Bosch Performance Line VS Bosch Performance Line CX

[DTCsjoerd]

Hello guys,

Im looking into buying a new ebike, but i need some advice. After cycling alot on my girlfriend her ebike with Bosch Active Line Plus motor i decided that i wanted to buy one for myself too. After some searching a quickly found out that these two perfectly fit my needs.

• Cube Touring Hybrid Pro with a Bosch Performance Line motor & 500wh battery. ( Bosch Drive Unit Performance Generation 3 (65Nm) Cruise (250Watt)
• Cube Kathmandu Hybrid One with a Bosch Performance Line CX motor & 500wh battery. ( Bosch Drive Unit Performance CX Generation 4 (85Nm) Cruise (250Watt)

They both cost €2899,- so im really tempted to go with the more powerfull CX motor since i love the punch it packs, but on the other hand i dont really need that much power. I mostly use the bike for recreational biking, and maybe sometimes to work when the weather is nice (hehe). I live in the Netherlands so not a lot of mountains to climb, but alot of wind so the power might come handy too for that.

I did try the CX motor and i liked the instant power, but it was quite noisy and i felt some slight vibrations in the pedals. They told me that those tiny vibrations i felt at certain speeds were normal with a motor that powerful. What do you guys think is the best option for me? And how do the two motors compare to each other in terms of noise and power?


Kind regards,
Sjoerd

 

[TrevorB]

Both motors will sustain 25kmhr even into strong headwind and bumps that Dutch call hills. Question is which has better component spec and extra features?

Only difference is drivetrain, both 10 and 11spd have excellent shifting. The 11spd maybe cheaper to maintain as higher gear cogs on cassette can be replaced individually, given you will spend most of your time in one of two gears doing 25kmh a cassette could last quite a few chains. Expect 3000-3500km per chain 10 or 11spd. When you eventually replace cassette 11-42 or 11-46t should be all you need. NB I climb some seriously steep hills with Performanceline and 11-42t and rarely do I wish for extra gear.

 

[Bicyclista]

Those are two very similar bikes! Personally, I would go with the newer and more powerful 85 Nm CX motor. I feel the 65Nm Bosch motors are weak (such as in my girlfriend's Tern HSD), whereas I feel more confident with the 85Nm Bosch Cargo Line motor in my Yuba Spicy Curry AT. I don't find the noise and vibrations objectionable—usually they are masked by traffic or wind noise. You will welcome the extra power when riidng against the wind, as you say, and perhaps someday you might travel elsewhere in Europe where there are hills and you want to bring your bike along.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have one bike with the presence speed gen 2 and with 1.5" tires ands the trek with the Gen performance speed with 2.5" tires and for the most part I Dont get any benefit from the extra torque because the tires eat up the extra torque.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Hi Sjord,

The Touring model has somewhat better bike specs (and the display) than the Kathmandu at the cost of less powerful motor. Given the same price (and the fact both are equally beautiful e-bikes), you can toss a coin... In the flatland, you would be hitting the 25 km/h limiter easily on both e-bikes, so no real point to get the noisier CX motor.

The only advice I can give to you is find a Cube e-bike with the 625 Wh battery (if you can afford it). Bigger battery always pays off!

 

[DTCsjoerd]

Thanks for all the super helpful replies. I got the chance to ride both bikes at a different store today and made the decision to go with the Cube Touring Hybrid Pro /w Performance Line motor. In terms of power I think its about 80% as strong as the CX, but with like 50% less noise. So i made my decision rather quickly since i dont really needed that much power to begin with. Although the CX felt quite a bit more snappy while accelerating from standstill or lower speed, the Performance Line felt almost equal as powerfull while cycling against strong winds. Im super happy with my purchase and already looking forward to cycle to work tomorrow morning!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Thanks for all the super helpful replies. I got the chance to ride both bikes at a different store today and made the decision to go with the Cube Touring Hybrid Pro /w Performance Line motor. In terms of power I think its about 80% as strong as the CX, but with like 50% less noise. So i made my decision rather quickly since i dont really needed that much power to begin with. Although the CX felt quite a bit more snappy while accelerating from standstill or lower speed, the Performance Line felt almost equal as powerfull while cycling against strong winds. Im super happy with my purchase and already looking forward to cycle to work tomorrow morning!

Congratulations! Many happy kilometres!

 

[Rider777]

Good choice DTC, and you’ll get a little more range from the Performance Line motor.

Many happy …………. MILES ……… yeah baby

 

[TrevorB]

Congratulations.
If you do your own maintenance consider swapping out 11-51t cassette for 11-42t and save 11-51 for touring. The other plus is it has 17t instead of 18t for 4th which I use around 25kmhr. M8000 & M7000 cassettes allow you to replace first 4 sprockets individual. I'm picking you will do most of your mileage in 3rd and 4th.

 

[DTCsjoerd]

Thanks for a the super nice comments! i already did ~150kms in a couple of days and im very happy with it. But there is one thing that im not sure about.. Is it normal that the motor/pedals give quite a loud "click" when i stop pedaling? Also happens when i start pedaling, but way less loud. I haven't noticed it before, but its super annoying when ride the bike in the city where i have to brake every 2 seconds or so. So the motor cuts in/off everytime with a loud click. Haven't noticed this on the Active Line Plus.

 

[TrevorB]

Not noticed on either of our 2 PerformanceLine motors. Give it few weeks and may go away, if not check with shop.