Can possibly purchase a Grinder Evo for $3,500 new. Should I pull the trigger?

[Megahighdon]

Currently shopping for my first electric bike for commuting to work and I found a Bulls Grinder Evo for sale at a local shop for $3,499 in my size.

Would it be a good fit for a 12 mile flat commute?

Thanks,

MegaHighDon

 

[Deacon Blues]

Looks to be a nice bike. Is that the Gen 4 motor?
Have you taken it for a test ride? The components look decent, but the most important factor is the test ride.
Last July I visited a Cannondale shop while RVing.....just to look. Unfortunately (for my bank balance) they had one in stock (it was a large but I ride a medium) and I took it for a test ride.
I loved the bike. I ended up ordering a medium.

 

[troehrkasse]

Sounds like a solid deal, Bulls makes some great ebikes. Court reviewed the Grinder EVO awhile back, you can see that full review here. As far as range goes you'll have no problem with your commute assuming you mean a 12 mile round trip. 12 miles each way would still be doable as long as you aren't maxing out the assist levels the whole way.

I agree with Deacon that the test ride is everything!

 

[Amazer98]

Currently shopping for my first electric bike for commuting to work and I found a Bulls Grinder Evo for sale at a local shop for $3,499 in my size.

Would it be a good fit for a 12 mile flat commute?

Thanks,

MegaHighDon

I actually have a Grinder Evo and have put approximately 2600 miles on it. So far, I would say it’s an excellent bike. I paid $4500 for it, so I would say you’re getting a great deal.

True, it has the Gen 3 Bosch Speed motor, not the latest Gen 4, which is a bit smaller and lighter. The newer motor seems to get more range out of the battery too. I bought my wife a Trek Allant 7+, also with the 500 watt hour battery, and her bike gets about an 80 mile range in Eco, compared to the Grinder Evo, which gets around 62. In Tour mode, I’ll get maybe 40-44, compared to 58-60 on the newer Trek.

Still, I’m ok with the range I’m getting. The bike rides nicely, especially since I swapped the nasty stock saddle for a Brooks leather one and removed the rigid seatpost and installed a Kinect suspension post.

Anyway, Bulls builds a nice bike, and if you’re looking for a solid Class 3 ride with drop bars, this is a good choice. I like that the tires are 40c wide... wide enough to ride on less than pristine dirt roads, but not so wide as to make the bike feel like a truck. It handles pretty nimbly... but it’s much more stable than my lightweight road bike.

There are a lot of hills in the area of Maine where I live, and the Grinder Evo has plenty of power to make climbing easy... if that’s what I want at the moment. A 12 mile flat commute would almost be an insult to this bike’s capabilities You could easily do 24 flat miles in Sport mode with power to spare on a full charge... possibly even in Turbo mode.... but on flat ground, you’d likely find that even Tour mode was more than adequate.

By the way, here’s an initial review I wrote on the Grinder Evo: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/bulls-grinder-evo-initial-thoughts.29446/

 

[Megahighdon]

Hey Amazer!

Thanks for the reply!

I'm actually going to be test riding a couple of other Bulls bikes this weekend. Specifically the Urban Evo (2019 Model) and the Urban Evo 10 Diamond (2020 Model). The regular Urban Evo has some suspension in the front which could be nice but isn't necessary and the Evo 10 Diamond has the Gen 4 motor but no front suspension. The Urban Evo is actually on sale for $3,199.99 right now which is insanely good value and the Urban Evo 10 is right ahead at $3,499.99.

I'll make my decision this weekend and put a deposit down and then go ahead and buy one of them once I get the money for my car!

Then I'll let you know what I end up getting.

Thanks for the advice!

-MegaHighDon

 

[Amazer98]

Either of those bikes should be a solid choice, Don. I’ve ridden my bike with the front fork locked and in suspension mode, and I can barely tell the difference. But one piece of advice: don’t inflate the tires to the max. If the sidewalls specify a 40-65 psi range, try using 50-55... if you go for 65, the ride will be much harsher.
Also, a suspension seatpost will make a big difference. Good luck!

 

[Megahighdon]

Ended up test riding the regular urban evo yesterday. Fell in love immediately. Very comfortable bike and the speed/torque is fantastic. Way more peppier than the Specialized Vado I test road last week. I put my deposit down and I’ll be paying for the rest of it once my car is officially sold! Less than $3,500 after taxes.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Amazer98]

Excellent! I’m sure you’ll enjoy your new ride… Let us know your impressions after you’ve written it a few times.

 

[Megahighdon]

Will do, I have a few practice routes to take that are 6 miles and 12 miles so I can dial in the bike before I start commuting in it. Also have a 50 mile all day ride that I want to do with my fiancé (once I get her an ebike as well, might even build her one) that has a few stops at some beer gardens here across the Bay Area. 75% is bike paths/bikeways so it'll be smooth and we won't have to deal with too much car traffic.