New trek police bike

[bob armani]

I'm picking the Police bike up today! I'll keep you posted.

I'll also be adding a Bosch Nyon color, center-mounted screen with discrete remote. I ordered the Nyon retrofit kit for $355 from Merlin Cycles in the United Kingdom. Swapping out the Purion controller seems to require removing the drive unit for the cable run (video: https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Bosch-eBike-Support), which I'll likely seek help with rather than DIY.

The Nyon is apparently not offered in the United States and so yes, I'm a little concerned about warranty. But its plug and play, so I don't actually agree that warranty should be affected - even though it may be.

I'll also be swapping the seat and seatpost with a bontrager gel and a bodyfloat 2.1 once I determine how long the seatpost needs to be.

Trail hawk-
Oh mamma, you are making that bike into a sweet ride indeed. Some of the forum members here in the US also ordered the Nyon interface from overseas and they have indicated the same, just plug and play. I really was never a big fan of the Purion interface due to the sticky buttons. I would opt for the Intuvia as an upgrade. Obviously the Nyon is the way to go with virtually endless amount of options it has to offer. COBI seems right up there with options, however, I have seen some bugs associated with that interface.

Looks like the bodyfloat is a nice upgrade for the Police being it is a hardtail. I think your upgrades are spot on for that bike. I guess we shall see how those stock tires hold up if you decide to stay with them for awhile. Thanks for the update!

 

[SCNetworks]

Trail hawk-
Oh mamma, you are making that bike into a sweet ride indeed. Some of the forum members here in the US also ordered the Nyon interface from overseas and they have indicated the same, just plug and play. I really was never a big fan of the Purion interface due to the sticky buttons. I would opt for the Intuvia as an upgrade. Obviously the Nyon is the way to go with virtually endless amount of options it has to offer. COBI seems right up there with options, however, I have seen some bugs associated with that interface.

Looks like the bodyfloat is a nice upgrade for the Police being it is a hardtail. I think your upgrades are spot on for that bike. I guess we shall see how those stock tires hold up if you decide to stay with them for awhile. Thanks for the update!

Hi all - new to this forum and looking for the best EBike for me. I actually got all hyped up and ordered a Powerfly PS 7 Plus (2019) and backed out after discovered I really have no place to ride it where I live (no legal trails, park systems (State & National) - these are not allowed. The store actually recommended the Police - but being very honest - I don't like the color.

Have been reading some posts - one recommended the 5 Hardtail with a special seat. I need street legal and budget is 5K. I love the look of the Super Cruiser 8+ S (red - my mid-life crisis version of a Porche).

I need recommendations as to brand / options - what is needed to legally ride on the road (Headlight, Tail light, etc.) But am also an old off road motorcycle guy and tested the 2008 5 PS and immediately felt the rush of "trails" again (grew up where they had them, was OK).

But am in Atlanta now - and need like a Red Police - but they say I can't get. How about some Powerfly (PS is OK) with different tires, front light, high fenders, other. Make it look good, be legal, etc.

I hope I make sense here. It's just in reality - there is no place to ride a class 3 Mountain near the Perimeter area. I'm excited to get one - but sad I have to settle. Any and all ideas are appreciated. I really like Trek, but other manufactures are OK.

Thanks -

 

[Gator]

Hi all - new to this forum and looking for the best EBike for me. I actually got all hyped up and ordered a Powerfly PS 7 Plus (2019) and backed out after discovered I really have no place to ride it where I live (no legal trails, park systems (State & National) - these are not allowed. The store actually recommended the Police - but being very honest - I don't like the color.

Have been reading some posts - one recommended the 5 Hardtail with a special seat. I need street legal and budget is 5K. I love the look of the Super Cruiser 8+ S (red - my mid-life crisis version of a Porche).

I need recommendations as to brand / options - what is needed to legally ride on the road (Headlight, Tail light, etc.) But am also an old off road motorcycle guy and tested the 2008 5 PS and immediately felt the rush of "trails" again (grew up where they had them, was OK).

But am in Atlanta now - and need like a Red Police - but they say I can't get. How about some Powerfly (PS is OK) with different tires, front light, high fenders, other. Make it look good, be legal, etc.

I hope I make sense here. It's just in reality - there is no place to ride a class 3 Mountain near the Perimeter area. I'm excited to get one - but sad I have to settle. Any and all ideas are appreciated. I really like Trek, but other manufactures are OK.

Thanks -

Lots of great bikes out there. If you end up with a 20 MPH it will be okay. I spend the majority of my riding at about 18 MPH. Wind resistance increases exponentially after 20 MPH. I get much better range keeping under 20. You might also save a lot of money as well. Maybe find a place to rent an ebike for a few hours. It helped me in my decision making process. Good Luck with your search and have fun.

 

[John from Connecticut]

John- Yes, my sentiments exactly. When Ravi first presented the Police bike to this forum, I was really impressed being I have been a fan of Trek for many years past. Putting a speed motor on a setup like that seems it has all the right stuff paired together. The torque and speed combined will probably give all you need from one E-bike for multi use trails and commutes. The 'all in one concept' seems like a great move for them. I wish they would start making it more readily available for the consumer.

Bob, Your comment nailed it "all in one concept ". I've been riding my XM700 (Class 3) exclusively for the last week plus, tomorrow ( Friday ) I'm going to hit the rail trail with the Powerfly. This will give me a good chance to see how the PF '(Class 1) feels' after the layoff. I think I know how this will go ( well ) : ) I'll then visit my LBS and check on what options I have in replacing the existing Class 1 motor on my Powerfly with an XM 700 Class 3 motor.

Yes, It won't be cheap, but a lot less $$s then replacing my PF7 (which I'd sell) with the Police MTB. Not sure what Trek will say warrantee wise, but I'll post of my LBS visit. I must admit the amount of torque from the Bosch Performance CX motor for my style of riding is so much fun.... yet having assist from the Bosch Performance motor past 20mph is nice as well...Stay tuned.

 

[Josh W]

That's a nice ride man, congrats!

 

[Admin]

That's a nice ride man, congrats!

Yeah, I love the way that Trek integrated the PowerPack batteries... The new PowerTube design is cool too, but weighs more and isn't as easy to swap between different ebikes because of the custom shield colors and designs that different brands are using. I reviewed the Trek Powerfly recently and showed the battery design up close: https://electricbikereview.com/trek/powerfly-7-lt/

 

[paraganek]

Hi Mattlow165

I have got exactly the same bike as you. Bought it a week ago. Using it for my daily commute and Loving it!
Planning on adding both rear and front fenders.
Could you tell me which ones you used and how you attached them?

Thank you.
Daniel

 

[bob armani]

Bob, Your comment nailed it "all in one concept ". I've been riding my XM700 (Class 3) exclusively for the last week plus, tomorrow ( Friday ) I'm going to hit the rail trail with the Powerfly. This will give me a good chance to see how the PF '(Class 1) feels' after the layoff. I think I know how this will go ( well ) : ) I'll then visit my LBS and check on what options I have in replacing the existing Class 1 motor on my Powerfly with an XM 700 Class 3 motor.

Yes, It won't be cheap, but a lot less $$s then replacing my PF7 (which I'd sell) with the Police MTB. Not sure what Trek will say warrantee wise, but I'll post of my LBS visit. I must admit the amount of torque from the Bosch Performance CX motor for my style of riding is so much fun.... yet having assist from the Bosch Performance motor past 20mph is nice as well...Stay tuned.

John-Great, I'll stand by waiting for your update. First time I have seen anyone attempt to do a motor upgrade on an existing bike with a good motor. Should be interesting what your options will be. Really funny, b/c all along I was thinking how can you convert a PF into a speed pedelec? Speed dongle is the obvious alternative, however, you are then screwing with the warranty, not to mention you may be pushing the existing motor a little too hard.

I have the same issue nearby with trails. A paved bike path for my commuter rides and a rails to trails extended path (gravel) that runs parallel to the commuter path. A hardtail eMTB would be perfect for that path that connects to some forest preserve trails. I need an additional off-road E-bike for that use. The search continues. Good luck with your possible upgrade.

 

[bob armani]

Given that we won’t see the Trek Police any time soon in Central Europe, I’d just be happy if they made the SC a little more versatile. Wonderful bike and beautifully engineered, but can’t do much else other than paved surfaces.

I think a hard tail MTB with rack, fenders, and lights actually makes a lot of sense. Given, it’s not for hardcore mountain bikers, but a lot of people want a bike to do a little bit of everything. I don’t have the room or the money for 3 bikes...

I agree with your comment. Would like to see an all in one setup: (dual purpose hybrid along with a speed motor and super lightweight eMTB) or something similar. Looks like Bulls and Focus are slowly getting there with some of their new 2019s recently introduced. ie:BULLS WILD FLOW EVO SL and Focus Raven 2...

 

[bob armani]

Yeah, I love the way that Trek integrated the PowerPack batteries... The new PowerTube design is cool too, but weighs more and isn't as easy to swap between different ebikes because of the custom shield colors and designs that different brands are using. I reviewed the Trek Powerfly recently and showed the battery design up close: https://electricbikereview.com/trek/powerfly-7-lt/

Yeah, saw the video. Great place to be and a nice time in that neck of the woods. Great to see Trek's presence to give them added exposure with their products.

 

[bob armani]

Hi all - new to this forum and looking for the best EBike for me. I actually got all hyped up and ordered a Powerfly PS 7 Plus (2019) and backed out after discovered I really have no place to ride it where I live (no legal trails, park systems (State & National) - these are not allowed. The store actually recommended the Police - but being very honest - I don't like the color.

Have been reading some posts - one recommended the 5 Hardtail with a special seat. I need street legal and budget is 5K. I love the look of the Super Cruiser 8+ S (red - my mid-life crisis version of a Porche).

I need recommendations as to brand / options - what is needed to legally ride on the road (Headlight, Tail light, etc.) But am also an old off road motorcycle guy and tested the 2008 5 PS and immediately felt the rush of "trails" again (grew up where they had them, was OK).

But am in Atlanta now - and need like a Red Police - but they say I can't get. How about some Powerfly (PS is OK) with different tires, front light, high fenders, other. Make it look good, be legal, etc.

I hope I make sense here. It's just in reality - there is no place to ride a class 3 Mountain near the Perimeter area. I'm excited to get one - but sad I have to settle. Any and all ideas are appreciated. I really like Trek, but other manufactures are OK.

Thanks -

Sounds like you are going to have to stick with a commuter. Perhaps start with this category here on EBR and narrow it down from there. Have you considered a Rear-Mounted Geared Hub motor setup? BH Easy Motion makes a nice line of bikes with a long history in the business.

It is disappointing that the Police is only offered in one color option. Looks like it would look even better in a mix of different colors. Good luck with your search.

 

[SCNetworks]

Thank you all. Have not heard of BH Easy Motion but will check them out. I've waited this long - can easily wait until most vendors have their 2019 lineups announced hopefully will be able to test ride.

Hopefully there'll be some sales around Thanksgiving or Christmas - in the meantime I will rent

Thanks again for all the good advice. Will close this post and open another when I have done more research.

Best - Steve.

 

[Alaskan]

Given that I bought my Cube Touring Hybrid Exc 500 on ebay without warranty. I have been free to do extensive mods on it and turned it into an even higher perfomance cruising machine. It cost less than $200 with shipping to expand the assist range of the Bosch CX.

Be forewarned though as new EU regs are requiring manufacturers to include delimiter detection in their firmware upgrades. I am certain Bosch and the rest of them will void any warranty if a delimiting device is detected on a class one bike.

1. Bikespeed RS speed dongle turns The original Bosch CX into an unlimited assist with CX torque. All speed and ride data is still accurate.
2. Schwalbe Big Ben Plus 622x50 tires (came with Marathon Plus 622x40s
3. Wider fenders
4. Changed front chain ring from 15 to 16 giving me taller top end
5. Changed cassette from Diore 8000 11-42 to Diore 800 11-46
6. Changed out headlight from Busch Muller cheapo to Supernova E6
7. Body Float seat suspension
8. Redshift suspension stem
9. Brooks C-17 aged leather saddle
10. Abus Bordo Big (120mm) lock
11. Ergon grips

I rode it today as I have my R&M Homage torn down for replacement alloy fenders.

It is a definite hot rod compared to the Homage Rohloff HS which I love riding. I must admit the lively performance of a delimited CX with a large range cassette derailleur setup is sure fun.

It will be interesting to see how it holds up to the increased performance components. That 11 speed chain is pretty lightweight. I carry as spare just in case.

 

[Mattlow165]

Little update 678 miles down. No issues at all. I have the shockwave blade for my front fender. And the topeak rack and topeak rear bag with built in panniers. The rack on the back acts as a good fender. Kenda 38c tires still doing great. @paraganek shockwave blades are good I find them pretty universal and the front mounts into the fork tube where it connects to the stem.

 

[John from Connecticut]

John-Great, I'll stand by waiting for your update. First time I have seen anyone attempt to do a motor upgrade on an existing bike with a good motor. Should be interesting what your options will be. Really funny, b/c all along I was thinking how can you convert a PF into a speed pedelec? Speed dongle is the obvious alternative, however, you are then screwing with the warranty, not to mention you may be pushing the existing motor a little too hard.

I have the same issue nearby with trails. A paved bike path for my commuter rides and a rails to trails extended path (gravel) that runs parallel to the commuter path. A hardtail eMTB would be perfect for that path that connects to some forest preserve trails. I need an additional off-road E-bike for that use. The search continues. Good luck with your possible upgrade.

Bob, Today I completed a 20 mile ride on my Powerfly7 As mentioned it's been nearly two weeks since I've ridden it. During that time I was on my Trek XM 700 and I'd 'forgotten' the acceleration and the all around feel the PF Bosch CX delivers as contrasted with the Performance Motor ( Class 3) . I really love how the the Bosch CX motor responds, so much so that I'm not going to give it up nor do the 'upgrade' as mentioned. The CX motor is such a joy for me.

"Plan B" I'm going to look into a Bikespeed RS speed dongle for the Bosch CX for the PF. I saw in this thread that 'Alaskan' has one. Perhaps he'll see this....Here's the crazy part. After I install the Bikespeed RS speed dongle and assuming I'm pleased, because I love the CX motor, I'm seriously going to look into replacing the Performance Motor on my XM700 with a CX motor / Bikespeed RS combo...Stay tuned

 

[BikeMike]

I'm picking the Police bike up today! I'll keep you posted.

I'll also be adding a Bosch Nyon color, center-mounted screen with discrete remote. I ordered the Nyon retrofit kit for $355 from Merlin Cycles in the United Kingdom. Swapping out the Purion controller seems to require removing the drive unit for the cable run (video: https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Bosch-eBike-Support), which I'll likely seek help with rather than DIY.

The Nyon is apparently not offered in the United States and so yes, I'm a little concerned about warranty. But its plug and play, so I don't actually agree that warranty should be affected - even though it may be.

I'll also be swapping the seat and seatpost with a bontrager gel and a bodyfloat 2.1 once I determine how long the seatpost needs to be.

Have you tried asking the LBS to install the Nyon?

The Nyon, or some way to get an exact battery charge percentage readout is a hard requirement for me. I will wait until the Nyon arrives in the USA legally, if the LBS will not install it. I am not in urgent need of an eBike.

I plan to buy a second PowerTube 500wh batteries for the 2019 Trek PowerFly 5, when I purchase the bike. The whole point is to keep both batteries charged exactly between 40 and 90%. I am an iPhone developer, so I understand battery technology in intimate detail. The batteries will cost me as much as the bike, over the lifespan of the bike. I am really investing in batteries, more than anything else.

I insist on some way to read battery charge percentage. The only product that I am aware of is the Nyon. I cannot install the Nyon because I am not that skilled. I need the LBS to install it for me.

 

[BikeMike]

I'm picking the Police bike up today! I'll keep you posted.

I'll also be adding a Bosch Nyon color, center-mounted screen with discrete remote. I ordered the Nyon retrofit kit for $355 from Merlin Cycles in the United Kingdom. Swapping out the Purion controller seems to require removing the drive unit for the cable run (video: https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Bosch-eBike-Support), which I'll likely seek help with rather than DIY.

The Nyon is apparently not offered in the United States and so yes, I'm a little concerned about warranty. But its plug and play, so I don't actually agree that warranty should be affected - even though it may be.

I'll also be swapping the seat and seatpost with a bontrager gel and a bodyfloat 2.1 once I determine how long the seatpost needs to be.

Evidently, the Nyon works on an Intuvia base. Can you have the dealer upgrade to Intuvia? That's my plan.

 

[bob armani]

Bob, Today I completed a 20 mile ride on my Powerfly7 As mentioned it's been nearly two weeks since I've ridden it. During that time I was on my Trek XM 700 and I'd 'forgotten' the acceleration and the all around feel the PF Bosch CX delivers as contrasted with the Performance Motor ( Class 3) . I really love how the the Bosch CX motor responds, so much so that I'm not going to give it up nor do the 'upgrade' as mentioned. The CX motor is such a joy for me.

"Plan B" I'm going to look into a Bikespeed RS speed dongle for the Bosch CX for the PF. I saw in this thread that 'Alaskan' has one. Perhaps he'll see this....Here's the crazy part. After I install the Bikespeed RS speed dongle and assuming I'm pleased, because I love the CX motor, I'm seriously going to look into replacing the Performance Motor on my XM700 with a CX motor / Bikespeed RS combo...Stay tuned

John-Sounds like a plan. Make sure you do not get the Bikespeed confused with the Badass box which is from a company in Germany that will ship to the USA. Perhaps Alaskan can jump in and let us know what his experience has been up til now with his Badass box indicated below.

Alaskan's Badass Box

Great choice to combine both (the dongle) on the CX. The ultimate setup motor would be the torque of the CX along with the speed of the class 3. No one (from what I have seen) has complained about any concern of undue stress on the motors using a speed dongle.

Here is a crazy thought. Swap out the motors between bikes with the speed dongles. Not sure if the bolt patterns and electronics are the same or not. The other part is having a skilled and qualified/certified Trek tech do the job to your satisfaction as well. Can get interesting!

 

[bob armani]

Thank you all. Have not heard of BH Easy Motion but will check them out. I've waited this long - can easily wait until most vendors have their 2019 lineups announced hopefully will be able to test ride.

Hopefully there'll be some sales around Thanksgiving or Christmas - in the meantime I will rent

Thanks again for all the good advice. Will close this post and open another when I have done more research.

Best - Steve.

The key word here is 'Rent'. Why buy when you can rent: (snowmobiles, motorcycles, jet ski, summer home on and on). Then decide if you want to own it. Many times I have seen people buy and use it a few times. I have always been a big fan of renting before buying. Happy hunting!

 

[BikeMike]

The key word is 'Rent' here. Why buy when you can rent: (snowmobiles, motorcycles, jet ski, summer home on and on). Then decide if you want to own it. Many times I have seen people buy and use it a few times. I have always been a big fan of renting before buying. Happy hunting!

Makes sense. Cars are leased.

How do you convince someone to rent an eBike? I won't be able to demo the 2019 Trek i am interested in, unless i order it. Or, they happen to be getting one.