hello from the Sierra Nevada, España.

[sqeeezy]

hiya, had my first go on a hub drive kit clunker last week and am hooked.

I never considering biking here because of the hills and the heat, but I reckon an e-bike could get me out more, give me exercise, and save the planet.

I'm 6'1" or 1m85, 85cm inside leg, 85kg, looking at losing 5-10kg, live at 800m and my local shopping town is at 400m, 10km down the road.

I want to get a bike which will get me with little assistance to town and back, laden with spuds and wine, and that is capable of slowly negotiating 500m of winding slopey footpath. Top speed isn't so important as climbing power on the return journey with little assistance at a reasonable pace.
It'd be really nice if the battery lasted 3 years doing this round trip every few days.

I fancy a different bike every time I read a new rave review! So far have thought about Kalkhoff, although really have to have a throttle for walking alongside bike, a Stormer, although... isn't mid-drive the only way to go up slopes, an eZee Torq because it survived desert heat in Namibia....hmm that BH-Emotion Neo Cross looks smart; uh-oh rear hub drive...

Latest thing is I've considered buying a downhill bike (for ruggedness) and getting an Ego mid drive kit (expensive, but...)

So any opinions on feasibility?

thanking youse in advance

 

[funkylyn]

Hi Squeezy and welcome to the forum

If you like crank drive and you want a throttle then Tonaros would be a good possible choice.....they are the only crank drive that have a proper throttle.
They are certainly rugged and many Tonaro owners on here can vouch for their off road capabilities, I have certainly taken mine on some VERY rough tracks.
They get up Spanish hills no problem as until last year I lived in the hills near Alora for 14 years and I have had no bother cycling up to the mountains of El Chorro on it........

The Ezee range are also known for their hill climbing abilities.

But as you have found out, there are a myriad of choices and the best way to see what actually suits YOU....is to try as many as you can.

Which, from experience, could be difficult living in rural Andalucia.

So.....maybe a visit to the UK could be next on your agenda ? Certainly cheaper than making an expensive mistake by buying a bike unseen and untried.

Good luck anyway and have fun trying as many as you can.

Lynda

 

[sqeeezy]

hi, Lynda, thanks for that; I like the looks of the Tonaro, except that the battery is out the tail; does that not tend to make the back-end wiggle a bit?
El Chorro! Impressive place; took my kids up to do the Camino del Rey; chickened out; now through it on a Tonaro would be a first..

 

[Eagle]

Hi Squeezy,

The crank-driven bikes like the Tonaro generally have a better weight distribution than the hub-driven ones, since their motors are placed centrally in the frame.
Don't worry about the battery at the rear.

 

[funkylyn]

El Chorro! Impressive place; took my kids up to do the Camino del Rey; chickened out; now through it on a Tonaro would be a first..

LOL.....naughty.....glad they chickened out, there are enough deaths every year from the Camino del Rey !!

Mind you.....the publicity pics of a Tonaro powering along there would be worth their weight in gold

Lynda

 

[sqeeezy]

hmph...they didn't chicken out: I did Luckily they were there when someone told me about the €3000 fine for walking on the railway track, so I was able to bow out without losing too much cred.
If you're not living on the edge you're taking up too much space....
My Bighit might be in Granada on Friday!
tara the noo

 

[sqeeezy]

@Eagle
cheers for that; I had a look at a Comply this morning and I reckon you're right; the weight distribution shouldn't be a problem. In three years time I'll probably have made up a replacement centralized battery pack, anyway.