Looking for first E-bike. Need advice

[Josh]

I am currently stationed overseas in South Korea. Commuting on a bike is very common, however, my house is up a ver steep hill. So steep most people walk their bikes up it. I park my bike at the bottom of the hill and walk 5 minutes to it. The rest of the hills in the area are more gentle.
I am looking for an Ebike that can satisfy my needs.
1. Power for hills. Multiple gears would help too.
2. Good disk brakes for coming down the hills.
3. Folding. Must fold. No one drives anything larger than a midsize and I would like to take a cab or bus if I need to.
4. Pedal assist and throttle. Dont think I care to much if its a traditional throttle or thumb.
5. Accessories. Front light, tail light, horn. All things I could possibly add myself. Storagr racks would be great.
6. Ability to have no pedal assist or ride it like a normal bike.

My biggest concern is getting a good quality bike that can go up steep hills and can ship to an APO. There are several on amazon that amazon says it can ship to me. My budget is less than $1500. Any help would be appreciated

 

[J.R.]

I am currently stationed overseas in South Korea. Commuting on a bike is very common, however, my house is up a ver steep hill. So steep most people walk their bikes up it. I park my bike at the bottom of the hill and walk 5 minutes to it. The rest of the hills in the area are more gentle.
I am looking for an Ebike that can satisfy my needs.
1. Power for hills. Multiple gears would help too.
2. Good disk brakes for coming down the hills.
3. Folding. Must fold. No one drives anything larger than a midsize and I would like to take a cab or bus if I need to.
4. Pedal assist and throttle. Dont think I care to much if its a traditional throttle or thumb.
5. Accessories. Front light, tail light, horn. All things I could possibly add myself. Storagr racks would be great.
6. Ability to have no pedal assist or ride it like a normal bike.

My biggest concern is getting a good quality bike that can go up steep hills and can ship to an APO. There are several on amazon that amazon says it can ship to me. My budget is less than $1500. Any help would be appreciated

I'm not sure what brands will ship to APO and I would guess shipping could add to the cost. Are there any dealers locally you could buy from? I would look into that, as that will also give you the opportunity to test ride before buying. As for the drive system, I would suggest a geared hub or a mid-drive will give better hill climbing and will also be lighter than a direct drive hub motor, with the geared hub being the lightest of the three and the mid-drive being the best hill climber. If you could get your hands on a Bafang/8-Fun BBS mid-drive, you could possibly add it to the folder of your choice. Prior to buying though, make sure the bike you want will allow for a mid-drive.

 

[Josh]

Amazon has a 2015 ejoe epik se for $1150. Its prime and looks like it may be able to ship. Is that a good quality bike that can fit my needs?
I wanted a radmini but I dont think they ship to APO

 

[JoePah]

If that hill is so steep you and most others cannot pedal up it, I'd question if any folding eBike that you could buy for $1500 could make it up that hill. Most of them have 350W hub motor and a small battery pack. That won't cut it on a steep hill.

This bike looks like it would do the trick.. Just have to find out if RadRover could ship it to you. It's heavy at 61 lbs.. But it is folding and has plenty of power.

https://electricbikereview.com/rad-power-bikes/radmini/

http://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radmini-electric-folding-fat-bike?variant=17586850561

Or you could buy the bike locally, and get an eBike kit from cellman in China.

You could ask Paul (CellMan) what your options are, he's a legend in the DIY EBike industry. http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=50_45

 

[J.R.]

Amazon has a 2015 ejoe epik se for $1150. Its prime and looks like it may be able to ship. Is that a good quality bike that can fit my needs?
I wanted a radmini but I dont think they ship to APO

The Radmini has some serious power for a folder. This is a thread referencing both the e-Joe and Radmini.

http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/any-radmini-people-out-there.4182/#post-46302

If you intend to come back to the States and think you will want to bring back your ebike, make sure you have a way to get the battery shipped here. Batteries from most ebikes are difficult to ship, needing to ship by land or sea. Most cannot be shipped by air.

 

[Josh]

The military will ship whatever I want for me when I leave. Wish I would have bought something before I came here.
I am having trouble finding a bike that can ship here. It looks like most of the Ebikes are to large according to USPS. Even the folding ones. Shipping weight has to be under 70lbs and size no more than 130 inch (L + hX2 + wX2). So having trouble. Anyone know a solution like a freight forwarder that can get oversized boxes to me in South Korea? I will try to find local shops, but I don't want the no brand china stuff with no power.
I am going to look into the DIY a little more because shipping a kit may be more feasible. What would be a good kit that I can get from a legitimate website that can be attached to a foldable bike (20ish inch wheels) and have power to go up hills?

 

[JoePah]

@Josh email Cellman.