Looking for a hill climber

[eguy]

Hey all,

I've been considering getting an ebike to bike to work instead of driving since I am less than 4 miles from my office. I live in an area of steep hills and no bike lanes (which is why I want an ebike and not a regular bike). I did a test ride of a Pedego Platinum Interceptor just to get a feel for one because I had never been on an ebike. I found that to be way too expensive and more than I need. I was looking at the 2018 RadCity, the VoltBike Enduro, and the CrossCurrent S. The steepest climb on the commute is 300ft over 1 mile and I'd imagine I'd need a pretty powerful motor to help me climb that on a bike. I am leaning towards the 2018 RadCity but thought I'd ask the hivemind of EBR for recommendations. I am hesitant about the CrossCurrent S because of the delays and how long it would take to get.

 

[comradecasey]

Get a mid drive bike. I picked up an open box Evelo Delta for ~$3k that is fantastic. I can't 100% recommend a Juiced bike as I have their Hyper Fat bike and while it has plenty of torque, a mid drive will still have more and there are lots of other issues with Juiced as well (support being the main one).

 

[rich c]

With a 4 mile commute, get any ebike, they will all get you up a hill on a 4 mile ride. The only difference between any of them will just depend on how fast you want to get up that hill. If you are good with 10mph, then any of them will work. Need 16+mph on the hill and you will need a test ride. We really can't recommend something, we have no idea how much you weigh, how much gear you will carry, how good your legs are for pedal assist, and how fast you want to get there.

 

[eguy]

With a 4 mile commute, get any ebike, they will all get you up a hill on a 4 mile ride. The only difference between any of them will just depend on how fast you want to get up that hill. If you are good with 10mph, then any of them will work. Need 16+mph on the hill and you will need a test ride. We really can't recommend something, we have no idea how much you weigh, how much gear you will carry, how good your legs are for pedal assist, and how fast you want to get there.

Sorry, should have included that. I'm around 160lbs and won't be carrying anything other than a backpack or maybe a pannier on the back rack. The hills are pretty steep, so I probably wouldn't want to do too much pedaling, I was thinking at least 350W and preferably more. Ideally more than 10+ mph.

 

[indianajo]

If the 300 feet is evenly spaced over the 1 mile, that is less than a 1% grade and most any 250 W or bigger bike motor should do the job.
I have three 15% grades about 100 feet long on my commute, and bought a 1000 W geared hub motor. With gross weight 280 lb (including 50 lb supplies & 40 lb steel basket) It got me up those hills quite spritely, using less watts at 12 mph than at 7. I didn't want a mid drive because they replace the 2nd and 3rd crank sprockets with the driven sprocket, and I wanted the ability to pedal up myself most of the time. I can do that without power with the 30:28 sprocket ration of low first of a 21 speed bike. Mid drives also wear the 3/32" thick chain pretty hard. I don't want to replace the chain in the middle of the summer: as I ride >2000 miles per year.
BTW working that hard pedaling myself, the cardiologist did $4000 worth of tests last year and concluded "there is nothing wrong with your heart". I'm age 67 and was obese when I quit working. I'm not now. I wanted electric drive to take me on 80 mile excursions to concerts & fall festivals. 30 miles a day is my usual commute.