Electric Bike Kit – The Greater E-Bike

This is in response to Pedego’s website page labeling the Electric Bike Kit as a “lesser” electric bicycle solution. First off, I am appreciative of the work Pedego has done in the industry to promote the great advantages of owning an electric bike. I have not personally tested one, but based on other feedback I have received, they seem to have a good product. Let’s, however, do some comparisons as the only thing “lesser” about a good quality electric bike kit is the cost; the cost is significantly “lesser” for our complete conversion systems.

Cost

Specialized Carbon Frame Electric BicycleSo let’s start with a cost comparison. Realize that Pedego has competitively priced bikes when compared to similar complete electric bike setups. So I could pick a higher priced brand, but Pedego wrote the article.  The Interceptor is a good high-powered 48V setup priced at $3,995 to a whopping $4695 for what they call the “platinum” model. So let’s use our highest priced $1030 52V high-end geared motor kit with 9-level pedal assist pictured on the bike above as a comparison.  (FYI that we can apply connections to our batteries that make them very good Pedego replacement batteries).  So if you already have a bike that you like, because our kits work well on just about any bike, you saved a minimum of $2,965 and now have a system with more torque, power, and distance per charge compared to what the Interceptor is advertised at. You also have the flexibility to mount the motor on the front distributing the weight more evenly like the 48V setup pictured on the right/bottom. But maybe you don’t have a bike; well, staying with the Interceptor style bike, here you go: a Schwinn Signature Cruiser for $320 that just needs a rack. There are some differences as the Schwinn has rim brakes versus disc brakes. Good rim brakes work fine as that is what I personally use, but disc brakes are a good upgrade with which all our kits are compatible. Maybe you want to go all out and get a more expensive bike with lights, speedometer, and many other amenities…by all means, go all out, you have a lot of spending to do to even get close to the $3,995 minimum sticker price.  Kit installs are relatively easy, but most shops will only charge around $150-$200 to do them for you if you like.  We do them for $120 when using our systems.

It’s Still a Bicycle

Scwinn_Frontier_ElectricSo with an Electric Bike Kit you’ve just saved enough cash to send yourself on vacation to Hawaii, but what about the upkeep of this new lean green machine? Here’s one of the greatest things I found when I went from the electric bicycle I first purchased a number of years back to my current KHS comfort bike with the 52V setup—it’s still a bicycle! Chains and other components are not unique. I can still quickly take the motor off and put my old wheel back on and I have my old bike, or with today’s geared hub motors, I can just take the battery off because I do not even notice the motor on it when just pedaling…zero resistance. I cannot count the number of people that have called me and said, “Doug, I bought such and such brand electric bike a number of years ago and it does not work and I cannot get parts and…” With a kit, if you change bikes you take the kit off the old and put it on the new. With the electric bike kits we use, 36V or 48V/52V batteries of all cell types are interchangeable; motors can be swapped, etc.…lots of flexibility.

There are many good ready-made electric bicycles out there; my goal, however, is to get people on one at a price that is much more palatable. Even with a kit, I feel that people are still laying down a chunk of change and deserve the best possible value. So the best cost to benefit equation I can think of is our electric bike kit conversion systems—The Greater E-Bike!

Contact Doug, the owner of Electric Bike Solutions, at the numbers and email below.

Email: [email protected]
(707) 290-9764