Choosing between two eBikes - is it worth the extra?

[ChrisM1]

I'm looking to get an eBike and, based in the UK, I've narrowed it down to two models. My max budget is £2,000 though I'm hoping to spend less.

There's the Riverside E, here, which is £900. It seems to get good reviews, and the Batribike Gamma X, which is £1899. The major differences seem to be that the Gamma has more power, and an in-frame battery. Plus, the Gamma X is being sold by a local independent bikeshop, versus the Riverside which is at a chain of general sports shops. But that's still a big difference, money-wise. This'll be the first eBike I'm getting.

I plan on using the bike mainly on the road, sometimes offroad like the side of canals etc, but not anything like mountain biking. Can anyone offer their thoughts on these two?

 

[Dewey]

Respectfully those two bikes would offer completely different performance. The Decathlon Riverside 920e has an average size battery 11.6ah but a low power hub motor offering a very modest 30Nm torque, it would struggle to get you up hills but would probably go about 25-30 miles. The Batribike Gamma has a very small size battery 7.8ah and a powerful mid-drive motor climbing 100Nm torque which would burn through the battery very quickly and limit your practical range to about 15-20 miles.

A better choice from Decathlon would be the Riverside 540e with a decent Shimano e6100 motor (60Nm) and average size battery 11.6ah.

 

[ChrisM1]

Respectfully those two bikes would offer completely different performance. The Decathlon Riverside 920e has an average size battery 11.6ah but a low power hub motor offering a very modest 30Nm torque, it would struggle to get you up hills but would probably go about 25-30 miles. The Batribike Gamma has a very small size battery 7.8ah and a powerful mid-drive motor climbing 100Nm torque which would burn through the battery very quickly and limit your practical range to about 15-20 miles.

A better choice from Decathlon would be the Riverside 540e with a decent Shimano e6100 motor (60Nm) and average size battery 11.6ah.

Thanks - I'll look into that as well. Any suggestions from anyone - within budget - would be appreciated.

EDIT: Would paying for a 10.4ah/12.8ah battery upgrade be worth it?

 

[Dewey]

Some suggestions on this list, note the Decathlon 540e is on the list. https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/a...r-2000-2022-affordable-and-capable-e-bikes-in

 

[Dewey]

Here is a more detailed review of the Riverside 540e, you will note they said folk cross-shop this bike against the Halfords Carerra Crossfuse but that bike has a less powerful Bosch Active motor so the Decathlon is IMO the better buy.