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With Black Friday sales coming up, I’ve been interested in purchasing an e-bike (budget is $1.5K max). Mainly to be used for short rides (3-4 miles) to get around town. There are some hills in my neighborhood.
Thought it would also be nice if I could have a passenger seat (optional), in case I want to have some friends hop on with me (under 150 lbs). I’m under 150lbs as well, 5ft 7in.
From what I’ve researched – would these be good options to look at? Are there any other recommendations?
[Co-op Cycles Generation e1.2 Electric Bike](https://www.rei.com/product/190640/co-op-cycles-generation-e12-electric-bike)
[Lectric XP 3.0](https://lectricebikes.com/collections/ebikes/products/xp-black?g_acctid=790-567-9445&g_adgroupid=&g_adid=&g_adtype=none&g_campaign=PerformanceMax.US+Brand&g_campaignid=16467002383&g_keyword=&g_keywordid=&g_network=x&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAx_GqBhBQEiwAlDNAZmnIsKUVF__Q6GBGYOLDyy0gFj_A7nIW37NJcenhjngcuHmT2L3F3hoCtSkQAvD_BwE)
[Juiced RipRacer](https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/ripracer?variant=39361373667392)
Thank you!
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View Reddit by IamChickenNugg – View Source
All of the ebikes listed are hub drives which depending upon the hills can be less efficient than a mid-drive.
The REI co-op bike is nice and many like it. There are now 3rd party fenders. It is a little underpowered as a 350w bike but has a good battery. It will not allow a passenger as the rear rack only supports 59 lbs max. There is no front suspension which paired with 2.4″ tires can mean a bumpy ride. There is no throttle with this ebike, which can mean you can take it most places as a Class 1. It has the thinnest tires of what you are looking at which be important if the battery runs out or electrical system failure and you have to pedal home. The best part is the REI service in that you can take it in for issues and they can fix it. The other bikes listed are DTC, where you become your own mechanic in many cases.
The Lectric XP 3.0 checks all your boxes. The ebike can be set to Class 1/2/3 as needed which can be important based upon where you ride. It has thinner tires than the RipRacer but wider than REI, which means more rolling resistance and harder to pedal. As the biggest expense of an ebike is usually the battery, get the Long Range version and you will be better off as you will likely find yourself wanting to ride further than planned (my longest ride is 53 miles on my DIY ebike and I didn’t plan on that going in). If you got the passenger package and the baskets package, this is a very useful investment! We have the XP 2.0 LONG RANGE for my wife and she really likes it (longest ride for her was 35 miles SO FAR).
The RipRacer looks like a great ebike, but doesn’t have a rear rack so likely will not support a passenger. It definitely has the strongest motor and best battery, which I would get the Class 3 RipRacer if available based upon battery and accessories. This ebike has the widest tires and will be difficult to pedal especially with a single gearing in the event of failures or battery used up (hills will be HARD).
Ride1up makes good ebikes, another one to consider:
https://ride1up.com/product/portola/
It has a 130 lbs rear rack limit and a passenger package. It has similar tire size to the REI.