Posting this in general as I don't have a specific type of bike in mind. I've been doing a lot of research, but have yet to find a bike that seems targeted towards what I want to do. Here's the situation:
The ride to town is 5 miles (8 km) on dirt roads with 1500' (~450m) of elevation gain and a 2000' (~600m) descent. 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. I'm looking for something that can:
Any recommendations? I've been looking at mountain bikes, fat bikes and smaller cargo bikes, but none seems to really tick all the boxes.
So far, the I like the Jones https://www.jonesmotorbikes.com/electric-bicycles/, but I certainly wouldn't mind a cheaper option and I don't love that the Jones just takes a bottom bracket Bafang motor considering the cost.
Thanks for any input!
The ride to town is 5 miles (8 km) on dirt roads with 1500' (~450m) of elevation gain and a 2000' (~600m) descent. 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. I'm looking for something that can:
1. Handle the hills easily so the ride doesn't take forever and I don't arrive a sweaty mess. I'm not looking to just throttle up the hills, but I would like to go much faster than pedaling alone would get me. I don't need a top end above 20mph on the flats, but I need solid brakes given the long descents.
2. Be able to handle dirt roads that can get quite muddy, but I'm not looking to ride trails with it and don't necessarily need suspension.
3. Have enough cargo capacity for some basic errands, although not a full-on long-tail cargo bike. I weigh about 200lbs and would want to be able to comfortably take another 50lbs or so. I'll be adding fenders and a rack to whatever I get.
4. Have enough range to go another 10-15 mi (16 - 24 km) in addition to the 10 mi round trip. Basically, I need to get to the valley floor and then go other places in the valley. The additional range I am looking for would be on much flatter terrain.
Any recommendations? I've been looking at mountain bikes, fat bikes and smaller cargo bikes, but none seems to really tick all the boxes.
So far, the I like the Jones https://www.jonesmotorbikes.com/electric-bicycles/, but I certainly wouldn't mind a cheaper option and I don't love that the Jones just takes a bottom bracket Bafang motor considering the cost.
Thanks for any input!