Has anyone tried Detroit Bikes?

[jcoulternine]

I am considering getting an electric bike, and I have found this e-bike called the E-Sparrow currently on preorder: https://boneshaker.bike/product/detroit-bikes-e-sparrow/

I want to use the bike to commute to work every day, which is a 10 mile up and 10 mile down the route on mostly flat terrain.

Detroit Bikes have been apparently making low-cost bikes in the USA for quite some time now. This bike at $900 seems like a good deal and I can't really find any other decent e-bike offered at that range. Does anyone have experience with Detroit Bikes?

Also, please comment on the specs if you know about e-bikes.

FE-Sparrow Product Specifications:

FRAME: Hydroformed Aluminum With Forged Disc Brake Dropout
FORK: S: Aluminum Fork, 1-1/8″” steerer tube, 184mm M: Aluminum Fork, 1-1/8″” steerer tube, 195mm L: Aluminum Fork, 1-1/8″”steerer tube, 220mm XL: Aluminum Fork, 1-1/8″”steerer tube, 262mm
HEADSET: NECO Headset, threadless 1-1/8″”, Silver anodized
FRONT DERAILLEUR: None
REAR DERAILLEUR: Single Speed
CRANK: S/M: PROWHEEL aluminum crank arms w/44t chainring, 165mm. L/XL: PROWHEEL Aluminum crank arms w/ 44t chainring, 170mm. Matte black chain guard
REAR HUB: RMG010 BAFANG REAR E-BIKE HUB DRIVE MOTOR 36V/250W 13G*36H, MAX MOTOR TORQUE 32 Newton meters
FRONT HUB: MODUS 36H, quick release. BLACK, all models
RIMS: Aluminum, 36H alloy double wall, 700c, 30mm deep, CNC brake track, presta valve, ANODIZED BLACK
SPOKES/NIPPLES: 13G Stainless steel with nickel plated brass nipples
PEDAL: Aluminum Pedal, 9/16″” CPSC Reflectors
SHIFTER: Speed Shifter for max speed 28kms/hour, throttle function
CASSETTE: Steel, 1/2″” x 1/8″” x 17T Freewheel
BRAKE LEVER: All-aluminum 3-finger type ebike brake lever
BRAKES: MD-300 TEKTRO MECHANICAL DISC BRAKE, ONE PIECE CALIPER, COMPITABLE WITH CALIPER OR CANTILEVER BRAKE LEVER, POST MOUNT, W/ 160MM ROTOR
BAR: Aluminum, sandblast black. 80mm rise. 31.8 mm o.d. clamp areaAluminum, 15mm rise, 8 degree sweep, 630mm width. 25.4mm clamp area.
STEM: SAFORT Aluminum stem, 10 degree rise, 90mm reach for S/M, 110mm reach for L/XL. 40mm stack.
TIRE: WTB Thick Slick tire, black side wall with white logo. 700c x 28
SADDLE: DDK Super Soft E-Bike Saddle for Comfort Riding
GRIP: Velo grips, black, kraton rubber with raised pads.
SEATPOST: Cold-forged aluminum, 27.2 x 300mm for S/M and 27.2 x 350mm for L/XL. Sand Blast Black Finish
EXTRAS: Charge: UL complaince charge 36V DC2.1, cable length: 1.25m. 7hours charge time, Pedal Assist function and Range: 40kms
BATTERY: Lithium battery, Samsung Battery Cell, 36V/7.8AH, BATTERY CAPACITY: 2600MAH/280.8 WATT HOURS, 1 year warranty

 

[AngryBob]

Their very first e-bike and they have not sold any yet.

Stupidly small battery and extremely minimal charger.

15MPH top speed.

No gears.

They could not be bothered to run a spell-checker on their own ad.

Hard pass.

 

[Jaded]

I have to agree with AngryBob, I think you'll be a bit disappointed unfortunately -- or at least underwhelmed. That battery won't get you very far, 250W is gonna feel pretty limited, and the specs feel a bit lacking in general.

It's a little bit pricier but I'd recommend looking into Ride1Up if you want a decent pre-built, low-budget eBike option. I recently put together a 500s model (previously "City") by them for a friend & have had the opportunity to ride it around quite a bit since she lent it to me as thanks while I'm still rebuilding my own bike. I'm building something a lot more robust for my personal use, but was still pleasantly surprised by the experience of riding one of these things around. The 500W rear hub packs more of a wallop than I anticipated, gets me up hills just fine even in just PAS1 (though I'm a small 100lb person so keep that in mind). The battery it comes with is pretty decent, I've gotten 40+ miles on a charge using mainly PAS1 & PAS2 and closer to 20-25mi on PAS3-4. Not bad for a commuter bike. The front suspension has also been pretty fun to play with. My city sucks at filling in potholes, so it really smooths out the street lol. :wink:


EDIT: Link to the one I just described below. It's currently out of stock but available for pre-order. My friend pre-ordered hers to come to my house for assembly- I can tell you it came right around when they said it would & that everything showed up in good condition. It's not that much more expensive than the one you were looking at for much better specs.

https://ride1up.com/product/city/

 

[docw009]

I could deal with a 250W motor and small battery. I have ebikes like that, although they're fitted with 20A controllers, so they can do some hill climbing, And I can fit a larger battery when needed. I couldn't deal with just a single speed. Get it out of here.

 

[HK12K]

Hard pass on that lump.