Hello all,
I want to purchase an ebike for the first time, both for commute on bicycle lanes or roads (~12km each way) and the occasional ride on easy tracks.
I have a standard hybrid bike already but since I live in a pretty hilly area and don't want the commute to take too long or make me sweat a lot, I want to purchase an e-bike.
Since I am in Europe, the motor will help up to until 25km/h
I've looking at the Specialized bike among others (Cube, Trek) because of the brand reputation, the nice design and because they have a dealer nearby my house. I liked the overall package with the Vado. I also tried the Como but I like the posture in the Vado better. I have tried the following, all 2022/2023 versions:
- Vado 3.0 IGH: I liked it, rides very smoothy, I don't mind the twist shifter (I grew up using this). But the assistance felt barely sufficient for the 10-12% hills I'll encounter in my commute, even in turbo mode. I am really interested in the IGH from the standpoint of maintenance. The dealer said they are are able service it but parts procurement sometimes takes weeks.
- Vado 4.0 chain: It felt more responsive and fared better in slopes. It also has a lower "low gear" than the 3.0IGH, if you see what I mean, and a higher "high gear" which could enable me to push the bike past the 25km/h assistance limit on flat or descents. I am not capable to assess the benefit of the better components vs the 3.0IGH. Also, the bike felt noisy/clunky vs the 3.0 IGH and I am not looking forward to cleaning the chain.
- Vado 5.0 IGH: out of my budget. Very nice to not have to think about shifting gears but I found that I prefer to have control over the gear as the automatic shifter made me pedal too fast on the flat and too hard on hills. Not sure how much that can be adjusted. Due to the 25km/h limit, I also feel like the full power of the 5.0 wouldnt be fully utilized.
In the end, if a 4.0 IGH would exist , I would have purchased it but within the current line-up, I hesitate between the 3.0IGHand 4.0 chain which I can buy now for 2800 and 3000 EUR repectively.
Another consideration is that the curernt Vado line-up was released in Sep 2021 and I'd be bummed if a new model better suiting my needs or with better value would be released just after my purchase. Do you have any insight as for new releases ? Would a new model be more expensive ? Would the old model go on sale ?
Hence I seek the advice of you all ebike enthusiasts to help me with my purchase decision. Thanks in avance !
I want to purchase an ebike for the first time, both for commute on bicycle lanes or roads (~12km each way) and the occasional ride on easy tracks.
I have a standard hybrid bike already but since I live in a pretty hilly area and don't want the commute to take too long or make me sweat a lot, I want to purchase an e-bike.
Since I am in Europe, the motor will help up to until 25km/h
I've looking at the Specialized bike among others (Cube, Trek) because of the brand reputation, the nice design and because they have a dealer nearby my house. I liked the overall package with the Vado. I also tried the Como but I like the posture in the Vado better. I have tried the following, all 2022/2023 versions:
- Vado 3.0 IGH: I liked it, rides very smoothy, I don't mind the twist shifter (I grew up using this). But the assistance felt barely sufficient for the 10-12% hills I'll encounter in my commute, even in turbo mode. I am really interested in the IGH from the standpoint of maintenance. The dealer said they are are able service it but parts procurement sometimes takes weeks.
- Vado 4.0 chain: It felt more responsive and fared better in slopes. It also has a lower "low gear" than the 3.0IGH, if you see what I mean, and a higher "high gear" which could enable me to push the bike past the 25km/h assistance limit on flat or descents. I am not capable to assess the benefit of the better components vs the 3.0IGH. Also, the bike felt noisy/clunky vs the 3.0 IGH and I am not looking forward to cleaning the chain.
- Vado 5.0 IGH: out of my budget. Very nice to not have to think about shifting gears but I found that I prefer to have control over the gear as the automatic shifter made me pedal too fast on the flat and too hard on hills. Not sure how much that can be adjusted. Due to the 25km/h limit, I also feel like the full power of the 5.0 wouldnt be fully utilized.
In the end, if a 4.0 IGH would exist , I would have purchased it but within the current line-up, I hesitate between the 3.0IGHand 4.0 chain which I can buy now for 2800 and 3000 EUR repectively.
Another consideration is that the curernt Vado line-up was released in Sep 2021 and I'd be bummed if a new model better suiting my needs or with better value would be released just after my purchase. Do you have any insight as for new releases ? Would a new model be more expensive ? Would the old model go on sale ?
Hence I seek the advice of you all ebike enthusiasts to help me with my purchase decision. Thanks in avance !
