Need Advice - Class 1 or Class 3?

SpartySAM

New Member
Let me begin by saying that I am a newbie to ebikes. I had a Gazelle ebike when I was in Australia. There, your bike could not go over 28 kph. Here, I have an interesting opportunity. Since I am getting older, I decided to go after an ebike. Here is my question. I bought a Trek Super Commuter + 7 that was on sale. I now have an opportunity to exchange it for a Trek Super Commuter +8 S. The former is a Class 1; the latter a Class 3. There is about a $1000 price difference. Aside from speed, what advantages or pros and cons are there to moving a Class 3 bike? Is it worth the price difference? I will be using it to help in my exercise (for summer commuting, I will be using my BMW C650GT). Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

SpartySAM
 
The main gain is the higher speed. Motors used in Class 3 e-bikes can provide more assist than their nominal power rating reads, and that happens for prolonged duration of the ride.

You have to be aware you are not guaranteed to hit the 28 mph and maintain it. 23 mph are easily doable.

Personally, I don't want a Class 1 e-bike anymore. It is a lot of fun to ride faster on the Class 3 ebike; and actually it is not the speed restriction that limits you but the air resistance.

P.S. Typically, Class 3 e-bikes are sturdier, have better brakes and their geometry is designed for safety at higher speeds. Often, a rigid fork is used for more stability on the ride.
P.S.2. Con: Fast riding shortens the range of the Class 3 e-bike, especially upwind.
 
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It's worth the extra money for me, I just prefer the flexibility. Some manufacturers start feathering out the assist on a class 1 between 19 and 20mph. I ride between 20-22mph a lot. With the Bosch system you always have a predicted range at your disposal. Need to go 40 miles, you just adjust the assist. Only need to go 10mph you have the advantage of speed. The only disadvantage is a municipality that has laws against class 3 on must-use trails and they enforce it.
 
It's also important to understand that many places where you're allowed to ride a class one bike are off limits to class three. If you want to be restricted to street riding, class three is great.
 
...Also ask yourself if you wish/need/want to routinely ride, assisted, in the mid-to-upper 20's mph on a regular basis? (ie, it may be one thing if you do most of your biking in traffic roadways, and so need the upper assisted speeds... quite another if your rides mostly consist of leisurely enjoying municipal or park trails with a 15mph speed limit.)
I bought (being new to ebikes, then) a Class 3, and as my riding style and stamina evolved over the first year, I found myself never needing, nor using, the more powerful levels of assist I'd paid for, and nowhere in my normal riding habits (96% paved shared trail, 5-mile office commutes before covid19, etc) would 20+mph be acceptable or practical; in spring with the walking crowds out on these trails, it would be foolhardy and dangerous.
In hindsight, I'd have likely been just fine with a Class I, but that's a hunch, since I've not ridden one. Now, I would use the upper reaches of my bike's assist if I had miles of empty surface to enjoy... but the upper assist chews through the battery so much faster, too, of course... Nowadays, I ride the bike very often in Assist Level zero (generally my main goal being to have each bike ride register as a heart-rate-increased workout) and I use Level 1, and rarely Level 2 (of 5) with downshifting for some inclines when I don't want to have to stand on the pedals, or am feeling tired from the ride. I pretty much only break 20mph on gravity-assisted downhill runs... But I admit, it is fun to dip into Level 3 in a big empty shopping center parking lot, for a few minutes, to feel "Superman invisibly pushing me along"!
 
Christo, I consider myself lucky as I own e-bikes of both Classes. Each of the classes has its pros and cons. When leisurely touring, the Class 1 gives me more range. If I want to do a trip fast, Class 3 is great.

Sometimes I want to ride bike-only lanes for safety. On other trips I appreciate the fact I can use the road and reach my destination far quicker.

One size does not fit all but were I to own a single e-bike, that would be Class 3. It is more fun to ride it.
 
I think you need to think about where you ride and what you're trying to do.

If the routes you ride have lots of long, steep uphills the whole point is moot. You won't be riding at 45kph on a 20km gravel road that climbs 1200m.

If you are going for distance you are probably better off running a class I and accepting a lower speed. Efficiency in any e-bike plummets past about 25kph and unless you are hauling a trailer full of batteries you are probably better off living with lower speeds in exchange for greater range.
 
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Class 3 at full assist will let you keep up with fast bikers, clear intersections quicker, get to your destination when time is important and get home faster when the weather turns bad. All this at the price of reduced range. Turn assist down to ECO or low level assist it will do all those things with your greater effort and give you longer range. I like having the choice.

Class 3 bikes don't have to be ridden fast. If you keep your speed down when on a multiuser bike path or Class restricted area then maybe there will be no reason for someone to complain.
 
Thanks to everyone. The last month has been interesting. I wound up having two bikes - a class 1 and a class 3. One Trek with a Bosch system and a Giant Revolt E+ (with its own version of an engine). Why two? I initially bought the Trek and because of the lock-down, I could not return it (until at least May 15). The Giant was on sale. Having the two bikes has been a lesson in differences. I do like having a class 3 motor, even if at the cost of reduced range. While most of my rides are less than 16 miles (and less than 18 mph), I have found that the more powerful motor is really useful when the wind is up (especially when it is up to 20 mph). It was also great to go up a steep hill at about 20 mph (what a boost for the ego). I have also found having an e-bike involves more than the engine. The Bosch vs the Yamaha system (I think that is the basis of the system used by Giant) are so very different. The range on the Bosch is better (makes sense with a 500 Kwh battery versus the 325 kwh battery on the Giant). Yet, the Purion display is truly awful compared with the Giant display. I have found that the app developed by Giant for use with its e-bikes is truly useful (if somewhat finicky). The Giant's system delivers power in a smoother fashion and with more immediacy. I have also discovered the differences between the commuter frame and the gravel frame.

Again, thank you to everyone for your insightful comments. You really helped me to better understand the decision before me.
 
I have multiple eBikes as well, but 3 of them are powered by Bosch. That gives me a lot of flexibility with batteries.
 
Yes, your Giant's pedal assist system is from Yamaha (with Giant's specific tuning. Kind of like what Specialized does with the Brose system on their Vados, Comos, etc.) The Yamaha systems are very highly regarded in the e-bike world for their smoothness and reliability.

Of course the Bosch is no slouch either, and likely commands the top spot (in number of units in service) of all e-bike mid-drive systems. But like you, I feel that the Purion display leaves a lot to be desired.

I can't tell from your above post whether you are going to keep or return the Trek? If you are going to keep it, understand that you can replace the Purion display with an Intuvia if so desired. Comes at a price, but worth it in my opinion for the extra data the Intuvia provides.

Finally, don't confuse 'power' with 'speed' on e-bike assist systems. For power (which is generally the more important number for us), look for the torque specifications (listed in Nm units). If you look at similar motors from, say, Bosch, you will many times find that the 'speed' version (class 3, 28mph assist) has a lower torque rating as compared to the 'standard' (class 1, 20mph assist) motors. Torque is what helps you climb the hills more easily, although you may then be limited by the system's top pedal assist speed.

I recently purchased a Haibike Trekking 7.0 with the Bosch Performance CX motor. It is a class 1 bike, but that motor puts out 75Nm of torque up to a pedal assist of 20mph. The higher spec Trekking 9.0 S is a class 3 bike with a pedal assist up to 28mph, but its torque output is only 65Nm.

At the sake of potentially invalidating my warranty (and lowering my bike's range per battery charge), I am going to add a tuning chip to my Performance CX motor, which will delete the 20mph assist cut-off, while still giving me the extra power (torque) of the CX motor. Best of both worlds? We will see. But I have other class 3 bikes and am somewhat addicted to their speed. I refer to it as 'e-bike crack.' ;)
 
Thanks for your comments. Like you, I am considering the tuning chip. So keep me posted. I really like the looks of the Super Commuter 7 - I find the black more attractive than the red. I have to convince my significant other, who puts up with all my hobbies (e.g., banjo playing where I am trying to convince her that the reason that there are so many more banjos is because they mate at night - not working!). The price is right at <$3000 and the ride is great. It would be a perfect bike if the speed limit were to be higher. So, again, keep me posted.
 
My SO has put up with my varying hobbies like a real trooper, for 35 years now! Sometimes we don't realize how fortunate we really are.

Have the bike, and the tuning chips (PearTune MSO) should arrive very soon. Can't wait.
 
I recently purchased a Haibike Trekking 7.0 with the Bosch Performance CX motor. It is a class 1 bike, but that motor puts out 75Nm of torque up to a pedal assist of 20mph. The higher spec Trekking 9.0 S is a class 3 bike with a pedal assist up to 28mph, but its torque output is only 65Nm.
Doesn't your Class 3 Vado 4.0 produce 90 Nm in the Turbo mode? :D
 
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Somewhat off topic, but we don't have either 20 or 28 mph streets in the US, but every school zone I remember is a 25 mph limit. It might have been a better plan to go with a single 25 mph limit for all alternative vehicles ... bikes, horses, golf carts, etc. One and done, as they say. Too late now
 
Art Deco, the Class 3 is a copy of the European moped regulation only it is more lenient.
 
Art Deco, the Class 3 is a copy of the European moped regulation only it is more lenient.
Yeah, I figured that out, but is was confusing at first. Still is confusing and inconvient to expect a cop to know if a bike is a class 1,2,or 3 if they s one the road, so they probably just ignore all that unless someone is riding like an idiot.

Likewise insurance isn't available for class 3s from some carriers, but 1 and 2 are, and so the same accident may not be covered for different bikes. I don't know how mopeds or golf carts are handled in the US, but I suspect it's pretty messy.

Anyway, it seems like if you give the engineers a clear target with very little grey area, like "design the best bike", they will knock it out of the park. Give them a bunch of conditions and maybes, however ...

/end off topic
 
Let me begin by saying that I am a newbie to ebikes. I had a Gazelle ebike when I was in Australia. There, your bike could not go over 28 kph. Here, I have an interesting opportunity. Since I am getting older, I decided to go after an ebike. Here is my question. I bought a Trek Super Commuter + 7 that was on sale. I now have an opportunity to exchange it for a Trek Super Commuter +8 S. The former is a Class 1; the latter a Class 3. There is about a $1000 price difference. Aside from speed, what advantages or pros and cons are there to moving a Class 3 bike? Is it worth the price difference? I will be using it to help in my exercise (for summer commuting, I will be using my BMW C650GT). Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

SpartySAM
Few things to consider based on what you said.
  • If you want exercise, stick with Class 1. 20 mph is not a slow speed and maintaining it will keep you pedaling.
  • If you want the class 3 speed, I think it's not worth the $1000. As others have said, it's be much better money spent purchasing a delimiter chip.
  • Now that you have both the class 1 and class 3, I'm not sure why you would even need the delimiter chip. It's not a bad thing to have a street legal bike for bike paths.
  • Even if you're looking for a reason to buy another bike, I would wait. Every year manufacturers release improvements, so have fun with your 2 ebike you own take your time finding something that really catches your eye in the coming months/years.
 
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