Oxygen S-Cross CB MkII vs Raleigh Centros mid/crank drive

[nighteyeswolf]

Hello folks, I'm looking for a crossbar hybrid bike for short to medium leisure trips on roads and on trails, with a removable battery. Frame needs to be 19 inches or less. Importantly, it needs to be good for hills (city hills or country trails, not mountains).

I had decided on the Oxygen mentioned in the title but can't try it because there are no stockists near me (I'm in Scotland). Went into the local ebike store today and tried out a Raleigh Centros (2019 model) with a mid-drive motor and found it really good for hills.

Is mid drive always better for hills? Or will the rear hub drive on the Oxygen do just as well?

Thanks so much.

 

[vfr400]

Is mid drive always better for hills? Or will the rear hub drive on the Oxygen do just as well?

It depends on your weight, how hard you like to pedal and how steep the hills are. The Oxygen would be better for a fairly fit rider of 90kg or less with hills up to say 20%. If you're out on 2 of those, it's probably not the best choice. It's not a paticularly powerful bike - sort of average to good for hub-motored bikes in that class; however, it has a lot of other factors in its favour.

I normally advise people to buy locally in case you need to get the bike fixed. The Oxygen is easy enough to fix yourself if you have the basic skills, but the Raleigh would have to go back to the dealer. If you buy from E-bikesdirect, they have a good returns service, which should cover you at least during the warranty period.

Whichever one you get, the difference won't be massive unless you have lots of or long hills steeper than 20%.

 

[JPGiant]

According to Oxygen website they have a dealer in Dumfries (Powerbikes (Dumfries)13 Castle St Dumfries DG1 1DJ ) if that helps.