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Help selecting ebike

Old 04-17-21, 07:26 AM
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djphelan
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Help selecting ebike

First, a little history. I'm 60, 250 lbs and had not been on a bike in 40 years until last May. A normal route will cover about 1,000 feet in elevation with no climbs more than 5-7% grade. I've slowly worked up to about 40 miles a trip and love riding. However, due to weight and a torn meniscus in my knee I have hard time enjoying the ride as I'm WORKING HARD the whole way. So, I'm interested in getting an ebike to make the ride more enjoyable. I'm not interested in something that does all the work for me, but rather a bike that reduces my effort by 20-25% or so. My budget is up to about $4,000. I've looked at the Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0 but unsure if it has enough power to carry my weight for 40 miles. Also looked at the Orbea bikes and a Cannondale. Suggestions? Thanks!
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Old 04-17-21, 10:01 AM
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Test ride, test ride, test ride.
Seems like you already know what you want, just find a Specialized, Obrea or Cannondale dealer near you and test ride (find a hill) on the bikes that you might be interested.
Right now, everyone is looking for a bike to purchase because weather is getting nice, bike you want may not be available for weeks or months.
Winter months are better to find deals.
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Old 04-17-21, 11:05 AM
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Since you can already climb these hills on your regular bike. albeit with some work, I believe the excellent bikes you're looking at will really please you. Good luck. Have fun.
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Old 04-17-21, 12:53 PM
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Range can be an issue with a 360wh battery. They sell a range extender bottle battery, you may need it.

You have a lot of bikes to pick from. Test a ride a few, is there a Gazelle dealer in your area?
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Old 04-17-21, 01:32 PM
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djphelan
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I've found a Cannondale M Quick Neo at a shop near me, yet to check out in person. Unable to find much information about it online, but appears to be from 2019. Any observations on specs?
Drive System Bosch Generation 3 Active Line Plus Battery Type/Weight 500Wh PowerTube Frame Quick NEO, SmartForm C1 Alloy, SAVE, Ai, flat mount brake Fork Quick NEO Disc, BallisTec Carbon, 1-1/8" to 1.5" tapered steerer, 55mm offset, flat mount Headset Integrated, 1-1/8 to 1.5", sealed angular contact bearings Axles Front: 12x100 thru axle
Rear: 142x12 thru-axle Rims/Wheels Cannondale C2, 32h, Double wall Hubs Front: Formula RX-512
Rear: DC-142 Spokes DT Swiss Champion Tires Schwalbe G-One Performance Allround, 700x35c Crankset FSA E-bike, 170mm, Gen3, Chainrings 38t Chain Shimano HG93A, 9-speed Rear Derailleur Shimano Alivio Cassette/Rear Cogs Shimano HG201, 11-36, 9-speed Shifters Shimano Altus, 9-speed Handlebars Cannondale C3 Flat, 6061 double-butted Alloy, 8° sweep, 720mm Tape/Grips Cannondale Ergo Fitness Dual Density, Lock-on Stem Cannondale C3, 6061 Alloy, 31.8, 7° Brakes Shimano MT200 hydro disc, 160/160mm RT26 rotors Pedals Cannondale Urban Pedal Saddle Fabric Scoop Radius Sport, steel rails Seatpost Cannondale C3, 6061 Alloy, 25.4X350mm
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Old 04-17-21, 02:32 PM
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Check electricbikereview to see if they've evaluated that bike, but I would be very wary of a the battery in a two year old bike.
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Old 04-18-21, 01:28 AM
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There are many reviews on YouTube, take a look and choose what suits you.
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Old 04-22-21, 10:38 PM
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You can check the extensive Ebikes collection of Chartior Electric Bike Store. They have high-quality e-bikes with advanced features.
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Old 04-23-21, 10:26 AM
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Originally Posted by 2old
Check electricbikereview to see if they've evaluated that bike, but I would be very wary of a the battery in a two year old bike.
Dang it. You beat me to THIS! I'm not sure why a dealer would keep an unsold unit around for so long but I would want to make sure they were keeping the battery at ~40% charge while it sat idle.
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Old 04-23-21, 10:35 AM
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$4K is a nice budget for a production e-bike. Raleigh Redux IE, Giant Quick E+ fall nicely within that limit. My favorite and the bike I would have as a pin-up on my wall (if a 62 y.o. married man could have such a thing) is the Trek Allant 8s. It lists for $4200 but I find it hard to believe it couldn't be taken home with $4K. I went another route but that Trek that got away ... the o.p. should consider it.
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Old 04-29-21, 01:55 AM
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I understand the advantages of the mid-drive but also the disadvantages as well. With a knee issue a hub drive would make it easier to back off and let the motor do more of the work. I would also want a wide range of gears, including a 34-tooth freewheel gear so as to keep pedal RPMs up and put less strain on the knee. Most people use too high a gearing on hills and tend to have the seat too low and both will put a great deal more stress on the rider's knees.


E-bike technology is rapidly evolving with better motors and better controllers and I would be reluctant to use my entire budget for a bike and then find a year or less later that it has been surpassed in performance by less expensive bikes. With the huge surge in popularity of e-bikes during the pandemic the increase in profits for the components manufacturers has allowed them to invest in new technology and not worry about having older products still in inventory.


I also doubt that using a motor drive on a 45 pound bike puts less stress on the knees than riding a 20 lb bike without a drive motor unless you can let the motor do most of the work. The more work the motor needs to do to move the bike the heavier the battery that will be needed to provide the range you want.
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Old 04-29-21, 09:53 AM
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I ride the same type of terrain off road that the OP describes as his route on both a Yamaha-equipped Haibike and BBS02-equipped hardtail, both weighing 45 or so pounds. I can pedal as hard or easy as I want by adjusting the PAS settings (for instance three of the routes rise 1800'/8 miles, 3000'/8 miles and another 3000'/8 miles). A 52V, 10 ah battery weighing about seven pounds (BBS02) or 36V, 13 ah battery (Haibike) are more than adequate for the ascents.IMO, the 50 or so pound OEM bikes have not improved significantly in the last few years, and doubt they will in the near future. Lastly, it may be that a bike like and ELBY with rear hub motor may be well suited for you. I rode one with that motor years ago and it climbed like a scared billy goat. Stromer also produces an impressive hub bike but it's about $5,000.
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