PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
Everyone here knows how much I love my La Free
!
For some time I have been looking for a bike to keep at our second home on the opposite coast. I really did not want to invest $2000 in a bike that I will only be riding a fraction of the time (a significant fraction, but still, a fraction) I ride at home. Anyway -
I was checking out the website of the LBS at our east coast location, and saw they are having an ebike sale through September 4 - a quick call to them revealed the have a La Free available for $1799. That's a nice discount on the $1999 price, but still almost $200 more than I paid for the same bike on sale here last fall.
Then...
I saw the Espin Flow, for $1199: https://www.espinbikes.com/products/flow?variant=28721767612495#
Of course, it's a very different bike from the La Free! But, it's also $600 less than the on sale La Free. It looks like a very nice bike for the price, with good quality components. The website says it does well on hills, though I will not have the hilly terrain in the Piedmont Triad that I ride here in the seaside remnants of the Cascade mountains. It's not available for delivery until October, but we won't be in that location until October either. If I were to get the La Free, it would sit in our storage shed until then, so immediate delivery doesn't matter. The Flow also has a throttle.
My concerns are that I am going to miss the torque sensing and natural feel of the mid-drive La Free (though I can probably adjust), that the cadence sensing PAS will be too aggressive for me, and that, being a fairly young (4 years old?) company, Espin might not be around for the long haul like Giant will.
I've looked at reviews and the Espin thread here but not a ton of info from owners. I've also written Espin to ask questions about the PAS levels, whether or not the battery is proprietary, and a few other questions.
I'm stuck between sticking with what I know and love, and trying something different, and need to make a decision before the end of the local sale if I want to get the La Free.
Help - thoughts and opinions most welcome! Should I stick with La Free, or "go with the Flow"
?
For some time I have been looking for a bike to keep at our second home on the opposite coast. I really did not want to invest $2000 in a bike that I will only be riding a fraction of the time (a significant fraction, but still, a fraction) I ride at home. Anyway -
I was checking out the website of the LBS at our east coast location, and saw they are having an ebike sale through September 4 - a quick call to them revealed the have a La Free available for $1799. That's a nice discount on the $1999 price, but still almost $200 more than I paid for the same bike on sale here last fall.
Then...
I saw the Espin Flow, for $1199: https://www.espinbikes.com/products/flow?variant=28721767612495#
Of course, it's a very different bike from the La Free! But, it's also $600 less than the on sale La Free. It looks like a very nice bike for the price, with good quality components. The website says it does well on hills, though I will not have the hilly terrain in the Piedmont Triad that I ride here in the seaside remnants of the Cascade mountains. It's not available for delivery until October, but we won't be in that location until October either. If I were to get the La Free, it would sit in our storage shed until then, so immediate delivery doesn't matter. The Flow also has a throttle.
My concerns are that I am going to miss the torque sensing and natural feel of the mid-drive La Free (though I can probably adjust), that the cadence sensing PAS will be too aggressive for me, and that, being a fairly young (4 years old?) company, Espin might not be around for the long haul like Giant will.
I've looked at reviews and the Espin thread here but not a ton of info from owners. I've also written Espin to ask questions about the PAS levels, whether or not the battery is proprietary, and a few other questions.
I'm stuck between sticking with what I know and love, and trying something different, and need to make a decision before the end of the local sale if I want to get the La Free.
Help - thoughts and opinions most welcome! Should I stick with La Free, or "go with the Flow"
Last edited: