Hi, I would be really grateful if you could offer me some advice regarding my first e-bike 
I live in Japan where the three main brands are Bridgestone, Yamaha and Panasonic.
The intended main usage of the e-bike would be to commute to work on most weekdays, i.e. not-raining days.
The distance is around 6.5 km one-way with a couple of slopes along the way and it should take around 30 minutes to cover this distance.
I am looking for a bike that is comfortable but at the same time reasonably fast/fun (keep in mind that here e-bikes are limited to 250W and there cannot be any assistance above 24 km/h).
About myself: male, forty, 170cm, reasonably fit (gym, and running 1-2 times a week).
I also have some not serious lower-back problems: I started doing core exercises and paying attention to sitting posture and the situation improved.
I had the chance to try a few models and it seems that the ones with 3 gears are not a lot of fun to drive.
At the same time some of the "sport" models require a quite inclined sitting posture that I fear might be problematic for my back.
With the above considerations I am now undecided between the following 2 options, both with 5 gears:
ALBERT (Bridgestone):
www.bscycle.co.jp
I tried this from a friend who has the 2018 model and I liked the "sprinty" feeling.
The main downside is that with 27" wheels and at around 26 kgs it is a bit big and heavy with a high sitting position.
In Tokyo one happens to cover part of the journey on pavements (of course driving carefully!) so it helps if the bike has good maneuverability.
PAS VIENTA5 (Yamaha):
www.yamaha-motor.co.jp
Unfortunately I could only try this shortly on a short straight street next to a bike shop I visited.
It is more fun to ride and more manoeuvrable than ALBERT due to 26 wheels and only 21 kgs of weight.
From the web-page above you can see (left picture) a comparison with the PAS Brace and it can be seen that the VIENTA5 results in a bit less inclined posture.
My main concern is whether this bike would still turn out to be uncomfortable / give me back pains.
To compare the two, I created this abomination (the VIENTA5 saddle should be lower probably):
As my concern is about posture for the VIENTA5 due to the lower and more forward handlebar, I wonder whether it might be possible to add a stem raiser / use a stem with different angle / use a different handlebar, were posture turn out to be an issue for me.
This gives a detail of the part (from someone who changed the handlebar):
How does one investigate what kind of modifications are possible for a given bike?
To summarize, were it not for the posture concerns I would choose the VIENTA5, as it is I am undecided.
But maybe I am making a big deal out of nothing, and the posture is actually nowhere as taxing as I might be thinking...
Any help is welcome, even completely different suggestions.
Thanks
I live in Japan where the three main brands are Bridgestone, Yamaha and Panasonic.
The intended main usage of the e-bike would be to commute to work on most weekdays, i.e. not-raining days.
The distance is around 6.5 km one-way with a couple of slopes along the way and it should take around 30 minutes to cover this distance.
I am looking for a bike that is comfortable but at the same time reasonably fast/fun (keep in mind that here e-bikes are limited to 250W and there cannot be any assistance above 24 km/h).
About myself: male, forty, 170cm, reasonably fit (gym, and running 1-2 times a week).
I also have some not serious lower-back problems: I started doing core exercises and paying attention to sitting posture and the situation improved.
I had the chance to try a few models and it seems that the ones with 3 gears are not a lot of fun to drive.
At the same time some of the "sport" models require a quite inclined sitting posture that I fear might be problematic for my back.
With the above considerations I am now undecided between the following 2 options, both with 5 gears:
ALBERT (Bridgestone):
アルベルト e | ［街乗り自転車］通学・通勤向け自転車 | 電動アシスト自転車 | ブリヂストンサイクル株式会社
［街乗り自転車］通学・通勤向け自転車 アルベルト eの特長・機能をご紹介。ブリヂストンサイクルでお気に入りの［街乗り自転車］通学・通勤向け自転車を見つけてください。
The main downside is that with 27" wheels and at around 26 kgs it is a bit big and heavy with a high sitting position.
In Tokyo one happens to cover part of the journey on pavements (of course driving carefully!) so it helps if the bike has good maneuverability.
PAS VIENTA5 (Yamaha):
PAS VIENTA5
カジュアルなスポーティモデル 内装5段変速採用でスポーティな走行性能を持ちながら街乗りも休日のサイクリングもオシャレにこなす26インチ電動アシスト自転車［パス ヴィエンタ ファイブ］
www.yamaha-motor.co.jp
It is more fun to ride and more manoeuvrable than ALBERT due to 26 wheels and only 21 kgs of weight.
From the web-page above you can see (left picture) a comparison with the PAS Brace and it can be seen that the VIENTA5 results in a bit less inclined posture.
My main concern is whether this bike would still turn out to be uncomfortable / give me back pains.
To compare the two, I created this abomination (the VIENTA5 saddle should be lower probably):
As my concern is about posture for the VIENTA5 due to the lower and more forward handlebar, I wonder whether it might be possible to add a stem raiser / use a stem with different angle / use a different handlebar, were posture turn out to be an issue for me.
This gives a detail of the part (from someone who changed the handlebar):
How does one investigate what kind of modifications are possible for a given bike?
To summarize, were it not for the posture concerns I would choose the VIENTA5, as it is I am undecided.
But maybe I am making a big deal out of nothing, and the posture is actually nowhere as taxing as I might be thinking...
Any help is welcome, even completely different suggestions.
Thanks
