Bitrix Juggernaut? Turbo Vado? SL? Aventon Level? Alternatives?

[Gee_Whiz]

I was sold on the Vado SL 5.0, until I saw a review on Reddit recently about how they arent that great on hills.. I live in an urban area with numerous, and some very steep hills.. and am looking for an ebike to help with some of that load and also take off-road as well, greenways and trails mainly. I dont necessarily have a price range, just trying to find the best fit for my purposes.

I would prefer one with a throttle and torque-sensing pedal assist; and can still be ridden suitably as a normal bike off of assist. But im finding this criteria is a thin file..

I'm currently looking at the Turbo Vado 6.0( I read this one has alot of issues?) or 5.0, and also the Aventon Level currently, but also just found the Biktrix Juggernaught Beast and it seems to be pretty interesting as well. I'm not handy with bikes at all, but I am technical and can youtube anything lol, and there are numerous LBS's in my area as well. Are there any other similar bikes that I should consider? Any thoughts on any of these options for my use cases?


Also, all of these class 3 Bikes are capped at 28mph, but with different torque nm differences.. How are they differentiated? Is it HOW fast you reach that peak assist speed? Also, what happens once you get there and the motor cuts out and you have to pedal.. for a heavier bike is it a rough go? Ive never ridden an ebike, but have read a ton in the past few months and just trying to get a sense for what this entails in live-action.

One other thing I just thought of.. When climbing hills.. does Torque matter? Does the weight of the bike matter? Would a lighter bike with less torque, be more efficient uphill than a heavier bike with much better torque?


Thanks!!

 

[Dewey]

Hi neighbor, I’m in Arlington and agree it is hilly around here. Electricity Bikes in Tenleytown has a good selection of higher end ebikes, further on up Wisconsin Ave at Bethesda Metro station Electric Cycling House are a dealer for Yamaha, Haibike, and Magnum, and REI recently started selling a Class 1 ebike model the Co-Op CTY e2.2 with a good Shimano Steps e6100 motor, decent 500wh battery, that costs under two grand with the REI member discount. Biktrix Juggernaut is about as different from a Vado SL as it’s possible to get, and absolute overkill for DC streets, there’s even a local brand located in Edgewood called Riide that sells Class 3 single speed direct drive hub motor ebikes (not my preference, you need gears for the hills), like every bike shop they’re waiting for new stock, try to test ride as many as you can to see what type of ebike feels right to you.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm currently looking at the Turbo Vado 6.0( I read this one has alot of issues?)

No issues I am aware of.
You won't get the 6.0 in the United States.

 

[dmark]

My Juggernaut Ultra is capped at 32mph, but you can set the top speed higher and go a little bit faster.

The motor will supply the full 1500W to get up to 32mph then cut back to about 1000W to maintain at the capped speed.

 

[Gee_Whiz]

My Juggernaut Ultra is capped at 32mph, but you can set the top speed higher and go a little bit faster.

The motor will supply the full 1500W to get up to 32mph then cut back to about 1000W to maintain at the capped speed.

How are you liking your bike so far? And do you use it on-road much? any issues at all?

 

[Gee_Whiz]

Hi neighbor, I’m in Arlington and agree it is hilly around here. Electricity Bikes in Tenleytown has a good selection of higher end ebikes, further on up Wisconsin Ave at Bethesda Metro station Electric Cycling House are a dealer for Yamaha, Haibike, and Magnum, and REI recently started selling a Class 1 ebike model the Co-Op CTY e2.2 with a good Shimano Steps e6100 motor, decent 500wh battery, that costs under two grand with the REI member discount. Biktrix Juggernaut is about as different from a Vado SL as it’s possible to get, and absolute overkill for DC streets, there’s even a local brand located in Edgewood called Riide that sells Class 3 single speed direct drive hub motor ebikes (not my preference, you need gears for the hills), like every bike shop they’re waiting for new stock, try to test ride as many as you can to see what type of ebike feels right to you.

Hey there! Lol I also felt the Juggernaught was overkill for the city, hence my hesitation, but it does also look really fun. I usually take my BMC mechanical out for street rides, but some of the hills ive encountered over the summer were a rough go. I also commute via bike year-round, and figured the Vado or juggernaut might perform better than my hybrid for this purpose.


Also, thank you for the bike shop suggestions, I hadnt heard of the Cycling house in Bethesda; it looks great, but looks like they are out of Everything!!

 

[Dewey]

The Juggernaut performs really well as an ATV alternative off road, but you would do as well buying a pair of studded tires and swapping them out for the time when there's ice on the ground/path/street around here. I like Specialized's marketing, the Vado SL is you times 2.5, the Vado 5.0 is you times 4, makes it easy to comprehend how much assist you can expect. Electricity Bikes know their Specialized ebikes, their staff have featured in some of Court's review videos for Specialized models on EBR

 

[dmark]

How are you liking your bike so far? And do you use it on-road much? any issues at all?

I ride the Juggernaut to commute in winter, and I ride acoustic bikes in the summer.

Fat bikes like the Juggernaut excel in deep snow (including from personal experience) because of float, and also apparently in mud (not from personal experience). The powerful motor shines in moving the bike through these boggy conditions.

Another benefit of a heavy powerful fat bike is that it really irons out road imperfections. I had the suspension fork replaced with a rigid one, but I still barely notice potholes that would give my road bike a flat.

On the minus side, I have a bigger problem with ice than snow in winter commuting, and a thin tire with studs might be preferable to a fat tire on ice.

Also, fat bikes are sluggish in turns. Even at assist level 1, the torque sensor really tends to launch you from a start. And with the throttle, there is only a few millimeters of partial throttle before you engage full throttle. It's not enough to make you wheelie, but I tend to turn the assist off altogether when maneuvering around pedestrian calming rails and put a foot down to make tight turns in places I would just ride around with my feet on the pedals of my acoustic bikes.

Overall, I think if you want the feel of riding a regular bike, but with super-legs, then the Juggernaut might not be for you. If you want something that blurs the line between bicycle and dirt bike, then the Juggernaut might be the one.

 

[Gee_Whiz]

Hmm.. Good information.. thank you both.. lots to think about and research

 

[STLABRAT]

My Vado SL 5.0 is great on the hills around my house. I take the same hills as all the hard core cyclists in the area are riding. They're in better shape but I still make it to to the top. Not for you if you want the bike to basically carry you to the top. Also fun to take the occasional dirt or gravel road but not for really technical roads. Easy to ride without power on the flats if I need a workout. I can also put it on my bike rack. I think the heavier ones would be better if you're going to be doing a lot of commuting and want to get somewhere without any sweat. From you choices I guess you're not thinking anything like the Creo road or gravel bikes. I don't think there is much availability for the Specialized right now, but if you can get a test ride.