Como 4 vs Como 5

[mikecoin56]

I have narrowed my selection of a new ebike to either the Como 4 or Como 5.

I need the upright riding position of The Como line as I’m 63 with some health issues. I weigh about 270lbs..

Not been able to test ride either (test rode a Vado 4 to get an idea of the motor power).

I ride mostly rail trails On crushed stone.

Will I notice the extra torque of the 1.3 motor (Como 5) over the 1.2 (Como 5) as its only 15% more (90 vs 72).

Will the 600 watt battery on the 5 offer any extra range over the 500 watt battery on the 4?

 

[RTeremi]

This question really depends on: what kind of riding are you planning? Lots of hills? Ride fast? Long distances? Usually a Como translates into a bit less aggressive rider: so maybe your looking for max distance?

We have both the Vado and Como 4.0 and they’re both great! I regularly ride 20-30mile trips which include a stretch of 12% grade hills for about 2 miles easy way, and I’m averaging 20-21mph for the trip. The 500 battery of the 4.0 gets me 40-50miles max distance with this speed....I don’t weigh as much. I’d be willing to wager you’ll be quite happy with the 4.0 and the money difference in your pocket.

 

[joc6812]

If you have a Bulls dealer nearby I suggest you also check out the new cross lite evo. It has the new Bosch gen 4 motor with 625wh. Lots of hill power. I test rode it and the Como, and some others, and it was my favorite. Como was second for me. Bulls was just as comfy with a mostly upright riding position and I felt it handled better, more nimble. It may not be justified, but I felt better going with Bosch over Brose, dealer concurred. I'm 68, 6'2" 235 lbs. Looking for similar things as you in an ebike. Just a thought.

 

[Sierratim]

I have narrowed my selection of a new ebike to either the Como 4 or Como 5.

I need the upright riding position of The Como line as I’m 63 with some health issues. I weigh about 270lbs..

Not been able to test ride either (test rode a Vado 4 to get an idea of the motor power).

I ride mostly rail trails On crushed stone.

Will I notice the extra torque of the 1.3 motor (Como 5) over the 1.2 (Como 5) as its only 15% more (90 vs 72).

Will the 600 watt battery on the 5 offer any extra range over the 500 watt battery on the 4?

Am I safe in assuming that your crushed stone trails aren't too steep? If so, I agree with @RTeremi that the Como 4 will do what you want while saving ~$800! The Como 5 does have the 25% larger capacity battery, an upgraded component group, and an 11-speed drive train that makes the extra $ justified in my mind, but only if you'll take advantage of these features. My wife and i chose the Vado 5 over the 4 for these reasons, but then our average ride generally includes ~2,000 feet of climbing.

@joc6812 has suggested the new version of the Bulls Cross Lite Evo. A very capable bike that seems comparable to the Como 5 in many ways. It is priced higher, but has some additional features that may make this worthwhile. The big difference in my mind is that the Bulls bike is a Class 1 electric vs Class 3 for the Comos. The Bulls will limit motor assistance to below 15mph, the Comos to below 28mph. Class 1 ebikes are legal on most bike trails where Class 3s may not be allowed. You should check your local trail restrictions re this.

We mostly ride our Vado 5 ebikes on the local streets in our small town so not an issue for us. We have ridden them on trails where Class 3 bikes were not allowed, but no one checks. We followed the trail rules and road safely so no one even asked but YRMV.

 

[mikecoin56]

You

This question really depends on: what kind of riding are you planning? Lots of hills? Ride fast? Long distances? Usually a Como translates into a bit less aggressive rider: so maybe your looking for max distance?

We have both the Vado and Como 4.0 and they’re both great! I regularly ride 20-30mile trips which include a stretch of 12% grade hills for about 2 miles easy way, and I’m averaging 20-21mph for the trip. The 500 battery of the 4.0 gets me 40-50miles max distance with this speed....I don’t weigh as much. I’d be willing to wager you’ll be quite happy with the 4.0 and the money difference in your pocket.

We ride crushed stone rail trails with mostly slight hills over distances of 25 to 40 miles. Our speed averages 10-11mph.

On my Aventon Pace 500 with 556 watt hours I get about 30 miles per battery using mostly PAS 1. I used a second battery to finish the longer outings.
Would love to be able to do 40 miles on the 500 watt battery of the Como 4 since a second battery is $900!
Thanks very much for your reply, Its very helpful!

 

[Katysax]

I have the Como 4 and love it. I never use the full power assist; Im 68 and have health issues but can climb the local mountains with 50% assist. I can get 40 miles on the 4.0 battery. I am contemplating getting a second battery. My partner who is 72 can climb the local mountains at 20% assist and can get ridiculous range out of the battery; we really do not know how much but uses less than 10% for 12 miles of mountains. The 4 has plenty of torque for climbing. As for range it depends how far you want to go.

 

[mikecoin56]

If you have a Bulls dealer nearby I suggest you also check out the new cross lite evo. It has the new Bosch gen 4 motor with 625wh. Lots of hill power. I test rode it and the Como, and some others, and it was my favorite. Como was second for me. Bulls was just as comfy with a mostly upright riding position and I felt it handled better, more nimble. It may not be justified, but I felt better going with Bosch over Brose, dealer concurred. I'm 68, 6'2" 235 lbs. Looking for similar things as you in an ebike. Just a thought.

I’m in WV, nearest Bulls dealer is about 4 hours away. Wish I had one closer.

Trek and Specialized are the ebike dealers within an hour from my home.

 

[mikecoin56]

Am I safe in assuming that your crushed stone trails aren't too steep? If so, I agree with @RTeremi that the Como 4 will do what you want while saving ~$800! The Como 5 does have the 25% larger capacity battery, an upgraded component group, and an 11-speed drive train that makes the extra $ justified in my mind, but only if you'll take advantage of these features. My wife and i chose the Vado 5 over the 4 for these reasons, but then our average ride generally includes ~2,000 feet of climbing.

@joc6812 has suggested the new version of the Bulls Cross Lite Evo. A very capable bike that seems comparable to the Como 5 in many ways. It is priced higher, but has some additional features that may make this worthwhile. The big difference in my mind is that the Bulls bike is a Class 1 electric vs Class 3 for the Comos. The Bulls will limit motor assistance to below 15mph, the Comos to below 28mph. Class 1 ebikes are legal on most bike trails where Class 3s may not be allowed. You should check your local trail restrictions re this.

We mostly ride our Vado 5 ebikes on the local streets in our small town so not an issue for us. We have ridden them on trails where Class 3 bikes were not allowed, but no one checks. We followed the trail rules and road safely so no one even asked but YRMV.

Thanks for the reply. The trails we ride are relatively flat as they follow abandoned railroad tracks. I do occasionally ride local roads where the higher 28mph limit is handy.

Nearest Bulls dealer is over 4 hours away.

 

[Sierratim]

Thanks for the reply. The trails we ride are relatively flat as they follow abandoned railroad tracks. I do occasionally ride local roads where the higher 28mph limit is handy.

Nearest Bulls dealer is over 4 hours away.

Having a local shop is a good thing. I, too, considered Bulls ebikes. Same issue, the closest dea.er was too far away. The Specialized dealer is just a few miles into town.

 

[purdueboiler87]

I bought the Como 5.0 as I felt the better battery and components were worth the extra $$$. I knew I would never be saying "I wish I got the model with the smaller battery". Both models are going to be great, it just depends on what you want to spend. Love my Como.

 

[Tcozzetti]

If you have a Bulls dealer nearby I suggest you also check out the new cross lite evo. It has the new Bosch gen 4 motor with 625wh. Lots of hill power. I test rode it and the Como, and some others, and it was my favorite. Como was second for me. Bulls was just as comfy with a mostly upright riding position and I felt it handled better, more nimble. It may not be justified, but I felt better going with Bosch over Brose, dealer concurred. I'm 68, 6'2" 235 lbs. Looking for similar things as you in an ebike. Just a thought.

Hi
Did you get the 2020 Cross lite evo? I've narrowed it down to the como and the lite evo so I was happy to read your input. Thanks

 

[joc6812]

Hi
Did you get the 2020 Cross lite evo? I've narrowed it down to the como and the lite evo so I was happy to read your input. Thanks

I ordered it, hasn't arrived yet, should be this week. Liked it a lot testing it and it met all my needs, so, hopefully it will be great.

 

[Tcozzetti]

Thank you. Was it significantly different than the 2019 model of the lite evo?
Enjoy your bike

 

[joc6812]

Biggest change, I think, was to new gen 4 bosch motor/battery. There may be other changes too, never looked at a 2019.

 

[Brendon@OEB]

I have narrowed my selection of a new ebike to either the Como 4 or Como 5.

I need the upright riding position of The Como line as I’m 63 with some health issues. I weigh about 270lbs..

Not been able to test ride either (test rode a Vado 4 to get an idea of the motor power).

I ride mostly rail trails On crushed stone.

Will I notice the extra torque of the 1.3 motor (Como 5) over the 1.2 (Como 5) as its only 15% more (90 vs 72).

Will the 600 watt battery on the 5 offer any extra range over the 500 watt battery on the 4?

I ride a Vado 5.0 to my shop as my commuter, I went through the same thought process, 4.0 or 5.0. Hard to argue with a larger battery, less to worry about in terms of range. The 1.3 motor is noticeably more powerful. Do I need it? No, but it makes short work of rollers and keeps me at the 45-46kph to speed which is what I want. If you've got steep terrain the power never hurts even if you seldom use it.

I'd say if you're remotely considering the 5, go for it and you'll be rewarded the more you use it! We just got a Como 5.0 low entry for the floor and 4.0 low entry on the way, excited to have folks try them out!

Also I'm with you on the Como handlebars, I put them on my Vado, love it!

 

[jenfeu]

Hi! You may have already decided, but here's my 2 cents. I live in a Colorado mountain town with lots of big hills. I test rode the Como 4.0 low entry in town, up and down hills. I think it did really great and provided plenty of assist even on the hills. However, I ended up buying the 5.0 (without test riding), mainly because I wanted this bike to replace my car for most in-town purposes and I knew I was going to get the front rack and didn't want to have to move the headlight wires around, etc. I also really liked the blue color better!

I do not notice a significant difference in the assist between the two models. However, I only test rode the 4.0 twice. And, I weigh 125 lbs, so the difference in weight might be a factor. The shop said the Como 4.0 low entry is their most popular bicycle - they sell more of them than any other bike in the store, electric or not.

Since I do mostly frequent short rides (2-5 miles), I am sure I would have been fine with the smaller capacity battery. I did buy a tail rack and put panniers on. I love this bike! Riding it is a dream! I really don't think you can go wrong with either the 4.0 or 5.0. But, as Brendon@TBSM says, if you are remotely considering the 5.0 - I say go for it if you can afford it! You won't be disappointed.

 

[percymon]

You might also want to take a look at Cube Kathmandu (various spec levels, battery capacities on offer - almost bewildering range of models in some countries), and the Trek Allant 7 range. The latter in particular offers quite an upright riding style, adjustable stem and swept back bars - a great bike depenedent upon your budget and local supply/dealers.

A lot of the 'toruing/city style bikes tend to come with some form of puncture resistant tyres (some better than others), but always worth adding some sealant such as Stan's No Tubes as well - perhaps get the dealer to throw this in as part of the deal, its ca $20 of product to them.