Help in this sea of choices

[Dallant]

Tsk-tsk... Or the OP is gonna hate us for derailing the thread

I recommended an option, you derailed the thread.

 

[Dallant]

Hi all, I'm new to the ebike scene and looking to get one instead of a car. I'm located in Denmark, so we have plenty of bicycle lanes and no hills.
I have not tested any but I plan to. I currently own a road bike which I've used for the past 4 years but I don't use it to get to work.
A friend of mine owns a Riese and Muller ebike which I'll give a test ride.

Main use of the bike would be for traveling to work, gym and home. So that comes out to maybe around 50km a day. So I'd like something that is fast and gets me there quickly & back (Class 3 maybe?).
I don't have a budget, I don't mind something expensive but only if it makes sense.

Wants:

• Comfort while riding long distance (20km is long to me)
• Ability to have a back or front rack. So I can put my bag(s) on it
• Good quality as the weather in denmark is crap, so the bike would be against the elements

Anyway, I hope the OP got some good suggestions of ebikes to look for. As he said, “class 3 maybe”. Many riders (like me) are fine with the 20 mph limitation and others think that’s just too slow. Since the weather in Denmark is crap, obviously, looking for ebikes with integrated fenders/lighting/great tires from the factory is a great start. Many folks like having included front suspension to smooth the ride and often add suspension seat posts, handlebar stems, and seats. Best of luck whatever you decide and can find!

 

[Art Deco]

I'm kinda late to the party. Sound like no class that is actually forbidden and bikes can use sidewalks when the streets are jammed. Infrastructure for bikes and low fatalities, too.

 

[Art Deco]

And the op hasn't set a budget ?

 

[asagura]

There are not that many options for S-Pedelecs in Europe:

• Trek Allant+ 9.9s, 9s (new), 8s (@Alaskan, these do have the Speed motor)
• Specialized Turbo Vado 6.0
• Riese & Muller HS models
• Nikolai (as pointed out by TS25)
• Stromer (I personally do not like the idea of an exotic hub-drive Direct Drive motor but that's me)
• Bulls Bikes E-Stream Evo 45 AM (an e-MTB)
• There is a Cube S-Pedelec (can't remember the model name)
• There is a Haibike S-Pedelec (can't remember the model name either)
• What else?

Three of e-bikes mentioned here are of SUV-class while others are more like regular but speed e-bikes. Looks there will be a lot of experimenting for Asagura

Let me only suggest to @asagura to not only test ride many e-bikes but also ask the dealer to demonstrate actual smartphone connectivity to given e-bike (yes yes, I'm devil's advocate)

P.S. I totally agree: no significant hills in Denmark and not much of off-road. An e-MTB is actually not practical there. Even full suspension seems to be an overkill for CPH I found a single climb on my Copenhagen ride and could clear it on a traditional 3 hub-gear bike. Me, with my ill legs...

Thanks for listing some specific models!

What about the smartphone connectivity is really exciting to you?

Yeah, I think full suspension would a overkill especially since the bike roads are really well maintained. There aren't many areas that I'd go on with potholes or uneven roads at high speeds (I think )

 

[asagura]

And the op hasn't set a budget ?

I don't have a budget limit, every option is possible.

 

[asagura]

Anyway, I hope the OP got some good suggestions of ebikes to look for. As he said, “class 3 maybe”. Many riders (like me) are fine with the 20 mph limitation and others think that’s just too slow. Since the weather in Denmark is crap, obviously, looking for ebikes with integrated fenders/lighting/great tires from the factory is a great start. Many folks like having included front suspension to smooth the ride and often add suspension seat posts, handlebar stems, and seats. Best of luck whatever you decide and can find!

Do seat post suspensions make a big difference in comfort, especially on an ebike where it's faster? I haven't ridden any bikes with suspension before.

Haven't had the time to go to any store and test ride yet but hope to find time soon!

 

[Dallant]

Do seat post suspensions make a big difference in comfort, especially on an ebike where it's faster? I haven't ridden any bikes with suspension before.

Haven't had the time to go to any store and test ride yet but hope to find time soon!

I ride mostly on paved paths/gravel and have front suspension (for a real bum shoulder) and a low-cost suspension seat post which helps a bit. Depending on the ebike you get, you may want to ride on a variety of surfaces once you get into biking. Now is the right time to ponder if you want a diamond or lowstep frame.

 

[Art Deco]

I don't have a budget limit, every option is possible.

Bookmarked This is what I ride .on left side and step thru with suspension fork on right an European Como with unlimited power
A Montague M-E1 would be on my shortlist ... 27 inch wheels on a step through electric folder

Recon-M

Inspired by Military design and based off of the legendary Montague Paratrooper frame, this folding bike offers high performance with ZERO compromises. Featuring high quality components and an incredibly folding frame, the HPC Recon offers unmatched portability while offering the same high...

hpcbikes.com

Anyone know what Como this is?

This is off the specialized website. What is this como with a suspension fork?

electricbikereview.com

 

[Art Deco]

I don't have a budget limit, every option is possible.

You are a brave man. Have fun.You should also spend some time in the Rides in Words Maps Videos thread and notice what and where some of these members that ride daily have.posted.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What about the smartphone connectivity is really exciting to you?

• Possibility to tune the motor in the range of 0-100% of Assistance and the same for Max Motor Power. Allowing you to get improbable range at the cost of lower assistance/power or massive support and full power at the cost of range. At any time you choose.
• Detailed e-bike diagnostics including battery charge cycles, battery health, motor & battery temperature
• Connect your Garmin or other sports wearable to your e-bike
• Smart Control:
  -- Set distance to be ridden, planned elevation gain and battery % left after the ride; let the system continuously regulate the assistance to meet the goal
  -- Set the planned time ride and battery % left at the end of the ride; let the system... (ditto)
  -- Connect Hear Rate Monitor wirelessly. Let e-bike regulate assistance, so your heart rate would never go in, say, anaerobic regime; protect your heart with e-bike
• Use smartphone as a Dashboard with, say, 18 ride parameters continuously updated. Nice to see your cadence, your leg power, motor power, speed, inclination, motor & battery temperature and many more on a single screen?
• See the map and be navigated at the same time
• Save your full ride data to Strava post-ride
• Download 51 ride parameter history to Excel and analyse your and e-bike's performance
• Play a history of your ride on the map. It will even show you when you farted

Now, guess which of S-Pedelecs I mentioned can do it. To make it simple: only one of them can. Plus a EUR10 app.

Not forgetting Supernova M99 Pro headlamp with automatic daytime mode, automatic automotive-grade automatic low beam and 1600 lm high-beam on demand. Supernova tail-light with STOP signal activated by brake lever press. Still unimpressed?

Unique, totally silent motor with 90 Nm and 520 W peak power? Racing-grade, e-bike specific TRP Zurich 180/180 brakes?

P.S. I should have been working for Specialized marketing

 

[Dallant]

• Possibility to tune the motor in the range of 0-100% of Assistance and the same for Max Motor Power. Allowing you to get improbable range at the cost of lower assistance/power or massive support and full power at the cost of range. At any time you choose.
• Detailed e-bike diagnostics including battery charge cycles, battery health, motor & battery temperature
• Connect your Garmin or other sports wearable to your e-bike
• Smart Control:
  -- Set distance to be ridden, planned elevation gain and battery % left after the ride; let the system continuously regulate the assistance to meet the goal
  -- Set the planned time ride and battery % left at the end of the ride; let the system... (ditto)
  -- Connect Hear Rate Monitor wirelessly. Let e-bike regulate assistance, so your heart rate would never go in, say, anaerobic regime; protect your heart with e-bike
• Use smartphone as a Dashboard with, say, 18 ride parameters continuously updated. Nice to see your cadence, your leg power, motor power, speed, inclination, motor & battery temperature and many more on a single screen?
• See the map and be navigated at the same time
• Save your full ride data to Strava post-ride
• Download 51 ride parameter history to Excel and analyse your and e-bike's performance
• Play a history of your ride on the map. It will even show you when you farted

Now, guess which of S-Pedelecs I mentioned can do it. To make it simple: only one of them can. Plus a EUR10 app.

Not forgetting Supernova M99 Pro headlamp with automatic daytime mode, automatic automotive-grade automatic low beam and 1600 lm high-beam on demand. Supernova tail-light with STOP signal activated by brake lever press. Still unimpressed?

Unique, totally silent motor with 90 Nm and 520 W peak power? Racing-grade, e-bike specific TRP Zurich 180/180 brakes?

P.S. I should have been working for Specialized marketing

I’m quite convinced you are.
To the OP, just remember that for the type of driving you’ve described, all this connectivity with your phone is completely unnecessary. It’s mostly a toy to fiddle with and if you use your phone as a screen, you constantly place it in harms way.
Do you really want/need your system to continually “regulate” your ebike assistance? As a heart patient myself, the idea that you need your ebike to do that is a very rare need. My Apple Watch shows/records my heart rate and I could, if necessary, vary my own effort.
If you test ride and find a bike you love, this kind of screwing around is superfluous. That said, some folks love that sort of thing.

 

[Art Deco]

I’m quite convinced you are.
To the OP, just remember that for the type of driving you’ve described, all this connectivity with your phone is completely unnecessary. It’s mostly a toy to fiddle with and if you use your phone as a screen, you contantly place it in harms way.
Do you really want/need your system to continually “regulate” your ebike assistance? As a heart patient myself, the idea that you need your ebike to do that is a very rare need. My Apple Watch shows/records my heart rate and I could, if necessary, vary my own effort.
If you test ride and find a bike you love, this kind of screwing around is superfluous. That said, some folks love that sort of thing.

Agreed, for me it only valuable if I can ignore it while I'm riding. Phone goes in the bag,,, out of sight out of mind,,, until I want to stop and take a picture. For others It matters a lot, I guess.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Some nations are more developed than others, Dallant
So, the SUV e-bikes based on Bosch cannot offer such capabilities? OK.

 

[GenXrider]

Just another thought...Trek Allant+7 - 2020 Dutch ebike of the year. Not as fast or expensive as the 9.9 but a very solid, reliable ebike set up from the factory for commuting and/or trail and gravel.
View attachment 81900

Nice. I considered an Allant +7s, not just for the higher speed but also the higher gearing with the larger chainring. Semi-LBS had a large stagger in stock. None of the 8's or 9's were in stock, but I preferred the 7's because they have front suspensions. I definitely would have been much more comfortable purchasing a bike with a Bosch motor over a Brose after all the reading I've done. I'll take a little noise over a motor failure.