Don't sleep on budget e-bikes! Loving my new TST-R002 (Plus some DIY upgrades)
Posted by AlmightyThor008@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 33 comments
I just wanted to share a little appreciation post for my new e-bike. I know the general consensus on Reddit is often that "cheap bikes are junk," but honestly, this thing has been an absolute game-changer for us over the last week.
I recently sold an old gravel bike for about $550 and was looking for a budget-friendly e-bike that wouldn't break the bank.
It had to be affordable (roughly what I sold my gravel bike for), and it had to fit both me and my wife. We live in a super cute, walkable neighborhood, and we really wanted something to easily expand our radius for date nights, grabbing dinner/drinks, or just letting me drop her off at work.
So I wound up getting a TST-R002. It was only just a little bit more than what I got for my gravel bike, and it is checking literally every single box:
Passenger Friendly: Fits both of us comfortably, which was the number one requirement.
Perfect Speed: Cruses right around 28 mph, which feels plenty fast for zipping around town.
The Price: \~$700 with the passenger package. Unbeatable for getting us into the e-bike game without dropping thousands.
I’ve only had it for a week and we’ve already piled a ton of miles on it. Of course, I couldn't leave it completely stock, so I've already done a couple of quality-of-life upgrades; i added mirrors, and I jerry-rigged a front pizza box mount combined with a collapsible milk crate. When I don't need the crate, it folds completely flat into a cool little platform, so I can haul just about anything.
Next I want to switch out the rear suspension for something more forgiving.
It also has a solid front headlight for riding home after dinner.
I know it’s not a $4,000 premium cargo bike, but for a high-value neighborhood cruiser that lets us leave the car behind and enjoy the sun, I couldn't be happier. If you're on the fence about a budget e-bike, sometimes they really do just hit the sweet spot!
snoogins355@reddit
Love having a front basket
WeakMechanics@reddit
Just over 2k miles on mine in 2 months. No issues besides connecting to the app. Only complaint is the battery life is terrible when running the lights at night, I'll make it about 30ish miles before the battery dies and that 97lb bike becomes real heavy uphill. No lights I've gone 46 miles and stopped for a partial recharge with 1 bar left because I was at a good spot to chill for an hour and didn't want to risk peddling a brick home
allmightylemon_@reddit
Honestly 30 miles is pretty impressive on a 100lbs bike that basically runs entirely off motor
WeakMechanics@reddit
It sounds good for most situations but the bike is advertised to have a 65 mile range
allmightylemon_@reddit
Yeah but most companies inflate their range. I’m talking about realistically
Key_Register_4724@reddit
I love my TST! The snobs in this club are insufferable. I ride mine everywhere and it has never given me any problems. It's fun, it's fast, and it looks kinda like a motorcycle. and importantly, I could afford it. They get my endorsement.
sanjosethrower@reddit
If it’s the same bike as OP, it’s not kinda like a motorcycle, it is a motorcycle to the state or Illinois.
ch3k520@reddit
Worked on one of these today. Motor hardwired to the controller. Terrible design.
Krostovitch@reddit
Me too, just today, I guess the junk emoped factory has another new name. Tuttio, actbest, suime, now this random collection of letters and numbers.
Motor wires to controller, connections aren't even water proofs... And these people are buying them up just as fast as they are breaking down.
AlmightyThor008@reddit (OP)
Luckily I'm in San Diego, 300 days of sunshine a year, so its lack of waterproof wiring is of no consequence to me. And the headquarters of the brand is in Ontario, CA, so droppshipped or not, getting parts is easy.
sanjosethrower@reddit
Nice unlicensed motor vehicle. Keep it off the roads and bicycle paths.
allmightylemon_@reddit
I’ve had experience with TST and they’re basically just a dude running a dropshipping operation and getting parts is not easy even though it might appear that way because they ‘have a location near you’. I actually live in Ontario, Ca so I thought the same thing.
I needed a new wheel and the guy flat out texted me at 12am the following night telling me to text some random number asking if they had one.
Every correspondence happened at midnight and was a short unhelpful text message. The bike was cool for a bit then things slowly started failing. Actually had the cable brakes fail coming up to a stop light.
I’m glad you are enjoying it but it I’ve definitely experienced the bad side you hear people moan and groan about with this exact brand.
Their app that links to the bike is dogshit too. They’d be better off not even telling people about it
Taiyoryu@reddit
It's not that cheap ebikes are junk. It's that cheap ebikes have higher risk. Higher risk of a component failure. Higher risk of a battery fire. Higher risk of the company not providing support or simply disappearing. Cheap ebikes are cheap for a reason, and it's because manufacturers of cheap ebikes cut corners somewhere.
allmightylemon_@reddit
The factories selling these to the drop shipper let them go for 100-200 dollars which then gets flipped for 600-800 but that 100-200 should really tell you how cheap these things are made
Shiney_Metal_Ass@reddit
Have you seen this sub? Nobody is sleeping on budget bikes
Johnixftw_@reddit
They’ll look u in the eye and tell you your 2k bike is low budget , I get that more expensive (better) bikes cost more but god damn
Shiney_Metal_Ass@reddit
2k is where you leave the budget category
arkalus@reddit
Mine has 2700 miles budget bike 1200 from Amazon I got lucky
robotcoke@reddit
It's mostly bots that hate on the cheap bikes. Everyone in the real world loves whatever ebike they have.
Corporations don't like to lose money. Follow the money.
Car companies don't want to go out of business when a lot of people decide a $500 ebike can replace their car. Oil companies don't want to go out of business when everyone stops buying cars. The government doesn't want to miss out on an the revenue from car registrations and gas taxes.
All of that adds up to a massive agenda being pushed to discourage people from buying ebikes. "Don't buy one that costs less than a good used car..." "Let's ban all of them that can approach the speed of human sprinting..." They're not real people saying these things. If everyone really bent like that then we wouldn't need laws to ban them because nobody would buy them.
AlmightyThor008@reddit (OP)
I think its also a lot of people who desperately need to justify their $5k bike when they see someone getting just as much enjoyment out of their sub $1k bike. Elitist and classist chuds.
RavenousPug@reddit
Most of this subreddit doesn't touch grass which is ironic to me.
Krostovitch@reddit
Oh yeah the bots, damn bike mechanic bots. /s
But really, what a load of crap; these drop ship bike like objects are just landfill fodder and you're either stupid or dishonest to suggest otherwise...
CoyoteEastern7929@reddit
I’ve also been riding this exact bike for over a year with zero issues. In fact I’m in Amsterdam and have seen this thing all over town multiple times now. This sub is so fucking pretentious and they don’t even realize it. It’s insane. It’s a budget bike not a fucking trash can. Love people’s opinions when they’ve never ridden one and just go with the echo chamber of the sub.
robotcoke@reddit
Or I'm someone who has been riding one for years without issue, and knows many others who ride one without issue. Our someone who understands if there ever is an issue or can be fixed for cheaper than buying a new, expensive bike.
Plenty of cheap ebikes don't this massive ride in Seattle: https://www.reddit.com/r/ebikes/s/lWkJTqyJXO
And plenty of cheap ebikes don't this massive ride that happens every week in Salt Lake: https://www.reddit.com/r/SaltLakeCity/s/XEsdhNtFIS
All the hate is only an online thing. People in the real world enjoy them, as the videos clearly demonstrate.
BodSmith54321@reddit
Wow. It’s yet another Ridstar clone. I’m shocked.
Significant-Pen-6049@reddit
Long as battery is safe
BinarySpike@reddit
Can you DM me the details in the DIY upgrades? I just got the same bike.
Got a left mirror (had to carve up the grip) and panier bag.
Got a throttle grip but the wiring doesn't match so I bought a julet extension connector so I can make a jumper/adapter.
I feel like I need more storage/cargo space though.
ataun94@reddit
It’s not a matter of if, but when. Have a good mechanic check it, work it, and upgrade it to be safer.
whattteva@reddit
Honestly, I wouldn't be comfortable putting loads I normally put on my cargo bike (300+ lbs) and going 28 mph on cheap bikes. If I were just using it for myself as a commuter bike, sure. But I am not taking that big risk with a passenger at those speeds.
AlmightyThor008@reddit (OP)
Its rated for 450lbs, so we are over 100lbs under that threshold together. We haven't felt uncomfortable at all riding it together!
Purple_Young_5862@reddit
Who or what rated it ?
Tyler_go_kipper@reddit
Your mom
quasio@reddit
Love it, I seen a black and yellow one around town and im jealous tbh.