Long range hilly terrain road/path bike.

[Ravenfeeder]

I'm a relatively unfit 57 year old guy with a bad foot that looks unlikely to heal fully. I live in hilly Plymouth and the bad foot makes it impossible for me to use an unpowered cycle around here as the pressure on the foot is too much when climbing. So I'm thinking of buying an e-bike. I want to do more than just get around town though, getting out of town would be nice. Or even putting the bike on a train to take it elsewhere when that becomes possible. The first proper excursion would be along Drakes Trail to Tavistock (http://www.drakestrail.co.uk/), which is 21 miles each way, mostly along old railway lines but with some hills involved. I'm 5' 10" (177cm) and 87kg.

Any ideas on what bikes I should be looking at? Budget is less than £2500, preferably quite a lot less. I'm also looking for something with fairly low maintenance (maybe with hub gears?) and that will last for years as it looks unlikely that I'll ever have a full time job again.

 

[vfr400]

Hi VFR

Yes I think the Motus will have a lower bottom ratio which will help on hills although I’ve not checked that out. My thought is that by having the gears between the motor and the wheel a crank drive can be run closer to its peak efficiency so using more power to drive you forward and less as wasted heat without compromising its performance in higher gears on the flat. Therefore for riding in hilly areas I expect a crank drive may have an advantage.

Despite owning one I’m not a diehard crank drive person but rather I feel it’s a case of 'swings and roundabouts', with good and bad points on both types.

Regards Frank

It's not as simple as that. 20" wheeled bikes with hub-motors can run very efficiently when climbing. For bikes with bigger wheels, there's more truth in what you're saying because most such bikes have hub-motors of around 260 rpm max speed, but a lower speed one would be fair competition, and a Xiongda 2-speed would blitz yours in a hill-climbing contest - maybe even tow you up when you're struggling.

Anyway, you can test it. Put the folder in bottom gear, then put yours in second gear and see if they go the same distance with one turn of the crank, then, if they do (approx), ride up in those gears to see who struggles the most. You might be right.

 

[Stanebike]

Anyway, you can test it. Put the folder in bottom gear, then put yours in second gear and see if they go the same distance with one turn of the crank, then, if they do (approx), ride up in those gears to see who struggles the most. You might be right.

Now that would be very interesting and well worth doing. Unfortunately my sister lives one hundred miles from me so can’t happen any time soon but when able I’d like to try.

 

[Kudoscycles]

Maybe our Kudos Mistral will do your job . It is cadence (rotation) sensor,which means that you control the power,rather than the bike detecting the torque you are putting in the pedals.
It also has the BPM motor which offers higher torque at lower speeds...most of the cheap motors need 8 mph before max torque kicks in,the BPM max torque kicks in at 4 mph,this is particularly important for riders who may not have 100% capacity in their legs.
visit www.kudoscycles.com for full details,best means of contact is by email....sales@rallydesign.co.uk