Newbie Questions on Motor Size, Geared vs Single Speed

[smary]

New to electric bikes but in the market to purchase. My goal is to get back in to biking after not being able to exercise following a prolonged illness. Primary reason for buying electric is for the pedal assist and will be used mostly for road riding or paved path riding with some hills (not majorly steep) and using pedal assist as needed. I want to be able to tackle the hills when encountered as many of our rural paved roads are in cattle country with rolling hills.

I am 5 feet 4 inches about 155 pounds and am looking to purchase an affordable ebike in the price range of $1,300 or less. I found this gives me a few options where I can either get a single speed with a more powerful motor of 350w - 500w or a geared ebike (7 speed or higher) with a 250w motor. The motor for me is not for how fast I can go but more so to be able to ride longer considering the hilly terrain. I also prefer the mid-step or high-step vs step through style.

My question, is the higher wattage motor single speed (i.e., Rad Power Mission 1) a better option than a lower wattage geared ebike (i.e., Propella V 4.0 7 Speed) considering I will most likely need assistance on the hills? The two bikes mentioned seem to have favorable reviews in the “affordable” category but I’m open to recommendations.

Any help or suggestions would be sincerely appreciated.

Smary

 

[rich c]

If you are trying to use this for rehabilitation, you'll need gears. Moving a heavy eBike across an intersection on a single speed is hard work.

 

[harryS]

In my mind, a single speed is ugh, We graduated from single speed bikes as kids to having the greater freedom of gears, so we can have our pedaling fit our needs, whether it's starting across an intersection, cruising on flats, coasting down a hill, climbing a hill.

I was out riding a bike with a similar a 500W rear motor today, and I had to shift it down several times for slight inclines and wind, just poking along at 12 mph. Even ebikes need gears in my opinion.

 

[smary]

Thank you for the responses. So it looks like you both suggest the geared bike with the 250w motor. Would 250w be sufficient for rolling hills or are you aware of any geared bikes with a more than 250w but still in my price range?

 

[Dewey]

The Ride1Up 500 and Core-5 models, if available, have 7-speeds, 48v batteries, and 500w hub motors. An issue might be frame sizing, Ride1Up suggest rider height of from 5’5” for the 500 XR diamond frame vs from 5’ 1” for the 500 ST step through, or from 5’6” for the Core-5 XR diamond frame vs from 5’ for the Core-5 ST step through.

 

[AHicks]

Single speed will really limit (cripple) the bike's utility/functionality.

 

[smary]

The Ride1Up 500 and Core-5 models, if available, have 7-speeds, 48v batteries, and 500w hub motors. An issue might be frame sizing, Ride1Up suggest rider height of from 5’5” for the 500 XR diamond frame vs from 5’ 1” for the 500 ST step through, or from 5’6” for the Core-5 XR diamond frame vs from 5’ for the Core-5 ST step through.

Any opinions on Ancheer through Amazon. I found a 500w 48v battery with 21 gears. With shipping and assembly cost it comes in at $1,068 but I see a mix of positive and negative reviews.

Touch the image to zoom in

ANCHEER Electric Bike, 48V 500W 27.5" Commuter Electric Bike with Removable 48V 10Ah Battery and 21 Speed Gears​

 

[kmccune]

You might try a "Maxfoot" beach cruiser-750 watts( has them all) around $1300 now, had one wish I had kept it, 7 speeds, the motor was producing 85 Nm of torque and believe Me that thing was plenty powerful, the only downside was the weight( of course the motor took care of that.