Final 6 - Ready to Buy (Class 3, Mid-Drive, Front Suspension, Commuter, Packed Gravel)

[JselRollTide]

Hi All,

Regular road cyclist here, located in the Seattle area. I am a moderately experienced rider and have primarily used my Trek Domane SL6 for the last 3 years. Most of my rides are between 10-20 miles, with the occasional longer one if my toddlers let me.

I'm in a position to commute to work a couple times of week, which is about 13 miles each way and I'm excited about the prospect of riding a bit more. I'm a bit of research nerd and have narrowed down my selection to 6 bikes, all with relatively similar attributes. Fortunately, being in Seattle I have a plethora of options in terms of local shops and pretty much all brands are available.

Must have's for me are:

1. Class 3 (>80 Nm due to hills)
2. Front Suspension
3. Child seat compatible through rear rack mount (not only compatible, but confident inspiring)
4. Approved to bike through moderate rainy weather.
5. Ability to do gravel on stock wheels/tires, and a minimum range of 30 miles at the fastest mode.
6. My budget is stretched to about $4500 out the door, if there's a relatively compelling reason I could potentially boost that up to $5000, but I'm very unlikely to do so.
7. I'm 5'7 (29"/30" in seam), my wife is 5'2.5, bonus points if we can fit on the same bike

I have not test driven any of these bikes, but given the number of bikes and time allowed - hoping to narrow it down before I schedule the test drives

E-Bike Comparison Chart (FYI some of the specs are little off on this site, but not by much. E.g., Bulls Iconic has a 120 mm shock and it's listed here at 100 mm)

My current takeaways (prices at local shops and before tax)

• Bulls Iconic Evo 1 Speed ($3999) checks all the boxes, only issue is the weight as I believe it'll be the heaviest of all the options. The 120mm of travel is great, but probably an overkill.
• Marin Sausalito E2 ST ($3249) looks fantastic, but it's pretty bare bones (no racks or anything included) and the tires are a bit narrow and very much road specific and no knobs. My main concern with this one is a child carrier on the back with my 30 pound 4 year old and the front suspension is there, but it's pretty minimal
• Gazelles are all $500 - $700 off original price. Stock, they all have fairly narrow tires, only 1.75". But apparently can go up to 2.35" before needing to take the fenders off. However, not really interested in making mods to a brand new bike unless it's the winner.
  • Gazelle Ultimate C380+ HMB ($3999)
  • Gazelle Ultimate T10+ HMB ($3499)
  • Gazelle Medeo T10+ HMB ($3099)
• Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0 ($4000 after $1000 off) this one also checks a lot of boxes and is actually available locally (at least per their website). I've read quite a few negative reviews on the 3.0 and the 4.0, but I believe the 5.0 is sound.

I'm not a bike mechanic by any means, I ride pretty hard - hoping to purchase a bike that with routine maintenance will last for years. The only thing stopping me from getting a bike in the next month or so is if there's a new bike/technology on the horizon that is worth waiting for.

Are there any of these bikes I should steer away from? Is there a bike I should remove from the list as they are unable to support a rear child seat? In the event I'm biking through weather, would any of these bikes be poor choices?

Not seeing a lot of first hand experience with any of these bikes except for the Specialized, would love to hear if anyone has ridden these before.

Thanks for any insight!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Sorry you got no response. Any decision made?

've read quite a few negative reviews on the 3.0 and the 4.0, but I believe the 5.0 is sound.

What negative reviews?

 

[JselRollTide]

Sorry you got no response. Any decision made?


What negative reviews?

Mainly that it was rare and difficult to actually reach a class 3 speed, even with intense cycling.

Regardless, went with the marin. 40 pounds, 85 nm and class 3 was too good to pass up.

 

[mfgrep]

I can't specifically help BUT: You have put together a thoughtful list of 'needs'. Keep in mind that your ability to obtain parts/service is a very important factor. Whichever you decide....ensure that you are able to quickly and easily obtain repairs and parts if/when needed.....and from a company that you feel is likely to remain in business throughout the life of your ownership.

 

[mfgrep]

Mainly that it was rare and difficult to actually reach a class 3 speed, even with intense cycling.

Regardless, went with the marin. 40 pounds, 85 nm and class 3 was too good to pass up.

Yes....can confirm that my Vado SL (light version of the Vado) which is technically Class 3.....does not simply get up and go to 28mph without my SIGNIFICANT pedaling.
If you seek a bike that does this.....throttle.....you should worry less about top speed and more about throttle assist and torque rating imo.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Mainly that it was rare and difficult to actually reach a class 3 speed, even with intense cycling.

It is very difficult to hit 28 mph on the flat on any full power e-bike with flat handlebars even with 90 Nm because the air-drag effectively prevents that.
(I own a 90 Nm Specialized e-bike so I know what I am saying).

 

[cubsfan61]

I can easily hit 28mph on my Trek Allant 7+ S. Recently bought a Como 5.0 IGH that definitely doesn’t hit 28 without significant effort, but I knew that going in. On the rail trails we ride on the speed limit is usually 15mph.

 

[TrevorB]

If your wife is sharing bike get a stepthrough, this even more important if carrying heavy child on back. Allows rider to have both feet planted on ground when stopped. May have to forgo class 3.

Terns are worth looking at if carrying child on regular basis, depending model will carry an adult. NB your child will only get heavier with time.

 

[TrevorB]

Also test ride with your child, they make big difference to handling. Terns excel at load carrying. HSD sport is class 3 but not powerful enough for sustain riding at 28mph more for quick bursts to merge with traffic.

 

[Ritcheybiker]

Understanding that you have already picked your bike, and it sounds awesome, please consider the Cannondale Tesoro Neo X Speed. It has
recently been reduced in price to 3999. Good value, fast speed bike. Avoid the Bulls brand bikes - Bulls appears to be delaying and otherwise sidestepping their resolution of warranty commitments and safety issues inherent with catastrophic cracked frames.

 

[Sparky731]

I can easily hit 28mph on my Trek Allant 7+ S. Recently bought a Como 5.0 IGH that definitely doesn’t hit 28 without significant effort, but I knew that going in. On the rail trails we ride on the speed limit is usually 15mph.

I concur with Cubsfan. No problem hitting 28mph on my Trek Allant 7s. I usually ride 26—30mph anytime I have open road.

 

[Jascotti]

Mainly that it was rare and difficult to actually reach a class 3 speed, even with intense cycling.

Regardless, went with the marin. 40 pounds, 85 nm and class 3 was too good to pass up.

@JselRollTide How are you liking the Marin?

 

[JselRollTide]

@JselRollTide How are you liking the Marin?

Love it, I had owned it for all of 10 minutes when someone on the opposite side of the street yelled “cool bike!”.

I’m happy that it looks like a typical bike. I’m trying to find info on recommendations for self tuning it in the shimano app. Haven’t looked into this forum much, but I’m still a bit confused about each setting.

Need to get a rear rack now for commuting and occasional kid carrying..

 

[Ritcheybiker]

Mainly that it was rare and difficult to actually reach a class 3 speed, even with intense cycling.

Regardless, went with the marin. 40 pounds, 85 nm and class 3 was too good to pass up.

Glad you were able to go with the Marin. For anyone looking at this good comparison, One other Class 3 bike that is feature rich and just a great overall Speed bike and the price was reduced to 3999, is the Cannondale Tesoro Neo X. It has the suspension seatpost, which you can upgrade to the Kinect. I would only get the BULLS Iconic EVO TR2 Speed at this point, and avoid any of the TR1 variants from Bulls due to frame cracking problems on the original old architecture, all new in the TR2 design. The BULLS has the advantage of a dual suspension which is more needed as you go faster in the Class 3.

 

[Edison20]

Hi All,

Regular road cyclist here, located in the Seattle area. I am a moderately experienced rider and have primarily used my Trek Domane SL6 for the last 3 years. Most of my rides are between 10-20 miles, with the occasional longer one if my toddlers let me.

I'm in a position to commute to work a couple times of week, which is about 13 miles each way and I'm excited about the prospect of riding a bit more. I'm a bit of research nerd and have narrowed down my selection to 6 bikes, all with relatively similar attributes. Fortunately, being in Seattle I have a plethora of options in terms of local shops and pretty much all brands are available.

Must have's for me are:

1. Class 3 (>80 Nm due to hills)
2. Front Suspension
3. Child seat compatible through rear rack mount (not only compatible, but confident inspiring)
4. Approved to bike through moderate rainy weather.
5. Ability to do gravel on stock wheels/tires, and a minimum range of 30 miles at the fastest mode.
6. My budget is stretched to about $4500 out the door, if there's a relatively compelling reason I could potentially boost that up to $5000, but I'm very unlikely to do so.
7. I'm 5'7 (29"/30" in seam), my wife is 5'2.5, bonus points if we can fit on the same bike

I have not test driven any of these bikes, but given the number of bikes and time allowed - hoping to narrow it down before I schedule the test drives

E-Bike Comparison Chart (FYI some of the specs are little off on this site, but not by much. E.g., Bulls Iconic has a 120 mm shock and it's listed here at 100 mm)

My current takeaways (prices at local shops and before tax)

• Bulls Iconic Evo 1 Speed ($3999) checks all the boxes, only issue is the weight as I believe it'll be the heaviest of all the options. The 120mm of travel is great, but probably an overkill.
• Marin Sausalito E2 ST ($3249) looks fantastic, but it's pretty bare bones (no racks or anything included) and the tires are a bit narrow and very much road specific and no knobs. My main concern with this one is a child carrier on the back with my 30 pound 4 year old and the front suspension is there, but it's pretty minimal
• Gazelles are all $500 - $700 off original price. Stock, they all have fairly narrow tires, only 1.75". But apparently can go up to 2.35" before needing to take the fenders off. However, not really interested in making mods to a brand new bike unless it's the winner.
  • Gazelle Ultimate C380+ HMB ($3999)
  • Gazelle Ultimate T10+ HMB ($3499)
  • Gazelle Medeo T10+ HMB ($3099)
• Specialized Turbo Vado 5.0 ($4000 after $1000 off) this one also checks a lot of boxes and is actually available locally (at least per their website). I've read quite a few negative reviews on the 3.0 and the 4.0, but I believe the 5.0 is sound.

I'm not a bike mechanic by any means, I ride pretty hard - hoping to purchase a bike that with routine maintenance will last for years. The only thing stopping me from getting a bike in the next month or so is if there's a new bike/technology on the horizon that is worth waiting for.

Are there any of these bikes I should steer away from? Is there a bike I should remove from the list as they are unable to support a rear child seat? In the event I'm biking through weather, would any of these bikes be poor choices?

Not seeing a lot of first hand experience with any of these bikes except for the Specialized, would love to hear if anyone has ridden these before.

Thanks for any insight!

I read that you went with the Marin even though it had narrower tires. I have a 4 year old Como 4. I switched from 2.3 inch to 1.75 inch wide tires and my battery life increased by 50% with no negative effects riding on loose gravel. My bike has broken down 3 times, each requiring waiting 6 months for parts from Specialized. I am currently waiting for a speed sensor because Specialized used 26 gauge wires, which could not withstand 10k miles of vibration. They’re all breaking now and Specialized can’t keep up replacing them. My previous breakdown was the rear wheel. While waiting 6 months for a replacement, I bought a wheel on ebay from a store in Italy. 4k miles later it still works.

 

[JselRollTide]

I read that you went with the Marin even though it had narrower tires. I have a 4 year old Como 4. I switched from 2.3 inch to 1.75 inch wide tires and my battery life increased by 50% with no negative effects riding on loose gravel. My bike has broken down 3 times, each requiring waiting 6 months for parts from Specialized. I am currently waiting for a speed sensor because Specialized used 26 gauge wires, which could not withstand 10k miles of vibration. They’re all breaking now and Specialized can’t keep up replacing them. My previous breakdown was the rear wheel. While waiting 6 months for a replacement, I bought a wheel on ebay from a store in Italy. 4k miles later it still works.

Are you staying it’s broken down 3 times since the switch to narrower tires or is that unrelated?

Ironically, after going over a large bump with my kid carrier on the back, my motor started acting funny. Ended up being a crimped wire harness that he rare but happens occasionally, I guess.

The shop had my bike for 2 weeks and no updates, they were waiting on marin to send a new part. I finally just demanded a new bike, I’ll be getting that soon - but not the best experience thus far.

When the bike was functioning perfectly it was a blast. I did change the stock tires to 2.25 Schwalbe all roads. Mainly due to the belief the bike would be better balanced when I had my daughter on the back. I definitely feel like it hit my range, but not sure how much.

 

[Edison20]

Are you staying it’s broken down 3 times since the switch to narrower tires or is that unrelated?

Ironically, after going over a large bump with my kid carrier on the back, my motor started acting funny. Ended up being a crimped wire harness that he rare but happens occasionally, I guess.

The shop had my bike for 2 weeks and no updates, they were waiting on marin to send a new part. I finally just demanded a new bike, I’ll be getting that soon - but not the best experience thus far.

When the bike was functioning perfectly it was a blast. I did change the stock tires to 2.25 Schwalbe all roads. Mainly due to the belief the bike would be better balanced when I had my daughter on the back. I definitely feel like it hit my range, but not sure how much.

Breakdowns had nothing to do with switching tires. Electric bikes get riden more than non-electric, but are not designed to automotive standards. Now I see why some people build their own. It’s not to save money. It’s because they’re easier to repair after they breakdown.

 

[StuGuy]

Understanding that you have already picked your bike, and it sounds awesome, please consider the Cannondale Tesoro Neo X Speed. It has
recently been reduced in price to 3999. Good value, fast speed bike. Avoid the Bulls brand bikes - Bulls appears to be delaying and otherwise sidestepping their resolution of warranty commitments and safety issues inherent with catastrophic cracked frames.

Ritcheybiker - I haven't seen the postings about Bulls' cracked frames and the warranty issues. Kindly post a link. I have a Bulls, which I'm happy with so far, but if there are problems in my future, I'd like to be forearmed. Thank you.