Ultra Low Step for limited mobility

[sande005]

My wife was a big fan of her current Trek Lift+ Lowstep...but... a knee replacement and rotator cuff surgery has greatly lessened her mobility in getting on/off or getting a foot down for support when stopping/starting. She's fallen at stop signs, etc. a couple of times, and has pretty much given up on that bike. Riding is fine - no mobility, control or position issues when in motion.
Went to a bike show in a far distant city, and she sat on a Tern "nbd" - a new model not yet out (https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/471/nbd), and thought that might be a perfect solution. Ultra low step, easy to get on, seemed good for starting/stopping. She didn't get any "in motion" ride test, though...have to wait for someone to actually get them in for that.
Looking for suggestions for something similar to look at. Class 1 or Class 3 is fine, she does not want a throttle.
Folding might be nice, but not a requirement. Quality of the bike, and availability of servicing (ie - not just one shop in the entire US for work/parts, etc.) preferred
Suggestions?

 

[Dewey]

Electra Townie Go 7D might suit and they’re sold and serviced in Trek stores & REI

 

[procreator]

My wife really liked the Townie when she rode it. Besides the fact that we were looking for something a bit less expensive, the biggest reason we didn't go this the 7D is the battery is not removeable. I live in northeast Wisconsin, and removing the battery for storage during winter is a priority.

Otherwise, we thought it was a really good bike.

Another way to go is a bike with 20" wheels. There are many options there. Most are foldable but they look very different from the Townie.

 

[Dewey]

Maybe one of the new REI Generation E bikes, those are Class 1, have 20” wheels, and a removable battery, at 54lb it weighs 7lb more than a Townie Go 7D

 

[6zfshdb]

The Pedego Boomerang is the lowest step thru I've seen:

Shop for the Boomerang LowStep Electric Bike | Pedego Electric Bikes

The Pedego Boomerang Electric bike delivers quality for riders, fully-loaded with user-friendly features that make riding even more fun and practical.

pedegoelectricbikes.com

Pedego has a nationwide dealer network and is well known for their quality customer service.

The Boomerang is a class 2 but the throttle can easily be removed.

 

[Dewey]

Then there’s Crazy Lenny’s in Madison, WI, they have a Black Friday sale on, this Bintelli Florence looks similar to a Pedego Boomerang though like most Pedego’s is a Class 2 with a throttle and at 65lb isn’t light, or this Reid Classic is a relatively light (48lb) Class 1 no throttle step through.

 

[TrevorB]

Why not fit a dropper post to existing bike. Allows her to stay seated and have both feet flat on ground when stopped.

There a dropper posts with suspension seatpost but there are hard to come by so may have to forego a suspension seat post.

 

[sande005]

We're on hold right now. Between the knee replacement a year ago, which is limiting her step over, and a rotator cuff 6 mos ago, she's feeling pretty 'unstable" for biking. We tried a different Tern at a LBS, and she's too freaked about reinjury to try to overcome. We looked at a dropper before the shoulder incident, and she doesn't want something she has to think about as she rolls up to a stop sign. Heading South soon, and there is a place to rent a recumbent. We'll see how that goes. Also, after a year and a half of semi-confinement due to the surgeries, first order is strength and balance work now that the PT's and Doc's have loosened their restrictions. That would open up more options.

 

[Rexlion]

Understandable.

I would second the suggestion to try an Electra Townie when she's feeling better. The crank is positioned farther forward, which allows the feet to be flat on the ground while the rider is in the saddle. This can really help with stability. I have been riding a similar Trek Pure (non-powered) crank-forward bike for the past decade, and when I bought my Ride1Up ebike it took a week for me to re-teach myself to get my butt off of the saddle when stopping. Starting out was much easier on the Pure, too. The Townie will be very similar.

 

[catgirleugenics]

We're on hold right now. Between the knee replacement a year ago, which is limiting her step over, and a rotator cuff 6 mos ago, she's feeling pretty 'unstable" for biking. We tried a different Tern at a LBS, and she's too freaked about reinjury to try to overcome. We looked at a dropper before the shoulder incident, and she doesn't want something she has to think about as she rolls up to a stop sign. Heading South soon, and there is a place to rent a recumbent. We'll see how that goes. Also, after a year and a half of semi-confinement due to the surgeries, first order is strength and balance work now that the PT's and Doc's have loosened their restrictions. That would open up more options.

getting healthy definitely takes the priority, glad to hear she has access to the doctors she needs to make that happen.

it sounds like you already had the recumbent idea, that's what i was coming here to suggest you try in the mean time. something like that or some style of cargo bike that will let the two of you still get out and enjoy cycling, but in a way where you can do most of the work. that way your wife can take all the time she needs to get better without as much risk, then once healing is properly finished you can look at something like the townie. my girlfriend has a disability that doesn't allow them to cycle for more than a few minutes at a time, so we use a cargo bike to get around town. it's fun and definitely safer than if they were to try and ride on their own.