Help picking bike (my name says it all)!!

[RookieCommuter]

Hello everyone. New to ebikes/bikes in general other then having them as a kid. I have done a lot of research and looking at several different brands. The two in particular is the optibike pioneer carbon and stromer st2. So lets start by my specs and purpose for the bike. I am a 5'5 male 160 lbs. Not very active due to the busyness of life. I live in Atlanta and due to the new beltline being built and traffic in the city I really want to "ditch" the car as much as possible and commute by bike. Using the bike as my main transportation.

With that being said most of my biking will be within 24-30 miles max round trip of my house. With that being said I don't want to be limited as I get in better shape with going further. Also we have hot summers and not looking to be soaked in sweat when I get where I am going (work, grocery store, out on town, etc).

I want maximum range, comfort, handling, exceptional quality built. So I have come down the stromer st2 and optibike. Heres the aftermarket parts I am looking to pair with the bike to achieve desired outcome. The Kinekt seat posts and fox suspensions forks. From what I have read these upgrades will make a world of difference. What I like most about the pioneer carbon is the weight, thumb throttle, and I can buy a extra battery to achieve the same max distance as the st2. The biggest pro about the stromer is the reputation they seem to have as being the best built bike on the market.

Open to other brands also but really like that both of these have a appearance of just a beefier main stream bike. Lets hear some opinions. I am here to learn.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I am a 5'5 male 160 lbs.

A 17" comfort frame ST2 would work well. The bike has massive range and power but it does have occasional electronic glitches. If there is a dealer willing to support you, you will immensely enjoy the bike.

Other options.

1. 41cm BULLS Six50 E2 Street - $3800
   
   
2. 45cm Trek Super Commuter - $4999 ( I can imagine the standover height could be an issue here but lots of dealers to test it out)
   
   
   
3. Specialized Turbo Vado - $4800 (small frame size)
   
   
   
4. Raleigh Redux IE - $3000 (small frame would work well)
   
   Someone in Atlanta area got one from @Chandlee EBS at Electric Bike Specialists ((Link Removed - No Longer Exists)) and you can read about the experience here.
   

 

[Chandlee EBS]

@RookieCommuter, feel free to come up for some test rides and see what you like. Our shop number is 423.475.6569. Today will be a little hectic though with ironman weekend 1 and an EV event. Might want to try when we open up again on Tuesday.
-Chandlee

 

[rich c]

Out of shape, and commuting in Atlanta? You'll need something more like a scooter if you can't freshen up at work. I've been to Atlanta in early August. You work up a sweat just standing outside! Riding rail to trails here in Peoria is a fairly easy ride on any bike, but I love my full suspension bike when riding streets in Chicago. I'm 65 years old though. I'm also a hard core Haibike fan! Their Xduro Trekking bikes are really nice with an aftermarket suspension seat post. Really nice lights and rack are standard.

 

[RookieCommuter]

I just stumbled upon the new reise and muller supercharger. It seem to have the distance I am looking for with the new dual battery setup built into the frame for the main stream look. Just wandering about the Gates belt drive setup and its reliability. The down side is it doesn't come out till December. The plus side is the price compared to the st2. Also with the St5 coming out theres a lot to think over. Anyone list some pros and cons on any of these setups. Also the supercharger already comes with fox front suspension forks.

 

[Over50]

I just stumbled upon the new reise and muller supercharger. It seem to have the distance I am looking for with the new dual battery setup built into the frame for the main stream look. Just wandering about the Gates belt drive setup and its reliability...Anyone list some pros and cons on any of these setups. Also the supercharger already comes with fox front suspension forks.

I'm a big fan of the belt drive. I have it on the Charger and on my human powered bike (Spot bike with Shimano Alfine hub). So far they have been very reliable and it eliminates a lot of maintenance. What I'm becoming less of a fan of is the Nuvinci hub that comes with the belt drive bikes for R&M. At least in my case, the Nuvinci leaves me wanting a bit more gear range. While it is simple to use and so far reliable, if I were making my purchase decision again I might reconsider the Nuvinci version and select the chain driven Shimano 11 speed (Rohloff would be overkill for my flat terrain use). I kinda wish R&M would offer a belt drive version with the Shimano Alfine 11 speed IGH. Seems like that would be a good option for someone like me who prefers an IGH paired with a carbon belt but who really doesn't care for the Nuvinci.