Help choosing Ebike for a tall rider

[rodwell66]

Hi everyone! I've been researching ebikes for a few months now. I have become aware of most of the issues. I have my choice narrowed down to a few and I have a spreadsheet with all the specs so that I can compare them. I'm having a hard time choosing mainly because I want it to "fit" me. I'm 6'2" with a 36" inseam, so I'd say I have pretty long legs. I'd also say I have long arms and a relatively short torso. I'm not able to actually sit on or try out any of these bikes (only a small handful of local shops and any ebikes they offer are out of my comfort-zone price-wise) so I'd just like to know if there is anyone out there who is my size and if so, what ebike "fits" them. Some of the brands have different sizes to choose from so of course I'd get the largest they offer. It's the models that only come in one size that I'm concerned about most. Would they be big enough so that I can pedal properly without feeling like my knees are in my chest? My budget is $2k-$3k USD. And if you want to know: I'm a 55 year old male. This will be my first ebike. I've ridden bikes recreationally over the years, but not much lately. Once I'm comfortable with the bike, I plan on commuting to work 7 miles one-way a few days a week. It's mostly flat, 70% of it is a paved bike trail, the rest would be city streets that are 25mph zones (need a rack, fenders would be nice). My plan is to use mostly the throttle on the trip there because I don't want to arrive all hot and sweaty, then get some exercise by pedaling with low assist on the trip home. Recreationally, I would like to take it out on some other paved trails, rural highways and possibly gravel roads. The last two would include some killer Iowa hills. I'm leaning towards the previous model of the Juiced Ripcurrent S because with the price reduction on it (down to around $2,000) I feel it gives quite a decent bang for the buck. I don't need a "fat tire bike", but wouldn't mind it...maybe it'll help absorb bumps that this 55 year old body feels more nowadays If I were to go to the top end of my budget, I'm looking at the Rize RX (not the Pro because it looks like the RX might have a larger frame?). I realize these are a bit different motor wise, but both have torque sensors from my research seem to get good reviews. Any thoughts on these or other models I should look at, all things considered? Thanks in advance! This forum has been a great resource!

 

[AHicks]

I used to have a 36" inseam, but at 71 now, seem to have shrunk a bit. With the availability of long seat posts and different combinations of handlebars and stems, I wouldn't be REAL concerned about having your knees coming up into your chest. If the bike doesn't fit well as received, parts are available from dozens of sources to do about anything you like.

Get the seat post set right for your inseam, then work on whatever riding position you want using handlebars and stems with different lengths and adjustable angles. This is the one I've used on the last couple of bikes for me. It's able to get to 90 degrees (straight up) and is unusually long so you don't have to use a bunch of unsightly shims underneath it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08X3LHMD1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[fauconnier]

Take a look at the 3 Sondors mid-drive, they have a large frame, huge motor, big battery and throttle.

 

[indianajo]

Lists of features sell bikes. They don't get the purchaser to work & back.
I suggest you check the brand forums for the threads of known problems and solutions. While this is not an exhaustive database, and the sales of each brand is a big secret, the number of posts provides some data. Juiced had 776 posts of problems and solutions today. https://electricbikereview.com/foru...es-products-help-solutions-fixes.13163/unread
I'd be suspicions of "one size fits all" for your body size. I'm quite short, but even buying a special bike for small people, I can't U-turn without my feet hitting the front fender. Live test ride is best, but since dealers hate warrenty work, you won't find too many inexpensive ebikes there. In Iowa there is no reason to buy a mid drive except the dealer profit. Hub drives save commuters about 50% of required chain maintenance over mid drives. Aventon is one hub drive bike with dealers, but at 144 posts today on known problems thread, they are not pure as fresh snow.
Surface604 shred come in 2 sizes and has a front suspension for smoother ride. https://surface604bikes.com/products/2022-shred At 30 posts the known problems thread is minimal, but whonoz what the market share is. Comes possibly with torque sensing. $2600 + freight.
If you are of a certain age, (I'm age 71) the Rook is equivalent but with no suspension and a drop frame. I started having trouble getting the foot over the seat & back wheel about age 62.
Hub drives can wear out the gears at about 5000 miles, but replacement motors are about $300 or less. I'm gotten used bafang front motor wheels from scrapped rental fleets for $37 +freight. I can change a power wheel quicker than I can change a chain, since my bike requires a chain splice.
Any bike with 26x1.75" tires or larger can ride pavement or gravel at will. I take mine off into the grass sometimes at my summer camp. I have 26"x2.1" tires. I get about 2000 miles out of knobbies, which if I keep the knobs >3/32" don't go flat. My giant or sun tires are ~$26. Fat tires (3" up) are for powder snow or fluffy beach sand. Fat tire bikes sold elsewhere IMHO are fashion ornaments. The tires are $120 up TJ posted.

 

[PedalUma]

Why not get an XXL bike and motorize it?

 

[Rickman1]

https://soulbeachcruisers.com/product-category/saber-ss-pro/

They a offer a couple of variants and sizes. Big bikes.

 

[rodwell66]

Thanks everyone, appreciate the comments and recommendations. Sounds like I have some more research to do I don’t think getting a bike and electrifying it is in the cards for me. I think pulling the trigger on one and then adding a higher seat post if necessary could work. I have heard of issues of trying to swap out the handlebars because sometimes the cables aren’t long enough if I’d want to raise the bar up. Point taken also on hub vs mid drive, for my needs I don’t think I have to get a mid drive, not going to be pulling any monster hills. I still plan on making sure it has a torque sensor. Good brakes, shifter, etc. The search continues!

 

[rich c]

Most of the big name companies have many frame sizes. On line only sales usually do not. My advice, no matter how far you have to drive, go somewhere where you can actually ride them. I go 400 miles round trip to buy my bikes. I've done that 3 times now. The first time I did that, I must have ridden 6 different models. You can't beat that kind of experience. It's even better than asking other people that aren't your size! LOL

 

[PedalUma]

That is right sit, on bikes and ride them. Here is an XL that I made electric yesterday that does not look too ugly. It is easy enough to install a stem riser with longer housings, like on this bike. Electrical can usually be rerouted to accommodate.

 

[AHicks]

Thanks everyone, appreciate the comments and recommendations. Sounds like I have some more research to do I don’t think getting a bike and electrifying it is in the cards for me. I think pulling the trigger on one and then adding a higher seat post if necessary could work. I have heard of issues of trying to swap out the handlebars because sometimes the cables aren’t long enough if I’d want to raise the bar up. Point taken also on hub vs mid drive, for my needs I don’t think I have to get a mid drive, not going to be pulling any monster hills. I still plan on making sure it has a torque sensor. Good brakes, shifter, etc. The search continues!

True statement there! Many times they can be re routed, but worst case is the offending cable must be replaced. That's just not that big a deal!

 

[PedalUma]

It is a little untidy but you can also extend an existing housing. Just do the extensions down low to keep the HB clean.

 

[fuyume]

I’m a little over 6’ 1”, and I bought a RadPower Bikes RadMission Mid-Step. It fits me well, and RadPower says it’s for people up to 6’ 2” and down to 5’ 4”. I don’t even have the seat post all the way up, although the riding position at my height is probably a bit more sporty than it would be for a shorter woman. The High-Step version of the RadMission has an even bigger frame.

 

[andystalick]

I am 6'6" with a 35" inseam.
I ended up with a Gazelle Ultimate T10+
They're made in the Netherlands, home to a lot of tall people

 

[PedalUma]

Go for a test ride on a Gazelle. They are nice.
"Dutch people are the world's tallest, with an average height of 175.62cm (5 feet 7.96 inches.)
Dutch men are an average 182.53cm (5 feet 11.86 inches) tall.
Dutch women are an average 168.72cm (5 feet 6.42 inches) tall."

 

[rodwell66]

Saturday I made a 2.5-hour trip to a bike dealer who only has ebikes. They carry 13 brands and had a lot of bikes in stock. However, at this particular moment, their stock was a low on large frame bikes. I would have liked to have ridden a large version of the Aventons and a couple others. That said, I did check out a Magnum and Gazelle model that even though they were a bit undersized for me, at least I got to experience them. After seeing these bikes in person, it really helped me make a choice. Man, the "fat tire" bikes are huge! I was drawn to the Juiced Ripcurrent S just because of the powerful battery/motor, but after seeing some fat tire bikes I'm not sure I would have liked it (although customers seem to like all that power). The one larger frame bike they had was the Surface604 Colt. There's a lot to like about it and after riding a few bikes and this one it confirmed for me a) that I didn't want a mid-driive without a throttle, b) a couple other bikes I rode felt less powerful than the Colt. I didn't get to ride the Colt a lot but it was enough to convince me to take the plunge. I figure it's better to have a dealer who I could help me down the road if I need it than to order online-only and run the risk of having issues. I've only put about 10 miles on it and I'm still getting used to it, but I'd say it was a good choice. It has a nice amount of power, and with throttle only I'm reaching about 23 mph on flat roads. I haven't pulled any long/steep hills yet, but there is a short hill in my neighborhood that is fairly steep and it seems to do OK. I like almost everything about it, but two things could use improvement: when I put the seat up to the height that is right for my legs, I feel like the handlebars need to be higher. There is an adjustment that I've done to tilt them back which gives a little more height. The dealer said I could add a riser but they can only go up so high before the cables are too short and I feel like with the tilt adjustment I made we are already at the limit. I'd love a more upright riding position. Also, I feel myself longing for another gear or two and a bit more pedal assist. Pedaling at right around that 23 mph mark is fairly comfortable. To get to go any faster I really need to pedal fast, like uncomfortably fast, and it takes quite a bit of effort. I foresee tiring out pretty fast, until I get into better shape . My commute as a long stretch of a fairly flat paved trail that has hardly any traffic on it, and I pictured myself tooling down this path closer to 30 mph for a nice, quick commute. Ain't gonna happen on this bike. Any thoughts on remedies for these two items? Good thing is, I can call the dealer and pick his brain, maybe there's a way to add a higher handle bar even if it means somehow extending the cables. An even bigger change would be to somehow add or change the sprockets to get a higher gear (faster high end speeds, faster "1st gear", I don't need the super low 1st/2nd gears). Thanks for all your help, especially the Surface604 Cold recommendation. I had looked at that bike and it was a contender...seeing it / riding it in person certainly made the decision easier.

 

[AHicks]

If you are like most, I think you are going to find that commuting at speeds over 20 mph eat WAY too much battery to be practical.

I'm 6'2" and generally able to find enough slack in the cables to reach a fairly upright ride. Toughest is usually the front brake, but often tilting the brake handle down a little will bring max height, which is one I can work with. The rest might have to be rerouted, but are generally fine. Worst case, you can replace the cables and/or brake lines with a set long enough to do what you want. I would suggest, don't mess around here. Do whatever it takes to enjoy the bike....

Re: pedaling fast enough to keep up with the pedals, look into replacing your front gear with one that has 4 to 6 teeth more than the one you have. Easy, and not too expensive mod....