Help! Best value rear hub e-bike for 5 mile round trip with medium gradients at one end

[hairyneville]

I may very well have jinxed myself with my last post asking for recommendations for the best e-bike in case I got a specific job (I received the e-mail saying I hadn't got it literally 5 minutes after posting!) so maybe I shouldn't do this, but...

I've applied for a job very nearby - just over 2.5 miles by road (just over a mile as the crow flies - sadly on the other side of the river valley, though!) - meaning a daily 5 mile round commute, 5 days a week. Rides to and from work would both culminate in what I'd call medium hill climbs. The hill on the way to work is short and mostly gentle with one serious slope (on a blind corner, too) and pretty bad road surface, while the hill on the way home is a fairly consistent medium gradient but is about half a mile long.

The job is physical and full-time, so I'm thinking of investing up to £1500 (there's no cycle to work scheme) on a rear hub e-bike just to make the hills less of a drain on my energy. None of the slopes would demand maximum assistance, just an extra push to keep me going - medium assistance at most, I'd guess. The road surface on the slope near the work site is full of potholes but the road is lightly enough used that I could feasibly dodge the holes without having to worry about oncoming traffic too much. It's a pretty mucky road (bordered on one side by a steep wooded slope), so disc or hydraulic brakes would be useful and I'd hope to get decent mudguards included in the price. Integrated lights would be a bonus as there are no streetlights for about 1.5 miles of the 2.5 mile route, but I have USB lights so that's not an absolute requirement.

There would be covered (and potentially heated) storage for the bike at work, so I'm not fussy about where the battery is mounted. I'm also not overly fussed about frame type - crossbar or step-through would be fine. I'm about 5'8" and about 14 stone (around 90kg) so from experience I can say chunky tyres would be a comfortable bonus.

Many thanks!

 

[RobF]

I should have added that the smaller wheels mean a 28 would be lower than the same gear on a road bike.

With that in mind, the Rembletta could get away with 44 at the front and a 34 or 36 at the back to achieve an acceptably low first gear.

 

[hairyneville]

Many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply - it's always nice to see how conversations really take off on posts like these!

To add a few thoughts of my own and explain why I posted on here rather than simply looking online for myself...

Seemingly all of the e-bike shops within reach of where I live seem to only stock mid motor models with a price range of £1600 and above. Oddly enough, one shop stocks front hub bikes, which I wouldn't fancy riding on the roads in question (or on any road with corners, for that matter).

I'm keen to avoid mid motors as I have a Kalkhoff Pro Connect i8. Ever since the Impulse 2.0 motor died it's basically just a big lump of junk that takes up a lot of space in the shed. I've read up on the possible problems with rear hub motors, but for the commute in question I think I'd have to do something really stupid for the motor to damage spokes (dodgy road surfaces are much more of a concern!).

For me the main advantage of rear hub motors seems to be that the bike can still be moved by pedalling even if the motor goes horrifically wrong. That's a major point in their favour given that the Impulse 2.0 died for the last time on an uphill slope 2 miles from home!

Another advantage of rear hub motors is that they're simpler to replace than mid motors (and much less expensive, too). Taking the Impulse as an example, now that it's been withdrawn (for extremely good reason!) it would make sense to fit a new mid motor but of course mid motor frames are designed for one specific motor. Plus the cost of replacing the old Impulse system with a new system would cost almost as much as buying a new conventional hybrid bike anyway!

The job in question is full-time sole gardener on an 11 acre site, so I can definitively say that the bike wouldn't be used for anything outside of getting from A to B! That's one of the main reasons I'm considering getting an e-bike for such a short commute - the hills aren't major, but after 8 hours of physical work the last thing I want to do is pedal uphill for half a mile! Plus the road after the jill is a bit of a wind tunnel, as well (south westerly direction in a part of the country with south westerly prevailing wind!). What energy I have on days off will be used for other things, such as working in my own garden or having a bloody good sit down.

Having said that, current top of my list is the Woosh Rambletta. It meets most of the specs on my wishlist and has the added benefit of folding down in case I do any work-related travel by public transport as part of my job (visiting plant nurseries, for example). It would also suit me if I don't get the job in question but do get a job requiring a bus ride for part of the commute.

That said - and as Woosh has mentioned - current problems with the supply chain might scupper any purchase in the near future...

But of course I haven't even heard back about my application for the job yet so no need to decide for a while - by which time hopefully Covid-19 will be much less of a threat and the Rambletta with updated specs will be available.

Thanks again!

 

[Andy McNish]

The Woosh Faro at £899 with the in-frame battery does look like the obvious choice.
I'm not sure how comfy or puncture proof the tyres are but that should be easy and cheap to remedy if an issue.

The Gtechs are about £1000 aren't they? Maybe if you can get a second hand one I suppose - but to me that bottle batttery thing doesn't look as good as the in-frame Woosh battery, seems to be lower spec all round and the ride probably isn't as comfy.
Yes it uses a belt drive if that is really important to you, but I don't see that as key for most people.

To go real bottom of the range, you could always get something like this Apollo Phaze from Halfords for £600 (or less with their various discounts).
It would probably meet the original spec. but that's about all.

 

[Chainring]

Jon, a member of the forum, sent me his review of the Rambletta.
He may publish it later on here.
We talked about it quite a bit over last weekend. Jon restores old bikes as a hobby. He gave me lots of good pointers which I intend to incorporate into the next batch.
1. extended stem: change to non-extended Dahon type.
2. suspension seatpost: needs one 10cm longer or telescopic.
3. gearing: change rear cogs to 12T-28T or 11T-28T
4. brakes: change to disc brakes
5. grips: change to soft large grips

If you are going to change to disc brakes front and rear, I will wait! The only reason I am thinking of a new bike is because the roller brake on my home-built treadalo just does not seem to work. I will also need a new battery, and that money could go towards a new bike. Also, I just like the look of the Rambletta, and we have just had two deaths in the family, which has made me wonder how long I've got!!! Where is the throttle on this bike? I have studied the pictures, and I cannot spot it. Cheers.

 

[hairyneville]

Where is the throttle on this bike? I have studied the pictures, and I cannot spot it. Cheers.

It looks like it's the black lever on the grey assembly on the right handlebar.

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/2020/rambletta/rambletta-throttle.jpg

 

[hairyneville]

The Woosh Faro at £899 with the in-frame battery does look like the obvious choice.
I'm not sure how comfy or puncture proof the tyres are but that should be easy and cheap to remedy if an issue.

Number two on my list - the 8Ah battery wouldn't be a problem as I'm only likely to use assistance on climbs (or windy sections ... or if I'm feeling lazy!).