Wanted: Lightweight (less than 20kg), high Torque (90NM), Motor offering large amount of power 500w+, removable large battery

[Cyklefanatic]

What your asking for doesn’t really exist because high power and light weight are mutually exclusive. I also am assuming that you need fenders and a rack which add more weight.
Some suggestions. Don’t focus on the 90nm. Most of the torque numbers published are marketing hype and not directly comparable. So buy a light weight bike with a small motor and change out the front chain ring for something smaller. This will help with your big hill. But it will reduce your top speed, not sure if that is an issue. Another option is a cassette with a better granny gear that you can use for that steep hill.
You mention problems with walk mode. I can’t speak for all brands but walk mode should easily carry the bike and a heavy load on the bike up a steep hill. Specialized certainly can. I think the bike you tested may have had a defect.
Having said all of that you need to test ride the bike to ensure it meets your very specific needs. This will further limit your choices. Hopefully you have a good LBS to work with.

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

How much $ are you willing to pay?

There's an option to go titanium.
The PredecoTech Titanio is 31.8 lbs (14.42 kg), including the battery.

Hi Timpo, i'm expecting to have to pay around £3k-£5k. I'm not sure I fully understand the difference between the 250w and 500w. If 250 is enough to pull me nicely up the steep hills with the level of torque required i'll go with that. I haven't tried enough bikes to know the difference. I know I can lift 13kg up our stairs and the steps are verging on too steep to push a bike unless there is enough power in the walk assist feature to get the bike up.

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

This has a fauza evation motor which is a bit underpowered. While nominal motor output is 250W (they are all magically 250W nominal to comply with the regs), I think peak output is only 400W. Note Court's review of a bike with the fauza system he indicates:

BULLS WILD FLOW EVO RS Review

Price: $5999 | Model Year: 2019, 2020 | A light 42lb full suspension cross country electric mountain bike with premium blacked-out paint job and ALL accessories, comfortable carbon fiber main frame (alloy rear triangle), the battery and motor are built into one removable drivepack that can be...

electricbikereview.com

I think if you went with a performance mid drive from one of the other motor brands you would be fine (even without 90nm torque) as they put out 500W (or more) peak power.



I believe these use rear hub motors which struggle on hills due to not being able to use the bike's gears and further handicapped by the 250W nominal limit in the UK. You will do much better with a 250W mid drive since it can leverage the bike's gears (unlike rear hub motors). In the US rear hub motors are more popular as they are inexpensive and the nominal limit is 750W so much more power can be delivered to offset the disadvantages on hills.

Thanks Tomdav, especially for the explanations. Starting to understand more as I read.

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

How much $ are you willing to pay?

There's an option to go titanium.
The PredecoTech Titanio is 31.8 lbs (14.42 kg), including the battery.

Hi Timpo, The weight of this is pretty close to what I know I can manage weight wise

How much $ are you willing to pay?

There's an option to go titanium.
The PredecoTech Titanio is 31.8 lbs (14.42 kg), including the battery.

This looks pretty close to the weight I can manage. What do you think about the power and torque for managing the steep hills and steps?

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

If you don't want to break the bank this might work. 22kg and cube sells a rear rack.

Get Your Wiggle On | Cycle, Run & Outdoor Shop | Wiggle

Prepare to get your Wiggle on. We have the awesome gear you need to cycle, run, hike & swim from the world's leading sports brands. No excuses, LET'S GO!

www.wiggle.co.uk

Nice bike and looks powerful but I can't lift 22kg. I can't find what it weights without the battery but i don't think it'd be close to 13kg.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Nice bike and looks powerful but I can't lift 22kg. I can't find what it weights without the battery but i don't think it'd be close to 13kg.

This would be a perfect bike for you. Fully Charged UK has them

Pinion Urban | Desiknio Cycles

desiknio.com

 

[pmcdonald]

It honestly sounds like you'd be a good candidate for the new Turbo Vado. Engine power and battery are down on your initial specs but it'd be worth taking a test ride. Unless you're planning on doing long half day rides I'd imagine the Vado battery would cope with the 15 mph UK limit just fine. And a mid drive is generally going to power up hills reasonably well if you have the gearing and energy to help it along.

Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0 EQ Review

Price: $3500 | Model Year: 2020 | One of the best ebikes I've ever reviewed. Relatively light weight at 36.9lbs including integrated lights, a rear rack, and custom designed tubular fenders with extra long rubberized flaps to keep your feet dry. Reasonably priced for outstanding motor and...

electricbikereview.com

 

[Johnny]

Remove your torque requirement, those ratings are mostly gimmick that does not give a true indication of how strong the motor is. As long as the motor has enough power you can use the gears + slow down and easily climb most of the hills. How steep are the hills you are trying to climb?

My vote is also Vado SL. I think it may be the perfect bike for you.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have been looking for such a bike for many many months.
Please post what you find.

You might be a good candidate for the Turbo Vado SL I couldn't because it would limit me to the 25 km/h but isn't the U.S. version Class 3?

 

[TomD]

She said she already tried a bike with fauza evation and I got the impression torque didn't meet her needs on hills so doubt the Specialized SL is going to work for her.

 

[pmcdonald]

She said she already tried a bike with fauza evation and I got the impression torque didn't meet her needs on hills so doubt the Specialized SL is going to work for her.

She quite liked the Fauza equipped Focus' assist up hills. It just wasn't commuter friendly.

 

[TomD]

She also said:

and felt i still had to put in a lot of effort on the hills which would just put me off using the bike

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

You guys are amazing. Thanks for all taking the time to try and genuinely help me work out how to find a solution. So the main thing i'm getting is that I may not need as much torque as I think I do for steep hills if the power on the motor is sufficient.
So, what i've found so far is this:
I tried a Cube Acid- pretty darn good in so many ways but struggled up the steep hills and is too heavy to lift up our steep 45 degree stairs into the house.
I tried Ezego- Pretty good too but struggled up steep hills (thanks for explaining fazua may not be as powerful as bosche/ yamaha etc) and whilst only 20kg it was heavy pushing it up the steps even with the walk assist. (The walk assist cut out but it was still awkward holding the button down at that angle)
I tried a Trek powerfly on a less steep hill but the power in it was awesome! Whilst tempted to get one it was a heavy bike that I couldn't lift at all up steps which almost rules it out sadly as i liked the power it had.
I tried a motus raleigh which was terrible up steep hills and heavy.

I tried a Focus Paralane2 - lovely and light and without the battery I could pick it up easily which was fab but it was a big sluggish going up the steep hills. This is where I guaged what I needed for torque since this was close to what I feel I need in terms of power, just it was lacking a little in terms of power on the hills. The torque was 60 or 70 i believe so something this light with more power on the hills would be ideal. Focus don't have a rack on that bike though and don't recommend putting one on and I need to have a rack for panniers.

I don't need to go up hills fast, just say between 10mph-12mphr
What do you think is closest to what I need?
Thanks again, you've all been SO helpful!
Aneesa, UK

 

[Cyklefanatic]

**caugh, caugh**

Brose

E-Bike Tuning

www.ebiketuning.com

The Vado SL does not use a Brose motor.

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

She quite liked the Fauza equipped Focus' assist up hills. It just wasn't commuter friendly.

Hi there, just pasting where i'm at with finding the bike:
You guys are amazing. Thanks for all taking the time to try and genuinely help me work out how to find a solution. So the main thing i'm getting is that I may not need as much torque as I think I do for steep hills if the power on the motor is sufficient.
So, what i've found so far is this:
I tried a Cube Acid- pretty darn good in so many ways but struggled up the steep hills and is too heavy to lift up our steep 45 degree stairs into the house.
I tried Ezego- Pretty good too but struggled up steep hills (thanks for explaining fazua may not be as powerful as bosche/ yamaha etc) and whilst only 20kg it was heavy pushing it up the steps even with the walk assist. (The walk assist cut out but it was still awkward holding the button down at that angle)
I tried a Trek powerfly on a less steep hill but the power in it was awesome! Whilst tempted to get one it was a heavy bike that I couldn't lift at all up steps which almost rules it out sadly as i liked the power it had.
I tried a motus raleigh which was terrible up steep hills and heavy.

I tried a Focus Paralane2 - lovely and light and without the battery I could pick it up easily which was fab but it was a big sluggish going up the steep hills. This is where I guaged what I needed for torque since this was close to what I feel I need in terms of power, just it was lacking a little in terms of power on the hills. The torque was 60 or 70 i believe so something this light with more power on the hills would be ideal. Focus don't have a rack on that bike though and don't recommend putting one on and I need to have a rack for panniers.

I don't need to go up hills fast, just say between 10mph-12mphr
What do you think is closest to what I need?
Thanks again, you've all been SO helpful!
Aneesa, UK

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

**caugh, caugh**

Brose

E-Bike Tuning

www.ebiketuning.com

Here's where i'm at with this Timpo, Aneesa
You guys are amazing. Thanks for all taking the time to try and genuinely help me work out how to find a solution. So the main thing i'm getting is that I may not need as much torque as I think I do for steep hills if the power on the motor is sufficient.
So, what i've found so far is this:
I tried a Cube Acid- pretty darn good in so many ways but struggled up the steep hills and is too heavy to lift up our steep 45 degree stairs into the house.
I tried Ezego- Pretty good too but struggled up steep hills (thanks for explaining fazua may not be as powerful as bosche/ yamaha etc) and whilst only 20kg it was heavy pushing it up the steps even with the walk assist. (The walk assist cut out but it was still awkward holding the button down at that angle)
I tried a Trek powerfly on a less steep hill but the power in it was awesome! Whilst tempted to get one it was a heavy bike that I couldn't lift at all up steps which almost rules it out sadly as i liked the power it had.
I tried a motus raleigh which was terrible up steep hills and heavy.

I tried a Focus Paralane2 - lovely and light and without the battery I could pick it up easily which was fab but it was a big sluggish going up the steep hills. This is where I guaged what I needed for torque since this was close to what I feel I need in terms of power, just it was lacking a little in terms of power on the hills. The torque was 60 or 70 i believe so something this light with more power on the hills would be ideal. Focus don't have a rack on that bike though and don't recommend putting one on and I need to have a rack for panniers.

I don't need to go up hills fast, just say between 10mph-12mphr
What do you think is closest to what I need?
Thanks again, you've all been SO helpful!
Aneesa, UK

 

[Scott Adams]

Ohh.. what motor does it have?

Mahle

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

This has a fauza evation motor which is a bit underpowered. While nominal motor output is 250W (they are all magically 250W nominal to comply with the regs), I think peak output is only 400W. Note Court's review of a bike with the fauza system he indicates:

BULLS WILD FLOW EVO RS Review

Price: $5999 | Model Year: 2019, 2020 | A light 42lb full suspension cross country electric mountain bike with premium blacked-out paint job and ALL accessories, comfortable carbon fiber main frame (alloy rear triangle), the battery and motor are built into one removable drivepack that can be...

electricbikereview.com

I think if you went with a performance mid drive from one of the other motor brands you would be fine (even without 90nm torque) as they put out 500W (or more) peak power.



I believe these use rear hub motors which struggle on hills due to not being able to use the bike's gears and further handicapped by the 250W nominal limit in the UK. You will do much better with a 250W mid drive since it can leverage the bike's gears (unlike rear hub motors). In the US rear hub motors are more popular as they are inexpensive and the nominal limit is 750W so much more power can be delivered to offset the disadvantages on hills.

Here's where i'm at with this TOMDAV,
You guys are amazing. Thanks for all taking the time to try and genuinely help me work out how to find a solution. So the main thing i'm getting is that I may not need as much torque as I think I do for steep hills if the power on the motor is sufficient.
So, what i've found so far is this:
I tried a Cube Acid- pretty darn good in so many ways but struggled up the steep hills and is too heavy to lift up our steep 45 degree stairs into the house.
I tried Ezego- Pretty good too but struggled up steep hills (thanks for explaining fazua may not be as powerful as bosche/ yamaha etc) and whilst only 20kg it was heavy pushing it up the steps even with the walk assist. (The walk assist cut out but it was still awkward holding the button down at that angle)
I tried a Trek powerfly on a less steep hill but the power in it was awesome! Whilst tempted to get one it was a heavy bike that I couldn't lift at all up steps which almost rules it out sadly as i liked the power it had.
I tried a motus raleigh which was terrible up steep hills and heavy.

I tried a Focus Paralane2 - lovely and light and without the battery I could pick it up easily which was fab but it was a big sluggish going up the steep hills. This is where I guaged what I needed for torque since this was close to what I feel I need in terms of power, just it was lacking a little in terms of power on the hills. The torque was 60 or 70 i believe so something this light with more power on the hills would be ideal. Focus don't have a rack on that bike though and don't recommend putting one on and I need to have a rack for panniers.

I don't need to go up hills fast, just say between 10mph-12mphr
What do you think is closest to what I need?
Thanks again, you've all been SO helpful!
Aneesa, UK

 

[Marci jo]

Aneesa,
You've come to the right place to get info. These are all great responses.
Maybe you need to decide your most important criteria. Is it weight in order to haul it up the steps? Maybe power to fly up the hills at 10-12 mph. Maybe getting up those hills at a lower speed is ok?
OR
Wait a few years. The speed of changing technology may offer all your desired features in one ebike.

 

[Aneesa Chaudhry]

Aneesa,
You've come to the right place to get info. These are all great responses.
Maybe you need to decide your most important criteria. Is it weight in order to haul it up the steps? Maybe power to fly up the hills at 10-12 mph. Maybe getting up those hills at a lower speed is ok?
OR
Wait a few years. The speed of changing technology may offer all your desired features in one ebike.

Hi Marci
I guess the most important thing is weight to get it up the stairs to our house followed by ease of riding up steep hills. The Cude acid, Trek powerfly, focus were all pretty good. It doesn't need to be new either! I'd rather now than wait a few years as i really want to reduce my car use overall and get fitter but don't want to buy an expensive bike that'll sit indoors. What do you think are my best bets?