suggest a 'normal' looking women's e-bike.
 

I am debating getting my lovely lady an ebike. As our kids get bigger, they are riding alot faster and further, and I think my wife is overwhelmed by the idea of riding with us. She has a very cool Fisher Klunker that she loves, but alas, it has no motor, and her fitness is lacking.

These will be cruises, so a little extra boost is what I think she needs. an LBS that sells Kona said they have two models - a hub drive and a mid-drive version. I have been trained to believe that the mid-drive is the better option, but he said that there are advantages to the hub drive - cheaper, direct power so less wear on drivetrain, and some other points I forget.

My daughter has a Kona Coco, and I know they make an eVersion of this bike. That said, knowing that Kona's demise may be on the horizon, I am less than enthused about buying one (though the shop guy said that the parts are all warrantied by the specific manufacturers, so going back to kona isnt how they do it anyways). The shop also sold Argon bikes and he had an eGravel bike with a Mahle hub drive that he said was good quality and would do what I wanted - any thoughts on this?

My question: can you suggest a few models that are affordable (say $3kUS), look nice-ish and have a dropped top tube?

I know almost nothing about ebikes, so keep your points simple please :)!

Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.

Normal looking flatbar bike, priced reasonably. Has a range extender available if you need to go all day. On sale, it’s well under $3k, regular is $3500.

My wife has one, it’s a good bike. Not too heavy. She uses it for commuting, gravel group rides, and bike packing. Hers is a normal sloped TT, but I’m pretty sure there’s a version with a step-through frame.

Bought my wife a Vado SL 4.0.

36.8 pounds. 28mph assist. Doesn't look dorky.

She can pull n̶o̶w again.

Our family has both a mid drive and a hub drive E bike. Both 20 MPH max. While in theory the mid drive is the better choice, I find that in actual use, especially for my wife and daughter, they don't notice the difference. The hub drive adds 10 lbs or so to rear wheel, but if 5-6 lb battery in in down tube, that balances it out somewhat. And the mid drive wears out chains and other driveline parts much faster than hub drive. And with their body weight on them, not much difference just riding along. If I were getting an E bike for myself, for riding the trails and smooth roads, hub drive OK for me. If I was buying it for aggressive riding, would prefer the mid drive.

So while I prefer the mid drive, I don't think motor location makes as much difference as I expected...especially if just normal riding. I think your LBS is correct, advantages to both. and generally, hub drives are cheaper. And on my wife's mid drive, the 8 speed E bike chain, longer (more $) than a regular road bike chain needed replacement at a little over 2000 miles.

Bike Friday E Bike
 

https://bikefriday.com/electric-assi...em-overview-2/

My buddy had one and it was fast, light, had lightweight batteries, 20" narrowish tires, foldable

Stick a motor on her Fisher?

https://ebikes.ca/?___store=canadian...=international

Well, my fave mechanic suggested that this is possible as well. In between working on carbon superbikes, he converted a Cargo bike for himself and his family and said he used a Bafang kit that worked well.

I feel like it would butcher a cool bike. Also, this bike has vbrakes and I would be concerned that she couldnt stop adequately with the extra momentum generated from a motor. He said for cruising, it wouldnt matter.

Find something with a Bosch mid-drive for reliability and ability for people to service. Known stuff from good maker

My wife rides an eCoco. It seems like a really nice bike with obvious support concerns. If the motor goes bad, it might not be economic to fix, but Shimano will likely still sell parts that will fit it. And otherwise it's just a bike, so the bike has standard parts.

Mid vs hub drive… I suspect the “feel” for most riders will be mostly in the software used to control the motor - how quick and hard does the motor kick in from a start or when rolling. Hub motors usually(?) just have a cadence sensor, so they know you’re pedaling, but not how hard. Mid-drive motors usually(?) have toque sensors as well - on theory they can scale the motor output to the user input better. But I can’t say that they actually do - I’ve only ridden a small number of e-bikes, and other then my wife’s Vado SL, they were all hub-drive cargo bikes that weight 50+lbs.

Vado SL 4.0 EQ Step Thru.

.

My wife moved from her flat bar converted cx bike to the other end with her mom bike, a Momemtum Vida E+ low step linked here and she loves it, no going back to 'analog' for her. Zips around the area with our dog, rides with our kids around the block and even has a basket on the front to stop and get the mail or whatever. It's heavy but if you're riding from home, no big deal. Also not the end of the world to load up and take to a park/trail when I'm already loading up kid bikes, snacks, helmets, etc. End of the day, if it gets her out more and she's happy, that's a big win. Fitness isn't a big issue since it's pedal assist. Folks think ebikes are for old people or lazy people but there is a huge market of fun for parents getting out with their families, commuting to work, towing kids to ice cream or soccer practice with a little bit of assist to help with the hills, towing a burley, any bit helps to make it more fun and enjoyable for all. And if she's not riding it distance to work, you hardly need to charge it. Go for it!

Hahaha, Bike Friday as normal looking ebike.

Normal looking woman :-)

Yeah, that's "normal" :-)