# eBike recommendations for commuting



## bank5 (May 7, 2008)

I'm thinking about getting an eBike for my 15 mile roundtrip commute. It has some hills but nothing too steep and I'll be locking it up on a college campus so I don't want to spend a lot of money on it. The Sondors bike seem like a great deal but are not currently taking orders. Any recommendations?


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)




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## ljsmith (Oct 26, 2007)

You might be better asking this at some ebike forum like this one : Electric Bikes.

You may already know, but most people on this forum are pretty anti ebike.


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## bank5 (May 7, 2008)

ljsmith said:


> You might be better asking this at some ebike forum like this one : Electric Bikes.
> 
> You may already know, but most people on this forum are pretty anti ebike.


I didn't want to sign up to another forum just for one question, but maybe I'll have to.

I'm anti ebike too unless it's for commuting. I'd rather have people riding ebikes than driving cars, especially in places like LA. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Maybe try the Commuting subforum here.


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## smithe68 (Sep 6, 2011)

I am kind of curious why you want an ebike vs a regular bike of some sort for commuting?

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## spinningmagnets (Jun 17, 2014)

For street commuting, I'd recommend the 48V Bafang BBS02 kit. The most affordable version uses a common 68mm wide bottom bracket.

If you want to save a few bucks on the battery, and also don't mind a little less power on the hills...there is a BBS01 version that uses 36V.


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## WoodlandHills (Nov 18, 2015)

smithe68 said:


> I am kind of curious why you want an ebike vs a regular bike of some sort for commuting?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk


 So you don't need smell like sweat all day at work? So you don't have to shower at the job after your commute and before starting work? So you can sleep-in an extra hour every day because of the above and because you can commute at twice the speed? Maybe that's why.


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## spinningmagnets (Jun 17, 2014)

I find that when I'm feeling energetic, I can use less electricity and pedal more. But...when I'm don't have as much energy, I very much enjoy using my electric bike to get to work instead of taking the car. 

The most beneficial change I made in my life has been to move close to my work. I now have the viable option of riding an ebike to work if I want. And if I ever have an issue with my car, I am in no rush to pay top dollar to fix it fast. I can ride my ebike for as many days as it takes to get my car fixed in an affordable manner.


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Budget?


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## pxpaulx (Aug 5, 2014)

Yeah, a budget would be good to know. I get wanting to keep the cost down, but you can buy bike specific insurance with a deductible of under a couple hundred bucks for around ten bucks a month. If you have an idea of the kind of bike you want, I would check out crazy lennys ebikes in Madison Wisconsin. They ship for about $200 (batteries have a high cost to ship), and prices can't be beat. I've bought 3 bikes there now (including driving 4 hours one way to get one of them and meet the owner), pm me if you want to get an idea of pricing, or search for them online and check out their demo bike pricing.


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## Scott In MD (Sep 28, 2008)

I ride about 2000-5000 miles a year for the last decade, so yeah I consider myself a cyclist. I commute a few days per month, but it's 46 miles round trip which is a little long for my taste. I've found that commuting on a bike can be a hassle, especially in hot and hilly Arizona.

So last week I test-rode a Trek 700+ and bought it ten minutes later and started commuting the next day. It is awesome. I'm not interested in trail riding on an eBike, but wow is it ever great for commuting. And if you don't already hate eBikes enough... Now Strava has a button for eBiking 

I'd recommend the Trek. 30mm front suspension adds a little forgiveness for those 40MPH ear to ear grinning downhills. 








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