BigNerd
Well-Known Member
I don't normally ride very fast on my Espin Sport (I probably have PTSD from my biking accident last year).
But now that some of the guys in my biking crew have ebikes, we like to compare how fast we can go.
The first time we did it was a closed street straightaway but had to abort because the Cannondale hit a nail and got a flat tire... at the time the Creo SL was winning because I couldn't get into my highest gear but we were hitting high 20mph easiily.
Recently, we had another opportunity going up and back from Cook's Corner using Santiago Canyon Road. This ride has some elevation and we had tried it before but had to abort because of time and my friend's Treadwell was running low on battery. This time, I actually had somewhere else to go and although we did reach Cook's Corner, we had to ride as fast as we could back. About a 1/3 of the way, it was evident that the Cannondale could not keep up, the x35 Mahle rear hub was only 250watt and had a top speed of 20mph. As we pulled away from him, we both realized that one of us had to stay back and since I had the time constraint, I went all out to get back as fast as I could. Normally, we don't like to ride alone and given my previous crash... I was worried about riding so fast on a street crowded with cars/trucks going over 65 mph.
Using PAS 5 was a bit of a revelation to me because I rarely go beyond PAS 2. It was pretty amazing that I could go uphill on my highest gear hitting mid 20mph speeds. The downhills were obviously very fast going as high as 35mph+ (no PAS) but the bike was very stable.
I got back to my car in time to make it home for what I had to do next and my friends texted me that they got back a good 20 minutes later. My battery looked like it had over 20% left but my friend's Cannondale was zero and not sure what the Creo had left.
Based on what I've seen, I think my Sport can hold up against the Creo SL and for the huge price difference, that's great... but the Creo weighs way less than my bike so there is that (I was also looking at Vado SL). The Treadwell also weighs less and I was considering the Quick Neo SL at one point, but seeing how their systems work and the lack of power, I'm glad I went with the Sport. They both commented that my power system is easier to use as I can go from 0 to 5 and back much easier than they could adjust their PAS levels.
The more I push this bike, the more satisfied I am with buying it. It's even been in a major crash and is still holding up very well. I'm actually riding my non-electric Trek less and less because it's just more fun to ride the Sport. And yes, when you are trying to go from a full stop up a hill or across a busy street, throttle is convenient (which neither the Creo or Treadwell have).
But now that some of the guys in my biking crew have ebikes, we like to compare how fast we can go.
The first time we did it was a closed street straightaway but had to abort because the Cannondale hit a nail and got a flat tire... at the time the Creo SL was winning because I couldn't get into my highest gear but we were hitting high 20mph easiily.
Recently, we had another opportunity going up and back from Cook's Corner using Santiago Canyon Road. This ride has some elevation and we had tried it before but had to abort because of time and my friend's Treadwell was running low on battery. This time, I actually had somewhere else to go and although we did reach Cook's Corner, we had to ride as fast as we could back. About a 1/3 of the way, it was evident that the Cannondale could not keep up, the x35 Mahle rear hub was only 250watt and had a top speed of 20mph. As we pulled away from him, we both realized that one of us had to stay back and since I had the time constraint, I went all out to get back as fast as I could. Normally, we don't like to ride alone and given my previous crash... I was worried about riding so fast on a street crowded with cars/trucks going over 65 mph.
Using PAS 5 was a bit of a revelation to me because I rarely go beyond PAS 2. It was pretty amazing that I could go uphill on my highest gear hitting mid 20mph speeds. The downhills were obviously very fast going as high as 35mph+ (no PAS) but the bike was very stable.
I got back to my car in time to make it home for what I had to do next and my friends texted me that they got back a good 20 minutes later. My battery looked like it had over 20% left but my friend's Cannondale was zero and not sure what the Creo had left.
Based on what I've seen, I think my Sport can hold up against the Creo SL and for the huge price difference, that's great... but the Creo weighs way less than my bike so there is that (I was also looking at Vado SL). The Treadwell also weighs less and I was considering the Quick Neo SL at one point, but seeing how their systems work and the lack of power, I'm glad I went with the Sport. They both commented that my power system is easier to use as I can go from 0 to 5 and back much easier than they could adjust their PAS levels.
The more I push this bike, the more satisfied I am with buying it. It's even been in a major crash and is still holding up very well. I'm actually riding my non-electric Trek less and less because it's just more fun to ride the Sport. And yes, when you are trying to go from a full stop up a hill or across a busy street, throttle is convenient (which neither the Creo or Treadwell have).
