Am I looking for a bike that doesn't exist?
Posted by 37crosby@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 48 comments
I live in a hilly city in southern Europe. I'm looking for an e-bike that I'm afraid may not exist. The bike would be for commuting around town (big hills) but also going for longer, mostly flat rides (generally on paved paths). I'm 160cm. My legs are not long and diamond frames are tough.
What I'm looking for:
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Around 19kg
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Mixte, hybrid, or step-through frame.
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Ideally removable battery but not a dealbreaker
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Ability to change from manual to e-bike mode on the handlebars (without using an app or getting off the bike.) My city has many big hills, but then some neighborhoods are flat.
Budget up to €2,500
Bikes I've already tested:
- Lemmo One (ST M) - almost perfect but to switch between manual and battery mode, you have to flip a switch on the back wheel
- Jintesha Paris - a dream to ride but the tires (28C) are too narrow for my city's rough streets (and larger won't fit)
- Bastille E - really nice to ride but it's too high for me to easily mount, and you can only switch between manual and battery mode with the app
Bikes I've looked at. Any thoughts?
- BZEN Amsterdam or Brussels
- Tenways CGO800S
- PARCO 006_E
- Ampler Nova (but sold out)
- Eclair (not yet available and I think the frame would be hard to mount)
I don't really have storage for two bikes, but if I can't find an e-bike that meets these criteria, I can drop #4, spend a bit less, and buy an inexpensive hybrid or touring bike for flat rides outside the city.
Thank you for any insight, even if it's telling me this bike doesn't exist!
BlueSpiderAurora@reddit
wildeway. i use the bike. its only 800$ and the max travel distance on full batter is 90miles pedal assist and 60 throttle. it can easily handle 35 degree hills.
Keljian52@reddit
The pelago Lovisa may fit
37crosby@reddit (OP)
I had forgotten about this one and yes, (price aside) it might be exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks for suggesting. Do you have it by any chance? I wish it were in more colors.
Keljian52@reddit
No unfortunately I don't have it
Fair-Discipline-1005@reddit
You need something with extra battery because of the range and hills,and narrow wheels because of manual pedaling,and must be light... Unfortunately, I didn't heard for bikes you wrote...
37crosby@reddit (OP)
I agree, I think many people's suggestion to get a bafang kit is a good one. I'm not going to get taller or significantly stronger (to lift a heavier bike), so this is a good compromise.
Fair-Discipline-1005@reddit
Like You, I also heard,bafang is good...👍
gdir@reddit
Have a look at the Trek FX+ 2 or something similar. Lightweight, low power, short range. It's also offered in small frame sizes (XS, S) and as mid-step frame. I have it in size M and as a diamond frame. Mine is 18 kg fully equipped (plus weight of the lock). It seems that the FX+ 2 is phased out. Not all sizes and colors are available, but it's usually offered with a discount.
250 W rear hub, torque control, 250 Wh integrated battery (charged on the bike), 50 km / 2 h range in rather flat conditions, 30 km range in the mountains, fully equipped (rack, fenders, lighting), no suspension, nothing fancy, looks like a normal bike.
The charger could be faster - 4 h charging for 2 h riding.
Mine is 3 years old and from the first generation. The remote controller on the handle bar is very simple: turn support on or off and choose with a plus or minus button between no and 3 support levels. On flat terrain I ride it most of the times on the easiest support level. A smartphone can be used to configure the support levels, but is not needed while riding.
I live in a rather flat region, but in September I rode it up to the highest mountain in my area. From 250 hm to 1140 hm over 28 km distance:
Mid-drives are usually more efficient on inclines than hub drives. But that does not mean that hub drives can't be used in hilly areas.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Great color choice. I'll test this one today. (As you know), Trek is nice because parts are easy to get.
Careful_Conference29@reddit
Fiido c11 pro? But heavier but only by 5kg. Good bikes for the price.
Although I do think they need to make it in more colours to appeal to a wider market.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
I agree, why that color? I guess I could have it painted. Do you have this bike? It's a really good price, assembled in my country to easy to try and get it serviced... a good suggestion for sure!
dandogm@reddit
Moustache Lundi. I live in Switzerland (hills) and am 162cm. It's the most comfortable bike I've ridden.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Cheers, I'm going to test it today!
The_Pied_Piper1@reddit
Why not electrifying a bike you like with a tongsheng or bafang kit ?
37crosby@reddit (OP)
This is a really good idea that I have also considered (will edit my post). Have you done this? I'm hesitant to buy off AliExpress (and I say this having lived nearly a decade in China!).
DonnPT@reddit
You might look at varstrom.com . I have no personal experience.
I put an electric motor on my bicycle. Of course it gives you a much greater range of bicycles to choose from, and you could end up with better quality for the money, and less proprietary - for example in case you want to get a new battery from wherever. The information on what you're getting is bound to be far more complete: the controller is how many amperes? for example, where for example Cannondale seems to be unaware that there's a controller in the system (they refer to their display as a controller, but the controller is what feeds power from the battery to the motor.) You may also find useful information about ebike drives that has been modeled for Tongsheng motors and not for Hyena motors Cannondale says they're using.
But you could also find a lot of headaches putting it together, and end up with tangles of wires and so forth that your factory ebike won't have. The bicycle needs to be robust in certain areas. A hub drive will put violent unusual stress on the rear dropouts; a crank ("mid") drive stresses the drive train. There are some who think you must have hydraulic brakes; not me. I personally think suspension is real nice when you're going 30kph over imperfect roads.
Problems I had with my hub drive were things like width between dropouts too small for the hub. Where to attach the battery. I've been told a crank drive is no harder to install. If I were doing it again, I'd think seriously about an Aden Sports Powerkit, but that's eccentric and expensive.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the suggestion! I absolutely would not be electrifying the bike myself and would take it to a bike shop that does this all the time (thank you to the algorithm for serving it to me).
And yes, my city's roads are not the best and suspension is a must (the public e-bikes here are often busted but at least have decent suspension).
CraziFuzzy@reddit
Any commercially sold bike is also likely to use mostly chinese made components, if not the whole bike.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
For sure, and in fact I'm Chinese, but buying from a company that passes EU regulations vs AliExpress is what gives me pause...
aero_sock@reddit
bafang has existed for over a decade, it has all kinds of certifications, and what matters more than that bs - a community around it. also all parts available online as well as custom software etc
tongsheng is much newer and less known, but offers better value as well as torque sensor and open source software
i myself own a bafang middrive as well as a tenways cgo600pro. tenways certainly feels a more polished and simplistic, but on bigger hills it bogs down a lot.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Thanks for your response. I think a bafang kit is the way to go. The cgo600pro would be great and it looks really nice, too, but the frame is too tall for me.
The_Pied_Piper1@reddit
I just finished my Le Petit Porteur cargo bike build using a TSDZ8 kit from psw power and a battery from Chamrider, and after 100km, I couldn't be happier with the results. I intentionally chose the TSDZ8 over Bafang because I prefer the natural feel of a torque sensor over a throttle, and the entire setup cost me less than €500. One of the best perks of this DIY route is the ease of maintenance; if anything breaks, I can simply source the parts and repair it myself. That said, Bafang kits are still a fantastic choice with failure rates as low as high-end motors like Bosch, so you really can't go wrong!
igotanewaccount@reddit
https://www.trekbikes.com/de/de_DE/bikes/alltagsr%C3%A4der/elektrische-alltagsr%C3%A4der/fx/f/F465E/fx+-7-midstep/48017
19kg, has step over and step through, non-removable battery, hyena controller can be turned off and 3 power levels, around 2200-3000 new.
Lordly_Lobster@reddit
My Bafang mid drive kit allows you to turn the pedal assist down to zero in order to ride it like a normal bike. I thought all ebikes were like that. You could easily buy a step through bike, convert it and stay within your budget. You would have to mount the battery on a rear rack.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the info. Where (how) do you turn the pedal assist down to zero? On a screen on the handlebar, on a switch on the handlebar, or another way? I don't want to have to pull over or get off the bike to switch from manual to e-bike.
rabotat@reddit
In my case it's a button on the handlebars. It's near your thumb and has an up and down arrows to switch assitance modes and an on-off button.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Do you mind posting a photo?
rabotat@reddit
It's this one.
SuccessfulVacation31@reddit
cube hybrid?
derping1234@reddit
Cube Touring Hybrid with the trapez frame. It does everything except the weight. Most ebikes don't look at the weight to closely as it is simply not that important anymore. There are some light weight ebikes but they are in a different price range. You can easily switch between diferent levels of power assist with a simple click on the bosch purion remote to go from off, to eco+ to turbo and everything in between.
LimitNo1438@reddit
Specialized creo or Vado SL.
pinkfloydhomer@reddit
Every ebike with a Bosch motor can do this?
Ok_Cartographer_8893@reddit
How big are the hills? 10% inclines?
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Most are 7%. There are a couple that are more 9-10% and one that's 14% that I manage to avoid.
Ok_Cartographer_8893@reddit
I have a "budget" bike called the Engwe Zip. Doesn't seem to be what you're looking for in terms of size but it's a little beast. 16.9kg without the battery, which is very quick to remove.
band-of-horses@reddit
I won't say impossible but your requirements are challenging...
19kg puts you in very lightweight ebike territory. Lighter ebikes usually cost more, a premium price over your budget. They also usually have to sacrifice power and battery capacity to hit the lighter weight.
Something like a specialized turbo vado sl will hit your weight requirement for example, but is a lower power motor without great range and will be over your budget. Meanwhile, something like a Turbo Como will be much more suitable to your needs otherwise and the entry level model hits your budget, but will be more like 28kg. These bikes have a power level button on the handlebars that can be turned to off.
I think if you want more options, something is going to have to give. Increase budget, increase weight or decrease power/range.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
The frame is making it really difficult, but my legs are just too short for most diamond frames (of which there seem to be several nice options). Maybe I can just wear tall shoes... I can decrease power/range requirement easily, because I need the power only for going over hills in my city, but rarely more than 3-4km per ride, and I'd say max 10km in a day (and otherwise it's flat).
JediDev@reddit
My wife is shorter than you and last year she bought a Deruiz Turmali Premium S. It's a hub drive but we find the pedal assist to be pretty decent, it has a removable battery and if I remember correctly weights 18kg. If you have the chance to test it, I can recommend.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
I had never heard of this company and I really like the bike. Cheers!
Reasonable_Two8433@reddit
I’ve got a Blurby Max that passes the requirements. Doesn’t have a removable battery though https://blurbybike.com/product/blurby-bike-max/
37crosby@reddit (OP)
This is a really nice looking bike, thank you!
Reasonable_Two8433@reddit
That’s not a low step frame though. For low step should choose Blurby W. I think the electronics is the same
MrFullNelson@reddit
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/cannondale/compact-neo-electric-hybrid-bike-931731#colcode=93173101
I have this, pretty decent and can even put a child's seat on the rear rack.
Doesn't look like step through but it is pretty low and easy to get a leg over. Controls simple - 3 modes. Manual is quite hard going if you want to move at any kind of pace. Light bike so easy to get in and out of places. Handlebars and peddles fold in line with bike frame so can put against a wall. Not amazing range though...
Ok-Vegetable-5633@reddit
All the bikes you listet have hub motors and tiny batteries. Not really suited for big hills.
For 3000€ you might get a KTM Sport SX 20 online which is about 21 kg
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll dig around. I'm riding up a couple of big hills but over a short distance (often less than 3km, or if a longer ride most of it is flat).
UmpireHuman@reddit
i have a Sparta A-lane fit, with battery it weighs about 22/24 kgs. bought new in 2024 €2299. https://spartabikes.com/nl-nl/products/alane-fit-shfs1
I_amSoEXCITED@reddit
I built the tongsheng middrive kit i love it. Got it from amazon and so far so good. They even sent me 3 displays cause 2 of them were broken.
Older steel frames are better and its going to be lot more heavier than purpose buikt ebike i feel like.
My aluminium frame im pretty sure has bent a little.
37crosby@reddit (OP)
Do you mind posting a pic?