This electric bicycle reviews list covers five bikes that offer some of the best value on the market today. There’s some variation among them: some are designed for portability and can be folded, for instance, while others tip the scales at around 60 lbs. and aren’t really designed to be carried up steps. Some boast lightweight but efficient motors rated 250 watts, while others sport 750-watt behemoths. What unites all of them, though, is a clear dedication to smoothing user experience in their design, and a commitment to quality in their construction.
Cyclamatic Bicycle Electric Foldaway Bike
This bicycle can be folded in half and sports a 250w brushed motor giving it max speeds of up to 13 mph. It can reach a maximum range of 30 miles on its 24V battery (if used without pedal assist—it can cover more ground on assist), and has a polished aluminum frame.
Pros
- Smooth riding
- Sturdy feel
- User-friendly assembly
Cons
- Bike seat could be bigger and more thickly padded
This is a great electric bicycle for $900, even with that little gripe about the seat—in fact, if you’re not on the big side, you probably won’t even complain about it. It’s a touch on the heavy side, mind you, because of its heavy duty frame, but not so heavy that you’ll be calling it a weight whale. It’s easy to put together, easy to ride, and runs a very long time on pedal assist; several hours of use aren’t unreasonable when it’s used that way. It also goes much faster than the 13 mph rating if you add pedal power to it. Then there’s the fact that it can be folded in half. What more can we say?
Prodeco V3 Outlaw EX
It has a 750w rear direct drive hub motor able to put out as much as 1200w of power. The bike sports an 8-speed drive train, Avid Elixir 5 hydraulic disc brakes, a lightweight XO shifter, and Avid 200mm HS1 rotors. It can reach speeds of 20mph, has a mileage of 25-30mi, has a magnesium fork and aluminum frame, and boasts a leather seat and handles.
Pros
- SRAM X9 shifting system works beautifully
- Excellent brakes
- Big and beefy
Cons
- Hard to find fenders that will fit it
- Suspension seat post is optional (but should really be default)
This is a serious electric bike, with a serious build and serious power, so the $2,200 you spend on it is definitely worthwhile. The high-torque motor will drive even the 220-pounders among us up a hill, although you will still have to provide a bit of assistance for a smooth experience. It has top-of-the-line components and everything that matters isn’t skimped on in the least—the brakes and shifting system on this thing are among the best you will find on e-bikes at the moment. It’s also very sturdily made, although that means it’s definitely on the heavy side. The only real complaint would have to be about its suspension—it could do with a bit more help in that area if you want a truly smooth riding experience, although the optional (and free) suspension seat post that the manufacturer offers does a bit to help that.
2015 e-JOE Epik Sport Edition SE
A 350w brushless geared hub motor works with 7-speed transmission to give an enjoyable, powerful ride despite the foldable aluminum frame. This bike has a load capacity of 300 lbs. and has a 30 mi range on its 36V 9Ah battery.
Pros
- Foldable
- Very sturdily built
- Excellent performance on steep hills
Cons
- Still somewhat heavy
This $1600 e-bike has particularly good performance when it comes to pedal assist and steep hills, which probably make it ideal for those whose daily commutes hit a lot of those. It’s supposed to be lightweight due to the aluminum frame, but the reality is that it’s actually still quite a heavy beast at around 42 lbs.—not everyone will be satisfied with that, really. It does fold up, though, which is a nice feature on such a powerful bicycle. It’s also pretty good-looking, which is always a plus.
2014 iZip E3 Path+
This gearless, high-speed bike uses a 500w rear hub motor powered by a 48V Lithium Ion battery. The motor can power you to speeds of up to 20 mph and has a mileage of about 25-30mi on one full battery charge. The bike also has a centrally-mounted LCD display for power adjustment and speed readings.
Pros
- Good, powerful performance
- Nice LCD display
- Cruise control
Cons
- User manual is pretty poor
- A bit stiff on bumpy ground
This $2,200 bike offers some very nice features. Besides the 500-watt motor, there’s also the integrated cruise control and an LCD screen that helps a lot with power adjustment—it even shows you an estimate of how much more ground you can cover with the current battery power left. If you can get over the less-than-stellar product literature and somewhat poor suspension (a common problem for e-bikes!), it’s actually a pretty great buy.
X-treme Scooters XB300Li
This has a 300-watt brushless rear hub motor, 7-speed Shimano tourney gears, and a strong but light aluminum alloy frame. Seven lightweight batteries give it enough juice for 20-25 mi of pure speed. It has a key start, variable speed control, a headlight and power assist.
Pros
- Relatively low-priced
- Quite attractive despite its low price tag
- Sturdy frame
Cons
- Not that easy to assemble (due to poor manual)
This is one of the cheaper e-bikes at $850 and if you take that into account, it’s not bad at all. It actually has a more powerful motor than the other sub-$1000 bike in this list, in fact. It looks good if you like the flat black look a lot of people advertise as “stealth” these days and rides fairly well, too. It’s just a pain to assemble, not least because whoever wrote the manual decided to let users figure out 80% of it themselves.
Conclusion
If you really want to stay under $1000, the Cyclamatic is the way to go. It outperforms a lot of bikes even up to the $1,500 mark, being sturdy, stable, and wonderfully reliable. If you can afford to spend more and want bigger power, though, the Prodeco is pretty hard to beat. It’s a real monster with its huge motor, and will drive even the bigger guys up hills without much strain.
