I would recommend going with something with a Bafang Ultra M620. Jone's is over priced and outdated with a BBSHD that has a cadence sensor. Check what Frey has to offer. https://www.frey.bike/pages/savannah A Frey is less and you get a lot more.
Yes it can climb. But only at 5mph. Something with a Bafang Ultra would blast up it at 15+mph.$1700 for dual battery, cargo weight capacity, able to climb.. I think it's a no-brainer for the price.
Maybe be not practical for "commuter" since cargo bike takes up large spaces for parking.
BTW, lack of suspension is due to cargo carrying capacity, not many suspension fork can handle weight difference between loaded & unloaded.
Rigid fork keeps the handling characteristics consistent between loaded & unloaded.
I watched a 350 pound guy ride up a very very steep hill on a Grizzly last weekend. He did not peddle at all. They sure can climb. Only down side. It is not really an ebike. It is a e-moped. But they do not check that around here.Ariel Rider Grizzly (2WD, fatbike dual battery) is the only one that’s going to prevent the sweaty mess thing.
Even that will likely require your 100 W of effort from time to time.
Yes it can climb. But only at 5mph. Something with a Bafang Ultra would blast up it at 15+mph.
I watched a 350 pound guy ride up a very very steep hill on a Grizzly last weekend. He did not peddle at all. They sure can climb. Only down side. It is not really an ebike. It is a e-moped. But they do not check that around here.
The twin hub motors will still be out of their league. I have literally been there and done that and had to build my way out of the problem with a 2wd bike that had a mid drive in the rear, instead of a hub motor. A 2wd geared hub will definitely help but you'll kill them eventually and the bike will still not be anywhere near as good of a performer. You can't overcome the single-speed limitation.Ariel Rider Grizzly (2WD, fatbike dual battery) is the only one that’s going to prevent the sweaty mess thing.
Even that will likely require your 100 W of effort from time to time.
the Frey CC (the Cross Country step thru... they have changed the name in recent years) is an awesome deal. Put some XC tires on it for the muddy roads and it would be excellent. Over the years I have had to resist the temptation to buy that bike.I would recommend going with something with a Bafang Ultra M620. Jone's is over priced and outdated with a BBSHD that has a cadence sensor. Check what Frey has to offer. https://www.frey.bike/pages/savannah A Frey is less and you get a lot more.
Watch this.
He is talking about the electric motor taking advantage of the chain & sprockets' leverage, rather than driving the wheel directly.Hub-drive ebike can still have 7-speed rear freewheel, that's not: No gears, do you disagree?
Sometimes, that large sprocket on the rear is just not enough. On my old heybike Ranger, for example. It was a 72 lb. folding bike with a 500 W hub motor. When the battery died, it didn't take a big hill to reduce me to walking, much less a mountainous area. When I went up hills on that bike, that motor was working HARD. On my smallish hills, it's short term, but in a hilly or mountainous area, it's a different ballgame. You're in NYC, I'm in SE WI. It's not like Colorado or San Francisco, for example. Hub motors are fine for me, but if I was in SF, I bet it would burn out in short order.If you are constantly climbing hills & running out of gears to shift into with a 7-speed rear freewheel, more than likely you need a different ebike than just a regular "commuter".
I absolutely agree. But our OP here may not be in that majority, if he lives in a hilly/mountainous city.Personal preferences aside, honestly; you don't think that majority of "commuters" could be better off spending less money on a capable hub-motor ebike?
Yep.Especially for someone who doesn't know one way or another, plopping down $3-$4k for a decent mid-drive only to find out later that a $1.5K hub-drive ebike is likely just as capable.
Re-posting this snippet from the OP just to remind "A" that we're not talking about what I would call a "typical commute". ;-)... The slopes are sustained 10-15% with the steepest sections around 25%, so round trip I'm looking at 10 miles (16 km) with about 3500' (~1000m) of elevation gain. ...
Yes exactly. The advice has to be thought through with what the OP has already told us the bike has to live with. He's the one who is going to spend a lot of money that can't be unspent if the advice given is bad.... we're not talking about what I would call a "typical commute". ;-)