Mid-30s, male, commuter with climbing, upright rider

[Fourknees]

Hi Everyone,

I've watched the videos and done lots of reading. I've also just test rode several bikes, but am having trouble sorting out the differences. Here's what I've ridden so far along with the price I could get them (all mid-drives) in the order I rode them:
Shop 1:
- 2018 iZip E3 Path Plus (Shimano Steps E6000) $1,999
- 2017/8? Bulls Cross E Wave(frame) (Bosch Active Line - I don't believe it was plus, but it was 50 nm) $2,399
- 2018 Haibike SDuro Trkking 4.0 (Yahama PW) $2,499
Shop 2
- 2018 Trek Verve+ (Bosch Active Line) $2200
- 2018 Townie Go! 8i (Bosch ?) $2,300

I like upright rides. I'm a very fit mid 30s, 5-11, 160lbs. I have a electra townie 21d that I commute on. My 12 mile takes about an hour because there big hill in the middle. Elevation gain is about 600 feet. I've done 70 mile rides on the townie, no problem. Goal of the ebike is to take time off the commute and also energy so I can ride everyday. 125 miles and 6000feet of total climbing a week will wear you out! (plus carrying clothes, lunch, etc.) I pass roadies (sometimes, but only climbing), but I've seen ebikes pass by me. Unfortunately I never get a good look at the bike brand/model.

I feel I need a mid drive, class 1. Budgeting around $2400, but have flexibility if it will keep me from buying a different bike in a year or two.

Here are my opinions of the test rides of those bikes above:
- iZip E3 Path plus - okay, somewhat stiff ride. Liked the display and that it is removeable. also like water bottle mounts. Didn't like minor things -seat, no integrated lights.
- Bulls Cross E Wave - seemed a little more comfortable than iZip, bigger battery too. a little quieter. no water bottle cage. Had not heard of Bulls prior. not sure about monotube downtube. Did like integrated lights, but they are generic brand.
- Haibike - shop owner had me try this for kicks. it was okay, didn't like seating position.

I could rent any one of these for 1-3 days and apply cost toward a bike. This LBS only sells ebikes, will pay for labor first 12 months of warranty issues.

Shop 2
- Trek Verve+, This was the bike I had wanted to love. good styling, integrated lights. Only thing missing was a rack, but can be easily added. It was very quiet, but on teh short incline i rode it, it left me wondering if itwould be perform well on my long hill. the specs show 40nm of torqe verses the 50nm of the Bulls Cross E, but teh same motor? Ride also was rougher.
- Townie, was just for kicks. Definently more zip than the Verve+, but it is a tank - and I ride a normal townie.
This shop rents ebikes, but only different trekking type trek ebike models. I also know trek stands behind their product if there are questions. I've had good experience with this LBS.

My planned next step was to rent a bike and run it through my commute. I was leaning toward the Bulls, but I bet the shop would let me do a two day rental and use the bulls one day and the iZip the other.

I'm probably over analyzing.
Any thoughts, comments, opinions, questions are very welcome!
Thank you!

 

[ebikemom]

I don't think you are over analyzing. It's an important purchase.

I have a Pedego Interceptor and my husband has a Pedego City Commuter. We live in Western Washington, and it is very hilly, so appreciate having a throttle (to get started when facing uphill), and find our bikes do well on hills.

I did not shop as thoroughly as you did. I wanted Class 2 with a throttle, which eliminated everything at my LBS (which only had Class 1). There was a new Pedego dealer in my area, so I went there. I had no idea at the time I would use the bike for commuting (and neither did my husband). We were thinking just about family recreational riding.

I have never tried a mid-drive bike, or any of the models you tried, so I'm not trying to compare our bikes to anything you've tried.

We are happy with our bikes for our 25 mile round-trip commutes. It's amazing to us to enjoy commuting so much. We love our bikes and each have put over 1,000 miles on them in two months. It's been wonderful to commute by ebike, and will be very sad when the darkness of winter curtails this.

 

[p0ppyman]

It can be a challenging decision. The approach I took focused on the Bosch (mid drive) , Brose (mid drive), and Stromer (rear hub drive) systems and their batteries. I also wanted to look at the Yamaha mid drive system but that did not happen. My use case was a 52 mile RT daily commute with relatively flat terrain. I decided to base my decision on the drive system. My thought was once I selected the drive system I would look for a frame and touch points to make a brand and model selection. For me if the frame was right I knew I could changeout the touch points.

Many ways to slice the cake and your approach seems reasonable and I expect inline with how you may have made other big ticket purchases.

Good luck with your selection and have fun on your ebike journey whatever you select. Your list includes some great value bikes!

 

[CodyDog]

Great job doing your analysis up front.

Have you tried the Specialized Como 2.0? Class 1, mid drive, up right position with a heck of a lot of zip for hills. We were going to buy a Townie Go! 8 and ended up with the Specialized Como 3.0 which has a few upgrades from the 2.0. Love the bike.

 

[Fourknees]

Thanks all for your replies. I have a rental booked for Friday. I’m taking out the Path Plus on Friday and then turning it in Saturday and taking the bulls cross e for a day.

The shop indicated they have both the Bosch active line and active line plus for the bulls cross e. Active line is $2299 and the plus is $2499. Shop recommends the plus for comparison. I’m looking forward to putting this through my actual commute, especially how they handle the hills.

Any other advice on things I should note or be aware of during my 24hr rental period for each specific ebike?

 

[ebikemom]

Have FUN! ?

 

[Fourknees]

I ended up riding each bike ~36 miles which included about 2000 feet of elevation gain. (Most of which, 800 feet was over the course of 3 miles)

Here are were my observations/opinions:

(Path plus first / cross e second)
Miles on bike when tested:
1,010 / 10 miles

Path plus was much lighter, has a water bottle mount. Shimano steps was a little louder and seemed to have more power when going up significant grades (more than 10%). And I had more weight with me in my pannier! Even with smaller battery it seemed to use up they charge less quickly. Wider handle bars, good shifting, more responsive ride.
Removable interface, I found nicer with mileage to nearest tenth, clock, more information on the screen at one time. You can view range for all 3 modes.

Cross E is heavier, had more accessories (bell, cafe lock, suspension fork, front/rear lights). Motor (Bosch active line plus) was quieter. However, I could hardly notice a difference between tour/sport modes and could tell no difference in turbo. Despite the larger matter seemed to use the battery quicker. Narrower handle bars, shifting gears was okay but wasn’t as nice despite shift detection. The ride was very smooth though and it handled nice, except for one pedal strike during a turn.
Interface was non-removable, displayed limited information and mileage only to nearest mile (for odometer and trip).

Overall, it only saved me 15% in time in my commute, but left me less tired. I felt this was enough to go for it. I went with the path plus step-through and it should be assembled and ready by end of the week. I felt this was the better performer, not to mention a better value.

 

[ebikemom]

Awesome! Have fun with your new bike!!! A 15% commute time savings is terrific, and being less tired might mean that you use the bike after work for errands and outings.

Post pictures!

 

[Fourknees]

I plan on posting updates as I get a long term review of the bike/mileage updates. Probably a new thread, in the iZip sub forum. Is that the right spot? (New to these forums)

 

[ebikemom]

Selecting the forum area depends on the topic. If your topic is broader in interest than to just those who are iZip users or prospective users, feel free to start a new thread any time on any topic related to ebiking in the General Forums. If you have things to say that are specific to the iZip, the iZip forum would be a great place for that. Just read the forum area titles and choose the place where you think your thread best fits. If you're not happy with where you put it, or if it doesn't seem to fit, an admin can move the thread, no problem.