Bear with me for a lengthy post:
Just got back from my mtb commute - only the second time I’ve ridden to my new job. Used Google Fit for some tracking info. (side note, I think I would put 1500-2500 mi/yr on the bike)
Route: It’s only 5.1 mi, and my ride home has a steady incline of maybe 250’ gain over 2 miles, then mostly flat. I averaged 10mph roughly. My morning commute is of course the opposite, and averages a little faster with the downhill and less traffic. The uphill section usually has the most stops and starts, also.
stop/go factor: on my afternoon commute, since I stick to the main street with a nice bike lane, it has lots of stop lights and if you hit everyone, I can currently keep up with cars. An ebike may let me branch out to other faster streets with no dedicated bike lane, but I would be flowing with traffic, so I could up my speed and still be safe, I imagine. Either way, there is enough stop and go and I only hit a top speed of 16mph currently, so I see no need to rule out 20mph limited bikes now. Realizing that I may have a more stop and go pattern than many users with dedicated bike paths, I am now wondering if a geared hub motor would offer the best performance? Additionally, I do think I would like a throttle…
...which leads me to realizing that I need to at least ride a mid-motor torque pedalec and throttle/hub for test rides, even if they are not the exact models I may be looking at. They do at least have the Haibike locally. Hopefully that will help me determine if I have a preference for either speed sensor and/or throttle.
So, of course, more models keep popping up: Surface 604 Colt - will that be the best options/compromise for me? Is it worth ~$350 more than a RadCity? I can only imagine how the 2019 models may offer even more features for the same $. Which then makes me thing, go cheap, sell and upgrade later on... lol
Just thinking out loud, but also voicing my process as the additional info may give you guys help in any recommendations…