Total newbie. Wanting a UK LEGAL eBike for effortless steep hill riding.

Avzy

Just Joined
Jun 13, 2023
2
0
Hi, all. I live in a very hilly area. I can go for miles, but absolutely HATE inclines, to where I will literally avoid routes with inclines, walking or cycling. I don't mind exercise, but it's the burn in the body when slogging up hills that is miserable for me.

I'm not that fit, and I don't want to have to pay tax and get insurance. I don't care that much about speed, as long as I can effortlessly ascend steep hills with very little, to no effort (even if that means slowing down, somewhat).

I'm 200 pounds. The highest wattage that is legal here is 250w continuous power (I don't believe there is a law that restricts peak power).

I've been looking everywhere, and for whatever reason, I can't search for bikes based on torque, peak power, etc.

What sort of bikes should I be looking at that are legal on the roads, relatively affordable (nothing over 1.5k [but if you must show me one with good stats, regardless of price, it might be helpful]), and something where my unfit ass won't break a sweat going up steep hills.

Also, where do I go to search for bikes based on stats? Every site I go to seems to only advertise their bikes with snazzy BS marketing names and not listing anything to do with motor power or torque, etc.

P.S. I am a total newbie. Please go easy on me.
 
Last edited:

Az.

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2022
2,094
932
Plymouth
Welcome

Check


Maybe you will find something you like. You have healthy budget
 

soundwave

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 23, 2015
17,001
6,536

Peter.Bridge

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 19, 2023
1,331
610
Depends on how steep, total weight of rider + bike, where the motor is (hub or mid drive) There is a rather good predictor here


From the Woosh website


Will your bikes sail up hills?

It depends on your weight. The heavier you are, the more slowly you can go uphill on throttle.
With hub motors, you will need to use pedal the assist mode going up most hills.
With crank drive bikes, you can switch gear and get up 10% hills on the throttle alone.
In general, there is only so much a 250W motor can carry uphill. On steep hills, even our CD bikes need pedal assist.
Our bikes are NOT suitable for off-roading.
If you live in a hilly area, we recommend:
If you like pedalling, choose a crank drive bike like the crossbar Krieger or the step-through Santana-CD.
If you are over 15 stone, choose the Big Bear Plus or Big Bear LS.
Over 20 stone? No...you'd be better with a moped.
The best bike for you needs to climb hills well if you live in a hilly area.
We have a tool for that, it's our Predictor that checks the surrounding area where you live and narrows down the suitable bikes.
Then select a frame that suits your riding. We offer three basic choices: mountain bike (crossbar), step-through and folding. step-through offers the most comfortable ride.
Then select normal frame size or large if you are 5ft 10 and over.
 

Peter.Bridge

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 19, 2023
1,331
610
Also, my wife has a second hand Wisper 705 and she seems to fly up hills - I'm sure that is partly due to it having a very powerful motor (and partly due to her being half my weight ! )

Everything else being equal (which it rarely is) a 48V electric bike will be significantly more powerful that a 36V one

If you are of a technical mind there is a simulator tool here where you can enter details of weight, motor, controller and incline

 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
7,009
3,241
Telford
Hi, all. I live in a very hilly area. I can go for miles, but absolutely HATE inclines, to where I will literally avoid routes with inclines, walking or cycling. I don't mind exercise, but it's the burn in the body when slogging up hills that is miserable for me.

I'm not that fit, and I don't want to have to pay tax and get insurance. I don't care that much about speed, as long as I can effortlessly ascend steep hills with very little, to no effort (even if that means slowing down, somewhat).

I've been looking everywhere, and for whatever reason, I can't search for bikes based on torque, peak power, etc.

What sort of bikes should I be looking at that are legal on the roads, relatively affordable (nothing over 1.5k [but if you must show me one with good stats, regardless of price, it might be helpful]), and something where my unfit ass won't break a sweat going up steep hills.

Also, where do I go to search for bikes based on stats? Every site I go to seems to only advertise their bikes with snazzy BS marketing names and not listing anything to do with motor power or torque, etc.

P.S. I am a total newbie. Please go easy on me.
You need to tell us how heavy you are, how far you want to go, what sort of rides you hope to do and things like that.
 

Avzy

Just Joined
Jun 13, 2023
2
0
You need to tell us how heavy you are, how far you want to go, what sort of rides you hope to do and things like that.
I'm 200 pounds. I edited my post.

And I don't know how to answer about the kind of rides I want to go on. Like, duration? I want to go on rides for a couple hours across significantly hilly terrain. I don't care about going super fast (although if that's an option - great!).