My E-Bikes
My current e-bikes are:
- VanMoof X3: great all-around/starter city bike. One size fits all, automatic shifting, "boost" button for quick starts. $83/mo includes theft replacement, insurance, maintenance.
- Brompton Electric: most compact fold, easy to bring into buildings/stores, great all-around city bike, one size fits all.
- Tern Vekton Q9: folding cargo bike, one size fits all.
- Specialized Creo: electric road-bike; light and fast, long range.
Each is useful in different contexts, and together they cost less than half the $40k average new car in the US (see below for starter packs from $2k or $83/mo, 1/20th to 1/10th the avg new car price).
I'll probably end up with 1 or 2 more. In particular, I want the ability to take people+cargo on rides that would otherwise require an SUV (which might still be worse in various ways, and would definitely cost much more), so I'm eyeing a RadWagon.
Specs
A rough overview of the specs on my e-bikes (and a few other models I've looked at):
| Bike | Weight (lbs) | (add-ons during weighing) | Battery Wh | Range (max boost, no extra battery) | Range (min boost, extra battery | Price (base) | Gear / add-ons | Price (total) | One size fits all? | Top speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VanMoof X3 | 50.2 | front+rear racks, handlebar bags | 504 (+378=882) | 30mi | 70-90mi? | $2300 | Theft/maintenance plan ($690), extra battery ($350), front basket ($90), rear rack ($70), panniers ($190), basic bags/mounts ($250) | $4000 | ✅ | 20mph (US class 1) |
| Brompton Electric | 40.6 | party lights, bags, battery | 300 (+300=600) | 25mi | 60-80mi? | $3800 | Extra battery ($690), city bag ($250), basic bags/mounts ($250), rack ($185), panniers ($170) | $5400 | ✅ | 20mph (US class 1) |
| Specialized Creo SL Comp Carbon | 35.2 | handlebar bags, flat kit | 320 (+160=480) | 30mi | 130mi | $7000 | Extra battery ($450) + cable ($35), "Y" charger cable ($65), bottle cages (2x$25), basic bags/mounts ($250), "egress" pocket ($70), flat kit (hand pump, tubes+levers; $60) | $8000 | ❌ | 28mph (US class 3) |
| Tern Vektron Q9 | 56.6 | battery, panniers, basic gear | 400 (+500=900) | 30mi | 100mi | $3200 | Panniers (2x$100), basic bags/mounts ($150); 400Wh/500Wh extra batteries cost $629 ($777) but I've not bought one yet | $3600 | ✅ | 20mph (US class 1) |
| Specialized Vado 4.0 SL EQ | 41 (estimate, relative to Creo) | 320 (+160=480) | 30mi | 130mi | $3750 | Similar to Creo, ≈$1000 | $4750 | ❌ | 28mph (US class 3) | |
| RadWagon 4 | 78 | basket, bag, front rack | 672 (+672=1344) | 25mi | 100mi | $1900 | Extra battery ($550), bags/seats could total $300-$600? | ✅ | (20mph) (US class 1) | |
| Fiido D11 | 41 | 418 | 25mi | 60mi | $1000 | ✅ | 16mph (EU class 1), throttle |
Last updated on September 12, 2022