Originally Posted by
Nelson37
Some, but still need more. How much you weigh is an important decision factor. 150, or 250, changes the recommendation.
Same with length and height of hills, same. If you had a 15mph tailwind, on a good day, could you maintain 10 mph uphill, and crest it in 2-3 minutes? Or are we talking 5mph, with the tailwind on a good day, and a 10-15 minute climb?
Recommend checking the simulator at ebikes.ca.
I am not a fan of crank drives. LOTS of shifting required, MUCH additional wear on drive train components, requires more maintenance and more frequent replacement, failure means a long walk.
One factor is that I live in the flatlands of Florida. Biggest hill I have is a highway overpass.
Another is that the biggest POS craptoid vendor in the industry pushes crank-drives like nobody's business.
A small, geared hub is an easier install, leaves the bike more "bike-like", does not stress the drive train, and most failure modes leave the bike still ride-able. If you can change a tire, you can install a hub motor. A crank-drive requires removing the entire crank assembly, not something most people have done many times.
Okay, here goes:
Weight: 235.
It's
very windy here, quite often. Not unusual to have 15-20 mph winds. More than that, I'd stay off the bike. I live in the foothills of a place called Mt. Rose at an elevation of about 5,200 feet. The hills can be quite long, but I'm not sure how to estimate that. One I do know nearby is about a mile long, rising about 400 feet in that distance.
Back when I rode the Sirrus on flat land, I would average about 12 mph with no to modest wind for at least ten miles without significant fatigue. Avoided hills, so I can't tell you how well I could do that.