Need help with selecting an ebike

[Aidan]

Hello, I was hoping to get opinions on a relatively affordable ebike solution for regular commuting. Here are the factors I have to deal with:

1. I have a bit of a bad knee from several past injuries (skiing, soccer, hockey) and although it isn't bad most of the time (I still play hockey) it is always at about 70% - 80% of strength compared to my other knee.
   
   
2. I have a very serious hill to deal with on my commute and unfortunately it is on my way home after work, which can be very daunting after putting in an 8 hour day at work. The hill portion of the commute is about 2km/1.25 miles and the total elevation of the hill is about 160 metres (525 ft).
   
   
3. Most of the commute is on the street, however I do cut through a very hard compact biking/walking gravel trail that is city maintained, which hasn't really been an issue for my current hybrid bike (Norco Indie 4).

I have been looking at several different options: the Specialized Turbo, the Surface 604 Boar, the Juiced Riders Cross Current, and even the Superpedestrian Copenhagen Wheel. Personally, I absolutely love the minimalist concept of the Copenhagen wheel as well as the idea of re-purposing my existing bike, but not being able to test ride the Copenhagen Wheel (I can test ride the other three at our local shop) is a little concerning as well as the ambiguity of not knowing when they will deliver the product. I don't want to spend too much money, which is another reason why I like the Copenhagen Wheel option. However, it would be incredibly frustrating to get the Copenhagen Wheel and find it just doesn't cut it on that hill. (FYI - I'm not looking to have the bike carry me up the hill, but I definitely want some assistance with the climb.)

I'm very new to ebikes so I'm looking for opinions on which option would be the better fit for my situation. And if you have a suggestion of an ebike or conversion kit that you think is a better fit that is within a reasonable price range, please feel free to suggest something.

Thanks,

Aidan

 

[Alex M]

If your current 700/38 tires (about 1.5"?) are fine for that only unpaved section, maybe you don't need a 4" fat bike.

As to your your bad knee - you probably want a throttle override option. Not just pedal-assist.
My 2 cents.

 

[Aidan]

Yes, definitely don't need 4" tires. It's just the price point of the Surface 604 is within reach (barely).

Physiotherapist recommended biking for my knee, so pedal assist is probably ok, but ya the throttle override option might be good to have just in case.

Thanks for the reply.