First ebike (lower budget) advice?

Hello!

I'm hoping to buy my first ebike soon, and would welcome any advice or recommendations. My budget is unfortunately fairly restricted - I'd like to stay as close to £1000 as possible, and I'm aware this is going to be a limitation in terms of the quality of bike I can get.

I need something for my commute to work, which is just a 4 mile round trip but almost all uphill one way. Outside of commuting, I'll be using it to get around town (which will nearly always involve some kind of incline) and maybe the occasional leisure ride, but I don't expect to be travelling long distances. Basically I just want something that will give me a boost up hills and help me pull away more easily at junctions, traffic lights etc. to feel safer cycling on city centre roads. I'd prefer something that's not too chunky or heavy as I need to lift it up and down a few steps to get to the bike storage facility in my building. I'm 5"4 so need something that comes in a relatively small size, but I'm not interested in folding bikes.

At the moment I'm considering the Raleigh Array Open Frame as it's on sale at Cycle Republic for £1082. I know it's an entry level, very much budget end bike, but considering what I need it for, I'm wondering if it would do the job? It's the new 2020 model so I haven't been able to find many reviews of it.

https://www.cyclerepublic.com/raleigh-array-open-frame-electric-hybrid-bike-2020.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA4NTxBRDxARIsAHyp6gA71SYr2CuXoICFoyxQxtGN4SgfccjxbyVEziiyz17MDySvds2RSLEaAifdEALw_wcB

Salespeople in the shops I've visited have been really insistent that I should try and stretch my budget to get a mid drive bike instead of a hub motor, and I'm finding it hard to tell if this advice is genuine or if they are just pushing the more expensive bikes. I realise that mid drive is probably going to be better, particularly for hills, but I'm not convinced it's necessary for my needs - and most/all mid drive bikes will be well beyond my current budget anyway. Are rear hub bikes really as unreliable as these salespeople keep telling me they are?

Edited February 6, 20206 yr by jvw9781

If you have a look at the EBikes Direct site, it gives you a good idea of what is available. You can select filters for hub or mid drive, and step-through or crossbar etc. A filter for hub gears and mid or rear mounted batteries would be helpful. Have a look at Woosh bikes as well. The main thing is, don't rush! It's your money - hang on to it!

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Mid drives are better for hills, but they can wreck your gears and make you adjust/replace them constantly. I don't know how much you weigh or the incline of hills, but at 5'4 you should be ok with a hub motor.

I personally make and mod bikes but I'd get a full build from Decathlon rather than Halfords. £800 for the small frame E-ST500 seems like it might be made for you https://www.decathlon.co.uk/e-st500-electric-mountain-bike-black-blue-275-id_8487238.html (you'll even have £100 left when you split the change with me ;D)

I know you said you were not interested in folders, but the Woosh Rambletta has a good spec and is 20kgs. which might be helpful if you have to lump it about. https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?rambletta

It has front suspension, not sure about the seatpost. If your commute is 4 miles in total, this has a 12ah battery, while a lot of the Halfords folders etc have 8ah. Just a thought.

Salespeople in the shops I've visited have been really insistent that I should try and stretch my budget to get a mid drive bike instead of a hub motor, and I'm finding it hard to tell if this advice is genuine or if they are just pushing the more expensive bikes. I realise that mid drive is probably going to be better, particularly for hills, but I'm not convinced it's necessary for my needs - and most/all mid drive bikes will be well beyond my current budget anyway. Are rear hub bikes really as unreliable as these salespeople keep telling me they are?

they are not wrong, most of the hub drive bikes that you'll find in the shops are of lower quality because of the pricing structures. The bike without the electrics would cost about £300, that does not leave much for the electrics. Crank drive bikes are usually fitted with Bosch drive units, they usually cost a fair bit over your £1,000 budget unless it's an ex-demo or end of line models.

You are left with shopping from online shops.

The Raleigh Array that you shortlisted is a pretty good buy but it has the larger 700C tyres, not ideal for your 5ft4 height. Plus it's fairly heavy too.

I would suggest the Woosh Petite which has 24" wheels:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/?petite