ISO powerful yet light ebike for shortie in SF :D

[Smallsoul]

Hi!

This is such an awesome community I'd love to ask for guidance on my ebike purchase.

I had and loved a RadCity Stepthru but it was sadly stolen here in SF, so I'm looking for advice on whether I should get the upgraded version from the same company, or if there is something else out there I missed last time researching.

Need to haves:
1. Strong motor! My RadCity had a 750 motor. I will be going up and down huge SF hills!
2. Step through frame, or extra small sizes. I'm 4'11''!

Like to have:
1. Integrated battery/sleek design
2. Lightweight My RadCity was ~80lb and lifting it into my building was a little awkward

My budget is $1800-5000

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[indianajo]

Doss Drop CVT looks good. https://electricbikereview.com/dost/drop-cvt/
31.5" minimum standover height needs to be compared to your inseam. 62.5 lb. $4000
Else liv brand is known to cater to short people.
Hope you have utility poles to lock to in SF. Nearly every other tether can be quickly cut. Live gas meter pipes are good, as are live 480 vac conduits. This 6'x1/2" SS sling has served me well https://www.mcmaster.com/8942T15 costs $88 with a $47 Abus 92/80 lock . Weighs 8 +2 lb, rolls up to minimum 20" diameter, requires a big pannier bag.
SS 1/2" cable is a real PIT* to cut. Doesn't burn like regular steel in an oxy-acetylene flame and dulls most bolt cutters in one cut. Takes 3 hands using a 4.5" grinder. There is a $300 SS cable cutter available but most thieves don't count on stainless steel, don't carry one. I've had two attempted thieves knife my tire instead of stealing the bike.
Else 14 mm ally motorcycle chain costs ~$200 in the 6' size and weighs about 25 lb. Less than 6' won't wrap a utility pole in many cases.

 

[Smallsoul]

Doss Drop CVT looks good. https://electricbikereview.com/dost/drop-cvt/
31.5" minimum standover height needs to be compared to your inseam. 62.5 lb. $4000
Else liv brand is known to cater to short people.
Hope you have utility poles to lock to in SF. Nearly every other tether can be quickly cut. Live gas meter pipes are good, as are live 480 vac conduits. This 6'x1/2" SS sling has served me well https://www.mcmaster.com/8942T15 costs $88 with a $47 Abus 92/80 lock . Weighs 8 +2 lb, rolls up to minimum 20" diameter, requires a big pannier bag.
SS 1/2" cable is a real PIT* to cut. Doesn't burn like regular steel in an oxy-acetylene flame and dulls most bolt cutters in one cut. Takes 3 hands using a 4.5" grinder. There is a $300 SS cable cutter available but most thieves don't count on stainless steel, don't carry one. I've had two attempted thieves knife my tire instead of stealing the bike.
Else 14 mm ally motorcycle chain costs ~$200 in the 6' size and weighs about 25 lb. Less than 6' won't wrap a utility pole in many cases.

Hey thank you so much! That bike is super cool!!! It's like perfect! A little heavy but the tradeoff of all the power you get is amazing. And I love the twist throttle feature.

Unfortunately my inseam is about 29", so it's a little too tall for me I guess. But having the step through frame would probably make it not such a big deal!?

I will definitely take your advice on the lock. I always kept my bike indoors and really only took it out during the day and kept it more or less within my sight. But I let someone borrow it and they left it out all night outside a bar in the TL and that's when it got taken, hahaha. I'd like to invest in a great lock anyways just for more peace of mind when leaving it outside, so thank you again for the recommendation!

 

[indianajo]

I stand on tip-toes when I am stopped, so my seat is about 5" higher than I can actually stand over. One gets up on the pedals & then slides back to the seat at takeoff. I wear 28" leg pants, so I'm pretty short too. You see my bike left, a drop frame no longer sold.
Unfortunately dost drop is an internet only bike and you can't try one out. Rad city minimum seat height is 28", so quite a bit shorter than the dost drop. https://electricbikereview.com/rad-power-bikes/radcity-5-plus-step-thru/
A liv rove has 29" minimum seat height in XS frame, but it is only a 250 w motor and it looks as if the biggest rear sprocket is 28 or 32 tooth. https://electricbikereview.com/liv/2022-rove-e-plus/ May not be up to telegraph hill.

 

[Dewey]

@indianajo is right the Liv Rove uses the Yamaha/Giant SyncDrive Core motor with 50nm torque, you might prefer to test ride the Liv Amiti E+ which uses the slightly more powerful SyncDrive Life motor (60nm), the xs frame size says it will fit riders from 4’11” and it weighs around 50lb which is considerably lighter than the RadCity.

The Kona eCoco is similar but lighter in the small frame size at 43lb, fits riders from 4’10”, and has a Shimano Steps e6100 motor (60nm)

The Trek Allant E+ 7 low-step is 47lb, says it fits riders from 5’1” so might be a bit big, but uses a more powerful Bosch CX motor (85Nm).

If you prefer a Class 2 you might like to look at the new Pedego Avenue which is 47lb which is light for a Class 2 with a 48v system, 60nm hub motor, and has a small step through frame option that might work. The hill tests in this review demonstrate the Avenue has sufficient power to take you up hill on throttle if you stop in a high gear, but it weighs 18lb less than a RadCity!

If you want the convenience and ease of being able to shift down when stationary, consider the Vvolt Centauri S, 51lb, 80nm Class 1 motor, Enviolo CVT, and fits riders from 4’9” in the Small frame size. The website says sold out but that may be an error because it’s only recently gone on sale so contact them if you’re interested. Vvolt are a new brand from Seattle and one of the founders owns the Showers Pass rainwear brand.

For the bikes on this list with rigid forks, if you want to take the edge off bumps but didn't want to add the weight of a suspension fork, you might like to consider adding a suspension stem from Kinekt or Redshift.