05-10-2024, 02:58 PM
I have been searching for almost a year now for an ebike that can be my only vehicle. I live in a rural area, far from shopping and friends. That means even my shortest trip will be at least 30 miles round trip, more often 50 miles round trip with no chance of charging before heading home. To visit friends, it is at minimum 40 miles one way, and I want to travel even further to go to events.
The terrain here in upstate NY is hilly and I must climb some steep hills to get home at the end. There are a few routes that require going over washboard dirt roads for about 2 miles but the rest is good paved roads. I will often be hauling groceries, using a child trailer and buying a lot at once, so I figure upwards of 60 -80 lbs, especially if I add my dog (30 lbs.).
Oh yes, I also have advanced osteoarthritis in my hands, so I need vibration damping and need some sweep on the handlebars,as well as a bike that is as light as possible (for lifting). Yes, I know it is a lot to ask for!
So this is what I have tried.
I ordered a Turbo Vado 4.0 so-called step through (really a mid-step) from the Pro's Closet, after telling the ride-guide that my bike inseam is 27.75" . They recommended this bike as fitting me.
I loved the ride, the natural feel of assist, and I got up the first two big hills from my house in 1st level assist! I am an energetic rider. BUT, not only didn't I have standover height; the mid-step bar was hard against my crotch and pressing hard all the way up my pubic bone in front! Stopping where the ground sloped on one side meant I went over sideways!!!
I got a ride to a bike chain 135 miles away to try out the Gazelle Medeo line. I love the Deore shifters, the easiest for my hands, and European engineering. And their Small sizes are rated for 4' 10" persons. I used to be almost 5' 2", now 4' 11 1/2" (as we age loss of space between spinal vertebrae). I should have even been able to ride the closed frame. Not only could I not even straddle the closed frame, I had a similar problem to the Vado with the Mid-step. I rode the Medeo T10 and liked it, though only in the flat parking lot. Strangely, the assist seemed less than the Turbo Vado, perhaps because the Gazelles are class 1 and the Vado is class 3? Higher torque motor in the Vado? The only Gazelle step-throughs they had, however, were the belt-driven ones (C-8) which I tried and hated the very upright position as well as the logey feel. I want a derailleur!
I got a ride to a bike shop that carries Trek; I've always loved my Trek 520. They only carried the Verve+ 2 and I tried it out on a great loop including steep hills and broken pavement. The bike performed well, not nearly as powerful as the Vado but adequate on the hills, and much quieter motor than the Gazelles! That was a surprise. The big problem though, was that my right wrist and arm was killing me with pain. I could order the Verve +4 to get Deore components, but that model line doesn't have front suspension and I have no way of knowing if upgrading to a fork with maximum 50mm of travel will be enough. And no way of knowing if the Alivio shifters would be less of a problem with more back sweep on the handlebars. BTW, it is virtually impossible to get the specs on degrees of sweep on bars either on manufacturers' websites or in reviews. Hello there, this is stuff we need to know in order to know if we are going to have to upgrade our bikes for fit. And please don't tell me that we need to just let a "professional" fit us in the shop. Most of these bikes aren't even available in shops and we have to pay for them before we can even ride them. And with what these bikes cost, I want to know just how much I am going to have to upgrade.
Rant over. So I still don't know if it's the handlebar sweep, the shifters, or the lack of vibration damping that was the problem so, Trek is out. (Yes, they have other models but they are too heavy.)
Where I stand now. go to my post "Is this Upgrade of shifters possible?" and maybe you can help me with that question.
The terrain here in upstate NY is hilly and I must climb some steep hills to get home at the end. There are a few routes that require going over washboard dirt roads for about 2 miles but the rest is good paved roads. I will often be hauling groceries, using a child trailer and buying a lot at once, so I figure upwards of 60 -80 lbs, especially if I add my dog (30 lbs.).
Oh yes, I also have advanced osteoarthritis in my hands, so I need vibration damping and need some sweep on the handlebars,as well as a bike that is as light as possible (for lifting). Yes, I know it is a lot to ask for!
So this is what I have tried.
I ordered a Turbo Vado 4.0 so-called step through (really a mid-step) from the Pro's Closet, after telling the ride-guide that my bike inseam is 27.75" . They recommended this bike as fitting me.
I loved the ride, the natural feel of assist, and I got up the first two big hills from my house in 1st level assist! I am an energetic rider. BUT, not only didn't I have standover height; the mid-step bar was hard against my crotch and pressing hard all the way up my pubic bone in front! Stopping where the ground sloped on one side meant I went over sideways!!!
I got a ride to a bike chain 135 miles away to try out the Gazelle Medeo line. I love the Deore shifters, the easiest for my hands, and European engineering. And their Small sizes are rated for 4' 10" persons. I used to be almost 5' 2", now 4' 11 1/2" (as we age loss of space between spinal vertebrae). I should have even been able to ride the closed frame. Not only could I not even straddle the closed frame, I had a similar problem to the Vado with the Mid-step. I rode the Medeo T10 and liked it, though only in the flat parking lot. Strangely, the assist seemed less than the Turbo Vado, perhaps because the Gazelles are class 1 and the Vado is class 3? Higher torque motor in the Vado? The only Gazelle step-throughs they had, however, were the belt-driven ones (C-8) which I tried and hated the very upright position as well as the logey feel. I want a derailleur!
I got a ride to a bike shop that carries Trek; I've always loved my Trek 520. They only carried the Verve+ 2 and I tried it out on a great loop including steep hills and broken pavement. The bike performed well, not nearly as powerful as the Vado but adequate on the hills, and much quieter motor than the Gazelles! That was a surprise. The big problem though, was that my right wrist and arm was killing me with pain. I could order the Verve +4 to get Deore components, but that model line doesn't have front suspension and I have no way of knowing if upgrading to a fork with maximum 50mm of travel will be enough. And no way of knowing if the Alivio shifters would be less of a problem with more back sweep on the handlebars. BTW, it is virtually impossible to get the specs on degrees of sweep on bars either on manufacturers' websites or in reviews. Hello there, this is stuff we need to know in order to know if we are going to have to upgrade our bikes for fit. And please don't tell me that we need to just let a "professional" fit us in the shop. Most of these bikes aren't even available in shops and we have to pay for them before we can even ride them. And with what these bikes cost, I want to know just how much I am going to have to upgrade.
Rant over. So I still don't know if it's the handlebar sweep, the shifters, or the lack of vibration damping that was the problem so, Trek is out. (Yes, they have other models but they are too heavy.)
Where I stand now. go to my post "Is this Upgrade of shifters possible?" and maybe you can help me with that question.
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