Which e-Bike to get ?

[Intex]

This is my first post. I live in a town that is both hilly and flat. To get to the center of town (flat portion), you have to go down a long hill, approx 2-3 miles, and to get home, up the same hill.
After riding Velibs everyday in Paris, I decided to take up cycling again, after a 20-30 year absence. Unfortunately I need some help, that is why I have decided on an electric bike.

I am not looking for a moped (I have 3 VeloSolexes just restored to new- that by the way will NOT go uop even a faint hill), but a bike that maybe after a long ride, would help me up the hill home at the end of the day. In the past we had to call kids to come pick us up at the bottom of the hill, but not an option now. If I can find a bike that will do the majority of the work on that last part, it would be great!
Im am looking for the best option, cost is not the most important consideration, quality and power, and looks are.

Where I am located there are NO bike shops that carry e-bikes, so I will be buying blind, over the internet, so I have come to ask for advice.

The bikes I have seen online that seem to me to be in contention are:

Kalkoff Pro Connect
OHM Urban XU700
Cytronex Trek
Gazelle Easy Glider
Bionex PL350
Gitane


Of these choices, are there any of them that will power the bike without any pedal motion? Which bike has the best power on hills? Our rides will not be over 10-15 miles at the most.
I have read the post on the Cytronex Trek, and wonder if this would be a good choice? I am not sure that they assemble the motor kit on other Trek bikes, since I am under the assumption that the Trek they use is more of a road bike, as compared to a urban bike, I am not looking for speed, and would prefer a more upright stance on the bike, as opposed to a hunch forward seating position of a road bike.
Also what are the advantages/disadvantages of the motor running the gears, as in the Kalkoff, versus the hub motors (Panasonic or Bionx) ?
What is the difference in drives: Pedelec vs Hybrid vs EBike ?

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[flecc]

Kalkoff Pro Connect
OHM Urban XU700
Cytronex Trek
Gazelle Easy Glider
Bionex PL350
Gitane

I am not looking for speed, and would prefer a more upright stance on the bike, as opposed to a hunch forward seating position of a road bike.
Also what are the advantages/disadvantages of the motor running the gears, as in the Kalkoff, versus the hub motors (Panasonic or Bionx) ?
What is the difference in drives: Pedelec vs Hybrid vs EBike ?

The Velosolex certainly was very poor on hills, killed by it's own weight to some extent, and the motor not very powerful.

From your choices, the Pro Connect, Gazelle Easy Glider and Gitane all use the Panasonic motor unit which only drives through the gears, with the Pro Connect using it in it's most powerful form. All will climb any hill, and it's likely that with your long climb that it's not particularly steep, so you'd be able to climb at a reasonable speed. All these three require you to input a proportion of the power required, 50% in standard mode and 43% in high power mode, since that is built in to the Panasonic system.

The Ohm Urban looks like it has a direct drive motor like that used by Sparta, and those are often not good on hills. Unless you have definite evidence from a user that it could be good enough for you, it could be a risky choice.

The Cytronex has the advantage of a very silent roller drive hub motor that's easy to pedal when power is off, but it's very much a cyclist's bike. It will do your job if you want to cycle most of the journey and mainly want the motor for that hill, since it's quite a good hill climber, but it's not ideal for running mainly on motor due to the small battery.

The BionX PL350 is a good direct drive motor and very quiet, and it's much more powerful than most and can easily cope with moderate hills at good speeds. However, it's supplied as a kit and I don't know if you have any bike models supplied with it in France.

Your list doesn't include any internally geared hub-motors, and those are generally reasonable to good hill climbers and quite fast. Many of them have a slight sporty bias though, not so upright as the ones you list. However, Gazelle make the Innergy hub motor model which climbs well and has been highly praised.

I hope this is some help to start with, but please ask if there are any further questions.
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[Intex]

Flecc, Thank you for your reply, I am still not sure what the main differences in useage would be between the following 3 bikes:
ProConnect
Easy Glide or Orange Inergy
Cytronix

I understand the first two use the Panasonic motors ?
The Gazelle Easy Glide I think uses a motor in the front Hub, their Orange Inergy uses a gear drive ????
The ProConnect uses a motor tied to the gears, not in the Hub?
The Cytronix uses a motor tied to the gears?

What is the main differences, advantages/disadvantage of each style: Hub Motor, Gear Motor, Cytronix?

Trying to make an informed decision. Thanks

 

[flecc]

You have them mixed up a little.

The Pro Connect and Gazelle Easy Glider both use the panasonic unit which drives through the chain and gears in the same way you do when cycling.

The Orange Innergy and Cytronex both have front wheel hub-motors, so they don't drive through the gears.

The first two with the drive through the gears are better on steep hills, since the gears are used for the motor in exactly the same way as those on a motor vehicle. The Panasonic system on those requires you to provide around half the power through the pedals all the time. These bikes are fairly easy to pedal without power

The Orange Innergy and Cytronex are not as able on the steepest hills where you need to put in more effort, though they manage the average hills ok. The benefit of wheel hub-motors is that you can let the motor do most of the work on the flat, though the Cytronex is not designed to be used that way. Since Cytronex are a new company only UK based at present, it might not be so suitable for you in another country. The Innergy is not as easy to pedal without power as the drive through gear bikes above, due to the hub motor having some drag.

If you go to the shop I recommended on your other thread, they have both types of bike so you can try and see what type you like best, drive through the gears or hub motor.

Since you said in an earlier thread that you mainly need assistance on the hills, the French Cybien bike might be suitable. It comes in various versions, sporting with drop handlebars and a more upright style. It operates a bit like the Cytronex, in that it helps on hills and at any speed up to 25 kph if you want it too, but it cycles like an ordinary bike above that speed. Here's a review in French, and a link in there in which the upright standard version for city use is shown:

Cybien Electric Bicycle

They have a quiet test route on which you can try the bike:

CYBIEN,
2 rue Lavoisier
ZA de la Goulgatiere
35220 Chateaubourg
Tél.: 02 99 00 96 59
Mail: cybien@wanadoo.fr
Site: Venez découvrir notre magasin de velos electriques Cybien
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