Trek FX+ 2 or Verve+ 2?

[dubdevil89]

Hi guys,

Would you recommend the Trek FX+ 2 or Verve+ 2? Currently they’re both on sale for the same price in Australia ($3000) (Links at the bottom)

Will be using it mainly for 30 min commute to work each way, along a mix of roads and paved bike paths. Have a Trek road bike but looking to spare my legs a bit and have a more comfortable ride on my daily commute.

The removable battery on the Verve appeals to me but I like that the FX is lighter (e.g. for lifting onto vertical bike racks at work).

Any advice or opinions much appreciated

FX+ 2 - Trek Bikes (AU)

Discover your next great ride with FX+ 2. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

Verve+ 2 - Trek Bikes (AU)

Discover your next great ride with Verve+ 2 Men's. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

 

[dodgeman]

The Verve 2 would be my choice. The mid drive would give a more natural feel to pedaling and it has a bigger battery. I have a Verve +3 and it’s similar to the Verve +2 but with a bigger battery and more powerful motor and I’ve had good luck with it.

 

[Sparky731]

Call me crazy, but I feel that anything less than 400w (500w+ preferably) is not enough electrons for ideal riding. My wife has the Verve 2+ and we can run her low on electrons by the end of a decent 40+ mile ride.

 

[steve mercier]

I would choose the one with the most power and greatest range. You can always decrease the assist level but you can never increase the Nm of the motor. The Bosch mid-drive is a better motor and the Verve is more like a normal bike to ride than the hub motor. If it were my choice I would save my pennies for something with the Performance line or even better the Performance line CX motor. And if I could not wait until I saved enough, I would choose a used bike with the Performance CX motor over a new one with the Active line Plus motor any day of the week.

 

[dubdevil89]

The Verve 2 would be my choice. The mid drive would give a more natural feel to pedaling and it has a bigger battery. I have a Verve +3 and it’s similar to the Verve +2 but with a bigger battery and more powerful motor and I’ve had good luck with it.

thanks for your reply!

Do you find the front light OK? The bike path that’s half my commute is unlit at night so I would benefit from a reasonably powerful one.

Also, how you find the weight?

 

[dodgeman]

I’ve never ridden at night. I feel the light is more for cars seeing you than lighting where you’re going. There are posts where people have added lights.

The weight? It’s heavy, around 50 pounds I think. I have a Thule bike rack and I don’t use the ramp and just lift it up instead, maybe 2 feet high or a little more. I do take the battery out though which takes 10 pounds off of it.

I‘ll add I agree with more power and bigger battery is better. I have 50 nm of torque on mine. I rode another Trek with 40 nm of torque and the difference is noticeable. I wish for more power sometimes when I’m nearing the end of a long ride. If you think you will ride a lot, spending more money is worth it. If all you plan on is that commute and there aren’t a lot of hills, what your looking at is probably fine.

 

[dubdevil89]

I’ve never ridden at night. I feel the light is more for cars seeing you than lighting where you’re going. There are posts where people have added lights.

The weight? It’s heavy, around 50 pounds I think. I have a Thule bike rack and I don’t use the ramp and just lift it up instead, maybe 2 feet high or a little more. I do take the battery out though which takes 10 pounds off of it.

I‘ll add I agree with more power and bigger battery is better. I have 50 nm of torque on mine. I rode another Trek with 40 nm of torque and the difference is noticeable. I wish for more power sometimes when I’m nearing the end of a long ride. If you think you will ride a lot, spending more money is worth it. If all you plan on is that commute and there aren’t a lot of hills, what your looking at is probably fine.

Sounds like I’d replace the light then. Not a big deal though!

Also just realised there are bike racks on the ground at work, not just vertical ones. So I won’t need to worry about the weight when parking at work

I’ll check out some other brands but I’m convinced the Verve’s the way to go if I go Trek.

 

[dodgeman]

Most people it seems just add a second light, maybe on the handlebars. They even make rechargeable ones and that way you don’t have to mess with the wiring.

 

[Sparky731]

thanks for your reply!

Do you find the front light OK? The bike path that’s half my commute is unlit at night so I would benefit from a reasonably powerful one.

Also, how you find the weight?

The front light on the Verve is more than adequate for night riding on streets and maintained paths, however, with most bike lights the width of the projected beam is narrow.

Per the weight of an ebike: one suggestion I offer to new riders is to always compress the brake lever when getting on or off the bike.

 

[MHC48]

You've probably already made your decision on which bike to buy, but I'll tell you that for me, the size and weight of the FX+2 made the choice easy. I find since having it that it's so light and the gears so well chosen that on on roads and paths I rarely have to use any PAS at all. So far I only use it going up over bridges or large hills (and occasionally since I do have an E-Bike, just for the sheer fun of it!)

 

[dubdevil89]

You've probably already made your decision on which bike to buy, but I'll tell you that for me, the size and weight of the FX+2 made the choice easy. I find since having it that it's so light and the gears so well chosen that on on roads and paths I rarely have to use any PAS at all. So far I only use it going up over bridges or large hills (and occasionally since I do have an E-Bike, just for the sheer fun of it!)

Yep, I ended up getting a Momentum Transend E+ since it has a removable battery like the Verve but it looks nicer IMO (e.g. battery blends in with the Down tube). I love it!

 

[badkorea]

I must be an outlier rider because I just went to a Trek shop & I just don't understand why someone would choose the Verve over the FX or DS. I am getting a ebike because i'm older & I just can't do hills any more. I want a bike that is light & that rdies easily without pedal assist most of the time, and just used pedal assist when the going gets tough. it's FAR more important to me that the damn bike weighs in at under 50lbs. i'm looking for an ebike, not an electric scooter that just has pedals for show.

the FX & DS are almost 40 lbs - light for an ebike, but heavy af for a modern bicycle. the FX & DS are both on sale right now. the FX has fenders & a rack. i'm getting that one because it has all the options. but I'm sure I'll strip at least some parts off because I still think it's heavy. rear fender - chuck it! full wheel fenders make it so you can't use vertical racks to store your bike! front fender & rear rack? I'll keep them to start, but I'm happy to remove them if I feel like it.

 

[JoeDirt]

I must be an outlier rider because I just went to a Trek shop & I just don't understand why someone would choose the Verve over the FX or DS. I am getting a ebike because i'm older & I just can't do hills any more. I want a bike that is light & that rdies easily without pedal assist most of the time, and just used pedal assist when the going gets tough. it's FAR more important to me that the damn bike weighs in at under 50lbs. i'm looking for an ebike, not an electric scooter that just has pedals for show.

the FX & DS are almost 40 lbs - light for an ebike, but heavy af for a modern bicycle. the FX & DS are both on sale right now. the FX has fenders & a rack. i'm getting that one because it has all the options. but I'm sure I'll strip at least some parts off because I still think it's heavy. rear fender - chuck it! full wheel fenders make it so you can't use vertical racks to store your bike! front fender & rear rack? I'll keep them to start, but I'm happy to remove them if I feel like it.

Yeah I was in the same dilemma wanting the FX + 2 as a lightweight alternative electric bike with an easily pedal. I did some deeper research on The Verve + 3 and decided to go with that one just for the sheer fact of the extended battery range and removeability of the battery pack. The Verve tires seem a little bit fat and cushy so when they wear down I'm probably going to go with a 45 mm with. That should loosen up the rolling resistance a bit with a higher pressure. Also I found that the adjustability of The Verve + 3 had a lot more adjustable areas to customize My Fit. This bike seems to be a good one even though it does weigh 50 lb I'm always liking the lighter bikes but I'm giving this a try. Enjoy the FX +2 that is a good choice

 

[badkorea]

After several months of ownership, I have more to say about the Trek I ended up getting.

I went with the Trek FX+. It's the exact same bike as the DS+ except for the wheels & the FX+ includes a rack.

I went with the FX+ almost exclusively because it was MUCH lighter than the Verve: 38lbs claimed for the FX+, 54.5lbs for the Verve. I also wanted as stealth an e-bike as possible. It's pretty obvious to me that the FX+ is an e-bike given the huge downtube, but I am surprised that a lot of people don't notice. it doesn't have the largest battery or the strongest motor. But it's great at doing exactly what I wanted an e-bike for (and which is apparently NOT what most people want considering I think this bike is great & most other people seem to think it's pointless).

First off, the battery IS removable. It's not really something you'd hot swap, but there are just a couple screws holding it in, a trap door by the bottom bracket, and a few electrical connectors to undo. Lining up the screw holes when you put the battery back is the hardest part. You wouldn't remove the battery to take it inside & charge it. But it is easy to replace if it were to go bad - I would never buy any brand that didn't have a removable battery - it doesn't need to be "snap-in" or anything, but battereies go bad & if you can't replace it, what's the point? There's an option to mount a second battery on the outside if you need more range. It also has both cadence & torque sensors despite having a hub drive. The torque sensor might not be as smooth as on higher end bikes, but compare it to some of those drop ship brands that don't offer a torque sensor at all.

Range & power? Sure, it's a bit down on power. But it depends on what you're looking for. If I wanted to ride a bike without pedaling, that's what I have a motorcycle for. I got an e-bike because I'm getting older & hills are killing me. I sorta wish the bike had maybe 4 levels of assist instead of just 3, but then I remember what I paid for it. I can get up most of the hills I encounter pretty easily. I might get a little tired or lose my breath on particularly steep or long hills, but it's not so bad that I get off my bike at the end of ride & then feel like I never want to do that again. Instead, I feel great! The Hyena hub motor has a very basic app that you can use to adjust the assist levels. It ain't much, but some bikes don't even have that.

The FX+ & DS+ seem to always be on sale too, at the price point that these bikes actually sell for (as opposed to MSRP), they should be getting compared next to budget e-bikes at around $2k. This is a way better all around bike than a Superhuman Babymaker or the Ride1Up V1 Gravel. Those other simple stealth e-bikes are kinda cool with their super light weight (I think the Babymaker was only 32lbs) & belt drive. But they lack gearing & a torque sensor. Any time I brought up the Treks, internet people would say "the Sepcialized Turbo Vado is a better bike." Sure, yes. The TV IS a better bike: it's 34lbs with a hub motor! That's also why it costs ~$1500 more. Stop comparing them - they're not the same market!