TL;DR: help me, Micromobility, you’re my only hope

Long story short, I am fed up with the state of public transit in my city and feeling envious of the e-riders whooshing past. However, while trying to pick an actual model, I’ve ran into being unable to find a model that fits my needs:

  • being able to drive 30+ km, with ~100 meter elevation difference between start and finish
  • being able to handle 100+ kg of load (I am, unfortunately, fat)
  • being able to handle rain and possibly light snow
  • being foldable or otherwise transportable, because I’ll have to keep it in the apartment

The Ebike store I’ve been to suggested picrelated, Yokamura Apache, which seems to fit the requirements, but is expensive enough to give me pause. Are there better options? Am I dreaming the impossible? Please help!

  • fubarx@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    5 hours ago

    A few tips:

    • Folding ones are easier to carry and store. You may not need a car rack if you want to take it far away. Steel ones are sturdier, but heavier. Carbon fiber ones are lighter but more expensive.
    • Look for something that has both torque and cadence sensors. It affects how quickly you get going when starting from standing still. Also when changing elevations, how quickly the motor kicks in.
    • Step through vs. step over. Step through is easier to get on/off.
    • Definitely invest in a shock-absorber seat. They’re not that expensive online. Front shock absorbers are good too on rutted roads.
    • Fat tire ones make a loud noise when riding over paved roads. But they handle better if you hit a patch of dirt or in rain.
    • Mudguards on front and back are absolutely necessary in rain.
    • Look for water rating on the battery. IP6x is good, but if you have a lot of rain, IP7x is better.
    • Don’t believe the range they cite. Rule of thumb is divide in half for a realistic range. And always leave 10-20%. You reallly don’t want to run out of juice at the end of a long ride.
    • If the charger is a USB-C PD one, it’ll be easier to replace. Unfortunately, a lot of bike vendors use their own proprietary ones.
    • Get one assembled, from a bike shop instead of online. You will definitely need service or tuning, and having competent, trustworthy people (ideally, within easy riding range) will save a lot of heart-ache.