SURVIVAL DISPATCH WAS NOT PAID TO PUBLISH THIS ARTICLE OR THE ACCOMPANYING VIDEO
We tested over two dozen e-bikes over a three month period. This article and video bring you the best-in-class for value, compact storage, all-around best, all wheel drive, and overall build quality.
E-bikes are a great way to stay mobile during emergencies. In this article, we’ll explore the many benefits of e-bikes for survival and survival preparedness. From providing mobility, to hauling gear, e-bikes are a great way to cover ground during emergencies.
Here are our top reasons why you should consider e-bikes for Urban Survival purposes …
- Unfortunately many Americans aren’t in good physical condition and are unable to cover any significant distance on foot or on a regular bicycle. E-Bikes give them a viable alternative to lay down miles with minimal physical exertion.
- No-pedal, throttle equipped e-bikes, have the advantage of being ride-able when injured.
- Average speeds of 20mph to 30mph allows appreciable distances to be covered relatively quickly.
- E-Bikes excel at utility transportation with racks, cargo baskets, child carriers etc.
- E-Bikes allow you to move quietly.
- Most e-bikes charge to 80% within 90 minutes, which in turn provides an average of 50 to 100 miles of range in relatively short order. Yes, we’re aware of EMPs but the prospect of every device being knocked out by an EMP are very small. Many devices will simply require the power cycled and will turn back on after that. Also, if you have home or vehicle protection from EMP Shield, theoretically everything plugged into either will be shielded from an EMP strike.
- Many e-bikes have expandable battery options to dramatically increase their range.
- E-Bikes work as a manually powered bicycle whether they’re charged up or not.
Here are our top non-survival reasons that e-bikes are worth acquiring …
- E-Bikes are in the same price range as many manual bicycles. The additional power for going up hills or getting through intersections quickly is a major bonus.
- They’re a great option for getting around dense urban areas without having to fight traffic and hunt for parking spaces.
- They’re fun to ride and get people outside and active.
Keep reading below the video for specific information on the winners in each class …
NOTE: Some prices have changed since the video was recorded and are noted below!
BEST VALUE …
ECOTRIC SUPER TORNADO
- https://amzn.to/3J1OL6q
- MSRP $1,499, only $999 on Amazon
The Super Tornado is a well built, great looking e-bike. When it was $999 it was by far the best value we’ve seen for an e-bike because it had rear suspension and amazing brakes. However, at its current price point it would lose out to the Velotric Nomad 1 if we were doing a best-in-class comparison today.
Here’s how we scored the Ecotric Super Tornado …
- Shipping time & packaging: 10/10. Order fulfillment was handled by Amazon and we had the bike in two days. There was no shipping damage.
- Website: 9/10. The information provided was concise and accurate.
- Appearance: 9/10. The flat black paint job looks amazing on this e-bike.
- Instructions: 9/10. This bike was super easy to assemble and operate. Including disabling the speed limiter.
- Controls ease of use: 8/10. Straight forward and easy to operate.
- Components: 8/10. There are a lot of mid-grade components on this e-bike which was very surprising for its price point.
- Range: 10/10. The specified range is 20+ miles. We were able to double it to almost 50 miles with easy peddling and not relying on the motor 100%.
- Rideability: 8/10. This was the only bike that won an award that didn’t have fat tires. It did quite well on the street, but off-road it fell a little short of the other winners.
- Warranty: 9/10. 18 months is great coverage.
- Overall quality and value: 10/10. This score was based on its previous price of $999 on Amazon. At $1,499 the score would drop to 7/10.
ECOTRIC SUPER TORNADO FINAL SCORE: 90/100
BEST FOLDING E-BIKE …
HIPEAK BONA
- https://amzn.to/3JkxXYv
- Price DROPPED from $1,299 to $999!
- https://amzn.to/3JiPEHT
This e-bike is by far the most solid of all the folding bikes we tested. The latching systems are easy to operate and keep the frame extremely rigid. From an appearance perspective, we really like the flat yellow paint. The cargo rack comes with a triple strap which is a very nice touch. The BONA would make an amazing get-home bike to keep in your vehicle.
Here’s how we scored the HIPEAK BONA …
- Shipping time & packaging: 10/10. Order fulfillment was handled by Amazon and we had the bike in two days. There was no shipping damage.
- Website: 9/10. The information provided was concise and accurate.
- Appearance: 8/10. The flat yellow paint job looks nice e-bike.
- Instructions: 9/10. This bike was super easy to assemble and operate. Including disabling the speed limiter.
- Controls ease of use: 8/10. Straight forward and easy to operate.
- Components: 7/10. The display is on the lower end of the scale.
- Range: 10/10. The specified range is 60 miles and we had no problem achieving that distance, and then some.
- Rideability: 8/10. The smaller 20″ wheels make this the most nimble e-bike in this article.
- Warranty: 8/10. 12 months is average coverage.
- Overall quality and value: 8/10. This score was based on its previous price of $1,299. At the current $949 on Amazon the score would be a perfect 10/10.
HIPEAK BONA FINAL SCORE: 85/100
BEST ALL-AROUND E-BIKE …
VELOTRIC NOMAD 1
The Nomad 1 is by far the sexiest e-bike we’ve laid our hands on! With that being said, the performance of this e-bike matches its great looks. For only $1,449 the Nomad 1 is the champ when it comes to features, quality and rideability. We really can’t say enough good things about this e-bike. We were shocked at how good it was at this price point.
It’s worth noting that the wheels on the Nomad 1 are drilled out to reduce rotating mass. One pound of rotating mass equals seven pounds of static weight. This is a really nice touch. Especially at this price point.
Here’s how we scored the Velotric Nomad 1 …
- Shipping time & packaging: 9/10. We received the bike in three days. There was no shipping damage.
- Website: 9/10. The information provided was concise and accurate.
- Appearance: 10/10. This e-bike is sexy as sexy can be.
- Instructions: 9/10. This bike was super easy to assemble and operate. Including disabling the speed limiter.
- Controls ease of use: 8/10. We’re not big fans of the left side thumb throttle and would have preferred a right side twist throttle.
- Components: 9/10. Mid-grade, good quality components.
- Range: 10/10. The specified range is 55 miles. With pedal assist mode we were able to get over 70 miles off a full charge.
- Rideability: 10/10. The Nomad 1 is the most nimble fat tire e-bike we’ve tested.
- Warranty: 10/10. 24 months is above average coverage.
- Overall quality and value: 10/10. See our comments above. Nuff said.
VELOTRIC NOMAD 1 FINAL SCORE: 94/100
BEST CRAWLER …
PHILODO H8
- https://amzn.to/3CbR3fq
- MSRP $1,899, only $1,799 on Amazon
This e-bike is a beast! With 1,000 watt motors front and rear this bike can get up and go even though it’s on the hefty side. As we mentioned in the video, when you mash the throttle at low speed it’ll spin the front tire. The H8 makes quick work of hills. It’s tough to ride this bike through hilly areas behind someone else. None of the e-bikes we tested could touch the H8 under those conditions and we ended up having to back off the throttle before crashing into the bike in front of us. We’ve hit top speeds of 31 mph which is outstanding.
The only major downside to this e-bike is the bunched up controls on the left side. It’s way too busy and requires way too much reach to get to everything. See the comments we made in the scoring section below.
Here’s how we scored the Philodo H8 …
- Shipping time & packaging: 9/10. We received the bike in three days. There was no shipping damage.
- Website: 9/10. The information provided was concise and accurate.
- Appearance: 9/10. We’re not crazy about how the front drive controller sits offset just below and in front of the seat. We contacted it with our right knee multiple times.
- Instructions: 8/10. This bike was relatively easy to assemble and operate. Including disabling the speed limiter.
- Controls ease of use: 7/10. The left side controls aren’t great. It’s way too busy. The settings switch should be closer to the grip, and the light and horn controls should be to the right of the brake lever housing. The wired in place phone bracket either needs to be on the top frame just behind the neck, or relocated to the right side.
- Components: 9/10. Mid-grade, good quality components.
- Range: 10/10. The specified range is 60 miles in pedal assist mode. We easily got just under 80 miles off a full charge.
- Rideability: 8/10. The H8 is a beast and isn’t exactly nimble. This e-bike isn’t for smaller stature/strength riders.
- Warranty: 10/10. 24 months is above average coverage.
- Overall quality and value: 9/10. The bunched up left side controls isn’t great, but the performance of this e-bike is outstanding from an acceleration and top speed perspective.
PHILODO H8 FINAL SCORE: 88/100
BEST BUILT …
BIKTRIX JUGGERNAUT ULTRA DUO 3
The Ultra Duo 3 (UD3) is all about quality components and workmanship. It’s made in Canada, and in our experience that means made in America level quality for most products.
We awarded this e-bike the Best Built award for numerous reasons …
- It has a mid drive motor which is much more efficient than hub based electric motors. It also puts less drag on the bike. There’s a noticeable difference pushing the UD3 around versus other e-bikes.
- The wheels are drilled out to reduce rotating mass. One pound of rotating mass equals seven pounds of static weight. This is a really nice touch.
- Paint quality is by far the best we’ve seen on an e-bike. Why does that matter? It’s not only aesthetically nice, it’s much less likely to chip easily.
- This bike is a pleasure to ride, but it’s a workhorse too and can carry significant rider/cargo weight.
- The model we tested has dual batteries and can cover well over 100 miles on a single charge.
- All of the components are either top of the line, or very close to top of the line.
- We’ve hit 32mph top speed, which is very impressive.
Here’s how we scored the Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra Duo 3 …
- Shipping time & packaging: 9/10. Our demo bike was shipped FedEx overnight. FedEx dropped the ball but Biktrix did a great job getting it to them quickly. There was no shipping damage.
- Website: 9/10. The information provided was concise and accurate.
- Appearance: 10/10. This e-bike screams quality when you see it in person.
- Instructions: 9/10. This bike was super easy to assemble and operate. Including disabling the speed limiter.
- Controls ease of use: 8/10. We’re not big fans of thumb throttles and would have preferred a right side twist throttle.
- Components: 9/10. Upper mid to high grade components.
- Range: 10/10. The specified range is 40 miles with one battery. With dual batteries and pedal assist mode we were able to get 120 miles off a full charge.
- Rideability: 9/10. The UD3 is exceptionally comfortable and handles surprisingly well for a large e-bike.
- Warranty: 7/10. 12 months is way too low at this price point. You shouldn’t have to purchase extended coverage for $199 or $349 for an e-bike that’s close to $4,000 with tax and shipping.
- Overall quality and value: 8/10. We’d give the UD3 a 10 for value if the warranty term was better.
BIKTRIX JUGGERNAUT ULTRA DUO 3 FINAL SCORE: 88/100
Please visit your local TREK BIKE SHOP for their products
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/
If you’re in the Central Florida area be sure to swing by the Ormond Beach Trek Bike Shop and get with Chris or Tyler to choose the best bike or e-bike for you. We can’t thank them enough for dedicating a significant amount of time providing their expert opinions and testing results on the best-in-class e-bike winners.
CONCLUSION
At first we were somewhat skeptical about e-bikes being a good investment for survival preparedness. However, the more bikes that were sent to us, and the more testing we did, made it crystal clear that this one product could potentially save peoples lives during SHTF.
If anybody in our community wants to kill their views all they have to do is get preachy about physical fitness, diet and health in general. Choosing to improve one’s well-being is a personal decision and we’re not going to chastise people. As such, e-bikes are the first legitimate product that we feel could truly help the majority of people to get out of harm’s way quickly.
If you have an e-bike, or just want to comment on the subject please do so on our YouTube video. Your comments on YouTube help us do better against their suppression of our channel because we feature some firearms related content. Liking, sharing and subscribing also help with the YouTube Algorithm too.
Thank you for being part of the Survival Dispatch community!
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