Help! Advice needed on what bike to buy

Wizzelina

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jan 25, 2020
15
5
I thought it best to ask the experts as I have read so much I’m totally confused! I am a lady, early 60’s and very unfit, 53kg, 5’2, and want to buy an e-bike to improve my fitness levels, ride on the road to commute and also along the tow paths in France. Where we live it’s quite hilly and can be windy (Channel Islands). I want a bike with a mid-range motor so I can easily get up the hills with something in reserve and a reasonable in-frame battery. Probably step through and ideally not weighing a ton! Budget up to c£3k. Icing on the cake would be a bright colour if poss. Thank you for reading and look forward to any help/suggestions.
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
that's a very healthy budget! You are lucky - VAT is zero rated in Channel Islands, so your budget is equivalent to a bike costing £3,600 in mainland UK for 4,000 Euros in France.
I know Jersey and Guernsey are very hilly - if you don't have strong legs, you are better off with a cadence sensor bike which is not the case for most crank drive bikes in the market.

For starters, look at these two bikes. I don't expect you to buy them (your budget can buy 3 or 4 of them) but they give you an idea what to look for.
Both bikes have pedal assist and throttle and are small enough to suit your 5ft2.

Woosh Santana CD:


and a folding bike, Woosh Rambletta:


The Rambletta is one of the lightest foldable e-bikes in the market with a monoshock suspension fork for comfort.
 
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D

Deleted member 25121

Guest
If you are comfortable riding a conventional bike on the flat then a crank/mid motored bike would suit you best in a hilly area.
Living where you do I suggest buying it from a local bike shop, you'd benefit from their advice, the chance to try the bike for size (very important) and they should be able to provide good servicing.
With a decent budget like that I suggest looking at bikes from Germany, Riese & Muller and Cube get good reviews on here.
 

RobF

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 22, 2012
4,732
2,311
You may be unfit, but you weigh very little which means you should bowl along well on a legal ebike.

You must also be small which will help wind resistance which comes into play increasingly above about 10mph.

First decision is really the type of bike you want.

A commuter would usually have a rack, mudguards, and lights.

In the UK that would be known as a hybrid, or trekking bike in parts of mainland Europe.

Frame style is another consideration, you may want a step through or possibly a bike with a dropped crossbar.

Both seen as ladies' bikes in the UK, but regarded as unisex in Europe.

The Bosch motor cannot be beaten for smoothness and general ridability.

It has torque and cadence sensors which tend to ask for a little more input from the rider.

Having said that, the torque sensor barely operates in top Turbo mode so there's really no worries about having to pedal too hard.

I've no idea what's available to you locally.

The Raleigh Motus, available in various styles, fits the bill.

It might be branded as something else where you are.

Picking up on the French theme, you could have a google for Moustache bikes.

They have some interesting design features compared to the other brands which can be rather identikit.

This UK supplier has three Moustache trekking bikes.

 

E-Wheels

Pedelecer
Aug 16, 2016
227
103
I thought it best to ask the experts as I have read so much I’m totally confused! I am a lady, early 60’s and very unfit, 53kg, 5’2, and want to buy an e-bike to improve my fitness levels, ride on the road to commute and also along the tow paths in France. Where we live it’s quite hilly and can be windy (Channel Islands). I want a bike with a mid-range motor so I can easily get up the hills with something in reserve and a reasonable in-frame battery. Probably step through and ideally not weighing a ton! Budget up to c£3k. Icing on the cake would be a bright colour if poss. Thank you for reading and look forward to any help/suggestions.
Maybe have a look at Moustache ebikes https://moustachebikes.com/en/moustache-story/
They one of the few ebikes that are available in many bright colours