[Closed] E-bike question

Really comes down to what you want it for, if it's canals and tarmac then you can get a load of tourers that are good these days, they've upped the quality of these types over the last couple of years, so nicer motors, bigger batteries and better thought out.

Have a real hunt for what you're after, if you have any ebike specialist shops they usually have the range, it'll come down to looks and price, Reiss and Muller are a bit more quality and cost, but you can pick up a really nice haibike trekking 10 for under 4k these days, with Gen4 bosch motor and 625wh battery, that'll get you a fair distance.

or more specifically, is there anyone here who has found that they are cycling more with their e-bike than they ever would have with a conventional bike?

I bought an e-bike. Lost 2.5 stone. Game changer. 🙂

EDIT - I think the Bosch motors are generally considered to be the best currently and I would make sure you buy from a local store rather than online as if you get any issues you need to be able to wheel it in to the place you bought it from..

2 very different bikes. A heart or head dilemma going on there.

Big difference in weight too, with the R&M being a whopping 29.4kg and a turbo levo ranging at least 5kg below that.
Are you going like for like price wise ? so aiming at a higher end levo.
Nm is probably going to be similar,so likely 85nm.

"Mostly canal/tarmac" says R&M, plus its designed for things like shopping/commuting/easy days out and the levo is more tuned towards farting around offroad, though thats not set these days and you can use it for whatever you want. The levo however isnt going to be best used to go shopping on, but it looks better 😆

I've just bought one - 2 weeks old now, and while I needed an all rounder leaning towards shopping, tarmac, I opted for a Scott genius e-ride 920, basically because i dont have the same price range to yourself and have to justify higher spec for the price im paying. Even at 4K its a suntour shock&fork and bottom of the range brakes. I felt it was best to go a little higher and get a fox 36 and dps shock and a bit more deore sec ergo I went with my heart 😆
Hills are my problem, really kills me and theres a few medical probs ive to contend with now.

Either way, both will allow you to run about and enjoy the less effort that takes, but the levo might be limited to not being as suitable as the R&M, but the R&M unsuitable for any bumpy stuff.
Bit of a dilemma indeed.
There is a 3rd option.
You could buy 2. Something better suited to bumpy offroad and something suited to shopping trips and days out along the canal path.

I bought an ebike 3 years ago to get me back cycling, I’m now on my 3rd and do a few thousand miles a year. When I started my fitness wasn’t great and I’ve got arthritis in one knee quite bad. Took a year but as the muscles built up round the knee the pain is nowhere near as bad as it was, I lost a bit of weight but wasn’t overweight and my fitness 3 years later is pretty good, better than a lot of normal cyclists and it’s all through riding an ebike. Average HR on a hard ride is 150 peaking at 180 so they do make you work if you want them too. I always like the bosch motor bikes and there’s plenty of choice with that motor.

make sure you buy from a local store rather than online as if you get any issues you need to be able to wheel it in to the place you bought it from..

Possibly with the likes of canyon, but trek and orbea off the top of my head allow you to use any of their dealer network. I'm sure the likes of spesh would too.

I would also recommend buying local as within the first week i developed a prob with the rear brake losing power. Took it into the shop, went for lunch and 2 hours later the problem sorted.
( I'd a thread about using hope bleed kit for shimano brakes).
Just air in the system, and i could have sorted that myself, but it was brand new and i felt it best they do it, and it highlights what happens if you do need to return it. For mine it was just a brake, were that a failed motor or such and I needed to send it off to god knows where, that would have been a lot more problematic and could have taken many weeks to a month or 2 turnaround

“ or more specifically, is there anyone here who has found that they are cycling more with their e-bike than they ever would have with a conventional bike?”

Yup, hobby extender for me, (now 62, ebiking for about 4 years now, still use old bike as well),I now plod about most places in eco or even off( same speed as old bike) and if my legs blow up miles away or the wrong side of the hills I just put on more motor. You cam compensate a bad leg day/headwind with the motor. Cycling more, longer loops, will now happily nip down hills etc to explore somewhere new coz if I have to I can motor back, only downside is it’s much harder to lift over footpath obstacles. It’s sort of let me move from leg management (sort of not wanting to be blown up miles from home, coz cycling when you’re truly knackered isn’t fun, so I’d plan and check routes - distances, hills etc - which I don’t now) to battery management and as I still pedal a lot that’s easily over 100 miles in summer and probably 60/70 or soon winter (*for me, levo 700w) which is plenty for me.

Buying - see comment above about local. I’d also be reading warranty info as some companies provide discount on parts out of warranty to original owner.
Id check on motor spares availability and rebuildability. Shimano motors don’t seem to be rebuildable by the specialist companies now doing rebuilds on other brands.
You can probably test ride or hire to help you decide.

Thanks for all the responses guys!