First ebike. Recomendations.

[dslkevin]

Looking for an e bike. A little background. I use to ride with my boys. 20 miles twice a week. After they grew older I couldn't keep up anymore. Work got busy and stressful. Moved from flatter riding area to more hills and traffic. I lost interest in riding when I can't keep up with the boys and get wore out and have to push the bike up a hill. Takes the fun out of it. Gained around 80 lbs. Need a stress releaver. Loved biking to clear mind and connect with boys. So many choices for a bike.

I had my mind set on a Trek Allant+ 8S until I seen they are out of stock and won't be available until mid July. I missed out on Specializeds rebates. I've looked at a lot of options. The more I look the more confused I get.
I am 42 and around 300 lb
What I want is:
Class 3, 500 Wh battery.
Flat bar, easier to ride at my size.
No suspension fork. My understanding is they aren't as nice for high speed. I maybe wrong here.
Also important to me is looks. I don't it to look so obvious it is a e bike.


I have looked at some cheaper bikes. Yes, I like the idea of 2k or less. But I am willing to spend more(prefer not over 4k). I live in the north and I don't want to miss half the summer waiting for a bike to come.

Riding will be 5 mile each way commute to work. Easy ride to work, long hill on the way home.
Want range to go on a 40 to 50 mile ride. I want extra Wh(ruled out Giant for this reason) in case extra weight causes battery to go down faster. I also like the Class 3 for the bigger motors. More Nm should help with the extra weight.
Also want to go on Saturday rides of up to 40 miles. Family time.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[indianajo]

Class 3 is for speed. You you really want to go 28? Without suspension I'm comfortable at about 12. If you want to go 28 you really need suspension both front & back, which costs $$$$. I hit my chin at 25 going down into an underpass, and I'm glad I wasn't going any faster. If I'd been going 12 I might not have broken the chin & missed Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, NewYear party food. **** Doctors only saw recovering patients on Mondays, and Christmas & Newyears were on Mondays that year, so I had my jaw wired shut for 8 weeks.
I like geared hub motors for torque, to get me & 80 lb groceries up the hills to my summer camp. I had the gross weight up to 400 lb last week on bike shown left to bring as much as possible home from the grocery store. I weigh 170, groceries were 136 lb. I have a geared hub motor.
Electric motors reach their greatest torque at 90% of full speed. So mid drives and geared hub motors are better at starting off quickly and getting up hills. Mid drive you have to change the speeds with the shifter, also they wear out chains 2 to 10 times faster than hub drives. Also they cost more.
I hate flat handlebars so I'm not going to suggest a certain bike. I like cruiser bars because my hands don't go to sleep as fast. But I'm age 69, you may not have a problem with your hands.
Three vendors of geared hub motor bikes are Magnum, Juiced, & M2s. Magnum has dealers to handle any warrenty problems. Juiced and M2s are internet only, you are the service department.
Looking at weight limitations, before you lose some of the weight, a stretch cargo bike like I have unloads the rear tire of some of your own weight. Sold by yubabikes, xtracycle, kona ute, magnum, radwagon , surly (heavy duty steel frame) pedego ($$$$) reiss & mueller ($$$$) . Radwagon has a DD hub motor, no good for heavy weights on hill. I lost 55 lb by biking everywhere, so it can be done. Took 8 years, I didn't stress myself too hard. With a geared hub motor or a shimano or Yamaha mid drive you can pedal as long as you feel good, then the motor will drag you home when you are tired. I bought power to help with 25 mph headwinds that didn't used to happen in September & May before 2018. **** wind was gusting 41 mph yesterday. I ride without power most of the time, but no more 6 hour ordeals for me at 5 mph. I have a battery & motor for that. The 17.5 AH battery & motor will stretch my range to 80 miles round trip. 40 miles unpowered out, 40 miles powered back after the concert.
Happy shopping.

 

[dslkevin]

Thanks for your reply and advice. I should clarify that the idea for class 3 is more for a higher Nm motor for moving more weight than it is for top speed. I'm content to go 18 to 20 mph. A few years ago I would average 15 mph for 20 miles and I was happy with that speed. I've thought of class 1 because I don't see going over 20 that much. But wouldn't the extra weight put less stress on a 75 Nm motor than a 50 Nm? And it would be fun to occasionally go all out and be in the 20's.

 

[indianajo]

What about HillEater Galiano?
GMAC motor

GMAC is the kind of geared hub motor that does drag when the power is off. So one would not be riding it without power if you felt good. The MAC10 is the speed version and the MAC12 is the torque version that do have a one way clutch, and can be ridden with no drag without power. Which I do 90% of the time, when the wind is not >12 mph in my face.
I bought a MAC12 before the tarriff increase to replace my ebikeling.com geared hub motor ($221) when it wears out. Which after 4000 miles, it hasn't done yet.