Need electric bike to help with Ubereats

[CraftyPerth07]

I'm just not in shape enough to make much money on a bike. I need an electric one.

So I've been looking around here in australia and haven't found many options.


I see a lot of these "giant" brand bikes which I have found are on alibaba so probably not a quality bike.
The same with the "raleigh" brand bikes.

I have found one though but cant identify it to find out if its a good bike worth buying.
Ive uploaded a picture of it. It has "zap" on it but it could easily be a fake sticker they put on. I couldnt find any zap bikes with that style.



Anyways. I'm a bit heavy. 120 kg. And need something in the $500 range that will work good enough. I just need the help to get me through a 4 hour block.

Let me know your suggestions guys. <3

 

[flecc]

I see a lot of these "giant" brand bikes which I have found are on alibaba so probably not a quality bike.
The same with the "raleigh" brand bikes.

Giant are a quality brand and the biggest selling Chinese made pedelec in The Netherlands where they are more experienced about bike and e-bike use than anyone else. However Giant often aren't the most powerful pedelecs since Dutch conditions are not demanding.

Raleighs can be very variable since they are made by separate companies in at least three countries where there are historical rights to the name.

Many years ago Zap were an American maker of a friction drive e-bike kit motor system, but that's long gone. Maybe someone had revived the name, but I know nothing about that bike you've shown.

The most important thing about choosing an e-bike to buy is to try them out. They all feel different, the usable power and how it's delivered varies greatly, and whether you feel at home on a model is important and a very personal thing.
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[CraftyPerth07]

Giant are a quality brand and the biggest selling Chinese made pedelec in The Netherlands where they are more experienced about bike and e-bike use than anyone else. However Giant often aren't the most powerful pedelecs since Dutch conditions are not demanding.

Raleighs can be very variable since they are made by separate companies in at least three countries where there are historical rights to the name.

Many years ago Zap were an American maker of a friction drive e-bike kit motor system, but that's long gone. Maybe someone had revived the name, but I know nothing about that bike you've shown.

The most important thing about choosing an e-bike to buy is to try them out. They all feel different, the usable power and how it's delivered varies greatly, and whether you feel at home on a model is important and a very personal thing.
.

Wow that is such a detailed response. Thanks a lot

Any suggestions on something in my cheap 500 dollar price range?

All the bike shops here have things listed at 1800 and up which seems outrageous. Theres surely some much cheaper than that even if you sacrifice quality.

 

[flecc]

Wow that is such a detailed response. Thanks a lot

Any suggestions on something in my cheap 500 dollar price range?

All the bike shops here have things listed at 1800 and up which seems outrageous. Theres surely some much cheaper than that even if you sacrifice quality.

I'm afraid e-bikes do tend to be expensive, especially when compared to the ordinary bike market. The lithium batteries cause much of that.

There are a few e-bikes from about £500 price point here in the UK, but most of the decent cheaper ones are nearer to £1000.. Also lower prices generally come with smaller batteries, so a four hour shift probably not always possible.

I don't know what is on your market so haven't a start point for models to recommend. If you mention some you are thinking of we may be able to help if we know them here.
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[Deleted member 4366]

At 120kg, you need a bike with a high-torque motor, otherwise it's likely to burn out on the hills. I doubt that you'll get one for $500. I'd say at least $1000 US.

 

[CraftyPerth07]

So I've still not found out what brand of bike this Zap is. Or if its a cheap knock off or a regular bike with the motor added on....

But I did just get him down to 400 AUD. Which is very very cheap. I think I should go for it. How I see it is... if it happens to break... then I just spend another 400 to get a new battery and then I'm only out 800. Which is still less than other options I've seen by quite a bit.



He did tell me it was a 36v 10A lithium battery with a 250W electric motor.

 

[CraftyPerth07]

I did manage to find what its called. Its a Zap Uni 26. And it looks like they are quite old. Around the 2012 age. Not sure though. I can find very little information on them.

 

[flecc]

I did manage to find what its called. Its a Zap Uni 26. And it looks like they are quite old. Around the 2012 age. Not sure though. I can find very little information on them.

Bear in mind you probably won't be able to buy another battery to fit, that looks like to be tailored to fit into that frame. At six years old the present one might have little life left in it. You'll probably be dependent on getting it recelled and not many do that. We have only one reliable company doing that in the UK so you could find difficulty in Australia.
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[CraftyPerth07]

Well I decided to listen to you guys and not get a bike with such a weak motor.

I found a mountain bike called an Ezip that was in my price range and I went ahead and bought it. Only $200!

It takes me up hills no problem and it doesn't feel like I will break it. Really well put together and nice shocks. Has a 450 watt chain drive motor and seems to be fairly well taken care of. I found out online the spare parts are super cheap too. $180 for a battery replacement!

I'm glad I didn't go with the zap. Replacing parts would have been a nightmare.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Trevormonty]

The 24V motor on these is used in local school ebike build competition. NZD400 for motor, controller and 2 x 12V18AH gelcell batteries so spares are real cheap. At $200 it is excellent buy especially if it does what you need.