Doheny eBike replaced by Denago eBike

This will come as a surprise for those of you who’ve been checking out my eBike content. I recently sold my Doheny Fat Tire Cruiser (no longer in production) and replaced it with a Denago Commute Model 1. This is not due to any fault with the Doheny eBike. The Doheny website stated that the Fat Tire Cruiser is suitable for riders 5’7″ and taller. I am an inch shorter than that but loved the looks of the DFTC, so I thought, “How much difference could one inch in height make? Apparently, I should have paid more attention to Doheny’s height limit. I had difficulty mounting the bike, but no issue riding. The problem was exacerbated, when I added a rear rack bag that was large enough to accommodate my drone and Sony camera. Once added, I could not safely dismount the bike. In fact, I actually fell, while trying to dismount, right in front of my wife, Bonnie. Her laughter at this was a turning point for me as I was too stubborn about the Doheny’s looks. Embarrassment fixed that. It only took a couple days to sell my Doheny on Facebook Marketplace.

eBike lesson learned: Pay attention to rider height specs on manufacturer’s websites!

Bonnie bought a preowned Rad Power RadCity 3 last year. Her eBike is a step-thru frame design, which in the old days, meant it was a “girl’s bike.” It’s time for guys to get over this. Step-thru frames are wonderful, especially for the height-challenged. After my embarrassing fall, I decided I should look for one for myself.

eBike preowned availability (for the really reputable and affordable brands) is more limited than it seemed last year. Prices are also much higher. I guess the COVID-19 purchase regret sales deluge has abated… My go-to places for buying preowned eBikes have been Facebook Marketplace and DFW’s Craig’s List. There are definitely scammers out there, just trying to get your personal info so they can use it nefariously, but there are still good deals available. I only crossed paths with one scammer… fortunately. In just two days of searching, I found another Rad Power RadCity 3 and a Denago Commute Model 1. Familiarity with the RadCity 3 (as well as its excellent reputation) swayed me to contact that owner first. Unfortunately, it was the Friday before Memorial Day and the owner was leaving town for the weekend. I never was able to schedule a test ride during a time that worked for both of us and the bike’s location was far enough away that driving there, during rush hour, was less than appealing. I also searched for reviews of the Denago, as I was unfamiliar with the brand. I found an excellent review at ElectricBikeReport.com.

I reached out to the Denago owner to see if we could get together and if they accepted payment via Venmo or PayPal. (I worry about meeting a stranger with lots of cash on my person.) The owner only wanted cash, which concerned me, but I really, really wanted to replace my now-departed Cruiser. As it turned out, the owner could meet me, relatively close to my home on May 30th, which coincidentally happened to be National E-Bike Day. That seemed portentous, so I nervously headed to an ATM to get the cash.

Purchase lessons learned: Take a friend with you or surreptitiously have a friend listen in on your conversation, via your smartphone, in case a robbery occurs, so they can call 911. Have a safe word that is the signal to your compatriot that things are going wrong. Always try to get the seller to agree to alternate payment methods to reduce risk. MEET IN A VERY PUBLIC PLACE. Tell the seller you’ll have to go to an ATM, to get the cash, once you know you want to buy the item, even if you already have the cash on you.

The Denago, which had never been ridden, was shown in the Marketplace ad already assembled (see below), but still wrapped in shipping materials. Although the Denago asking price was $230 more than the RadCity, it (and its battery) was also about 5 years newer. I checked RadCity battery prices and found a new battery would cost me $499, if it was necessary. I decided all the risks were worth it (if I was careful!) since the Denago’s asking price was over $800 less than buying a new one. I have to admit I was a bit concerned that someone would buy an eBike and sell it without ever riding it, but as it turned out, the owner’s brother worked for a bike shop that carries Denago bikes. He’d given one to his sister, who decided to sell it. (The ad was placed under her husband’s name… another great but unfortunate safety tip for women selling items on public sites.) In fact, when I asked technical questions about the bike, the owner had to phone her brother to get the answers. I rode the bike for a bit and satisfied that it would perform for me, I bought it. I don’t know if the owner ever filed for the warranty or if it transferred to me, but the RadCity wasn’t going to have a warranty anyway.

The next day, I decided to take a fairly long ride to get used to the bike and to check for any “gotchas.” I live a couple blocks off Fort Worth’s Trinity Trail system, so even a 40 mile ride is easily performed without the chance of getting hit by a car. Currently, the trail dead ends at a park in the adjacent neighborhood. To access the rest of the trail, east of Loop 820, I have to ride through the construction zone beneath the freeway. On the day of my test ride, the area, under the freeway, was too muddy to get to the other side, so I did something very rare for me. I rode on city streets outside my 4 block neighborhood! Those that know me, know I avoid riding on streets, other than to access the trail system. I’ve seen too many close calls caused by drivers playing with their smartphones. In fact, my middle brother has been hit by vehicles, while riding his bike, two times. Both incidents broke bones and required hospitalization.

This illustrates how badly I wanted to get to know my new eBike.

I fully charged the battery for the ride and rode 27.8 miles (starting odometer reading was 0.1 miles!), most of which was on public streets. Some streets were tree-enclosed, two-lane blacktops with no shoulder or sidewalk. Others were 6 lane boulevards with 45 MPH speed limits.

I want to thank all the patient drivers who did not kill me.

My impressions are as follows:

• Battery range was 50% at the end of my ride. based on that, I expect about 56 miles of riding at my usual speeds and on my usual terrain, before I run out of juice.
• I need to learn how to dismount a step-thru bike. I still attempted to dismount by swinging my leg over the seat/rack bag. Yes, I fell down, skinning my elbow a bit. Fortunately, no one witnessed it.
• The Denago seems a little wobbly at very low speeds. I rechecked all the fasteners and all was well-tightened. I’ll provide more feedback as I get used to the bike. It may just be me…
• As the review stated, the 500W motor was more than enough to get me atop steep hills and to travel to speeds at which I felt a little uncomfortable. The top speed I reached, at pedal assist 5 and 8th gear, was 27.9 MPH. That is freaking fast on a bicycle!
• I don’t like the front axle. It does not have a quick disconnect for quick wheel removal (like to carry it in my car). I have contacted Denago’s Support desk to make sure it can be replaced by a generic quick release axle. **UPDATE** Denago Support says, “It might be possible. We have not had a request for this so I do not have any parts or details. We really work with bolt on due to speed and overall safety on the bikes so please show caution in any changes.” I think I’ll leave it as-is, based on the feedback.
• The seat, which is mounted on a shock absorber, was very comfortable. I mention this because I have replaced the seat on every bicycle I’ve bought for the last twenty years. My coccyx can get a little sore, after extended rides.
• The seat post has a quick disconnect, even if the front wheel lacks one.
• The handlebars are more adjustable than any I’ve experienced. I always get numb fingers on long rides and wear padded gloves to reduce pressure on blood vessels to avoid that. This was a relatively long ride, as I usually ride 20 miles or less. I experienced zero numbness in my hands!
• I love the way the battery nests into the frame. It doesn’t look like an afterthought.
• I like the cables being routed inside the bike frame.
• I wish it had studs for mounting a water bottle carrier.
• The rear rack is very sturdy, similar to RadCity’s rack.
• Although I haven’t set it up yet, I noticed you can give the bike a pin code to prevent anyone riding it, using its electric drive, without the code. Yes, they could still ride away under their own leg power, but would they?
• I do not miss the 4″ wide tires of the Fat Tire Cruiser. 2.1″ tires are wide enough, even if they don’t look as cool. 😉
• I’d like to find a way to provide a USB connection to keep my iPhone charged while I ride. I play music via bluetooth, run the MapMyRide app and use an app that tracks my heart rate, cadence, etc. All these apps really impact iPhone battery life.
• To support the aforementioned app, I’d like to replace the cadence sensor with a torque sensor. I’d like smoother acceleration I think the torque sensor would provide and the app uses a bluetooth cadence sensor. I could add another cadence sensor for the app but worry that it might interfere with the bike’s cadence sensor, resulting in unexpected acceleration. I also contacted Denago to see if this is possible. They have other models that have torque sensors. **UPDATE** Denago Support says, “This is not possible.  Due to the controller/programing.  You can adjust the PAS levels if you are wanting to have different levels of pedal assist.” They also included the instructions on how to change the max pedal assist speed. (It can only be lowered from the factory setting of 28 MPH.)

Bottom Line: I really like my Denago Commute 1.0 and recommend it highly.