Electric Bikes

[vanalan]

I am researching to buy an electric bike. I like the look and price of the Leitner 700c [rear hub drive; but mail order only - so can't try before buying] and
Giant Roam E+ [ mid drive] which I have tried and found good.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[Thoglette]

1. you need something that fits you. For bike #1 mail order is a no-no: get thee to a shop with a clue. Run from any shop which tries to sell you floor stock that doesn't fit
2. Use the search, Luke. There are a range of threads on this topic here already. Read them, All of them.
3. Check the warranty, not the range. (See the next question)
4. What do you want to do with the bike ? The current trend is "motorcyclisation" - that is, overly complex bikes which weigh too much that are closer to motorcycles than bicycles. 90% of cyclists don't need that.

The Roam suffer this to some degree: no weight claimed, stupidly long range battery, suspension forks. But no fenders, no lights, no mounting points for racks & panniers. (I like the tyre size if not the tyres themselves) It is a reputable brand.

[Andy01]

I have a Roam 1 Disc 2022 and as far as I can tell (I don't use them) it comes with mounts for racks & stand. All of the Roam models (0, 1, 2, 3 & 4) mention integrated rack mounts in the specs - just the Roam E doesn't mention it but I would be surprised if it was different ?

From what I can see the Roam E is basically a $950 Roam 2 with a mid drive & battery fitted (obviously some frame differences accordingly) and the price boosted significantly to $3100. Both have fairly basic (Altus/Alivo/Acera) Shimano 2x 9 and Tektro brakes.

I never tried the Roam e-bike but I would guess that it would be a better option than a mail order bike.

[Thoglette]

All of the Roam models (0, 1, 2, 3 & 4) mention integrated rack mounts in the specs - just the Roam E doesn't mention it but I would be surprised if it was different ?

Great. I’d be glad to be wrong on this one.

[Duck!]

Mid-drive e-bikes are a shedload easier to work on in any situation that requires removal of a wheel, because you're only dealing with the normal chain-drive bits. Hub drives introduce the extra connections of the electrics, which frequently do not have easily-accessible detachable plugs, and the wheels are plain bloody heavy which also makes removal and refitting harder than they need to be.