I am looking to buy an electric bike and finding that it is very hard to find a bike based on specs. I first started reading to learn about E-Bikes and the technical side of E-Bikes. I am a road biker since 15 years and usually do about 30 miles flat riding. I can’t ride around my house since it is hilly and I’m 240 lbs and getting old. From my reading I concluded that I need a 500-750 Watt mid-drive with a 36-48 Volt 1000 wh battery to have the power and distance that I need with extra reserve for doing some hills. I have not found a single website that you can search based on motor and battery power. I have to open each model and look for the specs that they hide to find what I need. Can I get some recommendations if first the pecs I’m looking at make sense and what manufacturers I should consider. Is there a way to search based on specs rather than the BS talk about the moon and stars?
Get what you are saying, and I agree. I have not seen a searchable database with the data you are looking for either. Get where you are coming from too. I have a pretty good grip on what's going on after building a couple of bikes, then purchasing and modifying the heck out of an over the counter bike, and I'm STILL struggling just like you are regarding my next bike....
Same riding scenario as well. Bought a home smack dab in the middle of some big rolling coastal hills (didn't look nearly as intimidating from the window of my car) , surrounded by miles of bike trails on flatland. Pre ebike purchase, by time I got to a bike trail I'd be so wiped out I'd have to turn around to make it back home on what energy I had left!
I've been pro geared hub bike to this point, have a 1000w that can make about 35 miles pretty reliably. Found I needed that much power in these hills to top the bigger ones easily, and it's just kind of loafing along, using very little power on the flats.
What might attract me to a mid drive is the potential for a belt driven VRT hub - without spending a fortune. Fat tires are something I'd like to try too, in hopes of a better ride, narrowing the range of available bikes even further.
Currently studying the Evelo Aurora Limited pretty closely....
As I do all of my own work, NOT a fan of local bike shops.