New wanna be owner

[Devondumpling]

So I am looking at buying an ebike for my commute. I need to ride 12 miles in Devon. I live at the highest point in my town and I need to get to sea level and back up. I am unfit and overweight (15st, 5ft5) plus have a dodgy knee. Due to school pick up.I HAVE to do the commute in 1 hr. That's reasonable as it takes 45 mins at the worst times to do it in the car.

I borrowed an Emu bike and it was good but took a few spins to kick in. I tried a cube hybrid 500 pro which I loved and a giant which was good. My max budget is £2000. The cube was over that plus didnt have lights, mudguards etc. What I liked was it had the torque to get me up the hills - its hilly in Devon. Does anyone have a suggestion for a high torque bike, ideally step through with a dutch riding style for an over weight, unfit, fat lass, upto £2000? Thanks

 

[Fat Rat]

Hi welcome
Contact woosh on here they seem to do lower priced bikes and also have a good reputation
Maybe they can help you out or put you in contact with someone that can

 

[Crossroads]

Cube do all versions of their Hybrid bikes with integrated lights and mudguards/ rear carriers.

Cube do a fully equipped Dutch style bike - the Cube Elly Ride, which is a lovely bike which I have ridden as my wife has one.

The 400WH version is 2099 the 500WH version is 2299. Both use the active line plus Bosch 50NM motor.

cube-elly-ride-hybrid-easy-entry-500-2019-electric-bike.html

 

[Woosh]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a high torque bike, ideally step through with a dutch riding style for an over weight, unfit, fat lass, upto £2000? Thanks

15st is not over weight.
May I suggest one of these 3 bikes? Santana 3, Big Bear LS and Santana CD.
All three let you pedal as much or as little as you like.
The Santana 3 has a high torque rear wheel motor, giving good traction and is perfect for your weight. The Big Bear LS has a high torque front motor, more suitable to riders 16st-25st. The Santana CD has a mid drive motor, also suitable for your weight. Middle motor drives the gears, so it is a little more capable but requires you to ride in the right gear.
All three have throttle, rack, mudguards and lights fitted.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana3
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?bigbear-ls
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana-2018

 

[Benjahmin]

I can thoroughly recommend the Big Bear. Solid step through frame, as close to Dutch style as you'll get. It has a big front hub motor that is high torque giving plenty of hill climbing power. Unlike mid drives that are torque sense, the BB is pas. What this means is that you only have to rotate the pedals to get power, not necessarily put any weight on them. With the mid drives you only get power as a multiplier of the effort you put in.
Last year, on holiday in Slapton, Kingswear,Dartmouth area, my wifes Big Bear did her proud. We went down into Dartmouth, across on the ferry, and up and over to Brixham and back. And she is no athlete, believe me.
The battery is easily big enough to do the journey you want and Woosh's customer service is great.

Forgot, it also has a throttle to help with hill starts.

 

[Devondumpling]

Cube do all versions of their Hybrid bikes with integrated lights and mudguards/ rear carriers.

Cube do a fully equipped Dutch style bike - the Cube Elly Ride, which is a lovely bike which I have ridden as my wife has one.

The 400WH version is 2099 the 500WH version is 2299. Both use the active line plus Bosch 50NM motor.

cube-elly-ride-hybrid-easy-entry-500-2019-electric-bike.html

Thats a pretty looking bike, one to add to the test ride list.

 

[Devondumpling]

I can thoroughly recommend the Big Bear. Solid step through frame, as close to Dutch style as you'll get. It has a big front hub motor that is high torque giving plenty of hill climbing power. Unlike mid drives that are torque sense, the BB is pas. What this means is that you only have to rotate the pedals to get power, not necessarily put any weight on them. With the mid drives you only get power as a multiplier of the effort you put in.
Last year, on holiday in Slapton, Kingswear,Dartmouth area, my wifes Big Bear did her proud. We went down into Dartmouth, across on the ferry, and up and over to Brixham and back. And she is no athlete, believe me.
The battery is easily big enough to do the journey you want and Woosh's customer service is great.

Forgot, it also has a throttle to help with hill starts.

Dartmouth is certainly hilly! That's good to know. I will have a look, thanks.

 

[Fat Rat]

Dartmouth is certainly hilly! That's good to know. I will have a look, thanks.

And round the corner Brixham being one of my most favourite places to be
I visit Torbay regularly as I have family there
Dartmouth isn't bad either

 

[Devondumpling]

The whoosh santana looks like a good bike and keenly priced. I am unsure why its nearly half the price of the cube?

I only want to buy one bike and pick a good one!

Can anyone explain what's the difference between rear and mid hub drives and the pros/cons. I have googled it and its confusing.

One of the bikes I rode took a while for the motor to kick in which was hard on my knees. The cube was instantaneous which was great. I also live up a massive hill so need something that will really assist. The emu did get me up it but it was a struggle.

Sorry for all the questions

 

[soundwave]

 

[sjpt]

There are two very different Woosh Santanas; rear hub and crank drive. I have never seen one, let alone ridden one, but are both probably good value for money.

I'm not sure if the CD is torque or pedal rotation sensor. A torque sensor can give that instant power on startup; a rotation sensor will need typically around 1/2 turn of the crank. The Cube almost certainly has a torque sensor.

The Bosch system on the Cube and others is good but expensive. Any repairs to it are likely to be a little complex and probably expensive as well.

 

[Devondumpling]

So today I tried out 2 bikes. The batribike omega - this is a hub motor and was a joy to ride. Its a dutch style bike and very comfy to ride.

Then I tried a forme bike, this was a mid motor. I liked it, it was about £500 more expensive.

I was in Topsham which is pretty flat so I couldn't try them up a decent hill. I am hoing to hire them each for a day next week to do my commute. The final hill to my house isca b@@@ch so I might buy which ever one does it best! I liked the omega for the looks and price tag £1200. Does anyone have any experience of either? Thanks

 

[Eagle]

Devondumpling,
The Woosh Santana CD (crank drive) is definitely the one for hill climbing, not the Santana 3 (hub drive).
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?santana-2018

Extract from Woosh:
Why choose a chain drive?
A hub motor can only deliver around 20-35NM torque - fine for flat roads but on steep hills, the motor will slow down and output power will drop rapidly.
So if you want to ride hills, a chain drive bike is a must.
On the Santana CD, you'll get around 18NM torque on the 9th gear and about 50NM on the first gear.
By choosing the best gear to suit your terrain, the motor will continue running at high speed, maintaining maximum power output - and if you want to use just the throttle without pedalling, you have to pedal a couple of seconds beforehand.

The optional 17ah battery for £50 extra is a good idea because it will give a bit more range. Do bear in mind that riding up steep hills will take its toll on any battery, so the bigger the better.

I have a Haibike Sduro crank drive and an Oxygen MTB hub drive. The Haibike performs much better on my local hills.
I suggest that you ring up Woosh and have a chat. They are very helpful with excellent after-sales service.