8+ months of research, 100s of hours, know what I need & want but can't find it

[BurroBabe]

@BurroBabe, I just noticed this thread today and found your quandry interesting because I've been posting on another thread, also looking for a small e-bike. Our needs are very different; I'm looking for a lightweight road e-bike to keep up with my speedy husband on recreational rides of up to 50 miles or so. But our challenges in being petite and having arthritis in the hands (mine is in my thumb joints where they attach to my wrist, so thumb shifters are unfriendly for me) are similar. My cycling inseam is 28", and most/all of the actualy e-road or e-gravel bikes have standover numbers higher than that, so I truly felt your pain in this thread! I currently ride a Kona Dew-e DL (size Small), which is a great e-bike and, has adequate standover and fits me well, but I want drop bars and a Class 3 for that speed you experienced when you test rode the Vado, since Class 1 is not cutting it at times when I ride with my husband. Anyway, I am honing in on a couple of (very limited) choices, and the experts on this forum have been super helpful, as they have been for you.

I haven't made a final decision myself, but I wanted to congratulate you on your choice and am looking forward to a photo when you get your Vado! I will follow this thread.

Sadly, I had to give up riding in the drops years ago with the damage in my hands; I started by putting aero bars on my Trek 520 but finally had to put upswept bars and kept the bar-end shifters. So I don't know what they make in road ebikes, but Trek still makes most of their bikes, including the ebikes, down to an xs, which is almost too small for me! Have you checked to see what they have? (I suppose you have). Sounds like we have a lot in common besides size!

 

[Gionnirocket]

Ummmm, donk, not mule. She packs, I walk. It would take about two days...

Funny... mom and dad are from a small town and the ongoing humor is similar.
How far is the next town?
Oh, it's a bit of a ways away. Probably take 2 days by donkey...
But if you're in a rush, you could walk there in half an hour

Thanks Stefan, this forum needs a Hug emoji for a reaction! You caught me just in time... it's so tempting, especially when they spout misconceptions fed to them by the misinformation machine.

Yet you too still replied to me.

 

[EmilyRides]

Sadly, I had to give up riding in the drops years ago with the damage in my hands; I started by putting aero bars on my Trek 520 but finally had to put upswept bars and kept the bar-end shifters. So I don't know what they make in road ebikes, but Trek still makes most of their bikes, including the ebikes, down to an xs, which is almost too small for me! Have you checked to see what they have? (I suppose you have). Sounds like we have a lot in common besides size!

Sorry @BurroBabe , for some reason I am not getting notifications from this forum (maybe because you didn't tag me, but I thought I subscribed to this thread), so I didn't see this post until now.

Unfortunately, Trek may have small road bikes, but their e-road bikes are a different story. The smallest size of the Domane+ is a 49cm, recommended for riders with 29-30" inseams. Maddening. They have gone away from the XS, S, M, L, etc. sizing to cm sizing, and those of us on the low end miss out. My current road bike (non-e) is a 2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD (yes, back when they did women's specific design), and is a 47 cm. So their 49 cm unisex is a non-starter for me.

Since I had such poor luck with any stock bike, I have ordered a Lennard Zinn custom road e-bike and should have it within two months. Standover, top tube, everything will work for me now. It's way more than I wanted to spend, but it was either that or a huge compromise in fit, so I decided to take the plunge.

 

[BurroBabe]

Sorry @BurroBabe , for some reason I am not getting notifications from this forum (maybe because you didn't tag me, but I thought I subscribed to this thread), so I didn't see this post until now.

Unfortunately, Trek may have small road bikes, but their e-road bikes are a different story. The smallest size of the Domane+ is a 49cm, recommended for riders with 29-30" inseams. Maddening. They have gone away from the XS, S, M, L, etc. sizing to cm sizing, and those of us on the low end miss out. My current road bike (non-e) is a 2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD (yes, back when they did women's specific design), and is a 47 cm. So their 49 cm unisex is a non-starter for me.

Since I had such poor luck with any stock bike, I have ordered a Lennard Zinn custom road e-bike and should have it within two months. Standover, top tube, everything will work for me now. It's way more than I wanted to spend, but it was either that or a huge compromise in fit, so I decided to take the plunge.

Yes, it has been a great disappointment to see that even the better bike manufacturers who traditionally provided bikes in a wider range of sizes have, like all corporations, prioritized profits over service. It seems that, unless they can sell a large enough number of units to maximize profit, they simply cut the model range. My case is different, as I am not the "usual" proportions attributed to women, in that I am longer in the torso than in the legs. (I don't buy that "typical" assumption anyway, as I know men who are long legged and short torsos and women who are the opposite, like me. Thus, for my 47 cm Trek 520, I had to swap the stem to longest one made to get the right position on the dropped bar. So I don't have a problem with the 49 cm as long as it is a step-thru; it actually gives me a more comfortable reach. I just always have to swap out crank arms to shorter ones so as not to be overbending my knees!

It's a bummer that you had to go for the cost of a custom bike, but at least you had the money for it. That wasn't an option for me!

Please post a pic of your new ride when you get it!

 

[EmilyRides]

@BurroBabe , This time I got a notification from the forum!

The Trek Domane+ is definitely not a step-through; it's a true diamond-frame road bike: Trek Domane+ AL5. Standover on the 49 cm size is 72.7 cm.

I know I am very fortunate to be able to go custom. If I couldn't afford the Zinn, I would be waiting until some manufacturer decided that we XS folks were worthy of an e-road bike to fit us, which might or might not happen. I'm not convinced the market is as small as they seem to think. With the majority of e-road bikes I found online, the smallest sizes were always sold out, with larger sizes often still available. And I expect that some riders could have used an even smaller size, like me, but were making do with what they could get. There are a lot of roadies who are of a certain age and would like to move to a road bike with assist, and a decent percentage of these are petite folks.

But this is your thread, not mine -- did you get your Vado yet, and if so, I'd love to see a photo!

 

[BurroBabe]

@BurroBabe , This time I got a notification from the forum!

The Trek Domane+ is definitely not a step-through; it's a true diamond-frame road bike: Trek Domane+ AL5. Standover on the 49 cm size is 72.7 cm.

I know I am very fortunate to be able to go custom. If I couldn't afford the Zinn, I would be waiting until some manufacturer decided that we XS folks were worthy of an e-road bike to fit us, which might or might not happen. I'm not convinced the market is as small as they seem to think. With the majority of e-road bikes I found online, the smallest sizes were always sold out, with larger sizes often still available. And I expect that some riders could have used an even smaller size, like me, but were making do with what they could get. There are a lot of roadies who are of a certain age and would like to move to a road bike with assist, and a decent percentage of these are petite folks.

But this is your thread, not mine -- did you get your Vado yet, and if so, I'd love to see a photo!

Well, the bike is finally ready for me, the LBS having swapped out the components to Deore so I could have shifters that my hands can work. Now, I'm looking for a ride to the shop so I can pick it up! It's going to be in the +90 degree range this week, too hot for me to ride, and I am way behind on my gardens, so it probably won't be for another week or more.

 

[indianajo]

Rode 3.5 hours 27 miles yesterday at 95 F and 9 mph headwind. Used more electricity than usual. I cover all skin in clothing; black dickies double knee pants below waist, blue linen long sleeve shirt with elbow pads to protect skin if I fall off. Collar turned up against sun. Full shoes & acrylic socks. Helmet with chin guard (fox rampage) spf 70 sunscreen + rouge on face. Cotton gloves on hands. I drank 5 oz water on the road but 32 oz diet soda at destination. I am fortunate that my body does not sweat enough to drip off. The band director at my high school taught us to cover up at the begining of June marching practice 1964. This was in hot humid Houston TX. . We marched 90 minutes at 1 PM and no water fountain was available.

 

[BurroBabe]

Rode 3.5 hours 27 miles yesterday at 95 F and 9 mph headwind. Used more electricity than usual. I cover all skin in clothing; black dickies double knee pants below waist, blue linen long sleeve shirt with elbow pads to protect skin if I fall off. Collar turned up against sun. Full shoes & acrylic socks. Helmet with chin guard (fox rampage) spf 70 sunscreen + rouge on face. Cotton gloves on hands. I drank 5 oz water on the road but 32 oz diet soda at destination. I am fortunate that my body does not sweat enough to drip off. The band director at my high school taught us to cover up at the begining of June marching practice 1964. This was in hot humid Houston TX. . We marched 90 minutes at 1 PM and no water fountain was available.

It's good that you cover your skin from the sun, as do I, but not drinking while you ride is courting danger. At 95 F I'm drinking at least a litre of water an hour. Not sweating in the heat can lead to hyperthermia, ,my man.