Learn me E-bikes

For a while I've been looking for a cheap pit bike (mc or scooter).  I've also been looking at bicycles, or a lightweight dual sport to hang on the back of our camper for getting around RV destinations when we're not pulling a trailer.

It appears that the market may have come far enough that an e-bike (or two) may allow me to kill two birds with one stone.  As a result, I've been going down the rabbit hole on YT and forums looking at a bewildering array of e-bikes.  Most seem to use the same basic Bafang motors and Samsung batteries and vary mostly in style, and the quality of the other components on the bike (suspension, brakes, etc.).

I'm primarily looking for something that can get us around a tourist destination, light trail use, and a few miles to stores, etc. and double as a pit bike at the track.  It looks like there's a lot of pedal assist 750w options in the $1500-2000 range.  We are not recreational bicyclists, so I don't need a full bore, full suspension carbon fiber rocketship that costs more than a 5 year old motorcycle.

I'm particularly interested in this one:  CSC FT750 

CSC is just getting into the eBike market, but they have a pretty decent track record bringing in Chinese motorcycles over the last few years, and seem to do a good job supporting their products.  One of the things I really like about it is the throttle and front brake are on the right, just like a motorcycle, so I don't have to unlearn 40 years of muscle memory.

So, what do I need to know?

Anyone have good experiences with an eBike in this market segment?

I have a little experience with eBikes, though mine is only from a 350w Sondors Thin- your listed one uses a geared 750w hub which I haven't had experiences with yet.

Honestly, If what you're aiming to use it for is true (and you scarcely see real hills) it's a good bike and will probably be great for you. If you're getting into eBikes in general and plan to build some customs it's still good but overpriced (since at it's core, its just a 7-speed mountain bike). 

The only thing I would mention- if you think you'll go up hills you might wanna talk to people about mid-drives over geared hub motors. That hub will make it drive and feel more like a motorcycle, while the mid-drives make it feel like you've got T-rex legs (and tend to have FAR more power).

Thanks, I appreciate the input, and I hadn't heard of Sonders...  I'll check them out.

Rodan said:

Thanks, I appreciate the input, and I hadn't heard of Sonders...  I'll check them out.

 

They're okay. Sondors are a good introduction to eBikes, but they are made to be cheap and accessible- so not very fast and kind of heavy, in other words. They're made from off-shelf parts and can be had for cheap tho, so if someone's trying to hock one for a few hundred I'd say to pick it up.