Hello EBR!
Hoping the experts in this forum can help break my decision impasse.
I was all set on getting the Ride1Up Prodigy V2 with the belt drive/Enviolo hub. The IGH is my preferred set up, so I wasn't really considering any bikes with derailleurs. But now I find myself seriously questioning if the Specialized Vado 4 sale is too good to pass up.
Both bikes are similarly priced. So the question is whether the Specialized experience (engineering, brand, etc) outweighs the benefits of the belt drive/Enviolo hub. There is also a Specialized store nearby. The specs on the Ride1Up seem good, and reviews seem positive, but it is still a DTC brand and I can't test ride the bike.
Background:
Currently ride a Vanmoof S3. I love this bike and hope to keep it for years to come, but with 4k plus miles and its serviceable future in limbo, I'm looking for a second ebike to take some of the load off the S3. I generally much prefer biking to driving (weather permitting), so almost all non commute trips and errands around town are by bike unless longer distance or I have passengers. I have a 15 mile roundtrip commute to work, and currently bike that 1 to 2 days per week. I'm thinking with a class 3 ebike, I could increase bike commuting to 2 or 3 days per week. I have owned several bikes now with an IGH, and I'm a big fan of that setup for city biking.
Other bikes considered (almost all more expensive):
Priority Current - competitive on price, but prefer the look/specs of the Prodigy V2
Gazelle Ultimate C380+ - perfect accept for price
Gazelle Eclipse C380+ - even more expensive than the Ultimate
Specialized Vado 3.0 IGH - more expensive and not sure class 3 speeds are feasible with the IGH
Specialized Vado 5.0 IGH - even more expensive and not crazy about the AutomatiQ
Serial 1 RUSH/CTY SPEED - more expensive and not crazy about the AutomatiQ
Hoping the experts in this forum can help break my decision impasse.
I was all set on getting the Ride1Up Prodigy V2 with the belt drive/Enviolo hub. The IGH is my preferred set up, so I wasn't really considering any bikes with derailleurs. But now I find myself seriously questioning if the Specialized Vado 4 sale is too good to pass up.
Both bikes are similarly priced. So the question is whether the Specialized experience (engineering, brand, etc) outweighs the benefits of the belt drive/Enviolo hub. There is also a Specialized store nearby. The specs on the Ride1Up seem good, and reviews seem positive, but it is still a DTC brand and I can't test ride the bike.
Background:
Currently ride a Vanmoof S3. I love this bike and hope to keep it for years to come, but with 4k plus miles and its serviceable future in limbo, I'm looking for a second ebike to take some of the load off the S3. I generally much prefer biking to driving (weather permitting), so almost all non commute trips and errands around town are by bike unless longer distance or I have passengers. I have a 15 mile roundtrip commute to work, and currently bike that 1 to 2 days per week. I'm thinking with a class 3 ebike, I could increase bike commuting to 2 or 3 days per week. I have owned several bikes now with an IGH, and I'm a big fan of that setup for city biking.
Other bikes considered (almost all more expensive):
Priority Current - competitive on price, but prefer the look/specs of the Prodigy V2
Gazelle Ultimate C380+ - perfect accept for price
Gazelle Eclipse C380+ - even more expensive than the Ultimate
Specialized Vado 3.0 IGH - more expensive and not sure class 3 speeds are feasible with the IGH
Specialized Vado 5.0 IGH - even more expensive and not crazy about the AutomatiQ
Serial 1 RUSH/CTY SPEED - more expensive and not crazy about the AutomatiQ