First eBike - questions before buying

[KirkMcPike]

I'm looking at getting my first bike, and I have a few questions that I hoped folks here might be able to help me answer. I live in Alexandria, Virginia, which is a relatively hilly city. I'm looking for a bike to replace a lot of my trips around Alexandria, but not necessarily my daily commute to my office in Washington, DC, at least, not initially. I would often be biking places where I can't be sweaty when I arrive, which is why an ebike interests me.

Two bikes that have caught my eye are the Aventon Soltera and the Charge City. My local bike store has the Charge Comfort and the Aventon Pace 500. I don't know if anyone has any thoughts on those four bikes, but I'd appreciate any opinions folks have to share.

One question I have is the hills in this area: three of the bikes I mention have 250W motors, but the Pace 500 has a 500W motor. Would that make a significant difference in terms of the amount of effort I'd have to put in for climbing a hill?

I want to make sure I have a cargo rack on the back, which I'd have to buy separately for the Pace, but it's not expensive. Are there any other items I should be thinking about?

 

[Deleted member 4845]

Yes, and yes.

 

["A"]

Between the three models that you've already picked out, and your hilly terrain that you will be riding, I would pick the ones with gear selection.
Having different gears to pick allow rider to have a pick in cadence while riding.
Besides a rear rack, consider a bike lock, gloves & cycling shorts, if you're not comfortable on the bike, likely you're not going to enjoy riding it.

 

[ptuner11]

i have 150 miles on my Aventon Pace (new generation). pros: hills=no problem,style,rear in frame brake lights, good battery life. cons: rides a bit hard (no front shocks), had to change seats and put a shock absorber seat stem. it's good now. if you do decide on this bike make sure you get the New Generation. better bike. good luck

 

[dualierider]

i have 150 miles on my Aventon Pace (new generation). pros: hills=no problem,style,rear in frame brake lights, good battery life. cons: rides a bit hard (no front shocks), had to change seats and put a shock absorber seat stem. it's good now. if you do decide on this bike make sure you get the New Generation. better bike. good luck

I'm new to the forum and am also wanting to buy a relaxed hybrid ebike. I've ridden the 500 Pace (1st Gen) and the 350. I would say to the OP to go with the 500. The 350 seemed weak. I also tested, and liked, the Serfas Dash but at $300 more and no reviews because it's so new, i'm leaning towards the 500 Pace next gen. Too bad nobody has them in stock

 

[Smaug]

The motor power does make a difference in hill climbing. With these hub motor bikes, the motor has to be geared to provide for the top speed; in this case, 20 mph. You will have gearing to help you, but if the hill is steep or long, it may not be enough to keep you from sweating on a hot summer day.

In a hilly area, I think I'd probably spend a bit more and go with a bike with a mid-drive design; it has the motor & gearing in the bottom bracket between the crank arms. With this arrangement, the motor can also take advantage of the gearing provided by the chain & sprockets, instead of directly driving the wheel. Something like the Trek Allant+.

Of the bikes you mention above, I like the Charge City the best because it has the conventional cross bar that men's bikes have had, and that opens up inexpensive rack options for your car. ("strap-on" rear rack) I think having an easy option for transporting the bike will help you get more out of your investment. You can drive it to a nice trail miles away, or bring it on a trip...

Speaking of that, I see that it is only 45 lbs. (that's pretty light for an e-bike) It's worth noting that as you go up in motor power, you also go up in battery capacity, both of which add weight quickly. I have a 500 W folding e-bike with a 48 V, 15 Ah (720 Wh) battery pack, and the weighs 71 lbs, so although it folds, it's a back-breaker to get into the car and too heavy for a cheap rack. The fat tires won't fit in a conventional trailer hitch-mounted rack either. I'm kicking myself for focusing so much on power and so little on weight.

Here's a good write-up on pros & cons of each motor type: https://www.aventon.com/blogs/aventon_bikes/electric-bike-motors-the-ultimate-guide

 

[HumanPerson]

I'm looking at getting my first bike, and I have a few questions that I hoped folks here might be able to help me answer. I live in Alexandria, Virginia, which is a relatively hilly city. I'm looking for a bike to replace a lot of my trips around Alexandria, but not necessarily my daily commute to my office in Washington, DC, at least, not initially. I would often be biking places where I can't be sweaty when I arrive, which is why an ebike interests me.

Two bikes that have caught my eye are the Aventon Soltera and the Charge City. My local bike store has the Charge Comfort and the Aventon Pace 500. I don't know if anyone has any thoughts on those four bikes, but I'd appreciate any opinions folks have to share.

One question I have is the hills in this area: three of the bikes I mention have 250W motors, but the Pace 500 has a 500W motor. Would that make a significant difference in terms of the amount of effort I'd have to put in for climbing a hill?

I want to make sure I have a cargo rack on the back, which I'd have to buy separately for the Pace, but it's not expensive. Are there any other items I should be thinking about?

Panniers to carry stuff in:
https://www.amazon.com/Waterfly-Pannier-Waterproof-Shoulder-Cycling/dp/B07XQ2BRKS/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?keywords=ortlieb+panniers&qid=1655488502&sr=8-3-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzRVVMSFhQWDRFRVpOJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjAyMzg5MTZQVTlIR1Q1MjE4WCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTE1NzQ1MUdHMzRZN045VENFQyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1



Ride Safe!

HP

 

[biknut]

The world is moving away from normie eBikes, and heading toward more powerful moped style eBikes. Any bike with less that 1000w is basically an exercise bike. Snce you need hill climbing ability I recommend this dual motor bike. The single motor version is great too, but I don't know how big your hills are. https://arielrider.com/products/grizzly?variant=41801460220080