Newbee and 1st time ebike buyer in Poland

[Justin Curtis]

Hi all, I'm so glad I found this forum and have been allowed to join!
I'm currently looking to purchase my 1st E-Bike, but it's not so easy, I never knew it could be so difficult, there are so many choices...
I’ve never rode an ebike before, so it's a totally new world for me.
Size wise I’m approx. 178 cm, 80 kg.
Well, I've managed to narrow it down to a trekking bike.
I need the bike to commute to work (approx. 5 KM one way and all tarmac roads). But I do also ride on gravel roads and through forests on longer trips.
I live in Poznan in Poland and budget wise I have around 15,000zł (3,500€, $4,000) to play with.
I really like the Specialized Turbo Vados from the start, but was disappointed when I realized the speed is restricted to 25 km/h (15 mph) here in the EU.

So, my list of bikes I've been looking at are the following:
Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 2020 (I really love the charcoal/carbon matt grey colour and it’s minimalistic design), Vado 4.0 2020 or and older 2019 Vado 4
I heard that with Specialized, it's important to make sure the display has TCD-W.

CUBE: They have loads of models which makes it even more difficult, the same as GIANT.
Cube Touring Hybrid EXC 625
Cube Kathmandu Hybrid EXC 625

Haibike SDURO Trekking 4.0
Haibike SDURO Trekking 7.0

Are GIANT good value for money?
GIANT EXPLORE E+ 3 GTS (nice colour), would upgrade the display
GIANT EXPLORE E+ 1 GTS
GIANT FastRoad E + EX Pro

It's really difficult to find anywhere in my area where I can actually test drive ebikes.
I would appreciate any ideas, comments, feedback etc. which could help me with my decision, thanks!

 

[Dewey]

Paging @Stefan Mikes

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I live in Poznan in Poland

Are you Polish, @Justin Curtis? You can drop me a private message and we also could have a phone call; makes life easier.

First of all, almost all EU e-bikes are limited to 25 km/h. (I don't want to talk about any de-restriction here).

Three street-legal 45 km/h e-bikes I know of (which are available for Poland) are: Specialized Turbo Vado 6.0 (22 kPLN), Bulls Bikes E-Stream EVO 45 AM (22 kPLN), and Haibike SDURO Trekking S 9.0 (17.3 kPLN). There also is Trek Allant+ 8S but I am not sure if it is easy to buy. Trek Allant+ 9.9S is beyond your dream (almost 30 kPLN). You need to hold a driving license, register and insure the S-Pedelec, have a number plate on the bike and so on. So let us talk about nice 25 km/h e-bikes.

I strongly recommend you look at CUBE e-bikes. These have excellent specification at a very good price. The two features: Bosch Gen 4 motor and the 625 Wh battery are worth every grosz! Kathmandu EXC or Touring Hybrid EXC (both 625) are just fantastic! I will recommend the purchase of a CUBE to my friend in Warsaw. The only problem is availability. The Olimpia store in Bydgoszcz seems to have a poor selection of available CUBE e-bikes at the moment. A wise choice is to order a Cube from mhw-bike.com in Germany, which is a respected online store. The point is, some Cube e-bikes will only be available in several months. Our member @skritikos in Greece has already bought a Cube from MHW and he can chime in here.

I have no opinion on Haibike. Our user @JayVee in Switzerland rides a Haibike and I'm sure he could say a word or two here.

Regarding Giant, I own a Giant e-MTB. The general rule is: select the model with the smallest number (0, 1, 2...) The "0" is the best, the "4" is the poorest. Try to get the "Pro" model. And... go for 2021 models only when these will become available. Giant e-bikes are good value for money, the Yamaha/SyncDrive motors are reliable but Giant suffers from their display/remote concept that seems to be only resolved for 2021 models. Don't go the "I will change the display" way because it would cost you 1000 zloties more!

Specialized. The Turbo Vado 4.0 is a good choice, not sure about availability. The 5.0 is too expensive for you I think. @TS25 , @PaD, want to take a part in the discussion?

@Justin Curtis, how old are you? Are you physically fit? If yes, Specialized Turbo Vado SL e-bikes are making a furore in the market now... As these are super-lightweight, are not crazily expensive and it is very easy to pedal past 25 km/h for a healthy person.
---------------
I know all of this is very confusing. The market situation is crazy at the moment. If I were looking for my first e-bike right now, I would certainly start with a CUBE. Let's talk.

Paging @Stefan Mikes

Thank you @Dewey!

 

[Justin Curtis]

@Stefan Mikes Thanks for the great info, really appreciate it!
No, I'm not Polish (I'm English), my wife is Polish , we moved here from Germany because of love!
I really like the CUBE Kathmandu EXC, how would it compare with the Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 2020 which is available for approx. 12K zł? I might be able to test ride one this Friday in Olsztyn.
Yes, the Vado 5.0 is a bit on the expensive side at the moment.
Can the battery be removed on the Specialized Turbo Vado SL e-bikes, not really sure? I need to be able to remove the battery for charging purposes, as not possibility where the bike will be stored.
And I'm not too keen on lugging it up and down the stairs to the 2nd floor all the time. But it would be nice to keep it in the flat, at least I know it would be warm and safe!
Yes, the market seems really crazy at the moment, I noticed that too....
And it makes it even more frustrating not being able to test ride them in my area.

 

[percymon]

From recollection the Vado SL bikes have a fully integrated battery (also smaller capacity) in the downtube - you also need to look at the EQ versions to get mud guards and rear rack (at least in UK specs).

If the rear rack is an important consideration for your commuting needs then the Cube Kathmandu is possibly the best option - the rack in welded into the frame design; contrast that to the Vado 3 rack which looks somewhat flimsy in comparison.

I'm in week 2 with my Giant Fastroad EX Pro - minimal miles so far (its for leisure, not commuting) but impressed with the power levels, smoothness and responsiveness so far. Was a little worried about the smaller battery (375) versus the Trek Allant+ 7 (500) and the Cube Kathmandu (500/625), but reality so far seems to be 50+ miles displayed range with moderate assist, 60 miles on lowest assist. My bike needs a software update (frustratingly) to get the (mediocre) app to function, but the retailer is offering a drop by service to get that fixed while i drink their coffee. As for speed, its not too much effort to keep the speed up at 18-20mph on a level surface, so i wouldn;t worry too much about the limiter. I'm not sure i'd want to ride regularly if at all on gravel track with the Fastroad, the solid front fork isn't going to make for a comfortable ride; and the Trek or the Cube would be better suited. I seriously considered the Trek but the £300 price extra and lack of local availability in my frame size ruled it out for me - suspension fork and the bigger battery are worth that £300 for some people of course.

Good luck with your search

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Stefan Mikes Thanks for the great info, really appreciate it!
No, I'm not Polish (I'm English), my wife is Polish , we moved here from Germany because of love!
I really like the CUBE Kathmandu EXC, how would it compare with the Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 2020 which is available for approx. 12K zł? I might be able to test ride one this Friday in Olsztyn.
Yes, the Vado 5.0 is a bit on the expensive side at the moment.
Can the battery be removed on the Specialized Turbo Vado SL e-bikes, not really sure? I need to be able to remove the battery for charging purposes, as not possibility where the bike will be stored.
And I'm not too keen on lugging it up and down the stairs to the 2nd floor all the time. But it would be nice to keep it in the flat, at least I know it would be warm and safe!
Yes, the market seems really crazy at the moment, I noticed that too....
And it makes it even more frustrating not being able to test ride them in my area.

Pleased to meet you Justin!

Strong points of Kathmandu Hybrid EXC 2021 against Vado 3.0 2020:

• 100 mm air fork vs. 50 mm steel coil fork. Far better for Cube.
• Top-end 12-speed Deore XT drivetrain vs. 9-speed cheap Alivio one. Far better for Cube.
• Four piston brakes vs dual piston ones. Far better for Cube.
• "Unpuncturable" Schwalbe E-Marathon E-Plus 2.2" tyres vs 1.75" mediocre ones. The tyre size is reflected in fork and mudguard design. 2.2" tyres qualify the Cube for light off-road use in the future and possibility of using more aggressive tyres in Cube, while the Vado is mostly an urban animal. (You might fit up to 2" slick tyres for Vado but not the 2" knobbies).
• The latest Bosch Gen 4 high-torque MTB-class motor in Cube vs far less torquey "city-class" motor in Vado 3.0
• 625 Wh battery vs. 460 Wh battery. Means a lot.

Strong points of Vado 3.0 2020 vs. Kathmandu Hybrid EXC 2021:

• Completely silent motor in Vado 3.0. Bosch motors are still audible.
• The Specialized TCU/TCD-W electronics ensure seamless integration with mobile devices and wearables, which cannot be said about Bosch Intuvia display.
• Lower price.

The SL battery is not removable. The SL e-bikes are so lightweight you can easily carry an SL upstairs. The whole point of SL e-bikes!

 

[Hussarman]

Hi all, I'm so glad I found this forum and have been allowed to join!
I'm currently looking to purchase my 1st E-Bike, but it's not so easy, I never knew it could be so difficult, there are so many choices...
I’ve never rode an ebike before, so it's a totally new world for me.
Size wise I’m approx. 178 cm, 80 kg.
Well, I've managed to narrow it down to a trekking bike.
I need the bike to commute to work (approx. 5 KM one way and all tarmac roads). But I do also ride on gravel roads and through forests on longer trips.
I live in Poznan in Poland and budget wise I have around 15,000zł (3,500€, $4,000) to play with.
I really like the Specialized Turbo Vados from the start, but was disappointed when I realized the speed is restricted to 25 km/h (15 mph) here in the EU.

So, my list of bikes I've been looking at are the following:
Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0 2020 (I really love the charcoal/carbon matt grey colour and it’s minimalistic design), Vado 4.0 2020 or and older 2019 Vado 4
I heard that with Specialized, it's important to make sure the display has TCD-W.

CUBE: They have loads of models which makes it even more difficult, the same as GIANT.
Cube Touring Hybrid EXC 625
Cube Kathmandu Hybrid EXC 625

Haibike SDURO Trekking 4.0
Haibike SDURO Trekking 7.0

Are GIANT good value for money?
GIANT EXPLORE E+ 3 GTS (nice colour), would upgrade the display
GIANT EXPLORE E+ 1 GTS
GIANT FastRoad E + EX Pro

It's really difficult to find anywhere in my area where I can actually test drive ebikes.
I would appreciate any ideas, comments, feedback etc. which could help me with my decision, thanks!

 

[Hussarman]

Hi Justin. Like you I spent ages looking at different types and capabilities. I wanted the best range and the latest CX line motor giving 85 nm. I live in a very hilly area the bike has performed perfectly. Been out today in very good and icy conditions. Battery has given me 2 20 mile run outs. So opted for the cube Kathmandu 625 exc.. Loving it. Good luck