Having trouble on deciding First time E-Biker

[Nitemere]

So I am new and haven't started Ebiking yet. Sorry if there is a lot of unnecessary information just wanted to give more of my background so there is more to meet my needs/want in a ebike

I am a unhealthy dad that has a busted knee, also diabetic, and overweight. trying to get his life on track. I use to be over 400 lbs and I ended up getting gastric surgery. I was doing good loosing weight but hit a stand still. I ended up getting a fat tire bike but I have a knee injury from my younger days and with all these hills here I just can't make it up the hills. Due to me loosing 3 jobs back to back because companies outsourced their departments to other countries I ended up eating through my savings and hit a depressed state. Due to this state I I didn't exercise and ate junk food all the time and realized I am not only hurting my self but my son. Now I am putting my life back on track and want to get back in shape. I decided to go in the route of the ebikes. I was doing tons of research and I came to the top 2 bikes that fit my needs. Tesway X7 AWD or the Lectric xpedition2 dual battery long range. Both of these met my requirement and was also able to have a child seat on it. These are my needs. I want a bike that can hold my weight which is 275lbs now and my sons weight who is 3 1/3 and he is 42lbs and very tall for his age. I want it to be able to climb hills with both of us. I am leaning towards all wheel drive, excellent breaks, I also want something fun for when I don't have my son with me. Something that can go fast. I want the long range for family trips. I want to hook it to a bike rack and when we go camping I can take it for a ride and enjoy the scenery and go on adventures with my son.

I really can't afford anything over 2k To make things easier I started selling things I collected and prized over my life time. Some of the things were important and had a special meaning but was willing to make the sacrifice to obtain one of these ebikes or something that is better. I do prefer something with a payment plan as the other day I hit a huge financial impact that affected me from buying these straight out now. I am leaning more towards the tesway then lectricbikes but not 100% sure yet so please provide yalls insight and help. Thank you.

Tesway XD AWD
Lectric bike Long-range dual battery

 

[Rexlion]

I can understand wanting a good range of, say, 50-60 miles (because the weight will reduce that projected range somewhat, to perhaps 40-50 miles). But I don't see any practicality in 170-200 mile range unless a person plans to travel in places where the ebike can't be recharged for several days. What is your rationale for gravitating toward such long-range ebikes? My Ride1Up's 700Wh battery gets me a practical 50+ mile range between charges (I'm 160 lbs) and that's more than enough for me.

Between the two, I'd say the Lectric is the better choice because it is a high-volume brand with a known track record of taking care of their customers after the sale. Tesway, I've never heard of them, so who knows if there will be any after-sale support. And 38mph top speed sounds nuts to me. The power of the Lectric should billy-goat you up just about any hill, and you'll have a throttle to fall back on if your legs run out of steam. That's my opinionated opinion!

 

[Nitemere]

I guess I am thinking Long range for Longer battery time. I am taking into account if we go camping and forget the charger I know it will go a great distant or if I have car trouble. I also live in texas where cities are further then 50-60 miles apart. Just thinking of all the angles.

 

[MrHyak]

Hmmmm, climbing hills usually eat battery but you also want long range. Without really knowing how bad your knee is, for better climbing power you need a mid drive, but you also have to be able to pedal to utilize this. If you can rent a bike to test, this might help you understand how the bikes work. FWIW

 

[Rexlion]

Hmmmm, climbing hills usually eat battery but you also want long range. Without really knowing how bad your knee is, for better climbing power you need a mid drive, but you also have to be able to pedal to utilize this. If you can rent a bike to test, this might help you understand how the bikes work. FWIW

IMO the ebikes the OP is looking at have plenty of power for hills even though they are hub motors... unless he wants to climb a 10% grade for a mile straight or something (which could overheat the hub motor easier than the mid drive). My hub ebike is 750W nominal, a bit over 1000W peak, and in highest assist level I can zoom up nearly anything in high gear at 20 mph, hardly working. Not that I usually do so, but I have done it just to see what the bike will do. Usually I take those steep hills at 35% or 50% power, and at lower speed, depending on how much effort I feel like putting into it. I have a Yamaha with 250W mid-drive motor also, and for the uphill climbs they feel roughly equivalent in capability to me.

 

[Extreme1]

Do you have any bicycle shops near you? If you do, go to all of them and spend time talking to the people working there. They might not have what you want, but you’ll learn a lot from just talking to them. I wouldn’t worry about the long range part, you’ll be done after an hour on the bike. Your butt will hurt, your legs will hurt, etc.

You're on the right track, keep after it. My wife and I are in our early 60’s and ride once or twice a week and have a blast. We look forward to the next time we can go riding.

Before you buy anything or spend close to $2000, go ride some of the bikes you are looking at. Most bike shops will let you demo a couple of their bikes. Don’t be limited to the two that you are thinking about. Most of all, be sure there is future support for whatever you buy. You don’t want to spend all that money, it breaks, and no one can fix it.

 

[Nitemere]

Do you have any bicycle shops near you? If you do, go to all of them and spend time talking to the people working there. They might not have what you want, but you’ll learn a lot from just talking to them. I wouldn’t worry about the long range part, you’ll be done after an hour on the bike. Your butt will hurt, your legs will hurt, etc.

You're on the right track, keep after it. My wife and I are in our early 60’s and ride once or twice a week and have a blast. We look forward to the next time we can go riding.

Most of our bike shops are kind of far. I was going to get a bike to support your local seller first but they are super expensive here. I think the cheapest I saw was like 3k and max weight was like 220lb or something like that.

 

[sc00ter]

See if there is a Lectric dealer nearby. Even if you have to stay a night and make it a guys night out with your boy, I'd say get a good test ride on the dual battery Xpedition. I have the earlier version, cadence dual battery Xpedition and it's been a great ebike, for its price..... Never gave me any issues but it makes weird noises. I know the noises aren't safety related but still, it hauls my wife and I all over Norfolk VA.,

Things you will learn:
Your butt will hate every bicycle seat till you get used to being on a bike seat.
The 20mph throttle is enough speed, trust me.
The 28mph assist is hard to hit till you get leg strength.
Buy a good lock and USE IT. Even in your garage.
It will make your boy want to ride a bike as well.
Being in the fresh air going on adventures is fun.

Keep us posted!