Did either of you see the ‘eGo’ electric bicycle in your net searches? I’m very impressed by the ads but the weight is somewaht a problem at 130 pounds. A simple ramp to get it up on my carry-all would be needed.
I used to check out electric bicycles but most of them didn’t make sense to me and the prices remained high.
When they add so much weight to a bicycle (130 lbs), all they’ve done is add the motor to transport that weight — so what’s the advantage? I also would think that on a bicycle, the kind of electric motor that would make sense would be one that could be mechanically-cranked.
So I think there are problems and limitations with persisting in that paradigm — rather than going to the minimalist model. A friend of mine up in Alaska created an electric bike by just adding a Weed Whacker motor. I don’t know why they make such a huge problem of it.