Hi Kajag, and a very warm welcome to pedelecs
it is good here, isn't it
There are so many factors to consider in choosing an electric bike, I don't think you can do too much searching for information and you are absolutely right to be thorough in order to find a bike which best meets your father's needs, especially in the circumstances.
I hope you are getting some help in choosing at your end, and I very much hope you find a bike which makes your father happy
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In case you missed it, and as further information for you,
here is a handy comparison chart of various specifics of the ezee bikes, recently done by Tim Snaith, Director of 50cycles, Ezee dealers in the UK.
Some weatherproofing may be necessary whatever bike you go for (lots of simple & effective tips on Flecc's website), and NiMH tend to work better in the cold than Li, but NiMH are in short supply and hence expensive at the moment, and also a bit heavier than newer Li, so maybe a workaround is possible for the Li (battery warmers/cosies ?!) and they'll make a lighter bike too
- others in colder climes (Finland, Canada for example) may be better placed to help there.
As for hillclimbing, I agree with what Ian said, and although it would be better to quantify the steepest slope the bike needs to handle, chances are if they're not super-steep (though I've seen some of the hills in Norway, so I wouldn't like to leave it to chance!!!) that the "excellent" hill-climb rated ezee bikes will cope easily enough and let the motor take most or even all of the strain, with the added advantage that by being motor-geared for 15mph/25kmh maximum speed they have excellent torque for climbing hills
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One or two other pointers to help you choose: firstly, what style of bike does your father ride currently (or previously)? i.e. what style might he prefer? Bear in mind too that his ride style may change somewhat with an electric e.g. more upright & "relaxed" when less exertion is required.
Secondly, given that he may wish to pedal at times, especially on the flat, for flexibility of his use its a good idea to ensure the bike has gearing suitable for such pedalling i.e. a range of suitably spaced gears for at least the speeds he may want to ride at: that would ensure maximum efficiency of effort when pedalling & reduce unnecessary exertion/strain which may increase the heart rate
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Unfortunately, electric bikes are not exactly light by today's bike standards - not surprising given that even a light motor & battery can weigh around 7kg -but even at around 25kg or so they do a good job of minimising the weight (that's like an older steel bike weight, I think?) and you really don't notice the difference when riding at moderate speeds on the flat, only when you may have to lift, carry or manoeuvre it does it feel a bit heavier than some other bikes.
Its important to realise that much of the added weight is the battery and, although Li batteries weigh less than NiMH for instance, a reasonably powered motor will still require a rather hefty battery for reasonable range (e.g. 300kWh or so battery for around 15-25 miles 25-40km approx. depending on the bike) - especially if the rider is not pedalling too much.
I hope I'm not giving you info overload kajag
but also remember that, whatever initial "powered" range you get with the bike will decrease over time, and depends on the battery type and quality, but expect it to fall at least to 80% of that in a few years for NiMH, Li more of an unknown but may fall faster than that: so try to allow for that when you buy, and look into spare or 2nd batteries if you need to - though at 4-5kg they are a bit heavy to carry around and a conservative maximum single battery range for bikes is around 20-25 miles (33-40km), significantly less in hilly terrain though - maybe only 25km.
Hope that all helps you choose
any other questions please ask, and please let us know how you get on.
Best of luck in your choice Kajag, and best regards to your father who I wish continued happiness from cycling
- if he loves cycling I'm quite sure he'll enjoy your gift
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Stuart.