eBike for the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam

[Eisenhower]

I am looking for some suggestions on buying my 1st ebike. I am in my late 50’s 5’9” and 200 lbs. and have a bad back. I live in a rural town and am looking for a bike that I can use around town and to travel around the country and see our amazing national parks along with other great sites. I'd really like to keep it under $2,000 and don’t expect to bike more than 50 miles in any single day. I will not do any “trail riding” but will use it on dirt roads some and would like to be able to use in the mountains.


I think an upright sitting position with comfortable seat would be best for me and I am not a fan of step thru frame aesthetics. I prefer a class 3 but may consider class 2 if it can be upgraded/modified.


I was looking at buying Ride1up 700 or RadRover 5 and looked at Magnum Ui6 but not sure if it is suited for my needs.. But I would love to hear other bikes I should consider in $1500 -$2000 range. After being down with a bad health scare for past couple years I am itching to join the ebike club and get out and start riding.

Any thoughts are greatly appretiated!

 

[Dewey]

Any of those 3 sounds good for your needs. You might like to look at the Magnum Cruiser or LowRider Cruiser models too, unlike the Ui6 they have a foot forward design which allows for an upright riding position but keeps your weight lower.

 

[Eisenhower]

Should I be leaning towards a mid-drive for any rides I may take in the mountains?

 

[Dewey]

I think it depends on the motor torque, there are some torquey geared hub motors out there like the 500w MXUS used on the Electric Bike Company Model R or Biktrix Swift, the 500w motors you find on Pedego’s, and kit geared hub motors like the 500w MAC from EM3EV, and most anything from Grin Tech. Magnum use a 500w geared hub motor from Das-kit. mid-drives work with your bicycle gearing so are better for single track riding, or for lower power 250w motors like mine, though there a plenty of high power high torque mid drives. I’d recommend test riding both to see what works for you. There aren’t a ton of Class 3 mid-drives under two grand so you might like to check for local bike shops that might convert a pedal bike with a mid drive kit, or look at spending a little more to get something like the Biktrix Stunner X with the 3” tires option.