If you knew then what you know now......

[E-Wheels]

Hi experienced EBR members,
I'm looking at getting my first e-bike for daily commutes to work of 70km round trip mostly on flat coastal paths and quite roads and hoping to tap into your wealth of knowledge and experience
If you knew then what you know now when you bought your first e-bike what advice would you give to a novice like me and other new members of EBR

 

[grench]

Stromer all the way...pick the best one you can afford.

 

[E-Wheels]

Thanks grench,
Any more tips or suggestions out there

 

[Hugh]

I have a Bion X equipped road bike that I really like, it has skinny 700C tires and no suspension. The skinny tires make it very easy to peddle. Also purchased a MTB with 27.5" dia 2 1/4" wide tires with front suspension and if I was to do it over I think maybe the wider tire Mountain bike with the front forks - Giant Talon 2 would be a nice bike to electrify, just for the plush ride

 

[pxpaulx]

Being a bigger guy, I find my sduro mid drive haibike to clearly be more efficient than my easy motion evo snow. Beside I can use the gearing to make the motor run more efficiently, it has an easier job dealing with my added weight. The hub drive pushes hard from the start and uses more energy as a result, in my unscientific opinion anyway! So, if I knew that was the case, I would never have wasted my time with hub drive bikes.

 

[E-Wheels]

Thank you for the replies
Please keep them coming as your comments, experiences and advice is pure gold

I live in Australia where we are legally limited to 25km/hr so S Pedelecs are not an option or even available here
I will be commuting on quite roads and shared paths on mostly flat terrain
Willing to spend up to AUD6k to get a top quality and reliable e-bike to commute 350 km's over 5 days a week which I currently do on conventional carbon road bikes
Im not interested in a DIY project and would prefer a mid drive system on a commuter frame so as to comfortably manage the 70km daily range without having to purchase another charger to top up the battery at work
Kalkhoff Intregrale 8 is available here with the Impulse EVO RS 250w mid drive which seems quite good and comes with a 612 Wh battery
Recently discovered that Bulls will also be available soon offering the Brose mid drive system with a large battery capacity as well
Both have German origins which historically suggests quality and reliability

 

[EasyMotion Rider]

get something that you can hack to the s pedelec, you wont regret it

 

[grench]

get something that you can hack to the s pedelec, you wont regret it

+1

 

[JoeinJP]

This would be my advice not just for e-Wheels but anyone starting to considering ebikes.

Determine the primary reason(s) and secondary reasons you want the bike (which you've stated) and start with that for features. Not everyone buys an ebike for speed, not everyone buys an ebike for steep hills.

Read Court's explanations of the advantages and disadvantages of hub and middrive motors, geared/gearless, and weight distribution of the battery. View all his videos for whatever bikes might catch your interest. Make Youtube your friend.

Decide what features might be on your required list, what features might be on your 'nice to have but not necessary' list.

Test ride before you purchase, if possible.

 

[Cory151]

My Stromer ST2 has been an amazing bike but if I could do it again I would just buy one of the many used ones ( almost half the price of new) on Craigslist with fewer than 100 miles on it in the San Diego, L.A. area. Although for durability, reliability in any weather or hauling heavy loads the Juiced Rider is a real work horse of an ebike.

Now of all the e-bikes Ive owned...... the only one I would replace with the exact bike if it got stolen, tomorrow regardless of the cost would probably be my Stealth Bomber. I think its because there are less than 1,000 in existence combined with the fact that I am able to get to about anywhere in a 12 radius faster than I could in a car.