The news that “teens are increasingly choosing e-bikes as their primary rides (even when they’re old enough to drive). US e-bike sales tripled between 2019 and 2023, and last year e-bikes outsold electric cars and trucks” reminded me that I could actually use an e-bike to commute in Bellevue. Bellevue is a city with a size of 4 miles by 8 miles, so commuting by an e-bike is reasonable. Basically, as long as I live in Bellevue, I can get to the office in Bellevue downtown within 20 minutes. The distance between Bellevue and Seattle downtown is 13 miles, making e-biking hard, but not impossible.

I researched on which e-bikes to buy, and listed my findings below.

There are two main categories of e-bike brands — online brands and bike shop brands. Online brands include Lectric, Aventon, among others sold on Amazon. Bike shop brands are the traditional ones, including Giant, Trek, Specialized, among others. The former costs from \$300 to multi-thousand dollars, while the latter costs usually at least \$2,000. For customers, a key distinction between the two is the repair service; many bike shops do not service the e-bikes that they do not sell.

Some online brands have transitioned to offline dealerships over the years, e.g., Lectric (starting at \$799) and Aventon (starting at \$1,199). The website for Lectric service network is https://lectricebikes.com/pages/repair-service-network while for Aventon it is https://www.aventon.com/pages/electric-bike-shop-dealer-locator. Other online brands may also have a service network, but these are what I found on an initial search.

In the end, I’m inclined to buy a folding e-bike, since I want to carry it with me as I move. After analyzing information from various places, I decide Lectric XP Lite 2.0 is my choice.

From XHS, I saw a brand called Veefa, which has a shop in Seattle and a folding e-bike normally sells for \$699 can sell for \$599 there. But it seems this brand is not that different from the numerous other brands at Amazon, which may cost even less, at below \$500.

There are a few choices to be made about Lectric XP Lite 2.0.

  • Chain or belt drive. The chain drive is the traditional way. The belt drive is a new way that needs less maintenance. I prefer the belt drive, even though it costs \$100 more for this e-bike.
  • Standard or long-range battery. The standard battery has 7.8 Ah capacity and translates to 45 miles. The long-range battery, costing an extra \$200, has 14 Ah capacity and translates to 80 miles. Within in Bellevue, 20 miles per trip suffices. Traveling to Seattle can take as much as 40 miles, but it is unlikely I go by e-bike. However, reducing the number of times I need to charge the battery is convenient and I would like to pursue the long-range option. As a nice plus, the long-range battery now comes with free rear rack, fenders, elite headlight, suspension seat post, bike lock, and mirrors, which cost \$404 otherwise on the official website.
  • Accessories. To save the worry about compatibility, I might just buy the \$49 fenders from the official website, which are necessary considering the rainy weather. A lock is also necessary and can be bought elsewhere. A phone mount would be a nice accessory. Other accessories are not necessary and can be bought elsewhere if needed.

Overall, my choice takes \$1099 + \$49 before tax, compared with the \$799 base model .

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