Ebike? Convert?
Hi all! It's been a long time since I last posted.
My husband and I relocated and bought a house not far from a great trail that takes me right to work. After living far from all bike infrastructure for years, I was psyched to get back to riding. I don't ride every day but I ride most days now on my Surly Cross Check.
However, where I live, it's still pretty hilly. The road to my drive is up about 1/4 mile hill with an 8% grade. It sucks! I like to shop for groceries on my bike and live less than a mile from two grocery stores. However, this hill with groceries and/or a toddler attached really limits my ability to do this after a full day of work. I find my number one barrier to forgoing the car is this dang hill and other hills around town. My husband is going back to work this fall, most likely after spending a year home with our toddler. We are a staunch one-car family now so it would be great if I could get a commuter that was a full on car replacement. Barring serious snow storms, with good gear and tires, I can now commute to/from work easily. The e-bike, though, that would be a total game changer. I could pick my kid up and haul her. I could get groceries.
There are bike shops in town - plenty of them - but their ebike selection isn't fantastic. I've struggled to find a frame to fit me. I'm incredibly short (5') and take a very small road frame (47-50 depending on the geometry). This is seriously a challenge with ebikes which are usually built for much taller people.
Can any of you recommend an e bike that would fit me? My budget will be 3k or less. I know there are really nice, expensive bikes out there and I would love to own some but we're on a budget and I only need about 10 miles of range most days. And most of my commute is pretty flat (apart from the space by my house and coming home from my kid's school) so I wouldn't always need to use e-assist.
I also am open to a conversion of my current bike but I have no idea where to start there. I've been told conversions can also cost about as much as a new bike and it would mean I may not be able to ride my commuter in charity rides anymore. I think some ban them (at least they did back in MO).
TIA!
***proud Hoosier, statistics nerd, and mom to a headstrong toddler***
****one car family and loving it!****
Owned by:
Le Monstre Vert - 2013 Surly Cross-check
Chessie, Scottish Terrier
Bonzai, Catahoula Leopard Dog