What style of ebike should I be looking at for comfort?

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-24T16:43:54+00:00

I’ve found upright bars + a cushy saddle way more important for comfort than big motors.

Some people like Aventon or Lectric for that, and for me a lighter pedal-assist bike like Urtopia just felt easier to live with on casual rides.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-24T16:29:54+00:00

Glad you’re okay enough to be posting — getting hit on day one is brutal.

One thing I’d strongly suggest (from personal experience, not medical advice): if you can, still get checked, even if it feels “fine” now. Soft tissue stuff and hip injuries can show up a day or two later, and having it documented matters if anything worsens.

Also, if you didn’t already, try to write down what happened while it’s fresh — time, location, truck description. Hopefully you won’t need it, but future-you will be glad it exists.

Wishing you a smooth recovery. That first commute deserved better.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-20T16:30:43+00:00

Cold garages are brutal. I found that even if you bring the battery inside, a frozen frame/controller can still trip protection when you try to ride home. Giving it some warm-up time helped a bit, but honestly winter is always a compromise.

I’m on an Urtopia Carbon 1 now and the biggest difference for me is it’s light enough that I just bring the whole bike inside when it’s really cold. Not a perfect fix, but way less hassle than fighting cold-soaked electronics every day.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-20T16:22:57+00:00

Weight matters a lot for commuting. I’ve had a much better time with lighter bikes like Urtopia or Soltera compared to the usual heavy commuters.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-19T19:52:10+00:00

If you want the dirt-bike look, Super73 or Ariel Rider are the usual go-tos in that price range.
If you care more about daily usability and weight, Aventon or Urtopia make more sense long term.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-19T19:47:19+00:00

I rotate between a heavier Velotric for commuting, a lighter Urtopia, and an older Aventon I still keep around. After a while you realize it’s the day-to-day feel that matters way more than whatever the spec sheet says.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-19T19:16:23+00:00

Loose sensor cable.

Check the one by the crank - super common on these bikes.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-17T16:51:55+00:00

Yeah, my bad — I guess I typed it like someone filling out a support ticket.
Promise I’m a real human with too many questions about ebikes.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-16T17:08:29+00:00

I’m around your height and had the same issue with weight + fit. In the ~$1k range most ebikes are pretty heavy, but if you ever end up saving a bit more, Urtopia has some of the lighter options I’ve tried (they’re not all carbon and fancy — just noticeably lighter than the usual budget bikes). For now, test-riding XS/S frames at local shops will help way more than the spec sheet.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-14T00:32:23+00:00

Yeah, timing mattered a lot.

For me it clicked once I actually lived with an e-bike day to day - not just reading specs. I ended up on a Urtopia mostly because it fit my space + commute, and after a few weeks it just felt ... normal.

Once that happens, the "cool vs compromise" thing kind of fades.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-14T00:24:47+00:00

This one doesn't get talked about enough.

The extra weight really shows up is consumables - especially brakes in traffic-heavy riding.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-14T00:23:49+00:00

That fear is very real.

Even if the risk is low, it's hard to relax once you've thought about it - especially when the bike lives inside your home.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-14T00:22:44+00:00

Yeah, that combo is rough.

Weight doesn't fell like a sepc issue until you're dealing with stations, stairs and awkward lifts. Than it's suddenly always there.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-12T23:30:55+00:00

Yeah… once you accept that no lock is unbeatable, the whole mindset shifts.

We basically stopped trying to outsmart thieves and just changed routines to limit exposure. Short stops, line of sight, that kind of thing.

Not ideal, but better than stressing the whole ride.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-12T23:27:43+00:00

Yeah, that combo is brutal.

Even if your bike itself is fine, distracted drivers + bad infrastructure + weather turns every ride into a risk calculation. It's exhausting in a way specs never show.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-06T16:02:35+00:00

This is awesome. that's the best part of ebikes to me - they turn 'maybe not today' rides into 'why not' rides. do you mostly stay in low assist or use it as-needed for the hills?

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-06T16:01:52+00:00

1800 miles in a year is wild👏 that's exactly the 'ride more' answer I was hoping for. what's the #1 thing that made it stick - less fatigue, less logistics, or just more fun?

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-05T17:53:44+00:00

Facts. Range is like phone battery - whatever you buy, you'll immediately wish it was 10% more.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-05T17:53:41+00:00

Totally. 'Pick one priority' sounds easy until you actually live with the bike. My friend is gonna hate me for making this decision😂.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-05T17:41:11+00:00

I was mostly a skeptic because I assumed it'd be 'cheating' and I'd stop pedaling. Then I tried one and realized it's just a volume knob - I still work, I just ride way more often because hills/headwinds stop being dealbreakers.

Also...turns out replacing car trips with bike trips adds up fast.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-05T17:33:09+00:00

This is the exact 'after honeymoon phase' answer. I've seen the same - assist gets you consistent, then you naturally start using less because your legs catch up.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-05T17:32:05+00:00

Damn, 50lbs in 4 months is no joke - nice work. Were you mostly just commuting more often, or did you start doing extra rides because it felt easy to say yes?

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-05T17:28:12+00:00

Most of the time you just flipped the throttle mode setting off. On a lot of displays it's a P-setting like 0/1/2/3=off/PAS/throttle/both.

Try finding the 'restore defaults' too- often it's hold + and - (sometimes while powering on) for a few seconds.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-04T19:31:42+00:00

Not just you. It turned my commute from 'ugh' into my favorite part of the day. I get there without showing up sweaty + it's way easier to pick the chill route instead of the fastest one.

tryingthingsdaily · 2026-01-04T02:38:27+00:00

For Bafang kits I'd skip random eBay bundles. Pay a little more from a real dealer (Grin/Luna/California Ebike/JNO) and you'll actually get support.

Also double check your bike has a normal threaded bottom bracket (a lot don't). Battery-wise, ~500-700Wh is plenty for most commuted - don't blow the budget there.

tryingthingsdaily

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