E bike recommendations

[WagtheDog]

I am 55 years old, very short (5.2" with shoes on 😊) fairly fit and healthy. I've decided to get an e bike for leisure and exercise (it is VERY hilly where I live). I will if I can try some at the local shop where I live, but I was wondering if anyone might have any specific recommendations that I can look online. I feel like I don't want to spend a lot, £1.5K tops, hopefully this is realistic.

I got a Raleigh Motus Tour last year, because it was pink it was reduced to £1400. Don’t know if that price is still available but I picked it because I used a rented one and figured that it must be sturdy and not need too much maintenance. It has a nice low step through, although I am 5ft6 I have short legs so the S fitted me perfectly. It’s worth doing the leg measurement thing to get the right size and trying a few in a shop if you can.
Its built for comfort so it is a bit heavy, but it feels very dependable. I once bought a Pendleton and got rid of it as I felt the electric was very jerky and didn’t feel safe.
Its not as good as some on very steep hills but I have a reasonably hilly commute to get home and yesterday I wasn’t feeling 100% so managed it all with the electric at high without breaking a sweat. I love my ebike.

We needed up buying folding bikes for our Motorhome but Tenways are very good, we did a lot of research. Prices from just over 1k to 2.5k depending on the model. We could fit them in but they just took up too much room. No idea how dodgy it is where you live but you need to spend a lot on a decent lock if you do. Best locks are Liteloks, angle grinders can't get through them but they are £200

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My DH and I both bought the Raleigh basic model three years ago. Mine's a step-through frame (the sort you pop a basket on) and its excellent for getting about our very hilly rural area. Although I might invest in a posher saddle this year.

You can get them reduced, go to a bigger bike warehouse place. The main tip we had was to go for a Bosch motor. No idea what model we have but it has a removable battery which is really handy as the place we store it doesn't have a power supply for charging. The battery is locked in with a key.

Another tip is to take detailed photos of all parts of the bike as if it ever gets stolen, thieves separate the parts and police can't identify them.

Like everything, the more you can spend, the better the bike I’m terms of lightness and battery length. Liv bikes are good for short women but you might need to look for a second hand Liv bike to fit your budget. Bike shops in your area will be helpful as they will be used to people looking for bikes that suit the hills.
I bought mine via Cycle to Work scheme. Do you have access to that? It can help stretch your budget.

Are you using the cycle to work scheme? It could increase your budget slightly. I got a Liv bike on that and I love it as it is designed well for shorter women. If not you could get one second hand within that budget. There are loads of brands though. If you can, go to a local bike shop and try a few. It is really helpful to have a good bike shop that you can get it to if you have issues with it. They are very heavy so transporting them needs to be thought about.

Regardless of what you get, you will love it. Best thing I did for me in years was to get an e bike.

Thank you everyone, this is very helpful. I am looking at all your recommendations, please keep them coming. I'd be more than happy to get a second hand or refurbished bike but unfortunately the Cycle to Work scheme is not available to me.

Following this thread as I’m the same height and looking for an electric bike.

I have this Ampere bike and I’m very happy with it. It says that it’s suitable for riders between 4’11” and 5’4”.
ampereelectric.co.uk/product/ampere-deluxe-26-step-through-ebike-grey/

I'm even shorter than you and to be honest, getting a good bike fit is quite hard. As others have suggested, Liv are a good place to start as they do cater for shorter women. Canyon also do some good small bikes. I have no experience of their ebikes but my best analogue road bike is a Canyon and it's my favourite bike of all time.
There is a lot to think about when you buy an ebike as first of all you have to think about all the things you need to consider when you are buying an analogue bike and then there's all the options around battery and motor. I think sometimes people get a bit fixated on the "e" and forget the "bike" bit and end up buying a bike that doesn't fit them properly, is the wrong type of bike for the riding they do or is just basically a crap bike with cheap and nasty mechanical components.
The best battery life in the world won't get you far if you have chosen fundamentally the wrong bike so I would start by thinking about what your ideal bike would be if it wasn't an ebike and then start looking for similar ebikes.
So what sort of frame and handlebars do you want? Look at the gearing - in a hilly area you are going to want a fairly wide range of gears with a nice small bottom gear. Sure, on an ebike you can compensate to a degree by using a higher power level but if you have big hills to climb you might well need low gears and high power at times! But basically, get the bike right first.
Then you need to think about motor and battery life. Motor wise you have basically 2 choices - rear hub or mid drive motors. (There are front hub motors too...but don't go there.) Each has pros and cons but in a nutshell hub motors are lighter,cheaper and in my opinion give a more natural feel to the ride, but they tend to deliver less torque and they do make dealing with a rear wheel flat a bit of a pain. Mid drive motors are generally heavier and bulkier - if aesthetics matter to you I think they often mean rather ugly bikes - but they often give you more assistance and they don't interfere with the practicalities of dealing with punctures.
If you go for a motor with a lot of torque then it will tend to drain the battery quicker which means either less range or a bigger battery, which in turn means more weight.
People often say that weight isn't important for an ebike because the motor compensates, which is true to a certain extent, but if you are planning to put it on or in your car or you need to get it up steps to wherever you will be storing it then weight certainly can be an issue. And remember that in the UK legal ebikes can only assist up to 15.5mph - go over that and you're potentially riding a very heavy bike unassisted if you haven't chosen wisely.
On the subject of batteries, where will you charge? I keep all my bikes in the house anyway so charging indoors doesn't bother me but if you can't/don't want to do that you probably want to look for something with a removable battery.
Unfortunately the laws of physics and economics do get in the way of ideals - I'd like an e road bike with a totally silent motor, a Shimano Dura ace Di21 groupset, a 100 mile plus range, maximum 75Nm torque, weighing under 10kg and costing less than a grand but I'm not going to find one! But I think figuring out your ideal, looking at what is actually available and deciding where you can compromise and where you can't is a good process to go through.
But above all, don't compromise on fit. No matter how good a bike you get, how great the range and brilliant the motor, if it doesn't fit you and you don't feel safe and comfortable on it I can almost guarantee that you won't use it much, and if you do, you won't enjoy it.

At your height, definitely look for step-through frames — they're much easier to mount and dismount, especially on hills. Haibike and Raleigh have decent options around that budget. A torque sensor rather than just cadence will feel more natural for leisure riding too. If you're browsing options, you might find some good deals here : New Bikes. Try as many as you can locally first though — fit matters more than specs. Good luck!

I second Liv bikes. Mine is great. Again look for second hand or clearance bikes. Mine was just under 2k as a older model on clearance.

I have a Bobbin bike I love and I added a Swytch electric conversion kit.
Its OK - the Swytch has no where near the range they advertise, & would be no good out on a big bike ride / riding all day, but for getting around my hilly neighbourhood locally its fine - I use it to go into town & back or to yoga and back.

I really love the electri bike experience and next timeI buy a bike it will be a proper electric one that has much more range.

Following with interest