Hey guys!
I’m currently riding a Linus Dutchi, which has a step-through frame, an IGH shifter, and swept back handlebars, and I absolutely love it. I ride it to work and back twice a day, putting a minimum of 5 miles a day on it. However, I would like to be able to bike further without getting all sweaty, so I want an ebike.
I’ve been advised against converting my bike into one (the rear forks can’t accommodate a hub motor and it has rim brakes), so I’m thinking I’m going to need to buy a pre-fabbed ebike instead. I know I want at the very least a mid-drive motor, a step through frame, and ideally swept back handlebars (though if that’s something I can install afterwards I’d be okay with that, this is effectively my car lol).
Do you guys have any recommendations?
I was looking at ebikes online after trialling one for a month, one I really liked was the Raleigh Motus GT Hub.
The price is way outside of my price range personally, but it’s a step thru mid drive with internal gears 😍 The ultimate low maintenance commuter IMO… just wish there were alternatives available at a lower price, I can’t find any other manufacturers selling this combo. I recall Gazelle offering something like this, but can’t find it at the mo and that’s pretty pricey too
That doesn’t look too bad! That’s well within my price range, my car costs like $600 a month to operate (gas, insurance, maintenance, parking, etc) so anything that keeps me from needing to buy a second car will be significantly cheaper in the long run.
Not an answer to your question, but you may want to reconsider converting to an e-bike.
There are a few different motor types, if your rear fork can’t do a hub motor you should look at a bottom bracket mounted motor. I just installed a torque sensing one on my bike and it’s great. There are also under seat motors.
As far as the breaks are concerned, it shouldn’t really matter. You’re probably still just going 20 mph max even with a motor. And while it’s true that hydraulic disk breaks perform better, many e-bikes just use mechanical disk breaks which are only a modest improvement if anything to rim brakes. As long as you’re not biking off road in the mud or ice and you can keep the wheel clean, rim brakes should work.
I converted and I was able to keep the bike under 8 kilos with more features then I could find in any new e-bike on the market.
My best recommendation is going to a local bike shop that can support your purchase. Often times it’ll barely be more than buying online anyway.
There are a lot of different types of conversion kits, but if none of them work for you go to your preferred bike store and check out their ebikes
Trek Verve+ 2 Lowstep
