Having a tough time finding ebikes with step-thru, mid-drive, belt drive, and internal gear hub combo

[gladiataar]

Recently purchased a new Zen Photon ebike from Ravi and am now looking for an ebike for my wife (130 lbs, 5ft 7in). As psyched as I am about taking delivery of it for myself in the next week or so (it checked all my boxes), 120nm of torque is overkill for someone in her weight class, so I'm seeking alternatives in the potentially lighter and more mainstream 65-95nm torque range. Not interested in any torque numbers less than that. Also budgeting for under $4000.

She test drove several ebikes in the Gazelle line, and we're quite versed in their offerings, but I'm having a tough time finding any other competing products. Like the title says, the following characteristics are a must:

1) True step-thru frame (no mid-steps)
2) Mid-drive motor
3) Belt drive
4) Cable or electronic shift, internal gear hub, but NO Automatiq (any brand, as long as it has MORE than 6 speeds and/or continuously variable, like an Enviolo)

I'm ruling out Riese & Muller (overpriced for my taste), and the Specialized line, because of those silly, proprietary, unadjustable handle bars.

Any suggestions on who might be an alternative to the Gazelles?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Not challenging your target specs. Just trying to understand why the Photon isn't for your wife, as it meets all other criteria, including price.

Did she test the Photon and reject it specifically for having too much torque? Is the lowest assist level still too much? Are the highest assist levels unusable in her case? Could practice on the Photon overcome her objections?

Again, just curious. Good luck!

 

[scrambler]

Zen has a new Full suspension Step Through coming this month I think, and is planning to have the Gates carbon belt and the Enviolo IGH option for it.
Check with him what is the current state of that.

'Zen Skunkworks' - a new model in the development

I personally, as an owner of one, wouldn't recommend the M620 for a rental bike. Perhaps the new M560 that appears to be the latest refinement of the M600 that still will have plenty of power and be much lighter might be a better option? I do like the concept of this bike though.

forums.electricbikereview.com

 

[scrambler]

And if you do not need the Full suspension, there is the Specialized turbo como IGH.
The 3.0 version is at $2500

Turbo Como - Specialized

www.specialized.com

 

[gladiataar]

Not challenging your target specs. Just trying to understand why the Photon isn't for your wife, as it meets all other criteria, including price.

Did she test the Photon and reject it specifically for having too much torque? Is the lowest assist level still too much? Are the highest assist levels unusable in her case? Could practice on the Photon overcome her objections?

Again, just curious. Good luck!

Yes, for sure, Zen ebikes are not off the table by any means. In fact, Ravi and his team has been superb so far. We've had many email and phone conversations ahead of my upcoming Photon delivery. If the Photon ebike itself ends up being anywhere nearly as nice as their support has been, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy another Zen.

I'm just surprised at the limited other offerings in this category -- other than Specialized (which I commented on in my original post) -- and thought maybe I was missing something. With the Photon recently being sold out, we've been exploring other models from other companies.
If we don't run across anything comparable within the next couple of months, I'm sure we'll be reaching out to Zen again, as Ravi appears to be willing to entertain some custom requests, and has a couple of new offerings coming down the pike as well.

 

[mschwett]

Recently purchased a new Zen Photon ebike from Ravi and am now looking for an ebike for my wife (130 lbs, 5ft 7in). As psyched as I am about taking delivery of it for myself in the next week or so (it checked all my boxes), 120nm of torque is overkill for someone in her weight class, so I'm seeking alternatives in the potentially lighter and more mainstream 65-95nm torque range. Not interested in any torque numbers less than that. Also budgeting for under $4000.

She test drove several ebikes in the Gazelle line, and we're quite versed in their offerings, but I'm having a tough time finding any other competing products. Like the title says, the following characteristics are a must:

1) True step-thru frame (no mid-steps)
2) Mid-drive motor
3) Belt drive
4) Cable or electronic shift, internal gear hub, but NO Automatiq (any brand, as long as it has MORE than 6 speeds and/or continuously variable, like an Enviolo)

I'm ruling out Riese & Muller (overpriced for my taste), and the Specialized line, because of those silly, proprietary, unadjustable handle bars.

Any suggestions on who might be an alternative to the Gazelles?

canyon precede : on 7 step through? I think there are a few others out there, but true step through (vs low step) is going to be rare.

 

[Dewey]

Upway sells used Momentum Vida E+ low step bikes with a 60Nm Yamaha motor, chain and Nexus 7 IGH, those are reasonably light. They also sell used Gazelle Ultimate C8 that have a belt

 

[Kayakguy]

Recently purchased a new Zen Photon ebike from Ravi and am now looking for an ebike for my wife (130 lbs, 5ft 7in). As psyched as I am about taking delivery of it for myself in the next week or so (it checked all my boxes), 120nm of torque is overkill for someone in her weight class, so I'm seeking alternatives in the potentially lighter and more mainstream 65-95nm torque range. Not interested in any torque numbers less than that. Also budgeting for under $4000.

She test drove several ebikes in the Gazelle line, and we're quite versed in their offerings, but I'm having a tough time finding any other competing products. Like the title says, the following characteristics are a must:

1) True step-thru frame (no mid-steps)
2) Mid-drive motor
3) Belt drive
4) Cable or electronic shift, internal gear hub, but NO Automatiq (any brand, as long as it has MORE than 6 speeds and/or continuously variable, like an Enviolo)

I'm ruling out Riese & Muller (overpriced for my taste), and the Specialized line, because of those silly, proprietary, unadjustable handle bars.

Any suggestions on who might be an alternative to the Gazelles?

Ariel Rider had the C class, which was a step thru, had IGH (Shimano Nexus 7), hydraulic brakes, but a chain, not a belt. And only $1800. But I use past tense, because I'm not sure it's available anymore. With her height, it should fit her. I have had mine almost 3 years, and like it very much.

 

[gladiataar]

Thank you everyone for the brands that have been brought to my attention. As we approach Black Friday and Christmas sales, I appreciate your continued suggestions in helping me form a short list of choices.

In your suggestions, as well as in my research, I'm surprised at the number of bikes that meet all my criteria -- except the belt drive. Belt drive clearly seems to be the more durable and lower maintenance option over a chain, at an only marginally higher initial price difference. In the long run, and for peace of mind during that time, even more so. I suspect it has more to do with the (typically) more expensive IGH gear hubs that accompany them, as well as their shifters. Not surprisingly, a lot of people dislike twist and/or electronic shifters for variety of reasons. I'm guessing that, as the non-mtb crowd shifts toward mid-drive motors with built-in transmission over the next 3-5 years, belt drives will become more of a standard. But I digress ...

Two additional finds that have popped up on radar since my initial post are the Vaast E/1 Enviolo and the Tenways Ago T. However, I know nothing about either of these companies. It MAY be possible that the Vaast drops below $4000 during an upcoming sale of some sort, but I have no idea how such a bike would be serviced. It's a very cool looking bike, in my opinion. The Tenway's ridiculously low $2699 looks too good to be true. Perhaps I'm missing something, but the thought of getting a true 80nm of torque out of a 250W mid-drive motor has me raising an eyebrow. Any input you guys might have on either of these brands/models would be welcome.

 

[Kayakguy]

Thank you everyone for the brands that have been brought to my attention. As we approach Black Friday and Christmas sales, I appreciate your continued suggestions in helping me form a short list of choices.

In your suggestions, as well as in my research, I'm surprised at the number of bikes that meet all my criteria -- except the belt drive. Belt drive clearly seems to be the more durable and lower maintenance option over a chain, at an only marginally higher initial price difference. In the long run, and for peace of mind during that time, even more so. I suspect it has more to do with the (typically) more expensive IGH gear hubs that accompany them, as well as their shifters. Not surprisingly, a lot of people dislike twist and/or electronic shifters for variety of reasons. I'm guessing that, as the non-mtb crowd shifts toward mid-drive motors with built-in transmission over the next 3-5 years, belt drives will become more of a standard. But I digress ...

Two additional finds that have popped up on radar since my initial post are the Vaast E/1 Enviolo and the Tenways Ago T. However, I know nothing about either of these companies. It MAY be possible that the Vaast drops below $4000 during an upcoming sale of some sort, but I have no idea how such a bike would be serviced. It's a very cool looking bike, in my opinion. The Tenway's ridiculously low $2699 looks too good to be true. Perhaps I'm missing something, but the thought of getting a true 80nm of torque out of a 250W mid-drive motor has me raising an eyebrow. Any input you guys might have on either of these brands/models would be welcome.

Just pointing out: a chain driving an IGH can last a lot longer than with a derailleur, since it doesn't get constantly twisted from having to climb up and down the stack of cogs as you shift gears.