Powerfly 4 Gen 4 - worth it?

[hemismith]

My wife and I have been looking for a bike for dirt trails, not serious mountain biking. And I don't want to spend a fortune.

I was planning on getting either a Specialized Turbo Tero 3.0 or a Scott Aspect eRide 940, which very similar and on sale, $2250 and $2000 respectively. Both have only 50 Nm motors, only 9 speeds with a low gear of 36T, and Shimano Alivio or Altus drivetrains. But worried about having enough power for hills; we aren't in great shape.

The Powerfly 4 Gen 4 is on sale for $3000; is it worth it to get the Performance CX motor, an additional 46T gear, and Shimano Deore drivetain, which is usually considered the minimum decent quality?

Or should I get a cheap one and save up for a FS bike if we get more serious about it? I just don't want to spend several thousand and still be unhappy.

 

[rcdanner]

Trek makes better bikes than Specialized. The more powerful motor and superb Deore system would be the decision maker for me. I have ridden several Alivio and Altus drivetrains. They are fine. Just not superb!

 

[hemismith]

Trek makes better bikes than Specialized. The more powerful motor and superb Deore system would be the decision maker for me. I have ridden several Alivio and Altus drivetrains. They are fine. Just not superb!

Thank you, I was wondering about the quality between the two, it seems there have been some issues with the specialized motors in particular. However, there seems to be a lot of issues with the hubs with the Powerfly.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Trek makes better bikes than Specialized.

It's only your opinion

 

[hemismith]

We did a little test ride tonight, just in the parking lot. Unfortunately assist wasn't on when my wife first took it out so she got a bit of a negative impression. But even after I turned it on, it was a little disappointing. The motor is very noisy, and it just didn't seem very responsive. We also rode a cheaper Scott Aspect, with the Bosch Active Line motor and it felt more nimble and more responsive and was quieter, even though it has much less power and is not lighter. I was also smoother due to less air in the tires I think. My wife also had trouble getting a good position with the Trek.

So now I'm torn, I was really hoping this would be the answer. Is the motor noise normal with the Bosch Performance CX?

I wish you could test ride these things for a day.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Is the motor noise normal with the Bosch Performance CX?

It is one of the noisiest motors. You should have really gone Specialized.