Hi. Brand new here. I’m pretty new to ebikes. The commute I’d like to do is 15 miles. It takes too long on my hybrid. Two hours by the time I do the ride and shower. The goal is to get the ride around 45 min if possible. The first 14 miles are basically flat and on a straight, paved rail trail. The last mile is through a suburban city with a few hills. The commute is easy. I’m very lucky as there is not much car traffic. I’m a 5’3” woman. I prefer a more road bike / hybrid platform (not an upright bike). I test road the Trek Verve and the Super Commuter 8. I loved the Super Conmuter, but as I’m so new to all of this, I’m afraid to pull the trigger on something that costs so much and before I am educated on the choices. I think I need one that does the 28mph in order to get the time down to 45 min. Weather could be an issue as I’m in Minnesota. Thanks much. It seems like there are some really knowledgeable posters here.
Edited to add I’m am in good shape and would like to use the commute as that day’s exercise (instead of running).
Hello "MichBruns" ,
Since you've test ridden the Trek Verve and the Super Commuter 8 and I own and ride two Trek eBikes, an XM700+
and a Powerfly 7 mtb I can offer you a few first hand thoughts....Trek, Giant, Specialized three of the leading eBike companies. Since you're
new to eBikes and you've chosen Trek, you've made an excellent choice.
Treks service and support are fantastic and their eBikes have a full 2 year warrantee.....In my opinion Bosch makes the best power system. Regarding the two bikes you've ridden, and the one that you'll be using to commute... my choice, hands down would be the Super Commuter 8...Why ?
Besides the fact that the SC8 is such a stunning bike, it's a Class 3 eBike which means it's top speed assisted is 28 mph. The Verve's top speed is 20 mph.... The motor in the SC8 is one third stronger /more powerful... Here are the specs on the SC8 motor, Bosch Performance Speed,
350 watt, 63Nm, 28 mph . vs The Verve motor....Bosch Active Line Wh
, 250 watt, 40Nm, 20 mph
The numbers 63Nm and 40Nm ( newton meters ) are a measurement of torque or the ability of the motor to propel the bike. As you can see the SC8 is on third 'more powerful' . That is
very significant is bike geek speak : ) Simply put the The Verve is not Trek's answer to a real commuter. The SC8 is a killer commuter bike from what I see.
Since you'll be spending a significant amount of time in the saddle, I strongly suggest that where ever you purchase your bike ask if they
have a qualified trained person that does bike fitting, not some one that says " Oh, that looks pretty good to me". A skilled fitting can take a hour to an hour and a half and cost $150 ish
Whatever bike you choose, consider a shock absorbing seat post. I have two of the Cirrus Body Float...Not cheap, but it really works.
https://cirruscycles.com/
If you haven't done so go to the SC8 page on Treks website and read the reviews. One last thought. I've had my bikes since last July, have 2400 miles on my XM700 , 1200 miles on my Powerfly 7 and zero problems. You can expect the same.
I hope this was helpful,
John from CT
I do a 15 mile commute including a rail-trail that has a 15 mph speed limit, in about 50 minutes on a class 2 ebike using PAS up to 20mph.
