Ebike reviews and vendors v2

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E-bikes are complex topic due to the multiple technical specifications and types of e-bikes.   The short story is to read the research before shopping.   I have listed a couple of sites that have reviews with or without rating by users. Once you see the best bikes, you can narrow it down by price, size, features and location, although some vendors sell online only. Check for dates of reviews as this area is rapidly evolving and there have been some casualties. Make sure the vendor is still in business. Prices range from about $1800 to $10,000. With so many models there will probably be a few that will not survive. Just because the bike has a review doesn’t mean it’s the best.

Here is a link to a sizing diagram to help with picking the right size.

Here is a link to a custom fitting service in Vancouver

Types of Ebikes from Montague

Class 1: Pedal Assist / Pedelec

The most common type of electric bike is the pedal assist or pedelec. The rider pedals the bike normally while a motor provides assistance, increasing the power transmitted to the rear wheel. The pedaling takes far less effort than it normally would, even in high gears, which allows for higher speeds and effortless climbing over steep hills. Settings can control the amount of assistance the rider desires but to be considered a Class 1 e-bike in most of Europe, the system cannot provide assistance over 25 kilometers per hour (kph) or approximately 15 miles per hour. In the US this class is limited to approximately 32 kph or 20 mph. A class 1 designation allows these bike to be used on most roads and paths where normal bikes are allowed and do not require any additional licensing.

Class 2: Throttle

Much like a motorcycle or scooter, a throttle operated e-bike propels the bike forward without any additional pedaling from the rider. Most can provide a variable amount of power depending how far the throttle is pushed. These are much less common than their pedal assist counterparts as many countries have laws that prohibit them entirely. The European Union requires an e-bike only provide power while the pedals are moving forward, so throttle e-bike are most common in the United States and China where little legislation exists to limit their use. Common

Class 3: Speed Pedelec

The design of a speed pedelec is similar to a standard pedelec but as the name implies, they allow for a higher top speed of 45 kph or approximately 28 mph . In many areas this class of e-bike is considered a motor vehicle requires its riders to be licensed.

Bikes also vary by placement of battery and type of battery and the length of time you can ride on the battery.

Review sites

I found 4 sites that review or ranks models of ebikes. The first two EBR and Momentum Mag appear to be paid for reviews. A bike vendor Cityebikes has made recommendations on the models it stocks.   Finally there is the Amazon customer rating. I found some of the Cityebikes site rates of the highly rated models in the EBR site so there is some congruence in the ratings.

  1. EBR https://electricbikereview.com/   The reviewer charges a universal service fee for reviews. The reviews are quite detailed and you can compare models. Another useful feature of the website are videos of people taking the bikes out of a test drive and then going over the bike features in a video.

The top reviewed bikes on this site available locally or online: 

Step through or low bar.

City Bikes for pavement

  • Rad Power Bikes RadCity Step-Thru see above
  • Rad Power Bikes Rad City Review $ 1499 US. However these bikes are in short supply.

Mountain or Trail bikes

Citecycles recommended

Step through Turbo-Como-3.0-650 $3799 CDN
Step through Turbo-Como-4-0-650b-Low-Entry $4399 CDN
Step through Turbo-Como-5.6-650b-Low-Entry- $5149 CDN
Step through/trail MOUSTACHE–Samedi-27-Open-Xroad 1 $ 3788 CDN
Step through/trail MOUSTACHE–Samedi-27-Open-Xroad 5 $ 5039 CDN

Momentum Mag E Bike reviews

Momentum Mag does not rank bikes, but the reviews do list the pros and cons of each model and it seems like reviewers have test driven the models. The reviews are helpful and informative. There are a few bikes reviewed that are available locally. These bikes did not get into the EBR site reviews. The products appear to be made locally.

Amazon highest customer ranking

sixthreezero EVRYjourney Women’s Step-Through Hybrid Cruiser Bicycle (24-Inch and 26-Inch) $ 3308 CDN

DJ Fat Bike $ 1899 CDN

DJ Mountain Bike $ 1899 CDN

Finally reviews for 2019 from Bicycling Magazine. 

The reviews are good but many of the bikes were not on Canadian websites. There was a list of bikes under $ 1000 US and a list of bikes for women.

Selected Vendors who have some bikes in the reviews and some bikes not reviewed. 

Canadian Tire and Walmart have the cheapest ebikes.

brand vendor   website
E prodigy Brentwood cycle Burnaby http://www.brentwoodcycle.com
Opus, Cube BLACK’S CYCLE COMOX  http://www.blackscycle.ca/cubeelectric/
TREK Trail bicycles Courtenay
Benno, Giant, Devinci, liv, yuba Mountain City Cycle Courtenay  https://www.mountaincitycycles.com/bikebrands
Hyper Electric, T zone, Daymak Walmart everywhere https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/hyper-electric-700c-unisex-aluminum-electric-bikes/6000198837445
Junction Canadian Tire everywhere https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/sports-rec/bikes-accessories/bikes/electric-bikes.html
Raleigh, Bulls, Moustache. Reise & Muller+ others Citrus Cycles  Ladysmith  http://citruscycles.ca/bikes/urban-touring-ebikes/
Benno, EVO, Coal City Cycles Nanaimo,V9S 1H1  https://www.coalcitycycles.com/bikes/e-bikes/
Benno, opus LYNN VALLEY BIKES NORTH VANCOUVER, BC, V7J 2P1 www.lynnvalleybikes.com
benno. OHM OHM Cycles North Vancouver,V7P 3S7  OHM ebikes.com
Surface 604  online  online https://surface604bikes.com
Urban cruzer COSTCO online https://www.costco.ca/Urban-Cruzer-Step-Through-7-speed-Electric-Bicycle.product.100029326.html
Voltbike  online online https://www.voltbike.com
BC EBIKE  online  online https://ebikebc.com/ebike-landing
EVO no list of vendors on site online https://www.evobicycle.com
Giant  online online https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ca
opus ROCKY CYCLE SURREY, BC, V3W 5A4 www.rockycycle.com
Montague reckless Vancouver https://www.montaguebikes.com/dealer-locator
benno, E prodigy reckless Vancouver http://www.reckless.ca/electric
TREK. Elektra Bicycle Store Pacific  Vancouver https://www.bspbikes.com
RADpowerbikes RADpowerbikes Vancouver, BC V5R 1W6  https://radpowerbikes.ca
opus RIDE ON AGAIN BIKES VANCOUVER, BC, V5T 3C5 www.rideonagain.com
Opus, Electra DENMAN BIKE SHOP LTD VANCOUVER, BC, V5T 3E5  http://denmanbikeshop.com
opus DUNBAR CYCLES(2008) LTD VANCOUVER, BC, V5Y 1P4 www.dunbarcycles.com
Turbo-como, CUBE, MOUSTACHE, BENNO, RALEIGH. Surface 640, Bull + OTHERS Cit-E-Cycles Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, Victoria https://www.citecycles.com
Opus, elecktra, yuba, Raleigh, Evo FAIRFIELD BICYCLE SHOP LTD VICTORIA, BC, V8V 4N1  http://fairfieldbicycle.com/
Benno, Electra, Marin, Evo Coastal Cycle & H20 Sports Victoria,V9B 1H8  http://www.coastalcycle.com/bikes/

https://comoxbikeco.ca/

And an online vendor with a variety of brands from $ 1000 that ships free world wide.  They have an impressive selection of inexpensive folding bikes.

9 thoughts on “Ebike reviews and vendors v2”

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  6. Hi Ann! As a new owner of an e-bike I think you are wise to recommend that people research before running out to buy an e-bike. There are quite a few models out there and at the price-point they come at I think it is important to be happy with your purchase. For that reason I am very surprised that you didn’t even mention Townie-Electra e-bikes. Both my husband and I have owned and been riding regular Townies for 10 years now and love them. They are one of the most comfortable bikes either of us have ridden because they allow you to sit up straight. (not bent over) and they allow you to keep your feet on the ground so you feel both safe and very comfortable. They are also reasonably light and have bigger balloon tires so they add cushion as you go over bumps and/or even curbs. Most other bikes (e-bikes included) have much smaller/narrower tires) and you can’t keep your feet on the ground when sitting on the seat. So when Townie-Electra came out with an e-bike version we have been looking at them as an upgrade and finally made the decision to buy them. We have only had them a couple of weeks but are extremely happy with them. They ride just like a regular Townie but have the added advantage of pedal assistance. The basic model starts at $1,499. We decided to upgrade to the next level with a battery that gives us up to 70-100 miles depending up how heavily we use it. TREK is now the dealer for Townie-Electra and they gave us a very generous 30 day trial period to test drive with a no question asked return policy. Perhaps more important than checking reviews is to ask people who actually own and ride one and then decide which e-bike might work for you. ~Kathy

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