High Budget Electric bike options

Stylish Electric Bikes Guide

Electric bikes are cool right?  Well the concept is cool, but not all electric bikes look cool.  That is why I put together this guide to show you some of the cool looking electric bikes that you will actually enjoy showing off to your friends!

A2B electric bikes are tough looking and they look pretty comfortable.

Currie Technologies Electric Bikes has many different styles of bikes to fit almost anyone’s tastes.

Energie Cycles has a unique “mono-tube” aluminum frame design.  It’s a simple and clean frame design that sets them apart from the crowd!

EVELO has a pretty clean looking ebike with a motor that adds power through the gears of the bike (good for climbing steep hills)

Gepida has a cool line up of many different styles

Giant Bikes have always had a clean design that looks comfortable to ride.

Gocycle electric bikes are the cleanest design that I have seen.  They are folding e-bikes that are designed for the dense urban environment.

Kalkhoff electric bikes are elegant sporty city bikes that are well equipped to get you where you need to go with fenders, racks, lights, etc.

M55 is a company that makes rugged electric mountain bikes.  So if you like the tough look, M55 bikes are your ticket.

Ohm Cycles offers city and mountain bike style e-bikes.  They have a design that centers the battery in the middle of the bike for a low center of gravity.  These are high quality e-bikes with a comfortable ride.  See my review of the Ohm XS 750 electric mountain bike.

Optibike electric bikes have a unique mountain bike look.  They are electric mountain bikes that can be used for street or trail use.

Pedego electric bikes are beach cruiser style ebikes that come in many different colors.

Sanyo’s Enloop Electric Bike is a very clean and simple design that looks like it’s very easy to just get on and ride!

The Smart Ebike is one futuristic looking electric bike from the same company that makes the small Smart Car.  Definitely worth a look!

Trek Bikes has a few electric bikes that have a clean style and they look fast.  Checkout the Valencia + and Transport +.

Voltage Cycles are a very laid back and they describe the style as “classic styling of a prewar era motorcycle and the flair of a modern day cruiser”.

Winora has a bunch of electric bikes.

Here is a NON electric bike but it looks like it should be.  This is a super futuristic folding bike from Pacific Cycles called the iF Mode.  You have to see it!

Well that is the list for now.  Stay tuned!  I will be adding more as I come across them.

Please leave a comment below if you know of some other stylish electric bikes that I should add to the list.

-Pete

credit to: http://electricbikereport.com/stylish-electric-bike-guide/ for this list.

Metroboard Update

After a couple of months of riding the metro-board to and from work in Brooklyn, it's holding up great. I ride it over four miles each way on a commute that puts plenty of wear and tear on the board. Many of the streets I travel on are bumpy and have rocks, sticks, bumps, and potholes, and the Metroboard has not had any problems. Also I have to put lots of wear on the brakes, with sudden stops necessary at almost every block. The board performs great up and down steep hills. I get tons of compliments and questions everywhere I go and it fits under my desk at work. Any questions or complaints are quickly resolved by their fantastic customer service. I am 6'4" and weigh about 200 with my bag on my back and it still goes 20 mph and easily makes the round trip without needing a charge. Sometimes I do bring a charger to work just in case I want to make a loop around the park and it charges in 1-3 hours. I overtake most bikers and get to work without sweating and make it there faster than I would by car or subway. The metroboard is a hit and I'd definitely recommend it. It's easily the best of the three e-vehicles I've owned so far.

I'd put the ones I've owned in this order.

1. Metroboard midsize (great all around) - $1100 with all the add-ons
2. Ezip 750 (good quality but poor range and battery dies quickly) - $400
3. Raw motors 300w (this got great range but was really poorly made and had a cheap battery) - $500

Metroboard review update 6/4/14

After talking with the friendly owner of Metroboard and sharing my concerns about the safety and falling issues, he offered to let me send my honey shortboard back and replace it completely with the midsize version. All at their expense. Troubleshooting by phone and email had failed to keep me from falling off repeatedly and I was almost ready to call it quits.

The owner of Metroboard beleived that the issue with my height (I'm 6'4" and therefore may have had a harder time balancing on the shortnoard), and any possible mechanical issues would hopefully be solved by this replacement. And last night the moment of truth came. 

My board arrived, and after driving it for a while last night and a few hours today, this one seems much more stable and I haven't even come close to falling once. This thing is fantastic. I'd definitely recommend this Metroboard to anyone looking for a great toy or a nice alternative form of transport. 

If you are over 6 feet tall, as I am, you might want to go with the midsize though for increased stability.

Thanks to ILAN and everyone at Metroboard for making a great product and doing everything they did to make sure my experience was a good one. This company has fantastic customer service, which really makes me glad to be able to write a good review for their awesome product.

Five stars out of five.

I'll write another update after more extensive use.

Metroboard review update after 2 weeks

It's been a tough e-skatboarding week. On my way back from a long ride last week I took a really hard spill and am taking a break from riding it. The owner was really helpful and answers emails really fast with genuine concern for safety and customer satisfaction. It's not clear if it's a mechanical issue (the board slows down when I release the accelerator, sending me flying forward), or a balance issue (I'm 6'4", and don't have much experience on electric skateboards and was maybe accelerating too fast).

This was my third spill, and the hardest one yet, possibly since I'm getting more confident and less careful and going faster. All three falls resulted in me landing on my right knee, hip, and elbow (I ride goofy foot), so my body is banged up in those spots and I am still nursing cuts and bruises a week and a half after the last fall. My wife said I look like I am coming back from Fight Club. Not really the look or lifestyle I was going for. The first fall was actually funny because I was going slow.

The second fall was not as funny. This time I was alone and opened up a cut on my knee and got a bruise on my right hip. I was going medium speed and was thrown onto the concrete for no apparent reason. I got home and put a bandaid on my cut.

The third fall was sort of traumatizing. I was really moving and was thrown forward hard and it was painful. Again there was no warning and no obvious reason, except that I was accelerating fast, but this would normally make me think I would fall backwards, so falling forward comes as a surprise every time when I release the accelerator. This time, I cut my elbow, aggravated the bruise on my hip, reopened the cut on my knee, and ripped my jacket and bag. On this fall, I was slow to get up. Two ladies ran over to ask if I was alright. I cursed, then said I was fine, then they asked if I was sure I was ok, and I didn't answer. I wasn't ok, I was pissed, but there was nothing they could do to help. I just needed more bandaid's and neosporin from CVS, which my wife was kind enough to get for me.

My theory is that all three falls happened when I held the joystick up and tried to accelerate fast, then let go of the accelerator, and was thrown forward by the resistance of the drive wheel. This could be avoided by slowly accelerating using the gear system, but I sometimes want to accelerate fast, and maybe just need to get used to this limitation.

I got a good 30 miles of riding out of the board, so it didn't happen all the time, but when it did happen, and I fell, it sucked. Maybe I need knee pads and elbow and hip pads or something. But I don't need these when riding a regular board so I don't own them and don't like the idea of having to lug around a lot of equipment, since that defeats the purpose of having a small portable board.

In all the time I had my electric bike and scooter, which was about one year for each one, I did not fall once or hurt myself at all. So three falls in one week is kind of a downside so far. One which I did not really realize would be a factor.

That said, it's still really fun and all the components seem like really high quality so I'd still recommend it to someone who is a bit shorter and has a lower center of balance. Maybe I should have gotten the longboard for more stability or something, or maybe tall people are not meant to ride electric skateboards, or maybe there's a mechanical issue and when it comes back it will ride smoothly with less risk of injury.

When I told the owner of the company about my concerns he tried to help me fix it over email and when that failed he offered to have me mail it back to him on his dollar so he could try to fix any problems, and if that fails, he would give me a refund. I feel bad saying anything bad about the board, because the customer service has been really responsive and the owner is doing everything in his power to solve my problems, which I appreciate. This is just me being honest about my experience.

I mailed it out today so it will likely be at least another week until I find out what's going on. I'll post an update then.

Metroboard review after first two rides

After much anticipation, my Metroboard arrived at my apartment. These boards are made to order, and they ship from Oregon, so turnaround time took about 10 days from order to delivery. But like great food, the best products are worth the wait. 

The board is super fun and easily took me on a 10 mile round trip ride with no signs of the battery dying down. The board is super light for an e-vehicle so carrying into the restaurant on my first and second ride was no problem. When I tried to lug it into a crowded bar, it was not ideal, though once I found a seat and a safe place to put it I was okay. 

The top speed is plenty fast and my commute to work was a blast. For this ride I was able to put it under my desk and charge it up for about an hour and had a full battery on the ride back. I ordered the smallest model, which easily fit under my desk and once it was there no one even saw it.

Note: this is my first electric skateboard, but I've been casually skateboarding for 20 years, and have previously owned an electric bike and scooter.

The pitfalls: since you're not strapped in or holding on, your center of balance is less stable than it would be on a bike or scooter. Therefore, accelerating and braking are the two things that felt the most sketchy when riding this board. I've fallen twice so far, both on the first ride, and both happened when I was trying to accelerate too fast. Luckily, Ilan, the mastermind behind this board, accounts for this by creating a slow accelerating gear system, to avoid the falls I experienced on my first ride. Now I accelerate slowly and have not fallen since. 

The other scary part is braking. I haven't had any falls here yet but had to jump off my board once to avoid traffic. This weak braking system keeps the board from throwing you off, but like the acceleration, is not as reactive as a bike or board, which can stop on a dime. 

Basically with this vehicle, vs. a bike or board, you are getting an increased level of portability and fun, in exchange for slower acceleration, braking, and less stability. 

Riding in NYC a lot of people wanted to know what it was and I quickly ran out of the cards Ilan provides for curious parties. I'm a big fan and can't wait to take it to work every day and ride it as much as possible. Thanks, Ilan!

Best pick out of all the electric bikes, skateboards, and scooters on the market, in my opinion.

After much deliberation, I decided to order the 29" honey mini, with the upgraded wheels and barings. It came to about $1100 with delivery. They also gave me a $50 student discount, which was cool, since I'm a grad student with limited resources. I like the portability, the good reviews, the quality parts, the price point, the appearance (e-bikes and scooters can look pretty nerdy/embarrassing), and the fun. I plan on riding this to work and keeping it under my desk while charging it during the day. I'm pretty excited and will write another review when it arrives, in about 1-2 weeks.

Favorites - updated 3/26/14

1. Metroboard: This has a 600w motor, and 36v lithium ion battery. The best part: it only weighs 19 lbs. That means that it's nice and portable if you want to bring it places. It gets really good reviews, and the company even goes to the trouble of comparing it's boards (all metroboards pretty much the same) side by side with the competition. 
Price: $1100, after the add-ons, which I think are worth getting (barings and bigger wheels).

2. Super Turbo 1000-Lithium Electric Scooter (Black): This thing is a beast. 1000 watt motor, 48 volt lithium ion battery takes you to a max speed of about 32 mph. The reviews on this thing speak for itself, with a perfect 5 stars on 13 reviews on amazon.
Price: $1000

 3. Prodeco V3 Phantom X2 8 Speed Folding Electric Bicycle, Matte Black, 26-Inch/One Size : This thing just looks really fun and gets fantastic reviews. You can't go wrong here, provided you have nearly $1400 bucks to spare, and space to store this thing. 500 watt motor, 38 volt lithium battery you will have a really nice piece of equipment that isn't too heavy. 20 mph max speed. 40 reviews at 4.5 stars out of 5 speaks for itself. People really like this thing. The fact that it has pedals means you can get a lot more milage per charge, since you can help the battery out by using your own energy to move the bike forward for a range of about 28-38 miles per charge.
Price: $1355

4. 500 Watt Electric Speed Go Skateboard-black : I don't care that it doesn't have reviews yet and may or may not be cheaply made. This thing just looks awesome to me. According to the specs, it weighs only 39 lbs, has a 500 watt motor, and a 36 volt lithium ion battery. They claim it gets 17 miles to a charge and goes up to 20 mph. At around $700, that seems like a good deal in terms of power, weight, portability, and fun. One concern is that it says that the 20 mph is weight dependent, and the max load is 200, so if your flirting with the max, as I am, you are not likely to be cruising at 20 mph the whole time, especially not up hills. I'm okay with that, since the whole idea of standing on the board seems a bit precarious to begin with. If it breaks, I guess you can take it to your local garage and have him work on it if it's something you can't fix yourself. Since it has no reviews and is new, proceed with caution here and not expect a perfect piece of machinery at this stage.
Price: $699

I think you can pick this up at Sears for around $669.

5. Flykly smart wheel: it's not a bike or a skateboard, but its pretty cool anyway. It's a wheel that easily snaps on to any bike, and turns it into a pedal assist 250 watt 36 volt lithium ion e-bike with a top speed of 25 mph. No wires or complicated construction required. The wheel syncs with your smartphone to tell you the speed, battery power left, etc. One of the coolest things is a GPS that is inside the wheel which tells you where it is located in case someone tries to steal it (if you live in NYC, they probably will, I know because I got my first electric bike stolen). If you're worried about e-bike laws this wheel seems like it won't be easily identified as an ebike wheel, and since there's no throttle, that won't give you away either. 
Price: This isn't out yet, but can be pre-ordered for $590, which seems like a good deal. 


Note: I only included bikes and boards with lithium ion batteries because they are the best kind of battery. I've owned a couple of e-vehicles with lead acid batteries (e-zip 750 and raw motors 500watt ebike), and while they were super fun at first, the lead acid battery is all but useless after 1 year. So unless you plan on going to the trouble and cost of constantly replacing the super heavy battery on your mediocre lead acid bike, it's just not worth investing in one. As soon as you ride an electric vehicle, you are going to like it way too much to want to deal with the down side of the lead battery (heavy and gets weak really quickly).

New Electric Skateboard with Lithium Ion Battery for $699 with shipping

I just saw these "Mototec electric speed go skateboards" on ebay and Amazon for $699 with shipping: 

$699 for an electric skateboard with a 36v lithium ion battery and 500w motor seems like a good deal to me.

Noteworthy Specs:

• 500w brushed motor
• 36v 10ah Lithium ion battery.
• 17 miles per charge
• 20 mph
• charger included

This forum has videos and more information.

The next big thing in e-bikes

This isn't out yet, but can be pre-ordered for $599, which seems like a good deal. It's a wheel that can be easily attached to any bike, and will transform your bike into a pedal assist bike. No wires or complicated construction required. The wheel syncs with your smartphone to tell you the speed, battery power left, etc. One of the coolest things is a GPS that is inside the wheel which tells you where it is located in case someone tries to steal it (if you live in NYC, they probably will, I know because I got my first electric bike stolen). If you're worried about e-bike laws this wheel seems like it won't be easily identified as an ebike wheel, and since there's no throttle, that won't give you away either. http://www.flykly.com/smart-wheel

Cool E-bike if you want more bells and whistles and aren't as worried about e-bike laws

At $1670 it's not cheap but it does seem like it's got good features and it's sturdy and reliable. Also, Oprah likes it. I'm conflicted about whether that makes me like it more or less.

Regardless, a 500W motor is strong enough to take you up most hills and move decently fast while still abiding by the e-bike laws (under 20 mph in most places). This bike's vespa-like appearance clearly won't fool anyone into thinking it's a regular bike but that doesn't seem to stop most people in NYC, meaning that you likely won't have trouble either (no guarantees here though). The headlights are cool along with the LCD display which tells you how much battery power you have left. Also, it gets great reviews on Amazon.

Best e-bike on Amazon right now

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

This has a lithium battery, which is the best kind of battery because it's light, lasts long in terms of charges you get before having to replace it, and in terms of miles per charge. The 500w motor is stronger than most in this price range, meaning it gets decent top speed and power. It looks cool enough in matte black, and it's discreet in case you are worried about e-bike laws. Also gets fantastic reviews. If you have $1355 to spend, this is a solid deal.

• SRAM X7 8 Speed Mid Derailleur
• SRAM X7 Twist 8 Speed Shifter and Avid BB7 Disc Brakes
• Rear Direct Drive 36V 500 Watt Motor
• 38.4V 12Ah LiFePO4 24 Cell Battery
• 20 MPH and 28-38 Mile Distance

Prodeco V3 Phantom X2 8 Speed Folding Electric Bicycle, Matte Black, 26-Inch/One Size