Help me narrow down my bike choices

F

Fensus

New Member
Hello all,

Thanks for helping me out to pick my first ebike, here are all the details:
  • 30 years old, 6ft 210 pounds
  • 15 km each way commute (exact route here where you can see the elevation changes https://goo.gl/maps/VuKbkiUxSL82)
  • Can charge battery at work before commute home so capacity isn't a HUGE issue
  • Commute will be with a 25lb dog (either in a towing trailer or basket)
  • I live in Canada so options are limited
  • Budget is <$2000 canadian
  • not interested in DIY

As you can see in the above route, there are some hills, but I'm really not sure what qualifies as a 'tough hill' for deciding what motor will be best. Then I also need to take into account the extra burden of towing the weight of a trailer and dog. I've seen suggestions that cargo bikes (like the rad wagon) are best for hauling stuff, but I don't exactly see why that is? They are typically much heavier bikes, and if I'm already planning on adding significant weigh, it seems a better choice would be a more powerful motor on a lighter bike. Anyways, here are some of the bikes that I'm currently leaning towards after a couple weeks of research:

Thanks again for the help guys and girl, let me know if there are any additional questions I can answer to help narrow down the options, and I'm also open to new suggestions of bikes I may not have considered (but remember I'm Canadian!)
 
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People seem to love the juiced bikes, the cross current would be my choice here. Rad bikes are a good build, I have the rad rover myself. I'd skip the urban rider and volt bikes, those are just kinda off the shelf Chinese builds.
 
pxpaulx said:
People seem to love the juiced bikes, the cross current would be my choice here. Rad bikes are a good build, I have the rad rover myself. I'd skip the urban rider and volt bikes, those are just kinda off the shelf Chinese builds.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I appreciate your opinion. I also like the Rad wagon as its specifically designed for hauling, but I feel its counter intuitive to get an already heavy bike and then add a trailer to it (I guess if went the wagon route I'd probably put a dog basket or something on the back instead of a trailer)

As far as the Juiced Cross current, do you feel the power provided (350w geared hub motor) would be sufficient for towing a trailer on the hills along my route? My first impression was that its a bit underpowered for my needs.

Also, did you have any opinion of the Montecapro? Seems like a wicked deal with early bird pricing, but not sure if a mid-drive is overkill for my purposes and just asking for unwanted maintenance. Also not sure if rear suspension is a bad idea for towing.
 
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The Monte Capro is probably going to be the most fun to ride, and you can lock out the rear suspension to lessen its effect as well. Can't really go wrong with the early bird pricing either.
 
The Rad Wagon is built to carry an extra 100lbs more weight than most bikes, so the extra ~20lbs of the bike becomes irrelevant. It might cut down the ability to hill climb slightly, but again, we're talking about 20 extra pounds (or 25, depending on the bike you choose). To me, that's not a factor. I've been using mine to get me 22miles to/from work, carrying 330-ish lbs, and really enjoying it. The only mods I've made are to add a brighter headlamp, add panniers (I got the ones from Rad Power, which, honestly, aren't super impressive. They're priced well though), and I might get a different stem so I can ride a little more upright. If you're not feeling the need for a cargo bike though, the other Rad Power bike, the RadRover, might work better. I've been impressed with the bikes, the company and the pricing so far. Good luck to you, whatever bike you pick!
 
@Fensus I was left wondering what other uses you plan for your ebike. The way you've laid out your requirements, it's as tho' commuting to/from work was the only mission to be accomplished. If you already have or are sharing a family bike and/or would prefer to ride a different non-ebike for other purposes and/or would like to avoid the full cost you mentioned, something like a Ridekick could accomplish the same commuting task. And - with a little reengineering - offer a decent place to plop the pooch. You'll find Court's review of the Ridekick here. FWIW I'm not keen on the idea of the pooch being high up in a basket, for its sake and the rider's. Raised CG, chance of real injury in a spill, and so forth. Good luck on the Hunt!

Jack
 
It appears that is not an e-bike. Sorry. Add a Bafang BBSO2 MID Drive if the Nexus IGH can handle it. On sale at Lunacycles.com
 
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