Hybrid? Roadbike? Hardtail?

[smeer]

Moved from a flat country to Canada and I now live halfway up a mountain, everything here is quite steep. I am looking for a bike to commute with (about a 18km roundtrip, one way down hill other uphill), but the commute would be max two days a week. The rest of the week I would use it to go outdoors and exercise. I used to have a roadbike but sold when I moved, do have a hardtail mtb which I love, but the trails here are a bit too advanced for my skills.

I am trying to figure out what type of ebike to go for and then... what brand. I am a women but do not like step through bikes,I prefer the more sporty bikes. As said, I am in an area with a lot of hills, so it needs to have some power.

I'd love to get a full suspension mtb so I can make full use of the trails, but it would be inefficient for commuting. Love road bikes, but inefficient for the trails... so a hard tail / hybrid would probably make the most sense.

I like to be around the 5000CAD.

I like the looks of bikes such as Trek Commuter, Bulls Grinder, Cube Cross, Specialized Vado...

Any advice for sporty bikes that will get up a mountain

 

[Dewey]

Those are all great ebikes, personally I prefer a mid-drive motor for climbing steep hills. The Ohm Quest is from a Vancouver brand and has good components and 4 frame sizes. Also consider Moustache bikes they ship from Ontario.

 

[Browneye]

If you have the $$ for a FS go for it (full suspension). You can always lock it out if you don't need or want the boinger on either end on the road. And then there's the issue of tires - neither road nor mtb transition very well to the other duty. Depending on your dexteriety an extra wheelset with road tires may be a viable option. I found a take-off set for my Trance for $200, but have not taken the plunge yet.

The LIV Intrigue is a beautiful bike and would do this duty with aplomb. Even the Amiti, much more road-oriented with just a bit of a front suspension. Personally I'm a big fan of Giant due to the Yamaha drive - its bulletproof, easy to live with, great power and range, and Giant bikes come in at a good price point.

The Trek Verve+ may be another one to test out. The Vado and Como are both very nice bikes.
I've only been at this for about six months, but the more we dig into it the more we gravitate toward the 'big-3' - Trek - Specialized - Giant. Good dealer support, nice bikes, durability, performance.

Go visit them all and try out the bikes!

 

[Holatc]

Go Full Suspension and then modify as needed. You’ll love the extra comfort and feel. My Bosch CX motor on Turbo with a 500 Wh battery sows 37 miles, so don’t worry about weight or inefficiency. Plus you always lockout the suspension if needed.

Here’s my Raleigh Kodiak IE modified.

 

[rich c]

Nearly all full suspension bikes have lockouts, or you can really bump up the pressure for commuting. You won't loose efficiency.

 

[smeer]

Wow I love the Liv bikes - have not seen those before
I've looked at some moustache bikes but they are very bulky, the most bulky of all e-bikes I looked at.

I would love to get a full suspension and it IS in my budget, but how would it be for commuting? I would also have to be able to bring a change of clothes with me (thus probably need a rack). Just worried a bit about the riding position, and would those get up a steep hill (the hill before my house is quite steep)? The thick tires are of course, also better suited for the trails then the road. Hmmm... I kinda need both types of bikes haha.

General consensus though, seems to be 'against' a roadbike and more towards the trail bike.

 

[Dewey]

Go with what works for you, if you like gravel bikes the Yamaha Wabash looks good, is lightweight, but I don't know if they distribute them to Canada.

 

[Browneye]

LIV is the ladies models of bikes from Giant. I'm looking hard at the Amiti for wifey. Dynamite bike! 700 wheels, good components, yamaha mid-drive. A few '19's left at blow-out pricing for end of model year.

A 'trail' bike will surely climb the hill. I just don't think they're ideal for commuting, per se. You really need to seek out your local dealers and try some of them. Even if you have to drive some to find them. It's worth it to actually ride them - you can't tell much from specs or pictures. Or even us strangers on the internet.

A good quality eMTB is going to eat up all your budget. OTOH you can get a really nice commuter for much less than that.

 

[Browneye]

Those are all great ebikes, personally I prefer a mid-drive motor for climbing steep hills. The Ohm Quest is from a Vancouver brand and has good components and 4 frame sizes. Also consider Moustache bikes they ship from Ontario.

That QUEST is a nice looking bike.
You would want to make sure you have dealer support for it, not too far away. It's not a cheap bike.

 

[Dewey]

That QUEST is a nice looking bike.
You would want to make sure you have dealer support for it, not too far away. It's not a cheap bike.

Yes, I like that Ohm continue to support their customers who bought their Bionx powered bikes, and their new range of Shimano Steps powered bikes is impressive. The optional 4a charger for the Quest is nice as that would cut recharging time in half.

 

[Captain Slow]

Welcome to Canada. I bought a Liv bike for my wife and she likes it.

Since you're in Canada now I'll suggest looking at the Rocky Mountain Growler Powerplay 30 - At $,4,800 it's a tick under $5k Cdn. and it's a great model. The hardtail nature will make it more efficient for commuting and you could either get a 2nd set of wheels or just change tires so you have a trail set and a commuting set. The Growler has extra wide 2.8" tires for the trail and you could easily go narrower for a more efficient commuting set. The wide tires would give you that additional comfort on the trail and if you're not riding really technical terrain then you probably don't need full suspension.

I used to ride a hardtail and I now have full suspension. One thing I noticed is that since going to full suspension that I've become a "lazy rider" in terms of picking lines and finding the best way down the trail. With FS you can kind of just switch off your brain and just take bad lines and the suspension is forgiving. To some extent the wide tires of the Growler will do the same thing.

 

[PatriciaK]

If you have the $$ for a FS go for it (full suspension). You can always lock it out if you don't need or want the boinger on either end on the road. And then there's the issue of tires - neither road nor mtb transition very well to the other duty. Depending on your dexteriety an extra wheelset with road tires may be a viable option. I found a take-off set for my Trance for $200, but have not taken the plunge yet.

The LIV Intrigue is a beautiful bike and would do this duty with aplomb. Even the Amiti, much more road-oriented with just a bit of a front suspension. Personally I'm a big fan of Giant due to the Yamaha drive - its bulletproof, easy to live with, great power and range, and Giant bikes come in at a good price point.

The Trek Verve+ may be another one to test out. The Vado and Como are both very nice bikes.
I've only been at this for about six months, but the more we dig into it the more we gravitate toward the 'big-3' - Trek - Specialized - Giant. Good dealer support, nice bikes, durability, performance.

Go visit them all and try out the bikes!

The Trek Verve+ has a lot of complaints about being underpowered on hills, so if you're considering it, be sure to ride some. I remember someone here recently rode, loved, and bought the bike, but after getting it home to the hilly location where he lived, it didn't perform nearly as well.

 

[smeer]

Going test riding tomorrow

 

[smeer]

So I spent my saturday test riding a bunch of bikes. Went to a couple different local stores and had different experiences at all of them. I have decided I will go with a HT, as that will give me the most versatile ride for the best price. I also prefer 27.5in wheels over 29, as I am pretty small. My HT non-electric is 27.5 and I love that ride, it is the most comfortable bike I ever owned. Did not like the Specialized Vado, it felt like a... super girly bike. I like mine more sporty.

All of these bikes seem to have pretty shitty forks, so I will just upgrade when that is needed.

I've narrowed it down too:

• $4000 - CUBE • REACTION HYBRID PRO 500 --> It has the Bosch PowerPack 500.
• $3500 - EXPLORE E+ 2 GTS --> More of a commuter style bike, but loved riding it. I wonder, if I would replace the fork on this one if it would make it onto trails.
• $3000 - FATHOM E+ 3 POWER --> MTB version of Giant same battery as Explore (Giant EnergyPak500)
• $4000 - FLUID VLT 2 --> Shimano STEPS E7000, as I read, has less torque then the Bosch and Giant/Yamaha motors.

All of the above are available near me, which is why I picked those.

The Cube Reaction and Fathom E seem to be quite similar but a big price difference... Not sure what I am missing there.

 

[ElevenAD]

if your climbing hills maybe you would like a Biktrix Ultra FS, i dont know where you are in Canada but it may be worth it to take a test ride, they are $3400USD , 4500 CAD

 

[PatriciaK]

Glad you found some great options that will work for you!

 

[smeer]

if your climbing hills maybe you would like a Biktrix Ultra FS, i dont know where you are in Canada but it may be worth it to take a test ride, they are $3400USD , 4500 CAD
View attachment 46644

Thank you! Though that is one of the ugliest bikes I have seen haha! The eye wants something as well.

 

[Rick53]

Moved from a flat country to Canada and I now live halfway up a mountain, everything here is quite steep. I am looking for a bike to commute with (about a 18km roundtrip, one way down hill other uphill), but the commute would be max two days a week. The rest of the week I would use it to go outdoors and exercise. I used to have a roadbike but sold when I moved, do have a hardtail mtb which I love, but the trails here are a bit too advanced for my skills.

I am trying to figure out what type of ebike to go for and then... what brand. I am a women but do not like step through bikes,I prefer the more sporty bikes. As said, I am in an area with a lot of hills, so it needs to have some power.

I'd love to get a full suspension mtb so I can make full use of the trails, but it would be inefficient for commuting. Love road bikes, but inefficient for the trails... so a hard tail / hybrid would probably make the most sense.

I like to be around the 5000CAD.

I like the looks of bikes such as Trek Commuter, Bulls Grinder, Cube Cross, Specialized Vado...

Any advice for sporty bikes that will get up a mountain

Browneye is Correct : I have been debating MTB vs Hybrid Myself : I had the chance to ride a 2018 Turbo Levo: Anything in Dirt it excelled at : But On paved Roads The tires really swallow up Your speed : Trek just released a Verve+3 . With an Alliant +7 coming in the next few weeks : I've posted pictures in the Trek Section : Here's the Link with Pictures of Both Bikes further down the page Verve Class 1 Alliant 7 Class 3 https://electricbikereview.com/foru...3-brand-new-on-usa-website.32291/#post-252796

 

[smeer]

Yeah I have seen th

Browneye is Correct : I have been debating MTB vs Hybrid Myself : I had the chance to ride a 2018 Turbo Levo: Anything in Dirt it excelled at : But On paved Roads The tires really swallow up Your speed : Trek just released a Verve+3 . With an Alliant +7 coming in the next few weeks : I've posted pictures in the Trek Section : Here's the Link with Pictures of Both Bikes further down the page Verve Class 1 Alliant 7 Class 3 https://electricbikereview.com/foru...3-brand-new-on-usa-website.32291/#post-252796

Yeah I have seen the Levo recommended everywhere, but it is too expensive for me. I could spent that, but I don't think it is necessary at this point.

The Trek is too much of a commuter bike for me, I do really want to take it on a trail with my dog as well . I am pretty set on getting the Giant Fathom E+ and I am going to get two wheelsets, one for road and one for trails. This way, I get the best of both worlds for my money. I can go enjoy the trails on the weekend but also make a 60km roundtrip commute.

 

[steve mercier]

Thank you! Though that is one of the ugliest bikes I have seen haha! The eye wants something as well.

Welcome Sneer! If you like a hardtail stick with it since it can go where road bikes fear to tread and you are not planning to hit the black diamond runs anyway. Browneye mentioned the Liv Intrigue which is an awesome looking bike ( My wife demo rode that Chameleon Mars colour bike at the Liv store ) but you could buy a Vall E + hardtail and add a second battery for less than the Intigue. The Liv Vall E can go a few places where where my sister- in- laws Amiti cannot . Also I should mention my wife loves her Trek Womens Powerfly which is just below 5 k new. It is more money than the Vall E though, ( Bosch systems are pricier ) and both of these bikes need add ons for commuting. She has 7000 km on it so far with no problems at all. She added lights and SKS fenders and a rack and bags but she still gets pretty muddy on it (-: https://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en_CA/...ail/powerfly-5-womens/p/23185/?colorCode=grey. As others will attest you should test ride as many as you can.