Cycling UK Forum

Hi Guys,

I know it sounds a daft question but I'm from a generation when boys rode crossbar bikes and girls rode those without a crossbar making life in general and bike selection very simple

Fast forward 50 odd years and when i come to start looking at my first eBike, its all become complicated by mens bikes, women bikes and step through bikes?

So I am looking for a bit of collective wisdom here. I have decided Hybrid is the way to go because I will use my ebike for shopping trips when we are away in the motorhome and hopefully for getting about the local area at home, rather than jumping in the car every time. I don't envisage doing any sort of real 'leisure cycling' trips to be honest, so we are talking functional and easy riding.

Would you suggest a crossbar or a step through and why

iRider wrote:Hi Guys,

I know it sounds a daft question but I'm from a generation when boys rode crossbar bikes and girls rode those without a crossbar making life in general and bike selection very simple

Fast forward 50 odd years and when i come to start looking at my first eBike, its all become complicated by mens bikes, women bikes and step through bikes?

So I am looking for a bit of collective wisdom here. I have decided Hybrid is the way to go because I will use my ebike for shopping trips when we are away in the motorhome and hopefully for getting about the local area at home, rather than jumping in the car every time. I don't envisage doing any sort of real 'leisure cycling' trips to be honest, so we are talking functional and easy riding.

Would you suggest a crossbar or a step through and why

I am a recent e-biker (general use and touring with a hybrid) using my old bike motorised. As such, the question never arose as I was not buying a new bike. My experience tells me that the main consideration would be whether or not or how easily you can swing your leg over the bar and saddle to get astride your bike.

I decided to buy with my head not my heart on this one. At 60 I have the usual aches and pains but a key area for many years has been my elbow joints, so to keep as much weight as possible off the arms I have gone for a step through. Not as sexy looking as a crossbar version but the step through also offered the option of a gear hub rather than derailleur which I quite fancied

A practical issue: a step through frame is really helpful if you load up the rear rack. Wide or tall loads can impede the ability to swing a leg over the back of the saddle. Step through frames do tend to be a bit heavier than diamond frames because of the need for greater rigidity through one big tube, but you’ve got a big battery and motor to assist so the issue for ebikes imho is all about appearances and practicality.

We have just taken delivery of a Cube Ely cruise. This is a classic stay sit up step through. My wife(60) loves. She hasn’t ridden in years. This will get us out and about together.


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my iPad using hovercraft full of eels.