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!
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.
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.