cloudcover
New Member
Hello -
I've been spending way too much time researching ebikes and seem to be getting myself ever more confused. I was hoping the collective wisdom of this group could help shed some light and guide me to what might be some good options. I'll start with what I'm looking for -- and if it's helpful, at the end of the post is some info on the ebikes that I have and what's causing me to look for a new ebike.
I'm about 150lbs, live in Seattle, and am looking for a bike that's inviting to ride and one I can use to run errands (groceries, etc), ride to lunch meetings, etc. Here are things I care about (in rough order of importance):
Here are a few bikes that I've considered (and some of which I'm still considering):
Thanks everyone!
KR
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My first ebike was one I had put together several years ago and which I still use quite a lot. It's a Surly Big Dummy cargo bike, to which I had installed a (nominal) 750W BMC V2-T geared rear hub motor (which can pretty easily run at 1200-ish watts). I have that paired with a 52V battery, a cadence PAS system, and the Cycle Analyst 3 from Grin. It's a great bike and has no problem with hills, etc. The main problem/issue that I have with it is that we no longer have little kids and so I don't really need a heavy duty cargo bike; and for short runs to the grocery store, to meet someone for lunch, etc, it's kinda big and unwieldy.
A few years ago (okay maybe more than a few), I bought a Kalkhoff Pro Connect S. I like most everything about it (size, weight, etc) BUT (a) it's pretty underpowered (a 2011-era mid-drive Panasonic motor with a wimpy 24V 10aH battery) and requires more effort on steep hills than I'd prefer, (b) the range isn't great (because of the wimpy battery), and (c) it looks pretty clunky compared to today's ebikes.
I've been spending way too much time researching ebikes and seem to be getting myself ever more confused. I was hoping the collective wisdom of this group could help shed some light and guide me to what might be some good options. I'll start with what I'm looking for -- and if it's helpful, at the end of the post is some info on the ebikes that I have and what's causing me to look for a new ebike.
I'm about 150lbs, live in Seattle, and am looking for a bike that's inviting to ride and one I can use to run errands (groceries, etc), ride to lunch meetings, etc. Here are things I care about (in rough order of importance):
- Hill Climbing. Ability to do well on fairly steep hills (some of the hills here will give San Francisco a run for its money). I don't expect the bike to handle steep hills without any pedaling effort on my part. In fact, I pretty much never use throttle-only and mostly want ebike assist so that it feels like I'm pedaling at most on a slight-ish incline. I'm assuming that a mid-drive motor would be best suited for this purpose.
- Good Components. I don't need top of line everything, but I'd definitely like to have hydraulic brakes, maybe an internal rear hub, maybe a Gates belt, etc.
- Aesthetics. I'd like to find a bike that's pretty "regular" and stealthy -- nothing showy or too ebike-y.
- Bike Rack Capable. This won't come up very often, but I'd love to be able to put it on a car bike rack/carrier (or public bus rack) for situations where that might be necessary.
- Inviting. I'd like to find a bike that's inviting and easy to use -- one where you can get on, ride, and get off easily. And that's maneuverable in a way that my cargo bike isn't.
Here are a few bikes that I've considered (and some of which I'm still considering):
- Priority Embark. This bike is the closest I've found to what I have in mind and I love most everything about this bike. My biggest concern is that the Bosch Active Line Plus motor may not be as powerful as I'd like for hills. If people think otherwise, then maybe my search is over. My other concern is that the 400 Watt-Hour battery pack maybe is a bit undersized. But as a practical matter, I don't know that I'll often (if ever) be riding more than 30-40 miles between charging.
- Fuell Fluid. Looks like it has most everything that I need and I was quite close to pulling the trigger; but it seems a bit overdesigned for my tastes and I'm wondering if it would be less "inviting" than something like the Priority Embark. Maybe not?
- Spark RX. This is listed in the Best Bikes section of this site and seems to be quite good in terms of bang for the buck.
- Genze 200 Series. I really love a lot about this bike. I love how it looks, I love that it's public transit friendly, etc. But my concerns are that the 350W rear hub motor won't be sufficient for steep hills and the battery could be bigger.
- Tern HSD. I actually like the design/idea of this a fair amount -- and the smaller tires make it seem more inviting and I'm guessing also would be an asset for hills. But it seems not to be a good value. Maybe not?
- Rad Mini Step Through. I tried this out mostly because Rad is local. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a rear hub motor, but because it's 750W and geared and because the bike has 20" tires, it did just fine on the hills. I'm not sure how much I'd benefit from the folding capability because of it's weight, etc, but I liked how it rode. My concerns are mostly that it's components seem pretty basic. And probably due to culture, a conventional design (like the Priority Embark) rather than a mini step-through just seems a bit more appealing. Though maybe I shouldn't worry about that? It was surprisingly fun, has a well-sized battery, and is still quite inexpensive.
- Carbo X Folding Bike. You'd think that this doesn't really match my needs all that well -- particularly because of its relatively low-powered 350W rear hub motor -- but there's something about it that's really appealing to me. I love the design, the components are great (hydraulic brakes, Gates belt, etc), and it's really light. But maybe I'm being seduced by an idea that in reality will just leave me disappointed?
Thanks everyone!
KR
- - - - -
My first ebike was one I had put together several years ago and which I still use quite a lot. It's a Surly Big Dummy cargo bike, to which I had installed a (nominal) 750W BMC V2-T geared rear hub motor (which can pretty easily run at 1200-ish watts). I have that paired with a 52V battery, a cadence PAS system, and the Cycle Analyst 3 from Grin. It's a great bike and has no problem with hills, etc. The main problem/issue that I have with it is that we no longer have little kids and so I don't really need a heavy duty cargo bike; and for short runs to the grocery store, to meet someone for lunch, etc, it's kinda big and unwieldy.
A few years ago (okay maybe more than a few), I bought a Kalkhoff Pro Connect S. I like most everything about it (size, weight, etc) BUT (a) it's pretty underpowered (a 2011-era mid-drive Panasonic motor with a wimpy 24V 10aH battery) and requires more effort on steep hills than I'd prefer, (b) the range isn't great (because of the wimpy battery), and (c) it looks pretty clunky compared to today's ebikes.