The e-bike that does everything

tomoufc

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 21, 2024
8
0
Hi everyone

New to the forum and to the world of e-bikes!

I’m moving from a flat city (Manchester) to a hilly rural area (Todmorden), and this has prompted me to look into buying an e-bike. I wonder if I could please get some recommendations on some of my very specific requirements. I would need a mountain bike:

* with wide wheels to deal with muddy tracks and towpaths
*that is capable of carrying a heavy child seat at the back (I currently have a Hamax)
*that is capable of carrying rear pannier racks for two large bags full of shopping (not necessarily at the same time as the child seat, or possibly with front pannier option)
*that is an excellent hill climber
*that has decent range before recharge
*that does not have any problems with rain, puddles or wet weather
*that is reliable and is supported in case of any issues

I realise I’m asking a lot here, especially as my budget is limited (say £2kish), and I may need to compromise on one or more aspects.

Any tips appreciated! Thank you
 

tomoufc

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jul 21, 2024
8
0
Depends on how badly surfaced - some are comprised of well surfaced big broken planes of concrete jagged up at random troubling angles, worse than some downhill mountain runs.

I'd imagine their wide...

Kenda 24”x 2.4”

...tyres would fare better comfortwise than my 20" 1.75", which make traversing the aforementioned crevasse riddled jagged angled broken concrete canal path blocks very uncomfortable. I wouldn't touch canal paths with a barge pole - safer faster and more comfy by road.

Thank you. Each to their own. I personally like cycling by canals. Of course I ride on roads too - who doesn't?
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,780
2,722
Winchester
Listed here as 250w in case of doubt:
Be aware with almost all ebike adverts, especially if the say 'up to'. The range they quote is with minimum assist, light rider, perfect roads, good weather, etc etc. Realistic range with normal conditions and moderate assist is likely to be about 1/3 of the quoted range. That one still looks sensible.
 
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Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,222
426
Be aware with almost all ebike adverts, especially if the say 'up to'. The range they quote is with minimum assist, light rider, perfect roads, good weather, etc etc. Realistic range with normal conditions and moderate assist is likely to be about 1/3 of the quoted range. That one still looks sensible.
Not being argumentative (what me? Never) but I think saying expect 1/3rd quoted range is maybe a bit harsh. I agree with he rest of what you say.

EDIT:

I weigh a bit less than 12 and a half stones, am 73, live in a very hilly area and I can still get 40 miles out of my more than three year old 13Ahr, 36 volt battery, and I am doing that without hammering myself. It is summer though, so I have no cold issues eating into the range.
 

Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,222
426
Those big ute bikes are not going to be very pleasant on muddy trails!!

I think you'd be better off with a 250w fatbike with 20" wheels, of which there are loads on Amazon and Ebay.

Listed here as 250w in case of doubt:
Engue bike different model review and realistic range test. She doesn't get as far as she had hoped.

 

matthewslack

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 26, 2021
1,788
1,296
If you can try out some bikes before you buy it will help you make the right decision for you. Friends? Romans? Mancunians?

At minimum, a rear hub bike and a mid-drive, on the actual terrain you plan to ride, ideally heavily loaded. Comfort and controllability need to be assessed, as well as adequate degree of assistance.

Heavy loads and steep hills tend to point you at a mid-drive. Nothing will stop you riding more quickly than hard work when you need it to be easy, and nothing is more encouraging than finding it even easier than you hoped.

I am biased by the bikes I have experienced, and their very happy riders and child passengers, so I can't say there isn't a hub drive solution that might work, but I struggle to see it. The critical point is your heaviest load up your hardest unavoidable hill in rain when you are tired.

If you are essentially intending car replacement levels of bike use, I would up the budget and look at Tern GSD and Momentum PakYak, at least as far as getting a proper length test ride. If nothing else, that will show you how high the bar is these days.
 

pedalfettal

Pedelecer
Jan 3, 2022
58
30
If you can try out some bikes before you buy it will help you make the right decision for you. Friends? Romans? Mancunians?
Todmorden is a town in the Pennines. The enclosing hills have very steep slopes, however, most of the habitation of the town and surrounding townships/villages is on the flat.

Really several machines are required: One for family duties - shopping, kindergarten, and errands - hub-driven fat-bike/cargo-bike; another for off-road in the countryside - mid-driven hill-climber.

My mini fat-ebike offer still stands - I don't mind transporting it across the borough for someone to try it out.
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,246
2,938
Telford
I am biased by the bikes I have experienced, and their very happy riders and child passengers, so I can't say there isn't a hub drive solution that might work, but I struggle to see it.
The problem is your limited experience. I guess you haven't tried a 250w SWX02 or MXUS XF08C at 48v and 22 amps? We can get 20ah 48v batteries now for £300, so torque or power from a hub-motor is no longer an issue. It's not like the old days when we were stuck with 36v and 12 amps.

Also, I'd like to remind you that the Heinzmann 250w hub-motor system can tow 300kg up a 13.1% hill.

There's also the 48v Xiongda 2-speed motor that's like a winch when it comes to steep hills.
Note that the Xiongda motor needs a special controller that's available from that supplier. The controller automatically or manually reverses direction of the motor to change gear.
 

matthewslack

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 26, 2021
1,788
1,296
The Heinzmann and Xiongda are probably too specialised to consider here.

Your hub motor suggestions may well do the job, but the OP really needs a representative test ride to know that. Without that, mid-drive is less risk because gears can be changed to suit, so a workable outcome is pretty much guaranteed.

I have seen locally rear hub cargo bikes with riders on the verge of a medical incident due to inability to get up the last hill, so given the loads and hills in this case I remain unconvinced by a hub solution.

Is Telford near Todmorden....?!
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,246
2,938
Telford
The Heinzmann and Xiongda are probably too specialised to consider here.
Is Telford near Todmorden....?!
Hmm! The thing about hub-motors is that they're are many different types to meet different needs. Sure, if you're average weight riding on average roads for commuting or touring, most common hub-motors would work for you, but the moment you bring in special requirements, you need the motor that does it; however, OP has brought in some special requirements of hill-climbing with heavy weights. In that case, they need a slow wind motor running at 48v and around 20 amps with a medium sized hub-motor or just about any hub-motor at 48v in a 20" wheel.

Yes, Heinzmann and Xiongda are special motors, but they meet special needs as a better alternative to a crank motor.

According to Google Todmorden is about a 10 hr bicycle ride from Telford or about 100 miles away. We could meet half-way. I've got two 960wh batteries, so that gives me 19wh per mile for the 50 miles each way, which should be doable.
 
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