Looking for suggestions for a budget bike that can last me 4 months for a 16 mile round trip commute
Posted by science-n-shit@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 20 comments
They are doing construction near my home that is projected to take 4 months. My options to commute to work is to take a huge detour (estimating 30-50 minutes of additional driving one direction) or walking/biking to work. Walking/biking would be 8 miles one way or 16 miles round trip per day.
I'm thinking if I use an ebike, that commute isn't too bad, plus I'd save time and gas.
I have my own trek hybrid and road bikes that I ride casually on 4-7 mile rides for general exercise and entertainment, but I think biking 8 miles to work on either one would make me too sweaty and tired.
Are there and budget bikes that people here have tried out that could get me through the 4 months of this traffic? I've been looking at amazon and walmart, but this sub seems to be pretty anti anything under 1k. I don't plan on keeping the bike or really using it other than commuting, so I don't want to shell out tons of cash on it.
I haven't seen any used one available in my few weeks of searching, I'm guessing because everyone is having the same idea as me and I'm just not seeing them.
Zentransit@reddit
What's your budget and commute area like?
science-n-shit@reddit (OP)
Aiming for 500-750. Commute area is a paved trail with large elevation changes
Zentransit@reddit
That paltry budget severely limits your more reliable prospects for an ebike.
If you're in good physical condition an analog bike might be more convenient and reliable.
OTOH
You're gonna be limited to these options from either AMAZON or WALMART:
1) Gotrax Dolphin ~ $468
2) Heybike Cityscape ~ $505
3) Huffy ~ $548
4) Concord ~ $548
These budget ebikes are known to have no name cheap components and generally are NOT as safe or reliable as other DTC ebikes
science-n-shit@reddit (OP)
I already have a trek road and trek hybrid, but I think doing the ride with only my own power will make me too tired or sweaty for work.
Have you owned any of the bikes you’ve mentioned?
godzillabobber@reddit
Get one used on marketplace. Its already seen most of the depreciation already. Which means regardless of the price, you can resell it for nearly the same as you paid.
Go with a name brand - Aventon, Lectric, Velotric, Trek, etc.
science-n-shit@reddit (OP)
I've been trying to find used, none of the shops in town have anything used and facebook marketplace only has ones that need significant repairs.
godzillabobber@reddit
You have to check every day. Maybe other cities within an hour or two?
science-n-shit@reddit (OP)
What makes you think that I am not already checking every hour or two or other cities I can drive to lol
JeremyFromKenosha@reddit
Invest a bit more money and get a decent eBike for around $2500. It can replace your Trek hybrid. You'll use it a lot more than you're thinking you will now, so the low quality options under $1k are going to leave you wanting.
Lectric makes what I call medium quality eBikes starting at $800, and for $1k you can get an XP4 that will hold up well. Won't be as nice as a Trek though.
science-n-shit@reddit (OP)
The whole point of this post is that I don’t want to invest money in an e bike, but thank you at least for the lectric suggestion.
I don’t really need something as nice as the treks, this is more for getting from place a to b rather than creating a life style or a habit. My hybrid is actually the love of my life and I will never replace it if I can help it, I ride it more than the road bike and why my rides are slower/shorter distance.
Eoje@reddit
Yes, used e-bikes are going fast with the demand spike right now; good weather and high gas prices. Every day here is a new person posting about replacing their commute.
You could probably get something decent, put a thousand miles on it, and sell it once you're through, considering the loss as "bike rent". But that would only work effectively if the demand keeps up.
godzillabobber@reddit
Demand for ebikes has not declined at any time since 2018. Sales in the US were 325,000 that year and 1,700,000 last year. Still over half are bought by the over 55 crowd and one thing thst hapoens with that group is health issues where they can't ride anymore. Not uncommon to find a bike with 500 miles or less and still under warranty.
PrincipleCapable8230@reddit
I have a $800 buzz Cerana that would do 16 miles on a charge. Love it, but only been a few months.
WarcraftTurok@reddit
16 miles? I don't even ride an ebike unless it has a range of 50+ miles. 16 would give me range anxiety since I'm not trying to pedal.
PrincipleCapable8230@reddit
Sorry, I get more like 20, but was saying it would work for OP’s 16 mile ride.
miknob@reddit
I have a Trek Allant+. If you find one on the used market you’d have an awesome find. I paid $4k for mine new. I’ve had it for 5 years and it’s still going strong.
Veggyhed@reddit
Considering you already have a bike, have you looked into maybe using one of those add-on portable e-bike kits that you can fit on your existing bikes?
science-n-shit@reddit (OP)
I haven’t only because I’m scared of doing anything electrical myself.
Veggyhed@reddit
There is no electrical work. Normally it consists of a motor that you screw on that's easy to remove that goes on your back wheel, kind of like an old school dyno. It's got a battery pack that normally hangs from your crossbar. There is no electrical work that you will have to do.
science-n-shit@reddit (OP)
That's great to know. let me look into it