Help! Orbea Keram 29 10 or Bergamont E-Revox 7 EQ

[agaar]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for an e-bike for everyday commute to work (in future), 9 miles one way with two hills, one of which is quite challenging for me if without assistance, and cycling South Downs paths on weekends, nothing extreme. The bike will be used rain or shine, and I am looking for a reliable bike that will serve for years.
I am 36 years old, female, lower than average fitness at the moment as recovering from pneumonia, but overall fitness level is okay (I hope I will fully recover), used to cycle to work every day on my old bike when I lived closer.

Like many others, looking to buy an e-bike, and many e-bikes are gone. There is a really good local dealer, they have orbea keram 29 10 and bergamont e-revox 7 eq left. The first one is a bit cheaper, but needs mudguards, a rack and lights to be fitted, which will reduce the difference in price. Also, I am going to buy a bike via the cycletowork scheme, so should not feel the difference in price as much.

Both bikes seem to have great specs. However, I am a bit uncertain. I could not find much information about these bikes and not sure which one to select or to wait for months till other ebikes are back? Both bikes cost slightly more than I originally planned, but as bikes are gone, there is not much choice at the moment. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[chr4]

I am not an expert but I thought I would mention a few things based on my buying experience a few years ago. You did not say whether you already tested both bikes. Although they seem to have a similar geometry I would ask for extended test of both to see which one fits you better and feels more comfortable. Short rides are often not sufficient as the novelty of riding with a motor takes our focus off the basics like fit. Since you are planning to commute to work such a long distance I would say fit and comfort are crucial. Maybe you could rent each for a few hours and then get the rental deducted with the purchase? I would rather "lose" £40 than realise afterwards that the bike does not work for you. Especially as buying through the scheme might mean being stuck with it for a while. If both bikes ride equally well then I would prefer to buy the one with more extras as everything will fit well with no mishmash of components. Also, I would consider trying different types of ebikes including more uprights ones. With the motor aerodynamics are irrelevant and with more upright bikes you can enjoy the scenery more as you are not looking at the asphalt so much. They could also reduce the risk of wrist and neck injury.
Both seem to have wide tyres which is good. I would not consider any model which can't take balloon tyres like Schwalbe Big Apple. Over time we become more sensitive to road imperfections which can cause back problems etc. so anything we do to prevent that is a bonus.

 

[agaar]

Thank you chr4 for the advice. On Wednesday, I went to the bike shop and tried both bikes.

Both bikes look and feel nice. So interesting, on paper, the difference in the geometry is minimal, I could not see the difference much when the bikes were put next to each other. However, Orbea felt just a little bit smaller than the other one. It was a little bit more comfortable to ride Bergamont. And, like you said, it came with everything fitted, mudguards, lights and the rack are very nice.
As for the tires, yes, good point. Luckily, we had a holiday over Christmas in La Gomera, where we rented really nice high spec mountain electric bikes. This is when I learned the benefits of a good suspension and tires although we did not do off-road at all, it was just a lot of big and small mountain roads. This was a useful experience and made me look for some sort of a cross with a mountain bike, not a pure urban or road bike.

I made my mind and started the purchase yesterday. Thank you for your comments, it is reassuring to know that I followed a good sense and have not missed some obvious points in the decision-making process.
So, there I go, waiting for the certificate now...