Bike Hugger 

I can’t recommend a specific electric bike, but I know who can.  If you are in Seattle you should visit Electric Bikes
Northwest at their new Ballard location.  They have a variety of electric bikes in stock and I have found the staff to be friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.  Of course you can also visit their web site.

I have a subscription to A to B magazine that I got through Calhoun Cycle. http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=73. A nifty little british mag that focuses on folders and electric bikes. They do a great job of reviewing electric bikes, even if some aren’t available here in the states. You quickly learn what makes a good electric bike, anything that is like a Giant Lafree!

I saw this last year at Expo…thought it was quite interesting.  It’s even got regenerative braking.  It’s all built into the 135mm spaced rear hub so most mtb’s can be retrofitted pretty easily.

http://www.bobtec.de/img/BionX-Rad.jpg

Tai

I bought a Giant LaFree e-bike at electric bikes northwest last year.  I use it to commute from the top of crown hill to belltown and it’s a dream!  I also use it for the sunday market and load up with groceries and peddle home.  I’ve passed cars going up hill on 8th Ave NW.  You still need to peddle with this bike and you will get a workout if you push yourself. 

I’m just waiting for the daylight to last long enough to start my spring commute.

I also own a Giant electric bike purchased from Electric Bikes Northwest.  I cannot say enough nice things about it.  I have used it to commute to work year round for nearly two years.  Giant used a motor made by Panasonic in the LaFree and Lite models that is considered the best ever by electric bike fans.  Sadly, I believe that there are no new bikes being sold in the US using that technology. 

Also, be sure and pay attention to the weight and range of any electric bike.  There are some cheap ones out there that weigh a ton and don’t go very far on a charge.

Schwinn offers three electric bikes.  Don’t quote me but I believe they weigh in the neighborhood of ~45 lbs.

http://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_category.php?id=109

If you want a customized e-bike / kit, see falconev. Lithium batteries too.

www.ebikehub.com

this is a forum for electic bicycle information.  Plenty of reviews, links to all other e-bike forums, ebike news, ebike dealers(all of the ones mentioned above)

www.ebikehub.com the e-bike information forum

we are in the process of bringing into Seattle a new line of moderately priced electric bikes.  Please visit our web site
for more information www.gecobike.com

I was VERY disappointed in Electric Bikes Northwest to say the least. I was told on the phone to bring in my bike they could not do any phone quotes but when I showed up they refused to even look at it because I didn’t buy it there. I love my electric bike but, finding someone to work on it in the Northwest for me is a problem.

Electric Vehicles & Bikes Northwest has the WORST customer service of any business I’ve ever dealt with. They say they have a money-back guarantee, but it’s painful to get them to honor it. They initially refused to refund my money and when I challenged their posted policy they kept dragging out the process. They finally refunded the cost of the product, but kept sales tax of nearly $300 on the returned merchandise. When I asked why he became hostile with me and told be to leave them alone. I found it a completely uncalled for response given that it’s their own policy. Be warned before doing business with them; they don’t know what customer service is and bend the rules to suit their whims.

About your experience trying to get a bike serviced not purchased at a local dealer:

I have purchased a bike at ebikesnw a while back and can’t say enough good things about them.
I have recently moved to NYC and purchase an eZee bike from http://nycewheels.com/
I have mentioned to Bert that I have seen a bike online for a little less but was also informed that the shop would not service the bike if not purchased there, they would run themselves out of business if they would. Their service section loses money - they don’t mind losing money to a customer as a service but can’t lose money to a stranger that decided not to (financially) support them in the first place.

Of course I purchased the bike from them and am very glad I did, I get top notch service and belong to a group of nice folks.
I bumped into them googling electric bike reviews, <a href=“http://nycewheels.com/electric-bike-reviews.html” rel=“nofollow”>http://nycewheels.com/electric-bike-reviews.html</a> not update daily but there are some interesting customer reviews.

The world’s best electric bike: E+ by Electric Motion Systems. 30 mph and completely quiet. I’ll post pictures soon.

I had a schwinn world electric bike a nice bike to ride fast good battery nice distance but NO reliability it was always broke had it fixed at least 5 times fun to ride but really a piece of junk even the gear cluster broke down did not shift rite the electronics were always broke they had to replace the motor the consept is great but the parts are junk not worth the trouble

You should also check out West Edge eBikes. Their bikes are really competitive on price and performance, and they only use LiFePO4 batteries, so they’ll last you for several years.

Here’s another resource worth checking out: eCo Wheelz (http://www.eco-wheelz.com). Find a great selection of electric bikes and e-bike kits.

To the concern of many people; i think that we can all agree that buying a car is substantially different then buying, say a new computer. Both are investments but the price and the means of use are very different. So what do we do when something new comes along that could fit between the two; the means of transportation, but the cost closer to a computer? Well the answer is simple; we shop around and see how we could get the most bang for our buck.

But still, many new people are wandering without a sense of what they want from an E Bike or how they even work? E bikes are a brand new item hitting the market with endless possibilities, the only problem is people are afraid, across the board, of investing in a new item that many know nothing about, but sometimes the cost may out way their feelings of trying something new. So then who do you trust? who do you decide to go with? the shady E bike dealer with the bargains just falling out of his creeper trench coat? or the man with the white collar and black tie that’s pushing Technology and prices that are wayy over your head!

My name is Chris Ray and im an employee at Ampedbikes.com; here we understand the confusion that alot might feel when shopping for an E bike kit, and we like to feel that we make this process a whole lot easier. Our Bike Kit Conversions can be retrofitted to almost any bike out there today! We offer safe and easy explanations and instructions for our conversion kits and make our entire system “plug & play” so it’s much easier for the consumer to install without the headache of the difficult novel sized instruction manual. Not to mention our prices are very competitive and are but a fraction of one you might pay for a full assembled E bike and the only difference is that your riding your bike!

We are a very progressive company with new ideas streaming out daily, and 100% of our profits go directly back into the company to continue our desire for the perfect E bike kit. As such, we overtly engineer all of our technology and guarantee you will get the most bang for your buck!

To Learn More Visit Our Website at

<a href=“www.ampedbikes.com”>www.ampedbikes.com</ a>

Chris Ray

You can purchase an electric bike conversion kit from an Australian
business called Solar Bike.  You purchase
the 350W front hub kit with 36V 10ah LiFePO4 battery for mountain
bike (26” rim). Getting a range of about 42km with light pedalling
and am moving at an average speed of between 35-40km/hr even uphill.
We respond to emails quickly and at a really
fair price. Check us out at <a >Solarbike</a>
We deliver to anywhere in the world now so you
see.