Surprise for the Mrs trying decide on ebike for my wife.

[Jrad13]

Hello all and thanks in advance.

I'm going to surprise my wife w a new ebike for Xmas. She has always ridden a traditional cruiser style bike, but alas, with she and now arthritis she has almost stopped riding. Makes me sad. The main issue hills and wind. So had brain storm that pedal assist or event full throttle at times would get her back on the road!

Ive been reading reviews watching YouTube and even popped into a local shop(they carried only very expensive options) and seemed little snooty so I left.

My wife is only 5'3" so that presents challenges as well.

I had it narrowed down to the aventon aventure 2, level 2,pace 3 or the dark horse magicycle ocelot pro from watching videos of shorter female riders.

I almost ordered one of these many times but get cold feet. No shops that carry good assortment near me with options under 2k.

They all works be okay on inseam height even with small stem increase for cushioned seat replacement.. She likes to ride upright, so reach was a concern though know I can swap out the bars with little work and it add a stem that's adjustable.

Any thoughts from those that own one or have test ridden etc?

Mostly rust riding with little bit of path off maybe, up and down curbs, potholes etc thought might be cool and fun for change with fat tires. She's like young 20-30mi round trip so not overly concerned with long range.. Can charge as needed

Thanks in advance - bummer that no close shop to get into for advice so hoping this page fills gap! Thanks again... Jim

Thanks in advance!

 

[HumanPerson]

Hey, Welcome to the forums

 

[JerryB]

Welcome......I am sure someone out there knows the bikes you asked about.....hopefully they will respond. Nice present for the wife!

 

[addertooth]

My spouse doesn't like to pedal either, and she is short. I find it humorous that all these Asian Ebike companies assume all of their customers are 5 foot 8 inches tall (or taller). Like you I have been on the hunt for an "altitude challenged" design.

I found one which has a seat height of only 30 inches (my wife's inseam when she has shoes on). It has a 750 Watt hub motor, 48v battery, and will go "up to" 28 MPH. It is probably what I will get her. She wanted a "step through" frame, and a folding design to simplify storage.
Link below.

Inexpensive Ebike for short riders.

 

[Jrad13]

My spouse doesn't like to pedal either, and she is short. I find it humorous that all these Asian Ebike companies assume all of their customers are 5 foot 8 inches tall (or taller). Like you I have been on the hunt for an "altitude challenged" design.

I found one which has a seat height of only 30 inches (my wife's inseam when she has shoes on). It has a 750 Watt hub motor, 48v battery, and will go "up to" 28 MPH. It is probably what I will get her. She wanted a "step through" frame, and a folding design to simplify storage.
Link below.

Inexpensive Ebike for short riders.

Lol yep that is very similar to the magicycle ocelot pro I mentioned, I'm not sure about the 20"wheels that's the only thing... The aventure rider height starts at 4'11"....right now that is my lean.. I may need swap or the handlebars or put an adjustable stem on... Tbd... I'm not sure she'd like the little look of the 20"wheel bike? And she's not a white fan for bike color... The other colors army green and black.. So? I'm pretty sure gonna give the adventure a go bit not 100% yet... This is harder than buying a car! Lol... I'm probably gonna wait for black Friday, so gathering as much info as I can! Thanks for the reply! Stay well!

 

[Jrad13]

Ps my Mrs loves pedaling she likes get exercise and has fun riding until recently.. She can't ride into a strong wind or on hills so having pas will be perfect or full throttle to make back home when tired!

 

[Smaug]

This is a very good idea. My wife stopped riding as she is so weak and slow.

I have an Aventon Level.2. I love it, but your wife won't; it has quite a forward lean. Aventon bikes are good quality.

Aventon Aventure is a very heavy bike. Skip it unless she'll be riding on loose surfaces a lot.

My wife (5'2") has an Electra Townie GO! 7D. I think you should look at these. They're within your budget, are the cruiser style your wife likes and it meets all your criteria. Very good quality, too. One cool thing about it is that since the crankset is placed forward, she can have the seat nice and low and still get decent leg extension to get more torque out of her legs. I got her a water bottle holder for the handlebar and a rack out back. She found a nice basket at Target, which I zip-tied to the rack. She puts her purse and sweat shirt in there, held in by a bungee to keep them in over the bumps. Here she is:

Aventon Pace 350.3 would be a good one, but if you go that route, get a later model with the torque sensor. Newbies and women find it a lot less intimidating than the cheaper cadence sensor of the older models. This will be a bit lighter than the Townie 7D I mentioned above and will be a lot easier to make tight turns on, since the cruiser geometry of the Townie is kind of long and laid-back. My wife drops hers once in awhile when she forgets she can't make the tight turns on a sidewalk like I can. If your wife can remember that or will be OK sticking to roads and trails, she'll be fine.

 

[Jrad13]

This is a very good idea. My wife stopped riding as she is so weak and slow.

I have an Aventon Level.2. I love it, but your wife won't; it has quite a forward lean. Aventon bikes are good quality.

Aventon Aventure is a very heavy bike. Skip it unless she'll be riding on loose surfaces a lot.

My wife (5'2") has an Electra Townie GO! 7D. I think you should look at these. They're within your budget, are the cruiser style your wife likes and it meets all your criteria. Very good quality, too. One cool thing about it is that since the crankset is placed forward, she can have the seat nice and low and still get decent leg extension to get more torque out of her legs. I got her a water bottle holder for the handlebar and a rack out back. She found a nice basket at Target, which I zip-tied to the rack. She puts her purse and sweat shirt in there, held in by a bungee to keep them in over the bumps. Here she is:

Aventon Pace 350.3 would be a good one, but if you go that route, get a later model with the torque sensor. Newbies and women find it a lot less intimidating than the cheaper cadence sensor of the older models. This will be a bit lighter than the Townie 7D I mentioned above and will be a lot easier to make tight turns on, since the cruiser geometry of the Townie is kind of long and laid-back. My wife drops hers once in awhile when she forgets she can't make the tight turns on a sidewalk like I can. If your wife can remember that or will be OK sticking to roads and trails, she'll be fine.

 

[Jrad13]

Thanks so much for this thoughtful response super helpful! I was closer to ordering the pace 500.3.. But at least moment they special pricing I got great deal on a euphree city robin x plus... Cruiser style, great for for her, torque sensor, low step thru and adjustable stem for bars and full suspension.

I still ride my old road bike.. Also getting up there so starting think about my options for e bike.. Maybe this spring after recover from this purchase! Lol...considering aventure 2 and the Wired Freedom.

Anyway I'm very grateful for this and your time.. Ride safely, same to the mrs!... Jim

 

[Smaug]

One thing about fat tire bikes (besides the weight) that people don't consider until after purchase is that they don't roll efficiently on pavement. There are the lugs of the tires creating wind resistance and also the large contact patch and low pressure (typically 20 psi). So you then need a very large battery and motor to haul the weight around, defeat the rolling resistance and wind resistance. If you go in with eyes open, it's fine. But if you're mostly going to be on pavement or smooth gravel, you'd be better served by something else. Pace 500.3 might be a good one for you. Wife won't want or need the extra power of the 500 W motor. You might, though. It's 2.5" wide tires are plenty enough for gravel trails as long as they're not super rough.

 

[Jrad13]

Got it. Yep very aware of the fat tire impact,part of the reason moved away from the aventure 2 for her along with weight and forward lesn position. So all good with the euphree city robin x plus. Cruiser style bars and tires and some shock absorption... Seems a great option for her.. Excited to get hands on... As for me I'm almost sure going with the Wired Freedom after a lot of research... Thanks.

 

[Atavar]

I am going to suggest that buying a surprise may not be the best choice. Part of the joy and excitement of getting an e-bike is shopping for one.
If you present her a done deal you are depriving her of the shopping fun. Let her pick the color and the lights and the bell.
You also run the risk of giving her the bike with a big red bow on it and she announces she is done with cycling.
A bike is a very personal item and the rider should be involved in picking it out. You will get more brownie points by taking her shopping than you would by giving her a white elephant.

 

[gemineye]

Welcome