Giant Momentum Transcend E+ vs Priority Current

Marrduk24

Active Member
All
For a while I have been looking for a commuter bike to get around town (NYC). Something that’s low maintenance, upright position and just natural/ easy.
Had my eye on priority current and was about to pull the trigger. Then test drove Momentum Transcend today and liked it.
On the whole it feels like priority maybe higher quality. Plus it has more powerful motor.
But then giant is a massive brand and given their scale, they probably have a better value & more refined product. Would love to get any inputs.
 
You might benefit from the discussion here https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/sub-3000-leisure-commuter-bike-for-hilly-area.39435/

I'm in the exact same boat and would love to hear more details on your impressions of the Transcend. I love the Current on paper but got a lot to think about in that thread.

Don't be quick to assume the motor is better on the Current based on spec alone either. It's really hard to tell how the Current motor behaves without actual user input. The Transcend is a reliable and widely known Yamaha motor. Also, what do you base your impression of higher quality on?

What people have pointed out to me is that with Giant you get service, assembly and warranty through the Giant dealer, which is an important point to consider.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still very tempted by the Priority, but people have made some very good points to me.
 
Hey @siquerah! I've been sharing my experience with the Transend with siqueirah, so please bear with me if I repeat myself a little.

A coworker used to commute to work on a bike 15-years ago, his ride was about 8 miles each way with a fairly steep, mile long hill at each end. My commute was about 6 miles each way with a couple of hills as well. 10-years ago he added a rear wheel with a hub motor and the controller, battery back and wires to make it work. It first I was tempted to do the same, but he spent a lot of time tinkering with the setup to keep it working and his bike seemed to have a lot more issues after the conversion so I decided to wait and lat the technology mature a bit.

About two years ago I started looking at the eBike market and seeing what was available. I didn't want to go the DIY route and I don't care for cargo bikes, folding bikes, or road bikes so it looked like my best bet was to get a mountain eBike. I wasn't thrilled with mail ordering a bike and the retail options were not cheap, so I put it off a bit longer.

Last Spring I decided I was ready finally ready to get an eBike, just as the pandemic hit. I started with a $1,500 budget, but the more I research I did the more I decided I wanted a mid-drive and I wanted to buy form an actual bicycle company, not just some eBike company that didn't exist 2-years ago and may not be around next month. I upped my budget to $2k and continued to research eBikes from Giant, Raleigh, Trek, Specialized, Canondale, etc.

I drove an hour to the nearest Trek dealership and rode one of their mid-drive mountain eBikes as well as a Townie hub-drive eBike. I decided I definitely preferred the feel of a mid-drive. I really liked the Trek and then I rode a Giant mountain e-bike, it was full suspension, all the bells and whistles, but what really impressed me was how well integrated the eBike bits were into the bike riding experience. The assist comes on very smoothly and naturally and I really liked the frame integrated battery pack and simple controls. I talked to the salesman for a while and he showed me the Momentum website. Somehow I had overlooked Momentum in my research and I really liked the style of the Transend E+. I ordered one in June and it was ready for pickup in less than a week.

My old Canondale M400 still sits in the garage, unridden for the past 6-years, but I'm riding the Transend at least twice a week, (I play Pickleball 3-4x a week, so not much time left for riding). I really like the Transend and I am so glad I got what I really wanted instead of trying to save a few bucks. Two of my friends rode my bike and they each bought a Transend for themselves. One of their bikes was ready for pick-up at the Giant dealer in only 3-days, the other took a week.

I've logged about 500 miles with 97,000ft of elevation gain. I prefer to make simple adjustments and maintenance myself and I've not had any issues with the bike, but it's good to know all I have to do is take it to the dealer if I ever have any problems. The only way I'm parting with my Transend is to upgrade to a FastRoad E+ EX Pro. :)
 
This is really an true apples to oranges comparison.

A solid, proven ebike from a large, respected producer of bicycles with a network of dealers and shops providing warranty service, featuring a motor with a reputation for high reliability, with good parts availability and a gear system that will get you up just about any hill.

Versus

A new bike company with no dealer network that may or may not be in business next year, a Chinese motor with questionable parts distribution, and a gear system with a with a low total gear ratio, poorly suited for riding in hilly areas. Yes this one will save you some money up front but it will not do what you need it to do and you are on your own if there are any problems. You could easily end up spending the money you saved having to hire a local shop to fix things for you.

Unless you are a capable bike mechanic, with a decent workshop, a good set of bike tools, as well as the time and inclination to do all the work yourself, you should scratch this one off your list.
 
A new bike company with no dealer network that may or may not be in business next year, a Chinese motor with questionable parts distribution, and a gear system with a with a low total gear ratio, poorly suited for riding in hilly areas. Yes this one will save you some money up front but it will not do what you need it to do and you are on your own if there are any problems. You could easily end up spending the money you saved having to hire a local shop to fix things for you.
I don't think savings are a factor here. Both bikes are about the same price. The Current is $2700 and the Momentum is $2800. I think people are attracted to it mostly due to the novelty of a belt drive ebike, rather than cost savings - I know I am. Can you talk a bit more about the problems with the gear system (you're referring to the Shimano Inter-5e, right?)?
 
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I don't think savings are a factor here. Both bikes are about the same price. The Current is $2700 and the Momentum is $2800. I think people are attracted to it mostly due to the novelty of a belt drive ebike, rather than cost savings. Can you talk a bit more about the problems with the gear system (you're referring to the Shimano Inter-5e, right?)?
Given the differential in component quality, especially the motors and the availability of a reputable dealer service network, there should be a bigger savings.

Last year there was a good discussion including a good user real time experience commentary on the subject of the Shimano Iner-5e that made it plain that this gear box was not at all suitable for riding in an area with steep hills. Shimano's literature describes the total gear range of 263% as "enormous" which is preposterous. Rohloff is 520 % Enviolo is %380 which is just adequate on a steep hill. I live in Bellingham, WA which is a hilly area but no more than the bay area. I had the Enviolo and found it okay on most hills but not up to the task on some of them. I have spent plenty of time in Marin county and the bay area and would only consider a Rohloff if I lived there and had to have a belt driven bike. They are expensive but are very reliable and climb like billy goats and go fast on the downhills as well. They add at least $1,500 to the cost of a bike. A good 11 or 12 speed derailleur setup works great but takes more cleaning, care, lubrication and swapping of chains, cassettes, etc.

Read this start to finish to get an idea of why the 5 speed is poorly suited to hill country.

 
Also I would be quite concerned that the Shimano 5 speed hub is built to handle a maximum of 60nm or torque 9 (according the Shimano's own specs), not the 140nm torque coming out of the Bafang motor. Climbing a steep hill in lowest gear with that motor/gear combo, I wouldn't trust it not to blow up at some point
 
Also I would be quite concerned that the Shimano 5 speed hub is built to handle a maximum of 60nm or torque 9 (according the Shimano's own specs), not the 140nm torque coming out of the Bafang motor. Climbing a steep hill in lowest gear with that motor/gear combo, I wouldn't trust it not to blow up at some point
That is indeed something I hadn't thought about! And by the way, it's not a Bafang.
Given the differential in component quality, especially the motors and the availability of a reputable dealer service network, there should be a bigger savings.

Last year there was a good discussion including a good user real time experience commentary on the subject of the Shimano Iner-5e that made it plain that this gear box was not at all suitable for riding in an area with steep hills. Shimano's literature describes the total gear range of 263% as "enormous" which is preposterous. Rohloff is 520 % Enviolo is %380 which is just adequate on a steep hill. I live in Bellingham, WA which is a hilly area but no more than the bay area. I had the Enviolo and found it okay on most hills but not up to the task on some of them. I have spent plenty of time in Marin county and the bay area and would only consider a Rohloff if I lived there and had to have a belt driven bike. They are expensive but are very reliable and climb like billy goats and go fast on the downhills as well. They add at least $1,500 to the cost of a bike. A good 11 or 12 speed derailleur setup works great but takes more cleaning, care, lubrication and swapping of chains, cassettes, etc.

Read this start to finish to get an idea of why the 5 speed is poorly suited to hill country.

Thanks, I read the whole thing and it's indeed very helpful! This also gave me a lot to think about and learn from. I'm not about to hijack @Marrduk24's thread, but suffice to say that given that $2700 is the absolute highest I can spend, the Rohloff is completely out of question. I guess that means, for Bay Area riding, that belt driven bikes will also not be recommended for my use case. I think I'm clear on what makes the Current not suitable for the hills. What about factors that make the Momentum Transcend 'get you up just about any hill'? This will help me know what to look for!

I also have one more question, and this is a very, very basic one. I have no real world experience with this kind of expensive ebike. I have done my SF commute (and explored the city) daily on the city bike-type rentals (hub) from Jump and Lyft. I have also test driven around the city on a cheap-ish RadCity (hub). I get that this is a completely different type of bike. For those, all I had to do was leave it on the highest gear and put some minimal effort up the hill, and the bike did the rest. I'm not sure what aspect of hub motors causes that, but the gearing made little difference - I'm guessing those were not very steep hills for bike standards. The experience was underwhelming, since the bikes were very heavy and at steeper hills I had to put some more effort, but in the hills I've faced, it has never been impossible. Would the setup on the Current be even worse than those? Conversely, is the Transcend vastly superior on these climbs? I will follow the advice given to me and actually try to test ride the Transcend bike, so I can at least have basis for comparison when making this very big, very expensive decision. I just want to be sure that for the money being spent, the riding experience and power are greatly superior to these citibikes for example.
 
My apologies, I am not totally familiar with the Giant line up. I did not realize that the Momentum also had a Shimano 7 speed Internal geared hub. As I said, unless you are prepared to spend the big bucks for a Rohloff, an IGH would be a mistake in the bay area. I would start all over and look for a bike with a SHimano XT 11 speed derailleur with at a minimum the 11-42 cassette or even better the 11-46. In the long run you will be way happier riding a bike with the right gearing for the terrain you are riding.

I just did a quick ebay search and found this for sale in California. A whole lot of ebike for the money. Make sure you are getting the correct frame size for your height.

 
'Steep hill' can mean very different things to different folks, I can only share my experiences between my old bike and the Transend.

The two steepest hills I encountered in my work commute were my driveway (when driving up one section of my driveway you see dashboard, hood and sky) and a road called Molly Bar, it's 2.3 miles long and there is maybe 400ft of level ground between two big hills.

My previous bike was a 21-speed Canondale M400 Aluminum frame mountain bike which I outfitted with 2.1" commuter style tires inflated to 60-65psi. The only way up my drive way was shifting down to the very lowest gear, stand up and peddle like mad to get to the top. Molly Bar required 2nd or 3rd gear for the steepest sections and I had to pace myself or I'd get exhausted and have to bail and walk the bike till my thighs quit hurting and I caught my breath.

Now I shift to 1st gear on the Momentum and switch from 'auto' to 5 on the assist and I stand up to get up my driveway, but it's a lot easier, even though my M400 is geared MUCH lower than the Transend. Molly Bar is a breeze in 'auto' assist and 2nd gear on the Transend, or I can switch to 3rd gear and stand up if I'm in a hurry.
 
This page is a list of internal hub gears for bicycles.

BrandModelIntroducedDiscontinuedSpeeds
(external)
Gear width
(with external)
Ebike Max PowerMax TorqueDirect DriveWeight (excluding
auxiliary components)
Intended
purpose
EnvioloCity2019continuous310%250 w50 Nmn/a?City
EnvioloTrekking2019continuous380%250 w75 Nmn/a?City/Trekking
EnvioloSportive2019continuous380%500 w120 Nmn/a?City/Trekking/Sport
EnvioloCargo2019continuous380%500 w80 Nmn/a?City/Cargo
EnvioloCommercial2019continuous310%250 w50 Nmn/a?City
Fallbrook (Enviolo)NuVinci N38020152018continuous380%n/a2450 g[3]City
Fallbrook (Enviolo)NuVinci N36020102014continuous360%n/a2450 g[4]City
Fallbrook (Enviolo)Nuvinci N33020152018continuous330%n/a2450 g[4]City
Fallbrook (Enviolo)NuVinci N17120072010continuous350%n/a3850–3950 gCity
SRAM (Sachs)Torpedo Duomatic/Automatic2136%City
Sturmey Archer[S/B]2[C] Duomatic[16]20102138%930-1400 gCity
BromptonBSR (fork from Sturmey Archer)3178%? gCity
BromptonBWR[1][2]20093(x2)246% (302%)940 gCity
ShimanoNexus Inter-33187%2nd gear1220 gCity
SRAM (Sachs)Spectro T3/i-Motion 3/Torpedo Dreigang[12]19873187%2nd gearCity
SRAM (Sachs)Neos/Spectro 3x719942000[14]3(x7)186% (434%) [15]City
Sturmey ArcherA[BC/T3],AW[C],S[C3/SAB],[S/X/XL]-R[F/S/F]3,SEARS 503.2119333178%1000-1380 gCity
ShimanoNexus 4 Speed4184%1st gearCity
Sturmey ArcherX-RF4, X-RK4, X-RD420184210%1st Gear1160-1630 gCity/Folding
Sturmey ArcherF[C/M/G/W]193519704134-160%? gCity
ShimanoNexus Inter-5E20195263%60 Nm1st gear1650 gCity
SRAM (Sachs)Spectro P5 (Pentasport),[12] P5 Cargo19872010? [13]5224-251%3rd gearCity
Sturmey ArcherRX-RF5, RX-RD5, RX-RK5, RX-RC5, RXL-RD5, TS-RF520175243%3rd Gear1905-2412 gCity
Sturmey ArcherS5,AT5,SAB,Sprinter-5,[S/X/XL]-R[C/D/F/K]519665225-256%1200-1760 gCity
ShimanoNexus Inter-719957244%1465-1860 gCity
SRAM (Sachs)Spectro S7 (Super 7)199320107303% (Super 7: 284%)4th gear1645-1826 gCity
ShimanoAlfine SG-50020068307%1600 gCity
ShimanoNexus Inter-88307%5th gear1550-2040 gCity
SRAMG8201220158260%2180 [11]City
Sturmey ArcherXRF-8 (W), XRK-8 (W), XRD-8 (W)20148325%1st Gear1770-2170 gCity/Folding
Sturmey ArcherXRF-8, X-R[F/D/K]8200720138305%1st Gear1480-1600 gCity
SRAMi-Motion 9200520129340%2000g (wo brake)-
2400g (with coaster brake)
City
SRAMG9201420159292%City, Sport
ShimanoAlfine SG-700201011409%n/a1600-1744 g[8][9][10]City, Sport
SRAM (Sachs)Spectro E12 (Elan)1995199912339%3500-4000 gCity
KindernayXIV201614543%[5]150 Nm[6]1400g[5]MTB and enduro
Rohloff AGSpeedhub 500/14199814526%130 Nm11th gear1700-1825 g[7]Sport/Touring/ Cargo/Tandem
 
Some of you have previously made fun of me for liking citi Electric bike in NYC :)

here are a few things I liked about transcend
1. < $3000 for class 3
2. Felt like a better ride than Canondale Canvas Neo 1, which is a $4200 bike. It just felt smoother and more natural
3. Meets my criteria for a stealth electric bike

Two hesitations I had were
1. The posture was more hunched than I like - I am 5’11” and change and tried large. I think medium might be bettter
2. It’s funny but I feel I got more assistance from my citi electric bike
 
My apologies, I am not totally familiar with the Giant line up. I did not realize that the Momentum also had a Shimano 7 speed Internal geared hub. As I said, unless you are prepared to spend the big bucks for a Rohloff, an IGH would be a mistake in the bay area. I would start all over and look for a bike with a SHimano XT 11 speed derailleur with at a minimum the 11-42 cassette or even better the 11-46. In the long run you will be way happier riding a bike with the right gearing for the terrain you are riding.

I just did a quick ebay search and found this for sale in California. A whole lot of ebike for the money. Make sure you are getting the correct frame size for your height.

Thank you!
'Steep hill' can mean very different things to different folks, I can only share my experiences between my old bike and the Transend.

The two steepest hills I encountered in my work commute were my driveway (when driving up one section of my driveway you see dashboard, hood and sky) and a road called Molly Bar, it's 2.3 miles long and there is maybe 400ft of level ground between two big hills.

My previous bike was a 21-speed Canondale M400 Aluminum frame mountain bike which I outfitted with 2.1" commuter style tires inflated to 60-65psi. The only way up my drive way was shifting down to the very lowest gear, stand up and peddle like mad to get to the top. Molly Bar required 2nd or 3rd gear for the steepest sections and I had to pace myself or I'd get exhausted and have to bail and walk the bike till my thighs quit hurting and I caught my breath.

Now I shift to 1st gear on the Momentum and switch from 'auto' to 5 on the assist and I stand up to get up my driveway, but it's a lot easier, even though my M400 is geared MUCH lower than the Transend. Molly Bar is a breeze in 'auto' assist and 2nd gear on the Transend, or I can switch to 3rd gear and stand up if I'm in a hurry.
As always, thanks for sharing your experience!
Some of you have previously made fun of me for liking citi Electric bike in NYC :)

here are a few things I liked about transcend
1. < $3000 for class 3
2. Felt like a better ride than Canondale Canvas Neo 1, which is a $4200 bike. It just felt smoother and more natural
3. Meets my criteria for a stealth electric bike

Two hesitations I had were
1. The posture was more hunched than I like - I am 5’11” and change and tried large. I think medium might be bettter
2. It’s funny but I feel I got more assistance from my citi electric bike
I swear if I spend $3000 on a bike and it ends up being barely better than a citi bike I'm going to be very annoyed

The position was also one of my concerns, but I guess you can always change the handlebars/stem. But it would be great if it was more upright out of the box.

I had high hopes for the Current, but they've been crushed by this thread.
 
Thank you!

As always, thanks for sharing your experience!

I swear if I spend $3000 on a bike and it ends up being barely better than a citi bike I'm going to be very annoyed

The position was also one of my concerns, but I guess you can always change the handlebars/stem. But it would be great if it was more upright out of the box.

I had high hopes for the Current, but they've been crushed by this thread.
The Momentum Transcend E+ with its Shimano Nexus 7 IGH has even less gear range than the Current. At least you can do a test ride of the Momentum Transend E+ bike at a LBS(if they have it in stock).
 
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The Momentum Transcend E+ with its Shimano Nexus 7 IGH has even less gear range than the Current. At least you can do a test ride of the Momentum Transend E+ bike at a LBS(if they have it in stock).
In my experience, gear range on an ebike is probably the least of my worries. I do try to find the best gear/pedal assist ratio for the speed I'm maintaining and the elevation I'm on, but I have no proof that I'm "doing it well/right". That's where the auto mode on the Yamaha/Giant/Momentum bikes starts to make sense. Let the motor do it based on the gear you are in and cadence your are pedaling at. The battery range that @Coolbob is getting on his 375wh battery on his Momentum Transend E indicates to me that the auto mode does it better than I can do it. One of the issues I have with the Priority Current is the gear range on the Enviolo. It is just too much! Between fiddling with the Enviolo hub and the 5 levels on pedal assist on the motor, it was just too much fiddling and not enough enjoying the ride and the scenery. I do believe the Shimano and the new cassettes (yes, they changed the front and rear cassettes to better utilize the Shimano hub) will rectify some of the "fiddling", but I still believe the marriage of the Yamaha motor, the Shimano hub and the Gates belt drive would make the Current the PERFECT ebike. I'd pay more for the Yamaha motor.
 
In my experience, gear range on an ebike is probably the least of my worries. I do try to find the best gear/pedal assist ratio for the speed I'm maintaining and the elevation I'm on, but I have no proof that I'm "doing it well/right". That's where the auto mode on the Yamaha/Giant/Momentum bikes starts to make sense. Let the motor do it based on the gear you are in and cadence your are pedaling at. The battery range that @Coolbob is getting on his 375wh battery on his Momentum Transend E indicates to me that the auto mode does it better than I can do it. One of the issues I have with the Priority Current is the gear range on the Enviolo. It is just too much! Between fiddling with the Enviolo hub and the 5 levels on pedal assist on the motor, it was just too much fiddling and not enough enjoying the ride and the scenery. I do believe the Shimano and the new cassettes (yes, they changed the front and rear cassettes to better utilize the Shimano hub) will rectify some of the "fiddling", but I still believe the marriage of the Yamaha motor, the Shimano hub and the Gates belt drive would make the Current the PERFECT ebike. I'd pay more for the Yamaha motor.
Transcend Momentum didn’t have an auto mode. Unless I somehow missed it. It didn’t even have a LCD screen.
 
Transcend Momentum didn’t have an auto mode. Unless I somehow missed it. It didn’t even have a LCD screen.
You missed it. It does. You don't need an LCD screen to put the motor in "auto", it is simply one of the levels of assist.
 
In my experience, gear range on an ebike is probably the least of my worries. I do try to find the best gear/pedal assist ratio for the speed I'm maintaining and the elevation I'm on, but I have no proof that I'm "doing it well/right". That's where the auto mode on the Yamaha/Giant/Momentum bikes starts to make sense. Let the motor do it based on the gear you are in and cadence your are pedaling at. The battery range that @Coolbob is getting on his 375wh battery on his Momentum Transend E indicates to me that the auto mode does it better than I can do it. One of the issues I have with the Priority Current is the gear range on the Enviolo. It is just too much! Between fiddling with the Enviolo hub and the 5 levels on pedal assist on the motor, it was just too much fiddling and not enough enjoying the ride and the scenery. I do believe the Shimano and the new cassettes (yes, they changed the front and rear cassettes to better utilize the Shimano hub) will rectify some of the "fiddling", but I still believe the marriage of the Yamaha motor, the Shimano hub and the Gates belt drive would make the Current the PERFECT ebike. I'd pay more for the Yamaha motor.
For the Priority Current e-bike, they have changed from using Enviolo 380 to Shimano Inter-5E IGH. It's a recent change by them. So the criticism of the Priority Current is from using Shimano Inter-5E not Enviolo 380.
 
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