Recent lurker, first time poster; California/USA.
I’m looking for some recommendations for a (relative to the market) inexpensive ebike that has a torque sensor rather than a cadence sensor. I recognize that this isn’t customarily an entry-level feature, but I’d like something with markedly improved “feel” over the cadence sensor used on bike-share ebikes. I intend to pass the recommendation onto a friend that lives in the city, so it should ideally not be something which would look out-of-place.
I myself have a mid-drive Bikonit MD750 which does have a torque sensor, and it makes low-speed manoeuvring possible without being too jumpy. However, this bike is not subtle, in appearance, weight, nor sound, making it quite cumbersome in town.
Any and all advice is appreciated!
The Lecteic XPremium is mid drive with a torque sensor and only $1600.
When you say “out of place” what exactly are you referring to? Do you want it to look very similar to a regular bike to not be a target for theft?
Yes, ideally it would not draw undue attention apart from that which a run-of-the-mill acoustic bicycle would. This is partly as a rudimentary form of “security through obscurity”, but also partly so the ebike doesn’t invite any strange, unfounded prejudices like “ebikes are cheating” or “only speed demons ride ebikes”. I acknowledge that a perfect “sleeper” ebike would have many of its own drawbacks, so this is just one of the qualities I would evaluate.
The main drawback of a totally stealth e-bike is price.
I think some conversion kits might look like you’re carrying something rather than boosted by something.
You raise a good point. I suppose I should clarify on what degree of inconspicuity I would like.
What I had in mind for a not-out-of-place ebike is one which does not have more numerous components than an acoustic bike, with the motor and controllers neatly tucked away and integrated into the design. That is, nothing which looks like it was bolted on after-the-fact. I’ve seen some models which integrate the removable battery into the thicker down tube. And hub drive motors are less noticeable than mid-drive motors, since the latter are betrayed by the characteristic bulge, whereas hub motors can hide behind disc brakes and sprockets.
Obviously, upon close inspection, a speedometer or throttle might give away the game quickly. As would someone with a keen eye for ebikes, no doubt. So perhaps the criteria is simply enough stealth that your average person at 20 paces would find it unremarkable.
I’m not sure how well I described that, or if I’m going in circles, but I hope this made at least some amount of sense.
The only thing I would narrow down is, are you looking to foil the average person, or the average bike theif?
The average person. Bonus points if it can turn invisible and thus foil a bike thief, although that might foil the owner as well haha