could use some advice on my first e-bike

The reason I'd advise against the Grace is, first off, it's mid drive. Main advantage to a mid drive is hill climbing ability, but you don't need that. It's true a mid drive centralizes the weight, but you're not doing to be going fast enough to matter. A big disadvantage of a mid drive compared to a hub motor is maintenance. Since a mid drive uses the chain and pedal gears for drive you can expect a lot higher wear on all the drive components compared to hub drive. Another disadvantage, and this is a biggie if you plan to ride on city trails, is mid drives are noisy compared to the near silence of hub drives. The reason that matters is because there's a lot of haters on city trails, and they don't like eBikes, but the silent ones are hard to tell the difference from a regular bicycle.
ChloeSnow said:
@EMG do you know if the Stromer can accept standard seat posts? I'm thinking of getting a pneumatic shock absorber for the seat...considering a thud buster... it would make my ride feel a lot softer.
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Sure they can. You can put any seat you want on one, but keep in mind, seat posts come in 2 or 3 different diameters.
I don't know what diameter Stromer's have, but someone will probably know.
 
The seat post is 31.6, large but a standard . We have Thudbusters and really like them We are considering the Body Float...
 
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I also vote for the Stromer. I got mine about 2 weeks ago, and it is still a work in progress for the fit. I got the Platinum step-through, with the larger battery, and think it was the right choice for me.
What I like (I only have 20 miles on it, so take this for what it's worth):
- the power of the 500 w motor: I am not a speed demon, but it's there if I want it;
- feels solid: I got the front fork, so the bumpy roads are not an issue at all for my neck and shoulders;
- did fine on hills - not an issue for you, but I had no trouble. And I usually do!
-although it doesn't have a throttle, the response to pedaling is very fast. I was riding in traffic Sunday, and stopped at red lights. When I moved the pedal into the right position, a light push down activated the assist almost immediately. I didn't wobble off the stop line.
-doesn't look like an e-bike
What I don't like:
-the seat is awful: my first ride was on the stock saddle, and my back hurt that night. I have since swapped out for a Brooks saddle with springs, and if has made all the difference. I would suggest you budget in either a new seat or a new post.
- 62 lbs - although it adds to the solid ride feel, I can not lift this bike. I bought a Thule EasyFold, which is a big disappointment since the ramp falls off when loading. Thule told me that was because my SUV is too high. Not sure what they were designing this for then. At any rate, I realized that if I parked close to the curb I could put the ramp up on the curb, and the bike rolls off without dislodging the ramp.
-the City Kit - I liked the integration of the lights, but did not think the rack was very good. I got a Topeak system and had the dealer install fenders. I am using battery and rechargeable lights. The only way to get the integrated lights is to buy the whole City Kit - they are not offered as a single stand-alone. So, you may want to budget for this as well.

Overall, I am happy with my choice of Stromer. I rode as many e-bikes as I could, and always came back to this one.
 
I have a large (wife is med) start at 62lbs for a small , add City Kit not sure what he real weight is as is empty but i am thinking 70 almost and have a hard time putting it on my rack I havent bothered to try steps , that may be the breaking point but at what point is the acceptable weight to you? Others bikes may be lighter but if they weigh too much even at a lighter weight no good...just a thought
 
Stromers are known for longer range. Stay away from any vendor that does not have a strong dealer network. Post sale support is as important a decision as the brand you purchase.
 
ChloeSnow said:
well i keep hearing heavy...i live up a set of steep stairson the 2nd floor
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There is no way I could lift this bike and carry it up or down any stairs - never mind 2 flights. I can't even get it onto a regular hitch mounted rack - thus, the EasyFold. Since I don't have a garage, I bought a BikeVault (single bike/pie shaped) for my back yard - which is essentially a metal locker for bikes. I just got it put together, and it is going to work great! It's really well made - and the one I got has a floor.

I knew from prior experience that if my bike was too difficult to get in and out of the basement, I would never ride it. I have a Brompton which I keep in the front hall, and now the Stromer in a locker in the back yard by the driveway. My previous bike was a recumbent which I kept in the basement. It was awkward to get in and out, and I found I was riding less and less. Is there a place for you to store it on the ground floor? I am not sure any ebike is going to be able to be carried up two flights of steep stairs.
 
It's not 2 flights, it's just one flight, but they are steeper than your average stair. Maybe i should just say screw it and go with a regular folder? This is why I'm going to test this thing out first...if I can't carry it up stairs then I'll either not buy it...OR maybe see if they complex will let us move to the ground floor apartment below that just emptied out.
 
Sorry - I thought you said 2 flights. I have 6 steps going into my basement, and before I got the Bike Vault, I put the Stromer in the basement. It was hard - at least for me. Not something I would do every day. I took it in and out twice, and used a dog ramp. I really don't want to talk you out of a Stromer, but you might want to look at the Brompton. NYCE Wheels, in New York, has an after-market battery kit they will put on. The battery goes in the front bag and can be taken off. I'm not sure what the additional wheel/motor weight would be, but even with that, I think it will be far less than any e-bike.
 
Yeah I've looked at it, and it would have been my first choice, honestly if I weren't worried about my weight being too much for the bike and the motor were stronger.
 
My wife has a Stromer. I COULD carry it up those stairs but it's not something I would want to do every day. No way. I have 6 stairs onto my porch every day and that is annoying :)

There are lighter bikes although no ebike is probably light enough to do 2 flights of stairs every day. I think the Grace is 45 lbs and it's belt driven (no chain) and that is good. The Felt bikes are light. (Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Most importantly I think you go to your nearest or your best ebike dealer and see what they have. Do a test ride, maybe even try carrying it up a flight of stairs first :)
 
but you're absolutely right...I need to know what carrying that kind of weight feels like before I make a decision. I really want to get it, it has just about everything I want but if it never leaves the house, I'd be better off with a bus pass.
 
So I'm thinking if I sacrificed loudness and went with mid drive I could probably deal lower the overall weight. I've read that those bosch mid drives are ALOT more efficient.
 
So I'm trying to figure out how much eight I can shave off by going from 500 watt hub to either 350 watt mid drive or 350 watt geared or gearless hub. What the performance tradeoffs would be and how much etc. I might send court another message and be like "look so I really like that other bike you told me about but...I don't know that i can take it up and down the stairs every day. Help me find something that fits my needs" because I'm really lost. I'll probably still get a ride to the bike shop that has them just so i can get a feel for different weights and stuff like that, figure out what my limits are and how much motor I think I'll actually need. The grace still might be an option, it's like 20 pounds lighter than the Stromer, still has the 350 watt bosch drive which should have far more torque than a 500 watt hub, and a damn strong frame, plus a nuvinci and gates drive to quiet things down a bit. If I can tolerate lower speeds it might be the bike for me. I've also been looking at the high end easy motion bikes, maybe thinking just put a rack and fenders on one of the mountain packages.
 
on your planned commute, are you going in a bike lane all the way? Or in a protected lane? Do you have a shower at work?

24 miles per day sounds like a lot but if there are no hills it is also doable with a normal bicycle. There are some great bikes out there, super lightweight and with carbon drive too like the Scott Sub10 that I own, or specialized Cirrus carbon and many others within your budget.

also, can you recharge at work? Plug the bicycle in? The Faraday porteur is very light for an electric bike, the range might work out for your type of commute.

you should take a weekend day to bike the planned route on a regular bicycle to see what it will be like.
 
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I'm far too out of shape to bike that far. That's part of what excites me so much about these, is the ability to go farther and slowly use less and less assist. I know though if I have no reason I won't bike for the fitness aspect of it. As for work...I planned on finding a bike that i could remove the battery from and take inside to charge. I'm sure I can leave it in the break room and charge it. Thanks for the suggestion of the faraday, I checked it out just now and I think the 250 watt motor probably won't work for me, being 230 pounds and considering I'll be carrying a laptop+purse/extras with me wherever I go.
 
I'm really thinking if i can find a place to get the Grace it's the bike for me. 50 pounds ish. I can get that up and down the stairs surely. It's got the mid drive so the lower power 350 watt motor out torques the other 350 watt motors...it's a solid frame, the only thing to make noise on it really is going to be the motor. No chain, no gears. If anyone else has a faster, lighter option at a similar or lower price point let me know. I feel like I'm kind of settling for almost 7mph slower but it's better than nothing. If anyone else has suggestions on something between 3,000 and 4,000 dollars that has a better speed factor, is light enough to get up stairs, and can carry someone my weight let me know.
 
Grace has gears but you might not need them. How specifically are you going to hold the bike to carry it down 2 flights of stairs? How wide is the staircase? Are you going to share the road with cars? What are your plans if you get a flat tire half way to work?
 
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