Cargo Bike for hills, hub vs Mid drive Eunorau G20, Blix or ?

[Booshwa]

Been reading reviews for a couple days now and hoping to get some more details here. With fuel prices going through the roof, I'm trying to reduce my short errand running around and keep the F250 parked, reducing my diesel costs. I live in a town called Alpine, CA and there's some decent sized hills I would need to climb to go to the main blvd and back home. I'd also like a cargo bike for the few times my wife decides to cocktail too much at the beach, I can drive her home on the back and leave her bike locked up. My main question is on the motor side, hub vs mid drive for the hills. The below bikes are new or recently improved models at similar price points....but I'm open to other suggestions.

The Eunorau G20 has a mid drive motor 48V/500W Dapu with a 11.6Ah samsung battery and 7 speed shimano setup.
The Rad Wagon 4 has a new 750W geared hub motor, 14Ah battery, 7 speed 11-34 tooth freewheel setup (what does that mean?)
The Blix Packa also has a new 750W (continuous) geared hub motor (maybe the same as the Rad Wagon?) 13Ah battery 7 speed 14-34 tooth. Packa also has hydraulic brakes, I think Rad and Eunorau are mechanical.

My wife has a first gen Rad Rover, the hub drive is pretty good in my opinion, good power. My daughter has an older Rad Wagon, it's pretty gutless compared to the older Rover. I currently have a Haro Shift i/O 7 mid drive MB that's just pedal assist...but it'll climb just about anything as long as I'm in the right gear and on the pedal power...lol. I've never driven a mid drive bike with a throttle. Anyone know what bike would be better at climbing hills?

This is the road I'd be going up and down on HILL

 

[RunForTheHills]

I'd also like a cargo bike for the few times my wife decides to cocktail too much at the beach, I can drive her home on the back and leave her bike locked up.

You are going to want a mid-drive for that if there are hills. Hub drives are fine on most hills. They will overheat on a long grind with a lot of weight though. If you are talking about the beach in San Diego, you may not have the range to do that without an extra battery or two (30+ miles each way?).

 

[PedalUma]

Hi and Welcome!
It is not a steep hill but I am in the SF area so my idea of hills is different than most people's. Mid-drives are much stronger climbers than hub drives and are also more efficient, so the battery does not need to be as large and the motor does not need to have a high watt expenditure rate. I am not going to tell you which of these bike is best for your needs. I can say that I am crazy about cargo bikes.

 

[RunForTheHills]

Another option for the beach scenario is to get your wife a folding bike. That way she can call an Uber to get home and put the bike in the trunk. The bike may not be there when you get back if you leave it locked up overnight.

 

[Booshwa]

Thanks, good info. We camp down by the beach, so it's just short 3-8 mile runs from the camp ground. I'd probably take an uber back and get her bike vs leaving it there overnight. Good info on the mid drive... does anyone have experience with that brand, Dapu? I've never heard of them, but maybe that's why the cost is lower than other mid drives.

Also someone mentioned swapping out the Freewheel of the G20, saying it would make a world of difference. I'll go try and find info on what that means, not a term I'm familiar with.

 

[RunForTheHills]

I don't have any experience with that motor and haven't read much about it. There is a sub-forum for Eunorau though and it has a post about that bike. If it is pretty flat between the campground and the beach, you may not need a mid-drive for that.

https://electricbikereview.com/forums/forum/eunorau/

Also some info here:
https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/dapu-mid-drive-motors-are-they-really-sub-par.34713/

 

[m@Robertson]

I would absolutely do a mid drive for any cargo bike that is being loaded up with ... stuff. Hubs are out of their element to start with in hills. Add in cargo loads and they are even further from best-practice. Give yourself a half-full Costco cart and try starting up a hill from a stop at a light. The mid will be head/shoulders above any hub in terms of its capability.

I build my own cargo bikes and ride them in Fresno CA (flat as a table) and Monterey/Pacific Grove CA (nothing is flat, SF-steep in places). A hub bike would suck in the hills. Its actually the reason I stopped building geared hub bikes and went to mid drives.