the motor to kick in. And if you’re stuck in a high gear (and have cadence sensors) this can be awkward if you want to make a quick get-away. This is certainly a common occurrence, but I don’t want to deal with it after spending thousands of dollars.

      • Your comment appears to be from someone who has never ridden a mid drive bike. Mid drives are superior in smoothness and get to actually use the mechanical advantage of gears on a hill.

        I’m guessing you dont know about downshifting when you come to a stop either.

  5. To answer about other bike manufactures no being reviewed, the folks at EBR do not review any bikes that are not sent to them for review. EBR is cutting edge company but lacks true diversity. ITS apparent that sometimes you have to purchase a bike for review, one of the companies that I like is juiced bikes, they make their city bike in three colors (red my favorite) awesome battery duration more powerful 52 volt on top of that. I am a proud owner of a 2019 rad city with more than 10,000 miles, never a problem with getting parts in timely manner, but they are pushing me to buy a bit more expensive juiced bike over the model 5 rad city! WHY! 1ST. and biggest pev…the same old color in traditional bike style dull black, WANT ANOTHER RAD BUT NOT SAME COLOR. 2ND love the new 5 but now I have to buy a different battery, to use on my old rad city instead of swapping. so now I will have to buy 2 batteries at 550 each shipping not included, instead of 1. Do not get me wrong, the upgrade to motor and brakes is awesome and truly reliable bike company.

  6. A couple of days ago, I found the Gazelle Easyflow. It enables the rider to place both feet on the ground when at rest, yet still ride with legs stretched out to save the knees. A very clever design, and not extortionate when you think of Riese and Mueller!

  7. Wow a race to even less exercise and more accidents by a lot of persons who have no bike handling skills or desire to get their heart pumping over 85 bpm

  8. I’m curious why the “E-Cells”Monarch 1500 LE AWD all train Fat tire bike isn’t mentioned? It has dual 750 Watt motors in front and rear wheels,dual batteries,dual suspension , Torque sensor, it has front,rear and all wheel options.
    It even has a USB charging port- both batteries are connected and work together and both charge the same time. Rock Shock moto style front and rear suspension – This really should have the Jeep logo on it. Lol- the Jeep Fat tire ebike is only rear wheel drive??? That really makes no sense.
    I have this bike and it’s an amazing piece of machinery – it’s at 92lbs- but is a non issue with the power of the AWD- and it can handle up to 420lbs of load. Check it out!!

  9. Hi,
    Hoping to get some feedback about two different bikes.
    First, we are only just trying them out for the first time, not investing for longevity yet.
    If our height matters in terms of your advice, my husband is 6’5″and I am a giant at 5′ 2″!
    Other things you may want to know is that we aren’t looking for high speed. Battery life would be of more interest to us if we are weighing specs. We also will not be using these bikes in the city – at all! We currently live in a small town and although we have vehicles most anywhere we go, traffic is not part of our life. We also have lots of trails intended for this type of activity and they would likely become our choice of destinations. Although we own a truck and car (and rails intended for my husband’s 4×4 and snowmobile), we’d like this hobby to be ‘easy’.

    The two bikes I’m looking at are as follows (Please don’t curse me out if you’re an avid rider who has invested thousands of dollars! We’re talking “baby steps” here):
    ~ Veltoric Discover 1 Class 2 Step-through
    ~ Heybike Ranger Step-through

    Any help/advice you would be willing to offer would be greatly appreciated!
    Linda

  10. Really provide very deep information about best ebike with pro & cons ,price ,features in 2022 ..very appreciate for your research and blog ..Thanks for sharing great report .My favorite one is urban e bike .

  11. To answer about other bike brands not being reviewed, my experience with Addmotor E-43 long-range ebike is excellent! It features thin tires and a 48V*20Ah battery and 500W gear motor, which can reach 125+miles on a single charge (PAS1), a perfect choice for city commuting.

  12. Can’t get most of these bikes if you are in Canada. Aventon I can get locally but only a few models and none I like. I would have to travel 1,500 km to get to a bike shop to test anything out since locals don’t allow that. Buying a “pig in a poke” based on a review is something I won’t do. Or did you just go down to the car lot, pick out a car, pay your money and drive it right off the lot without a test drive? Nice reviews and gives me more info but as of today, that’s about all I have…

  13. Have you ever evaluated the BeeCool bikes? I have an Adventurer and an Explorer. There are so many features I love about the bikes themselves. Like so many of the other brands above it sounds like most have customer service that’s less than desirable, but based on bike features and price they are worth looking at.

  14. My hubster and I ride Espin Sports that we have had for about 18 months now and have over 2500 miles on them as of today. We love them and Espin’s service was great. Mine came with a slightly bent controller and it was replaced very quickly when it probably could have been easily fixed. The pedals also had a weird knock and they replaced those quickly as well. Both were very minor issues. We ride on paved and gravel roads that have some good hills. The tires could have been better than what they shipped with but bought Maxxis replacements and no flats since. The value for the money was why I bought them. Came with lights, brake and head, fenders and a rack when you had to pay extra for that stuff on an equal Aveton or Rad at the time. We have been very satisfied with the Espin bikes and I would buy another.

  15. Is this a list of the best bikes you could get your hands on at the time? A lot of these are pretty low end and not powerful in the real world. And only 2 non-chinese motor systems? Seriously?

  16. Ok enough about all the bikes mentioned is asomtom mountain e bikes worth $1700.00. Just bought one hoping on the first ride it’ll make me smile ear to ear. Any comments from previous owners have a take about it.

  17. Thank you for this content!

    I am currently waiting for the arrival of a “MagiCycle”. Having some issues getting it here it seems but would be interested in reading a review by you at some time in the future. All the videos I’ve seen of it are very positive.

    Thanks!

    • We haven’t tested very many and wanted to make a list comprised of things we’ve gotten to know well. We’re working on getting more eMTB coverage though!

      • Hi I would like to see your reviews of the asomtom mountain bike 26” 4” tires bangfang 1000w w hydronic brakes and tork front suspension
        It’s a head turner and a beast Fast and rock solid.

        • This appears to be a troll question about a bike that is not legal on public roads and paths.

          The description sounds like just another cheap fat tire bike with no redeeming value.

          • to reply to your comment that you’ve obviously have not looked into the reviews of this bike or anything about it says a lot. For
            a $1999.00 “troll” bike it in my opinion looks badass compare to others. And decided to get one anyway because it’s a new version 2022 asomtom Q7 mountain bike with A 6061 aluminum frame 1000 W brushless gear hub bafang motor up to 28mph 85nm of torque 48 v 15a lithium battery that’ll take you 45-60 miles per charge 7 speed shimano gear shift which is leagal to go on or off roads , snow , beach &
            Tug a fat ass up to 400 lbs
            So I’m very happy I got it. The ride is awesome and pedal assist is great for hills which in its type 3 road rating it performs really great. So don’t be to judge mental on things you know little about.

  18. This article represents all that is wrong with our industry. It very well could have been written in The 90’s! Nearly all the top recommended bikes sport dramatically outdated designs and components.

    Why are we still promoting heavy front suspensions as a comfort feature? All listed were poorly designed for off road control. They failed even at that in The 90’s. If tuned to absorb road irregularities they would dive dangerously and encourage squirm in handling. That’s dangerous!

    Look at any traditional touring bike, from the cheapest to the most expensive. They are designed for long hours in the saddle and for days on end. Not one has a suspension fork. Good geometry, materials and components make a bike comfy, reliable and efficient, not gimmicks.

    Today, not one of the hub drive models listed cannot be gotten with a mid-drive for the same or less money. Hub drives and cadence sensors are The 90’s. A best of list needs to at least be from the current century.

    I get it. Some can get by just fine with a hub drive. They have few and small hills or don’t care if they have to slow. They may not even need the additional range of a torque sensing mid-drive. They are still a huge pain on which to change a flat and heavy as heck to lift or handle in tight situations. It is time to change. What a shame that a quality product like The Aventon is still saddled with this antiquated technology.

    Every bike listed uses heavy, dull and buzzy straight gauge aluminum. That is even in the few that have better hydroformed tubes! Why, we have had more responsive, less buzzy, butted and hydroformed tubing on almost all traditional bikes since the turn of the century. Weight kills range. It makes a good bike hard for a smaller person to handle.

    Some even have square tubing. This takes a rough ride to a whole new level. What sense is there, for on-road riding, to having a comfort fork, bars and seat, with an extra stiff rear triangle? The same xan be said for the square tube necessary to accommodate the proprietary battery in the down tube.

    I don’t want to be negative. I want to promote great alternatives. Good enough just isn’t good enough anymore. These good enough bikes should be at least half their price and available only through places like department stores. We can do better and without breaking the bank. I do it daily in my tiny shop. I am no one special and am not particularly talented. I just have 50 years cycling experience. If I can do it, mfg’s can do it too. Let’s start demanding more for our money.

    • MARK!! You get it. This silly list popped up again in April 23, with what looks like the same old crap from the same old “heavy advertisers.” There is nothing in that list of bikes I would ever buy. None of them are the “best” in any way. I’m disappointed about what this publisher has become. It looks just like car ads and sories in the newspaper that has the unwritten…Dont talk bad about our product or we will cancel the advertising budget that keeps you afloat!

      I was hoping for better.

    • We request that all brands leave a bike with us for continued testing throughout the year. Most do, a small handful take them back.

  19. Thanks for helping me understand that there are different categories of electric bikes out there and some have affordable prices. Hopefully, we can find those that are affordable but with quality specifications so that it will be worth our money. This kind of transportation will be a huge help for us to save from fuel expenses in the long run if you just need a quick ride to the convenience store or grocery stores.

  20. I like articles like this. They can be very helpful, but when you leave well-priced, premium ebike companies off the list, it is puzzling. For example, Wired, Bandit and Goat ebikes are all powerful, well-priced ebikes, but they seem to be missing from your reviews.

    • We update this page regularly so as to avoid starting from scratch every time a new bike makes the list.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *