My first comment here. Read this whole thread, and I thank you for all the details.
That was my whole point of making a "review thread", hoping someone like me would see it before buying the bike.
I have been eyeing a Wabash that's for sale near me on FBMP. This would be my first e-bike. I have 8 other analog bikes, mostly road but also a couple of gravel including a titanium one that I use for commute, 18 miles one way give or take. I have no issues pedaling loaded bike to work but its the whole process that is getting tiresome. i.e. load up panniers with shoes, extra clothes, laptop, charger, mouse what not, energy bars etc, fill up water bottles. Then once at work, take shower, change into work clothes, lock bags and bike up, hang damp clothes in the dryer and head for the meetings (finally).
With a bike like Wabash my hope is that I won't be sweaty/damp and can head to my desk straight away after locking the bike in the parking. How realistic is this?
It's realistic. You could get an eBike with a hub motor that would be torquey enough, but the thing is that hub motors are geared for the maximum assisted speed of the eBike, so at lower speeds, they don't make any more torque. It's kind of a brute force approach.
With a mid-drive eBike, like the Wabash RT, the motor goes through the bike's gearing, so you have more torque available as you downshift to the lower gears. The downside is that you're putting all that extra power through the chain & sprockets, so they will wear faster. Just keep an eye on the chain and maybe bring a chain breaker and master link along with you.
With a 36 mile round trip commute, you could use Standard or Turbo assist settings, which are the highest two. (the lower two are Eco+ and Eco) and make the commute without charging or showering at work. You'd probably find yourself using Standard for the climbs, and turn it off for the descents.
Or mix it up: Turbo for the ride in, to stay dry, and just Eco on the way home.
There are a couple of climbs with 8-10% grade on the way to work. I have only ridden an ebike once before at Zion NP and it was incredible! But it was a short round trip. I also think Wabash or bikes like that feel close to analog bikes v/s something Lectric with hub motor in the rear wheel - but I am open to that too. However with bikes like Lectric XP or Ride1up Portola (both foldable) I am seeing some terribly low range and I certainly don't want to get caught up halfway back home pedaling a 75lb bike with 4 inch wide tires. I am guessing Yamaha is much better in that regard. Thoughts?
A Lectric XP4 has a plenty powerful hub motor, and while it wouldn't gear down to assist more for the climbs, YOU would be geared down and providing YOUR assistance for the climbs. Lectric is conservative with their motor ratings, compared to a lot of them. They're quite torquey and I think would do the job for you too.
A more practical city bike might be the Lectric One, with its belt drive and Pinion gearbox. More expensive, but still not Wabash expensive. It's frame doesn't fold, but the battery is easily removable without cracking the frame open, like on the XP line. Great reputation for being torquey. I have belt drive on one of my muggle bikes (Priority Apollo 11) and it's wondeful, not having to jerk around with the chain.
The real problem with hub drive eBikes is that they don't ever seem to have a
properly low climbing gear, so you're using a lot of juice when you climb hills on them and if your battery runs dry, you're doing The Walk of Shame. I bought a Portola over an XP 3.0 a year or so ago, because of it's lower low gear, and it was still a chore to climb a Seattle-caliber hill in the lowest gear.
I bet that seller is selling his Wabash because he had the same problem I did, but didn't get it fixed. I never did check yet whether I still have the original battery or if the dealer replaced it with the "free second battery". It's possible the original battery was faulty, and that's what was causing the issue.
In short, I think you should settle on a mid-drive eBike. Doesn't necessarily have to be a Wabash. Check upway.co for what's available in your area. Any Gazelles? They're supposed to be awesome.
See if the seller will let you take it for a LONG ride, so you can confirm it's not cutting out before you buy it. Give him full disclosure on what you're doing. If he won't let you do that, with deposit in hand, then just walk away.