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!

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[–] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Never heard of that bike and it looks sketchy. Try to stick with actual bike brands (Surly, Marin, Trek, Tern, Priority, etc.) or well established e-bike brands (depends on your market to some degree, but Ride1up and Lectric are examples of US entry level stuff).

Your basic folder like a Lectric XP3 or Ride1up Portola would probably fit the bill without breaking the bank, but you could get something nicer if you've got the budget for it (the Tern Vektron line, for example). The important part is get something you can get service on, so talk to your local shops to see what they have for sale or if they will service drop shipped bikes/what brands they recommend and support.

Even if you are handy, having to do warranty work yourself is a hassle and if you break something, it's on you. No shame in letting someone else take care of it when it's under warranty! If you aren't handy, it's also good to have a place where you can take the bike in for regular maintenance.

Keep in mind, ebikes are water resistant not waterproof, so even if the manual says its OK, you might want to cover up your electronics with something like a shower cap to keep out water and use a bike poncho when it really starts coming down. Inspect wiring regularly too, sometimes covers pop off, gaskets go bad, etc.

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