arrowchild
New Member
Hi everyone! I was looking into getting an ebike and I've narrowed it down to these two.
I'm mostly looking for a bike for urban commute, maybe some light errands, exploring the neighborhoods around 5-10 miles from home and such. My price range was about $2k for the bike alone, though the Trek is a few hundred above this. I've read and watched the reviews for them, and these two stood out because I prefer to ride in a more upright position, smooth and natural pedal assist, and hydraulic brakes, along with overall well-thought designs.
I liked the Surface 604 Shred over their other models because it doesn't have a welded-on rack, and I really wanted to add the Topeak MTX rack to the bike for quick-release trunk bags/rear baskets.
I have a slightly bad lower back, so I think the upright position is better for this than forward, but I'm not sure. My previous bike-related injuries were both from falling off the side of the bike and scarring my knees -- nothing serious, but I'm concerned about the ebike being a lot heavier than a normal bike (the Trek being lighter). To be fair, one of the bikes I had the injury on had a loose handlebar stem (so the steering had a delayed response) and I hit a curb, and for the second bike I was borrowing a friend's and she was much taller than me, so my ankle caught on the top tube of the frame while dismounting, causing it to fall over on me. So the Trek's step-through model does look pretty appealing to me.
I do have both Trek and Surface 604 dealers near me (10-15 drive), so I think direct service shouldn't be an issue, though I'm not 100% sure both are specifically knowledgable about ebike repair specifically. I do have many other local bike shops (that don't sell the brands but may be able to service), including ebike shops (though I'm not sure if they only service the brands they carry).
The main Pros for the Trek Verve+, for me, is the light weight, step-through option, and advanced pedal assist.
The main Pros for the Surface 604 Shred, for me, are advanced pedal assist, throttle option, and lower price.
Any additional input, including your own experiences with the bikes, are much appreciated!
I'm mostly looking for a bike for urban commute, maybe some light errands, exploring the neighborhoods around 5-10 miles from home and such. My price range was about $2k for the bike alone, though the Trek is a few hundred above this. I've read and watched the reviews for them, and these two stood out because I prefer to ride in a more upright position, smooth and natural pedal assist, and hydraulic brakes, along with overall well-thought designs.
I liked the Surface 604 Shred over their other models because it doesn't have a welded-on rack, and I really wanted to add the Topeak MTX rack to the bike for quick-release trunk bags/rear baskets.
I have a slightly bad lower back, so I think the upright position is better for this than forward, but I'm not sure. My previous bike-related injuries were both from falling off the side of the bike and scarring my knees -- nothing serious, but I'm concerned about the ebike being a lot heavier than a normal bike (the Trek being lighter). To be fair, one of the bikes I had the injury on had a loose handlebar stem (so the steering had a delayed response) and I hit a curb, and for the second bike I was borrowing a friend's and she was much taller than me, so my ankle caught on the top tube of the frame while dismounting, causing it to fall over on me. So the Trek's step-through model does look pretty appealing to me.
I do have both Trek and Surface 604 dealers near me (10-15 drive), so I think direct service shouldn't be an issue, though I'm not 100% sure both are specifically knowledgable about ebike repair specifically. I do have many other local bike shops (that don't sell the brands but may be able to service), including ebike shops (though I'm not sure if they only service the brands they carry).
The main Pros for the Trek Verve+, for me, is the light weight, step-through option, and advanced pedal assist.
The main Pros for the Surface 604 Shred, for me, are advanced pedal assist, throttle option, and lower price.
Any additional input, including your own experiences with the bikes, are much appreciated!