Im trying to weed my way through all the info,but, oh my!

tomdav said:
My concern with the Lafree would be the 7 pound rear rack battery which will make it top heavy. Really, you don't want that!!

As far as Frey backlog, they posted delivery time for new orders is 50-60 days, so roughly ~2 months. Not that big a deal. It's 3 weeks longer than normal. Another potential downside of the Frey CC is it's going to be heavy to lift with full suspension, ultra motor, and 840wh battery. Consider how you will be transporting and storing your bike.

Whatever you do, don't rush your purchase. I'd ask around and see if you can find a few other users in your area with ebikes. Take a few test rides to see what you like and don't like. Dont go to a dealer and make an impulse buy. It's a big investment and you have plenty of time. Weather won't be getting nice here in WA for at least 3 months anyway. ;)
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You are right about the rear battery, I should have paid more attention to that. So that's out (LaFree)
 
aurora and dost out (shoot!) ...lafree out , piaggio comfort + out, sigh. Not sure about moustache , Frey is intriguing but no way to ride or see one first. gazelle is a possibility , (but $$$) hope to try one out this weekend as I'm driving to the big city (Spokane) I will see what else they have to check out
 
Cuttingloose said:
T I never did hear if anyone knew anything about the base Comfort model from Piaggio.that is chain drivin?
Click to expand...
The 9 speed shimano rear derailleur & cluster are quite respected in the pedal bike market. With a mid drive motor, the life of the chain should be 1000-2000 miles with frequent lubrication, as it is thin compared to 7-8 speed chain.
Bikes with the 7 speed shimano rear, it was cheapend down for mass market kiddie bikes, and the repeatability of shifting suffers.
 
indianajo said:
The 9 speed shimano rear derailleur & cluster are quite respected in the pedal bike market. With a mid drive motor, the life of the chain should be 1000-2000 miles with frequent lubrication, as it is thin compared to 7-8 speed chain.
Bikes with the 7 speed shimano rear, it was cheapend down for mass market kiddie bikes, and the repeatability of shifting suffers.
Click to expand...
So, a no on Piaggio! Thanks
 
I think Elby bikes might be rear hub. Ohm cruise is rigid front fork. I'm guessing if you find a Moustache dealer the Samedi 28 low step would be special order from France.
 
Rear hub isn't bad per se. Motor weight is in the rear wheel so not as balanced as a mid drive and more inertia due to heavier wheel. The bigger disadvantage is you can't take advantage of the bikes gearing. With a mid drive you can switch to a lower gear on steep hills. With a rear hub it's more brute force as it has to rely on the gearing of the hub which may be limited. With a 250W mid drive you can easily conquer any hill if you have enough gears. Also, in rougher terrain or steep fire road you don't want to be going fast up steep stuff. With a powerful rear hub you might be able fly up a hill, but not have the low speed torque to go up slow and steady like you can with a mid-drive.
 
tomdav said:
Rear hub isn't bad per se. Motor weight is in the rear wheel so not as balanced as a mid drive and more inertia due to heavier wheel. The bigger disadvantage is you can't take advantage of the bikes gearing. With a mid drive you can switch to a lower gear on steep hills. With a rear hub it's more brute force as it has to rely on the gearing of the hub which may be limited. With a 250W mid drive you can easily conquer any hill if you have enough gears. Also, in rougher terrain or steep fire road you don't want to be going fast up steep stuff. With a powerful rear hub you might be able fly up a hill, but not have the low speed torque to go up slow and steady like you can with a mid-drive.
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Wow! Good information, thanks again!
 
If you don't have steep hills a rear hub would be fine. If you were in Florida I'd say this rear hub BH closeout at Lenny's would be very compelling. I believe the motor is Dapu but they make good geared hubs and I believe it even has torque sensing.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

I would still call Lenny's and see what kind of deals they have on the BH Atom step thru models. The Atom have a Brose mid drive motor (smooth and quiet).

What Trek are you looking at? I'm sure their offerings are decent.
 
tomdav said:
If you don't have steep hills a rear hub would be fine. If you were in Florida I'd say this rear hub BH closeout at Lenny's would be very compelling. I believe the motor is Dapu but they make good geared hubs and I believe it even has torque sensing.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

I would still call Lenny's and see what kind of deals they have on the BH Atom step thru models. The Atom have a Brose mid drive motor (smooth and quiet).

What Trek are you looking at? I'm sure their offerings are decent.
Click to expand...
Maybe the verve +3 lowstep? Ever heard of the Atom I will.check it out. I have to wait to call Lennys , I'm afraid I've lost my voice and am fighting a bug( which is why I'm spending so much time on the net, lol)
 
tomdav said:
Rear hub isn't bad per se. Motor weight is in the rear wheel so not as balanced as a mid drive and more inertia due to heavier wheel. The bigger disadvantage is you can't take advantage of the bikes gearing. With a mid drive you can switch to a lower gear on steep hills. With a rear hub it's more brute force as it has to rely on the gearing of the hub which may be limited. With a 250W mid drive you can easily conquer any hill if you have enough gears. Also, in rougher terrain or steep fire road you don't want to be going fast up steep stuff. With a powerful rear hub you might be able fly up a hill, but not have the low speed torque to go up slow and steady like you can with a mid-drive.
Click to expand...
Total mish mash. There are 2 kinds of hub motors, geared and direct drive. DD is suited for high speeds on flatter terrain. Urban commutes on fast smooth roads. Geared hub of 250 watts is not sold, mostly 750 watt ones are out there. My 1200 W geared hub will start 330 lb gross on a 15% grade. If you go into that grade with some momentum, it will hold 10 mph up it. 350 W mid drives are popular because that is the maximum power allowed in Europe, not the US. Also the bike shop makes more money on them. Geared hub bikes can be had for $999.
However, I built a front hub motor bike to balance out the groceries I carry in the back better. For $840 conversion cost I have a bike that hasn't pitched me on my chin in 27 months, will carry me 30 miles and 77 hills on one charge (17.5 ah battery).
 
I wasn't speaking in absolutes, more to rear hubs the OP would be looking at. Would a 750W Rad have enough torque to climb a steep / choppy fire road at low speed? 10 mph is actually pretty fast. What about 5 mph? I can gear down and climb as slow as I want on my 350W BBS01. Not really looking to get into a debate about hub vs. mid drive, more just answering the question why the OP might not want a rear hub in steeper terrain.

Edit: I probably shouldn't make too many assumptions about the hill climbing abilities of rear hubs. My only first hand experience is burning out a cheap rear hub motor on my first ride up a steep hill. I switched to a mid drive after that and never looked back. That said it seems they are more capable of climbing hills than I was giving credit. This bike retailer claims the Dapu rear hub (in the Crazy Lenny's BH $1580 overstock closeout) is more than capable of climbing hills so perhaps it might be a decent option:

newwheel.net

The Motor Systems

newwheel.net newwheel.net
 
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tomdav said:
I wasn't speaking in absolutes, more to rear hubs the OP would be looking at. Would a 750W Rad have enough torque to climb a steep / choppy fire road at low speed? 10 mph is actually pretty fast. What about 5 mph? I can gear down and climb as slow as I want on my 350W BBS01. Not really looking to get into a debate about hub vs. mid drive, more just answering the question why the OP might not want a rear hub in steeper terrain.

Edit: I probably shouldn't make too many assumptions about the hill climbing abilities of rear hubs. My only first hand experience is burning out a cheap rear hub motor on my first ride up a steep hill. I switched to a mid drive after that and never looked back. That said it seems they are more capable of climbing hills than I was giving credit. This bike retailer claims the Dapu rear hub (in the Crazy Lenny's BH $1580 overstock closeout) is more than capable of climbing hills so perhaps it might be a decent option:

newwheel.net

The Motor Systems

newwheel.net newwheel.net
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So much to weed through..I take them off lists as soon as I put them on! lots of different opinions and I'm so ignorant, it's more then a little overwhelming! Its such a lot of money, I dont want to make an uninformed choice. I so appreciate all the help, But the more I read Ithe less I know!
I liked the friendly "look" of the Elby, but it is also spendy and would it be comfortable over potholes and theres the whole rear hub thing. Most people seem to agree the mid drive is the better way to go? I dont speak the lingo! I wish there was a bike show I could just go in and see them and try them but that's not how it works. They are just names and pictures with lots of specs I dont really understand.
I thought the Aurora covered all the bases and then some,( maybe even take it up Hearts pass? Fun!) the reviews seemed good until I read the forum . It was even a seattle company... but nope.
So far the gazelles are within reach of looking at the treks too. I know every bike shop owner will push his own bikes but I will start there .keep the ideas coming and I will continue to sort. And call crazy L when I can
 
Check out the Elby forum here. I think it's safe to say you can cross it off your list permanently. ;)

electricbikereview.com

Elby Forum

Discuss the brand, its products and upcoming models.
electricbikereview.com electricbikereview.com
 
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