Hi all,
I'm in the process of trying to select a mid-drive ebike that would be used primarily for commuting. I'm a big guy at 210 lbs and my commute is fairly hilly with 400 ft (125m) hills at the beginning and end. But the commute is fairly short at only 18 miles r/t (9 miles one way). 95% of riding would be on roads or asphalt trails. I'm only interested in a mid-drive and only class 3 speed pedelec (28 mph/45 kmh). I recently tested a few bikes and my favorite two were (in no particular order):
1. Giant FastRoad E+ EX Pro (2020)
2. Bulls Urban EVO (2019)
I think I preferred the motor on the Giant (Giant Syncdrive Pro / Yamaha PW-X2) since it felt like a little more power on the hills compared to the gen 2 (or gen 3?) Bosch Performance Line Speed (the one with the 2.5x reduction gear). After the test ride I looked up the specs, which seem to confirm this (Yamaha: 80Nm & 360% support vs. Bosch 63 Nm & 275% support). However, the numbers don't tell the full story since performance also depends on how power is distributed. Both motors performed well. Bosch seemed to have a slight edge on smooth implementation and Giant/Yamaha seemed to have a slight edge on power. I also felt that it was a slightly easier to pedal the Giant/Yamaha unpowered once the motor cut out over 28 mph or when off (I'm not sure if this was because of less drag or slightly lighter bike or if I was just more tired on that day.... it's fairly subtle). This point is a significant factor for me as I want to have the option to occasionally pedal unpowered. But don't get me wrong, the Bosch on the Bulls was very nice too.
Beyond the motor, I thought the Bulls is a little more elegant and refined as a bike. Hard to describe, but the Bulls had a slightly more luxury feeling vs the slightly more utilitarian Giant. But again, both were very nice. The Giant has a smaller 375Wh battery (vs the 500Wh on the Bulls). I could see the low capacity battery as a major problem for some people, but it is not a major concern to me since I will mostly be using for commuting 18 miles/day and rarely take rides longer than 30 miles these days. The Bulls has a suspension fork and the Giant has Aluminum blade fork (no suspension). I kind of like rigid forks, but I'm fine with suspension and on occasion have experienced the benefits (especially off road). The Bulls felt like it weighed a bit more than the Giant (probably due to fork and battery differences), but it wasn't a huge difference. Both have fenders, rack, and lights. The Bulls is on sale, but still a couple hundred $ more than the Giant (both are at upper end of my budget).
Should I consider selecting based on my preferred motor or the slightly more refined build of the bulls?
I'm in the process of trying to select a mid-drive ebike that would be used primarily for commuting. I'm a big guy at 210 lbs and my commute is fairly hilly with 400 ft (125m) hills at the beginning and end. But the commute is fairly short at only 18 miles r/t (9 miles one way). 95% of riding would be on roads or asphalt trails. I'm only interested in a mid-drive and only class 3 speed pedelec (28 mph/45 kmh). I recently tested a few bikes and my favorite two were (in no particular order):
1. Giant FastRoad E+ EX Pro (2020)
2. Bulls Urban EVO (2019)
I think I preferred the motor on the Giant (Giant Syncdrive Pro / Yamaha PW-X2) since it felt like a little more power on the hills compared to the gen 2 (or gen 3?) Bosch Performance Line Speed (the one with the 2.5x reduction gear). After the test ride I looked up the specs, which seem to confirm this (Yamaha: 80Nm & 360% support vs. Bosch 63 Nm & 275% support). However, the numbers don't tell the full story since performance also depends on how power is distributed. Both motors performed well. Bosch seemed to have a slight edge on smooth implementation and Giant/Yamaha seemed to have a slight edge on power. I also felt that it was a slightly easier to pedal the Giant/Yamaha unpowered once the motor cut out over 28 mph or when off (I'm not sure if this was because of less drag or slightly lighter bike or if I was just more tired on that day.... it's fairly subtle). This point is a significant factor for me as I want to have the option to occasionally pedal unpowered. But don't get me wrong, the Bosch on the Bulls was very nice too.
Beyond the motor, I thought the Bulls is a little more elegant and refined as a bike. Hard to describe, but the Bulls had a slightly more luxury feeling vs the slightly more utilitarian Giant. But again, both were very nice. The Giant has a smaller 375Wh battery (vs the 500Wh on the Bulls). I could see the low capacity battery as a major problem for some people, but it is not a major concern to me since I will mostly be using for commuting 18 miles/day and rarely take rides longer than 30 miles these days. The Bulls has a suspension fork and the Giant has Aluminum blade fork (no suspension). I kind of like rigid forks, but I'm fine with suspension and on occasion have experienced the benefits (especially off road). The Bulls felt like it weighed a bit more than the Giant (probably due to fork and battery differences), but it wasn't a huge difference. Both have fenders, rack, and lights. The Bulls is on sale, but still a couple hundred $ more than the Giant (both are at upper end of my budget).
Should I consider selecting based on my preferred motor or the slightly more refined build of the bulls?
I'm riding a 2020 upgraded 2017 Vado 5.0 so I should know it better 
