30 miles commute, confused between hub vs mid-drive

[RoyalFlush]

Thanks @rich c and @Chris Hammond! That convinces me to go with the M frame then. I was worried that my knees might hit the handle bars with M but doesn't sound like it will. I guess the only thing left to do... is to buy it!
Accessories wise, I'm planning to purchase the following as well from Juiced:
- extra charger (normal, not the supercharger)
- suspension seat post (still a bit iffy due to the cost)

Any additional suggestions (such as water bottle cage) are more than welcomed!

EDIT: by the way, any referral links for EBR I can include to attribute EBR? Love to contribute back to the owners of this forum in some way.

 

[ebikemom]

It seems to me to be pretty common for folks to buy a too-large bike. One thing good about a local dealer, if you have one, is that they can do a fitting and also may have a grace period during which they would exchange your bike free of charge. It's something to ask about.

 

[RoyalFlush]

It seems to me to be pretty common for folks to buy a too-large bike. One thing good about a local dealer, if you have one, is that they can do a fitting and also may have a grace period during which they would exchange your bike free of charge. It's something to ask about.

Thank you for the suggestion @ebikemom ! Unfortunately I can't get fitted with Juiced as they're a flight away from me (and not available in local shops in my area).

 

[Chris Hammond]

Any additional suggestions (such as water bottle cage) are more than welcomed!

So I wouldn't even bother with a plan for a water bottle inside the frame. Even with a small profile battery (13Ah), there's not enough space for nearly any normal water bottle to fit. @Reid found one small enough to fit, but he has a large frame, there's less space on a medium.
My solution was to get a seat mounted triathlon style water bottle holder. I used this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NV0CL44/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
2 problems I ran into; this eliminates space to put a trunk rack on the bike forcing me to go with panniers; and the high speeds of ebiking provide enough force over bumps to have me ejecting water bottles out and forcing me to buy water bottle cages that clamp down.
You could always use a hydration pack. This was a bad option for me, I use one when riding my MTB on trails but I sweat even more profusely than normal.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I purchased a large frame, I'm 5-10 with 32 inch inseam. If I had it to do over, I'd get a medium frame. Standover height is fine when I am on the bike, but the bike being heavy is not fun to swing your leg over when getting on. I usually put one leg on, start rolling, and swing a leg over while standing on the pedal.
Sizing down will also make it easier to fit a suspension post, although my seat tube has at least 7 inches between the clamp and seat bottom, so I doubt it will be an issue either way.

I'm 6' even, and waffled between L and M frame.
Ended up with M frame because standing up, the frame was about 1.5" from my inseam. Gotta take care of the jewels.

 

[RoyalFlush]

Alright... thanks to all your feedback here. I just clicked that "purchase" button! Now I gotta make that $2.5k earn itself back!

I'm now excited about it and looking for a pannier that can hold my 15" MBP (laptop). The ones that I see (like this: https://www.arkel-od.com/en/commuting-bike-bag.html) are all one-sided. Would it tip the balance of the bike and make it harder to ride? I can stick with my trusty ol' backpack for a little while as well as an alternative.

For the water bottles @Chris Hammond I might just go without based on your assessment since im only commuting 15 mi each way, should be able to survive

I'm crossing my fingers that Juiced will ship it earlier than October!

 

[Nova Haibike]

I'm now excited about it and looking for a pannier that can hold my 15" MBP (laptop). The ones that I see (like this: https://www.arkel-od.com/en/commuting-bike-bag.html) are all one-sided. Would it tip the balance of the bike and make it harder to ride?

No, but if you want to offset the weight of the drivetrain components, you can mount the pannier on the left side of the bike.

 

[RoyalFlush]

No, but if you want to offset the weight of the drivetrain components, you can mount the pannier on the left side of the bike.

Ah good point! Let me go check some out at REI

 

[AguassissiM]

Here is my solution for the water bottle holder: