Which ebike should I buy for off road?

bob

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I'm looking for a ebike and I'm not too concerned about price, if it's $1500 or even $3000 I don't mind I just want something decent. I'm retired and weigh 220lbs and I have a bad knee an foot so I need an ebike to get around. I like riding motorbikes and of road with fat tyre bikes. What do people recommend in the way of ebikes for some off road riding?
 
The first thing with any ebike purchase is to decide what motor setup you want. Ebikes come with electric hubs or mid drives. Each style has it's advantages and disadvantages. Answering this question first will help in decided which bike you should get.
 
What I recommend before your first ebike purchase is to go to you local electric bike shop and test ride everything you can.

Fat tyre bikes are awesome, I love mine. I'm a similar weight to you and my ebike has a 500 Watt hub motor. Ebikes are just as fun as riding a motorcycle, you wont regret your purchase which ever bike you decide!

My bike is hub driven with the downside being take off torque and hill climbing, but it is still a very viable option. Mid drives are cool because you can use the gears on the bike. The downside is that all the power goes through the chain so the chain is the weakest link so to speak. Mid drive ebikes have better weight distribution when compared with a hub driven ebike, since the electric motor is in the centre of the bike rather than on the front or rear hub.
 
I'd recommend to get at least a hard tail ebike or somthing that you can put front suspension on for off road ridinig. Also make sure the ebikes battery has enough power so that you get the full potential out of the motor. Some ebike batteries are underpowered and can't supply the motor with enough amps.
 
Basically with an ebike you can get FAST or FAR. But not both. The decision is up to you! With a mid drive you have to do a lot of gear shifting.
 
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