Best eBike for Brooklyn?

[AstralOak]

I live in the middle of Brooklyn, NY and bike every day, all year. I'm searching for an eBike to make my constant biking somewhat easier, but I also need a bike that is appropriate for actual city living. That means it needs to be:

rugged enough for NYC streets
capable in hot summers and salty winters
at least 20 miles per charge
stealthy enough not to attract constant attempts of theft
light enough to carry and up down stairs to my 4th floor apartment


The biggest aspect I'm worried about is that I live in a 4-story walk up and carrying a 50lb. bike up and down four flights of stairs every day is not feasible. I can do it physically, but the prospect of actually doing is such a huge disincentive, I'd likely never use the bike for anything but my longest trips.

So far the best bikes I've seen are Van Moof's and the Coboc ONE range. Does anyone have a perspective on these bikes? Are there other light ebikes I should consider? Does anyone else have an ebike that doesn't live with a garage or first floor apartment?? Any/all suggestions are welcome.

 

[ebikemom]

Weight sounds like the biggest problem. 4th floor walk-up??!!!?!! Wow!

 

[Dewey]

If you’re locking it up outside all the time I’d steer clear of expensive lightweights like the Orbea Gain or Coboc One. Some of the lightest ebikes are single speed hub motor ebikes like the Easy Glide SS, Sondors Thin, Propella, EasyGo Race, and Populo Sport, usually for this type of ebike I would suggest one with a throttle like the Easy Glide SS or Sondors Thin because they tend to be geared high for comfortable cadence at speed but are slightly harder to pedal from stationary so the throttle helps you get going without straining your knees, but you are in NYC that has a throttle ban so you would need to take it off if it comes with one - so you might consider getting an ebike with a torque sensor rather than a simple cadence sensor - as you mention the Coboc One presumably cost isn’t an issue, Propel ebikes sell exclusively pedal assist no throttle ebikes from high end European brands, call and ask Chris what he recommends for lightweight. Or consider a Bike Friday folding bike with a rear hub motor and 4 of Grin Tech’s very lightweight LiGo batteries.

 

[Ken M]

Given the urban mobility use focus check out pimbicycles.com. I ride a Polaris Diesel that was made my them and it's a great bike for street riding. I installed Schwalbe 27.5 x 2.4 Moto Xs and the bikes handling is excellent for the varied surfaces and textures of urban infrastructure. There Archer model is not light (you really should just consider that 4 flights of stairs as needed exercise) but they are super tuff and not so flashy they'll be a high profile target for bike thieves. I have both Yamaha and Bosch motor Haibikes but the direct drive hub motor on the Polaris simply assists much better when riding at speeds over say 18mph. Don't let everyone tell you that mid drives are the only way to go - may be true for mtn eBikes but not urban ebikes.

The Haibike Xduro Urban is about as light as a true full sized eBike gets so you may want to check out that model as well (it's the Bosch Haibike I have and it's a great bike but not as good as the PIM for urban riding in my opinion).

Get back to me if you are considering a PIM as I can help with a discount since I'm an old customer with contacts.

 

[Alaskan]

As to the best bike for Brooklyn; if I lived in Brooklyn I would trust the guys at Propel to match me up with the right bike and help me keep it working right and on the road. Any premium paid to them over the price of a web purchased bike, will certainly be well worth it over time.

You are not talking about a toy here but rather something you will be relying on to get you to work. Keep that in the forefront of your mind as you set your budget. Saving money, while important, should be secondary to making sure you buy a bike you can count on. Having to take Uber rides can add up quickly to a better bike.

Typically mid drive motors weigh considerably less than hub motors.

I suggest that you adapt a messenger bag's padded shoulder strap that can easily connect to the stem and seat post. This would make it much easier to carry the weight of the bike up the stairs.