krc

Thanks for all the responses, which have given me a much better idea of how the different systems work. My mother has tried out a bike belonging to a friend (a basic Giant which is a couple of years old, I think) and has already identified some pros and cons from that. We're going to try and arrange some more test rides, but unfortunately it's a very long way to most of the dealers!

The KTM looks interesting (and I see they are also selling a Nexus hub gear version) but the smallest size appears to be 51cm (I need to check sizing, but I suspect that frame size and geometry would probably suit someone a wee bit taller than my mother). Thanks for the useful explanation of how TS works. It sounds like that would suit my mother best; I don't think she really wants to be sitting on an electric scooter and just twiddling her legs round, if I can put it that way.

My mother is interested in an e-bike, and since I started looking online for her, I've been surprised at the range of stuff available, and would appreciate some advice from experienced users, please. She's not near any of the big dealers, or even local bike shops that stock many e-bikes, so has limited opportunity to try anything first hand, so it is likely to be an online purchase. She's pretty fit and active, but hasn't cycled for a few years, and is looking for something that would help her to keep up with my father on occasional rural rides of 20-30 miles (Dumfries and Galloway, so a few hills, but no mountains) and also allow her to go riding with the grandchildren. Most of her riding will be tarmac or gentle off-road trails, but only hybrid territory, so suspension forks or a fully off-road mountainbike design are not necessities. She has no mobility problems, so the bike doesn't have to be a step through. She definitely wants something that would assist, rather than do the bulk of the work, so she can get the exercise benefit from her cycling. In terms of budget, she's probably looking at the sub £1000 market, but might step up to the next tier of bikes if there is a compelling reason to buy something that will be more suitable for her needs. From my research so far, I've spotted a few possibles: Kudos Tourer: I like the simplicity of hub gearing and rigid forks D-Cycles Discovery (or Delight). These seem good value at £550 - any disadvantages, or are they just cheap because they are on clearance? Woosh Sport TS: interested in the torque sensing, which they claim is suited to someone who wants to keep cycling with a natural feel I would appreciate any guidance or other suggestions. I'm particularly interested in selecting the right type of drive system and sensing for the sort of cycling my mother wants to do. Are the hub drives on the cheaper bikes really only suitable for very flat terrain, and would the simple rotation sensor types be OK? Thanks