Help choose a sub-$4000 bike for 30 mile round trip commute in SoCal (Purchased Trek Allant+ 7S!)

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pizzaburrito

New Member
Hi, I'm looking to replace car commuting with ebiking to pollute less and exercise more. My plan is to ride to work, charge the bike at work, then ride home. I have test rides scheduled for the bikes I’m considering below, but wanted to know if there are other bikes I should consider.

Goals:
  • Drive less and exercise more when commuting to work.
  • Secondary goal is to buy groceries

My commute:
  • 15 miles one way (30 round trip) in Southern California.
  • It's relatively hilly, with the steepest hill at around 12-15%.

About me:
  • 6'0, 185 pounds guy, mid-30's

What I'm looking for:
  • Class 3 (28 MPH)
  • Must be serviceable by a LBS or local dealer (not looking for Internet ebike brands unfortunately)
  • Ideally fits into my 4 door sedan with the front wheel off (the Haibike Sduro 7.0 fits)
  • Looking to attach pannier bags to hold a 15" laptop, change of clothes and packed lunches.

Experience with Ebikes:
  • I rented a Haibike Sduro 7.0 to practice my commute and like it. The sportiness and tire width are helpful for the commute. I would probably buy one if it were Class 3.

Bikes I'm considering:
  1. Trek Allant+ 7S
    1. $3899
    2. https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...ectric-hybrid-bikes/allant/allant-7s/p/31929/
  2. Gazelle CityZen T10
    1. $2999
    2. https://www.gazellebikes.com/en-us/gazelle-cityzen-t10-hmb-v4
    3. Not a fan of all black color scheme for visibility reasons
  3. Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0
    1. $3017
    2. https://www.specialized.com/us/en/turbo-vado-4-0/p/170303
    3. There might be support issues with Specialized? https://electricbikereview.com/foru...r-8s-or-the-specialized-vado-6-0.23727/page-2
  4. Haibike Sduro 9.0
    1. $4299.99
    2. https://www.haibikeusa.com/sduro-trekking-s-9-0-hi-step-h-24.html
    3. This one is over budget but I may consider it if it truly is the best option. I really like the Haibike Sduro 7.0. However I read this post and am concerned about Haibike staying in the US: https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/i-hope-that-haibike-is-here-to-stay.31907/

Thank you!
 
Currently, Specialized is running a sale plus rebates on several models, including the Turbo Vado 4.0.
 
You may have answered your own question in the asking !
1. Trek Allant+ 7s is the only one listed without a qualifier .

I think only you can determine which one checks off most of the boxes with the least compromise .
 
Be careful with Class 3. 28 mph pedal assist can be very addicting. Kind of like e-bike crack to me! ;)

Sounds like you have a nice group you are choosing from.

For whatever reason I always seem to see Haibikes discounted, sometimes quite significantly. Maybe there is higher margin in them for shops? And maybe, if you liked the Trekking 9.0 the best, there would be some better deals you could get, with the country in a recession right now?

I just bought a bike from Crazy Lenny's last weekend. I had a price in mind for a bike which was not listed on their web site at a discounted price. Len made his first offer to me, which resulted in an OTD price $200 less than my target. Now not all (any?) local bike shops are like Crazy Lenny's, but it is definitely worth asking during these unusual times.
 
pizzaburrito said:
@onlineaddy Thanks! The Vado 4.0 price is tempting.

@e-boy Haha yes the Trek is the frontrunner right now. Are there other brands/models I should be considering?
Click to expand...
Bosch is quite reliable. Bosch batteries are very expensive, there are no substitutes. Battery life is 500-1000 charges. If you work 220 days a year that is 15 months life per battery. If you have an electrical or chain problem on a bosch, you call a tow truck or friend with a pickup. If my throttle quits out in the rain (did once) I pedal my geared hubmotor to destination under my own power. If the chain brakes, the motor will pull me home. Trek doesn't want to tell me how many speeds the allant 7+ is. If over 8 speeds on the rear cluster you're looking at <1500 miles per chain. I get 5000 miles/chain with a hub motor.
 
I vote for Specialized Vado 4.0. It's a bargain for the current price of ~$2500 after rebate. It also has the cleanest design and probably the best resale value.
 
Thanks for everyone's input so far!

I test rode the Trek Allant+ 7S in "Matte Quicksilver" today. I liked it. Smooth and stable ride, fast motor and nice color/styling. One downside: the seat posture was more upright than I prefer, but I'm guessing that's how all commuter bikes will sit.

I'm trying to get a test ride for the Specialized Vado 4.0 before the rebate expires this Sunday. The price cut is too hard to ignore.
 
pizzaburrito said:
My commute:
  • 15 miles one way (30 round trip) in Southern California.
  • It's relatively hilly, with the steepest hill at around 12-15%.

About me:
  • 6'0, 185 pounds guy, mid-30's
Click to expand...


Your commute is just like mine and I am 6ft, 175lbs. So I can relate to your case.

Out of all the bikes you picked, I would pick the Haibike Sduro 9.0.
It is very well built and with the MRS (modular range extender battery pack) it will be an endurance machine.
In your case, you will have to charge your battery at work and again when you get home so you have enough in the tank.

With MRS, you would be charging only once and extra battery capacity never hurts. So, you could ask your dealer, hey could you throw in a MRS mount at that price or something like that.

Whether it is Haibike or Trek, you would want at least 750whr in total. Right now, either you either need to lug around the charger or you need to purchase an additional charger for your office use.
With MRS, you could get by with just one charger.

If you decide to get the Trek Allant 7s, see if you can upgrade the derailleur and cassette because the stock ones are not made for 30 miles/day commute.

1587090436388.png
 
Trek dropped it about a year ago, but the Crossrip+ would probably meet your needs. I'm not sure there are too may other class 3 drop bar bikes from a mainline company that are under 4k.
 
I have seen sduro 9.0 and I agree that it is very nicely built. However you may have difficulty in finding the right size the sizes I saw were all s,xs (there are also a couple of them on bbb).

Vado 4.0 for $2,5K is a great deal imo.
 
Take a look at the Bicycle Blue Book for some deals on lightly used and new Ebikes.

2018 Haibike SDURO Trekking 2.0 Step-Thru odometer currently reads 0 miles... $2,180

BicycleBlueBook

www.bicyclebluebook.com www.bicyclebluebook.com

1587092387921.png
 
Last edited:
Ravi Kempaiah said:
Your commute is just like mine and I am 6ft, 175lbs. So I can relate to your case.

Out of all the bikes you picked, I would pick the Haibike Sduro 9.0.
It is very well built and with the MRS (modular range extender battery pack) it will be an endurance machine.
In your case, you will have to charge your battery at work and again when you get home so you have enough in the tank.

With MRS, you would be charging only once and extra battery capacity never hurts. So, you could ask your dealer, hey could you throw in a MRS mount at that price or something like that.

Whether it is Haibike or Trek, you would want at least 750whr in total. Right now, either you either need to lug around the charger or you need to purchase an additional charger for your office use.
With MRS, you could get by with just one charger.

If you decide to get the Trek Allant 7s, see if you can upgrade the derailleur and cassette because the stock ones are not made for 30 miles/day commute.

View attachment 50042
Click to expand...

Nice Haibike!

Both Haibike and the Trek offer a 2nd battery. Would you say that's preferable over buying a 2nd charger and leaving it at work?
 
Not that I'd buy a bike based on looks, but IMHO the Trek is easier on the eyes than the Haibike. YMMV.
 
I like the look of their FS bikes but the Giant HTs don't work for me. Battery tubes look massive.
 
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