CrimsonEclipse

I friend of mine is over 60 years old, few years post heart attack and presently walking to reduce weight and increase cartio.

He inquired about an ebike so he can ride without biological range anxiety.

He also balked at my suggested $1000 range so this will be a challenge.

I'm thinking a step through frame of 20 or 26" wheels.

The electric is for boosting his range or as a backup for sudden onset of fatigue.

I was going to suggest a Letric but the cheapest step through is $1k

Can anyone point me in a general direction?

tds101 

Would he consider the BMX styled Lectric XP Lite? It's not too high a step over, not too expensive, and much simpler to work with.

I almost forgot the Gotrax ebikes. Less expensive, and getting solid reviews from REPUTABLE reviewers on YouTube.
https://gotrax.com/collections/electric-bike

CrimsonEclipse

Not sure. He's a non cyclists so most of my suggestions might be an uphill battle when it comes to perception.

Gotrax is an interesting solution.
Seems a lot of companies just buy generic designs and slap their combination of motor/battery/controller on it with a name sticker.

Doc_Wui

These go as low as $398 in the winter when sales are slow. Drawback? It's got a tiny battery and replacement batteries are hard to get.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Bic...sRedirect=true

308jerry

When Juiced has a few of their ebikes on sale, they're well under 1000. I see they have a step through, smaller fat tire ebike right now. Personally I have been in the same shoes as your friend. I wanted a somewhat normal looking bike, if a fat tire large frame looks normal.

tds101 

I have the Juiced RipRacer, and it's not for a beginning rider. The other options would best suit a novice rider, looking to save money. For a person just trying to get some exercise the other recommendations are a bit better.

Concerning rebranded Chinese imports, most all are imports that have been rebranded. Unless the friend is willing to spend a good chunk of change, rebranded ebikes are the only choice. Just make sure they're UL listed/certified.
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RangerTampa

If he's okay with buying a used bike, I see lots on my local Nextdoor app. Also on craigslist. I bought a used Rad City a couple years ago that way.

Xavier65

I recommend finding a nice one-by bicycle (new or 2nd hand) with hydraulic brakes, and adding a CycMotor Photon to it.

tds101 

The motor alone cost's the amount that the OP's friend is willing to spend. And they don't sound tech savvy either.

CrimsonEclipse

Yeah, pretty much.
Think of it as buying a computer for a non tech savvy parent.
So used is (likely) out of the question, but I'll bring it up.
Doing modification is also not an appropriate solution, this needs to be plug and play.

I appreciate all of the suggestions but I have to approach this as if I'm buying a computer for a non-tech parent or grand parent.

2old

Lectric has the XP Lite for $799. Otherwise as above Gotrax has a bike that has been reviewed well for a couple of hundred less. There are other options at Amazon and Wally for $400 - $600, but IMO, they're a crapshoot.

Xavier65

As they say to old people regarding money "You can't take it with you".

If the OP's friend has a bike savvy friend, then the motor&battery can be fitted pretty quickly - just replace the bottom bracket, with that of the motor's. Then 4 wires to battery, chainstay speed sensor, and handlebar display & throttle.

It is generally far more cost effective to add a good motor to a good bike, than to get a cheap e-bike, with poor comfort/ergonomics and poor performance.

tds101 

Read the responses. They're NOT INTERESTED, and ARE NOT TECH SAVVY. Your suggestion isn't what the OP is looking for.
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Pop N Wood

I went through a couple of surgeries the last 3 years and will say the ebike was extremely helpful for just the reason you mention. Worth pursuing.

For the price he is looking at a used bike with a hub motor is probably his most cost effective option.

Not sure what you mean by tech savy. Fully understand not wanting to do the conversion, but once it is installed it will ride just like any other ebike. I see lots of retired bike nuts on Craigslist who might do the install, hopefully for a reasonable price.

What ever you do post back, I get similar requests from people when they find out I ride a lot. Too many ebikes out there, I have no idea what to tell them.

rumrunn6

may not be the right bike, but I have this one book marked Juiced CrossCurrent X

tds101 

Read the posts and responses. The friend doesn't even want to spend half of the price of the bike you listed.

CrimsonEclipse

Eh... nevermind...

Showed friend a few of the suggestions and he expressed no interest.

(shrugs) oh well....

[thanks anyhow]

Smaug1

It's not a step-through, but the Magicycle Commuter is now on sale for $550 shipped from Amazon. I helped my daughter's boyfriend get one. It has been good so far, except for the low quality OEM (CST) inner tubes. It's single speed and geared for about 15 mph, so if there's no electricity, it will be a challenge to get going. Once moving, it rolls efficiently.

I have the Lectric XP Lite. ($800) It's a good bike, but again with the single speed geared for 15 mph, it's going to be a no-go without power.

Lectric XP 3.0 is a good option. you just missed the close-out sale ($800) for the XP 2.0. This one is $1k, but has 7 gears, so it's feasible to pedal it without power. (albeit slower, at around 10 mph)

Aventon is doing a blowout of their Solterra models now; I think they're just under a grand. Quality is very good. Stock is questionable, it's worth calling them. (I've seen their ads on facebook, people respond that they're out of stock and they say they DO have more stock)

eBikes are worth spending a bit more on, to get a good experience. $1-2k is a good starting budget. Bikes in that price range tend to be rideable without power, whereas ones costing less are often unridable without power.

leehop71

So true. I have a Denago City 1 and I ride it a lot just using the gears!

bharrisonb

I enjoy riding regular bikes (a vintage Raleigh Sports, a Specialized Sequoia road bike, a Trek Verve 2 hybrid) --- and this summer my wife and I added 2 2023 model-year Cannondale Adventure Neo Allroads to the stable.The decision on which bike to use is based on the application ... just like a selecting the right tool for the job.

After several hundred miles on the Cannondales, I can recommend them. Well built, good battery range, comfortable, and a great level 2 drive (with a throttle that I hardly use).

Check them out for yourself!