First e-bike for my brother

Posted by Live_Attorney1148@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 11 comments

Hello fellow Internet friends. My 15yo younger brother's birthday is coming soon. I'm struggling with picking a birthday present that he would actually like. I'm wondering maybe an ebike or something cuz he's been riding a regular bike for a while but got hooked on ebikes recently.

I've been digging for sometime but there are a variety of options, which makes it hard to decide. Not sure if I should get him ebikes or more like mini dirt bikes. Does it still make sense to get an ebike if the riding mainly involves trails/ off-road rather than commuting? Or are electric dirt bikes/ pit bike style options better for beginners/teenagers?

Would really appreciate it if ebike lovers or people who know ebikes well could help a bit here :-)

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scifigirl1979@reddit

I would not recommend an electric dirt bike (like a sur-ton or talaria) for a teenager most adults are not responsible w them. They are fast and fun yes but they can bee dangerous when showing off w friends, not wearing proper gear and generally being a kid w no experience. You can get a sporty looking ebike that’s safer and way cheaper if he decides in a few months he doesn’t care.

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Comfortable-Fly5797@reddit

What is your budget? If you're budget is really low (like under 1k) you're better off getting him something else. Cheap bikes have poor builds, won't last long and are potentially dangerous. You don't want to get him a bike that's just going to break after a few rides.

Like the other commenter said, don't pick a bike without his knowledge. If you want it to be a surprise set a budget and take him bike shopping.

Look up your local laws. Some areas have restrictions on what kinds of ebikes kids can ride. Lots of e dirt bikes aren't even street legal. And some trails have ebike restrictions as well if he's doing mountain biking.

Also, honestly consider if he's likely to make smart decisions on an ebike. There's a lot of kids hurting themselves or others doing stupid things on ebikes.

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PreoccupiedParrot@reddit

Generally I wouldn't advise anyone to "surprise" someone with a bike as a gift, they're very personal and it really helps to involve the person in the decision. In terms of sizing, styling, suitability. Really depends what he's interested in, dirt bikes are obviously a lot less likely to be street legal. If he's been riding a mountain bike, maybe he'd just want an electric mountain bike to get more runs in for example.

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Live_Attorney1148@reddit (OP)

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense. Yeah he enjoys both mountain runs and normal ones but since one of his close friends got a dirt bike, he’s been scrolling for e-bikes a lot and couldn’t stop talking about those lol

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Live_Attorney1148@reddit (OP)

Thanks. What’s the highlight of this brand in your opinion?

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potatosouperman@reddit

So what does he currently have? You said he got hooked on e-bikes recently. Does he already have one, or he just thinks they are cool?

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Live_Attorney1148@reddit (OP)

He just has a regular bike atm and mainly thinks e-bikes look cool I guess