Trek FX+ 2 or Verve+ 2?

[dubdevil89]

Hi guys,

Would you recommend the Trek FX+ 2 or Verve+ 2? Currently they’re both on sale for the same price in Australia ($3000) (Links at the bottom)

Will be using it mainly for 30 min commute to work each way, along a mix of roads and paved bike paths. Have a Trek road bike but looking to spare my legs a bit and have a more comfortable ride on my daily commute.

The removable battery on the Verve appeals to me but I like that the FX is lighter (e.g. for lifting onto vertical bike racks at work).

Any advice or opinions much appreciated

FX+ 2 - Trek Bikes (AU)

Discover your next great ride with FX+ 2. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

Verve+ 2 - Trek Bikes (AU)

Discover your next great ride with Verve+ 2 Men's. See the bike and visit your local Trek retailer. Shop now!

www.trekbikes.com

 

[dodgeman]

The Verve 2 would be my choice. The mid drive would give a more natural feel to pedaling and it has a bigger battery. I have a Verve +3 and it’s similar to the Verve +2 but with a bigger battery and more powerful motor and I’ve had good luck with it.

 

[Sparky731]

Call me crazy, but I feel that anything less than 400w (500w+ preferably) is not enough electrons for ideal riding. My wife has the Verve 2+ and we can run her low on electrons by the end of a decent 40+ mile ride.

 

[steve mercier]

I would choose the one with the most power and greatest range. You can always decrease the assist level but you can never increase the Nm of the motor. The Bosch mid-drive is a better motor and the Verve is more like a normal bike to ride than the hub motor. If it were my choice I would save my pennies for something with the Performance line or even better the Performance line CX motor. And if I could not wait until I saved enough, I would choose a used bike with the Performance CX motor over a new one with the Active line Plus motor any day of the week.

 

[dubdevil89]

The Verve 2 would be my choice. The mid drive would give a more natural feel to pedaling and it has a bigger battery. I have a Verve +3 and it’s similar to the Verve +2 but with a bigger battery and more powerful motor and I’ve had good luck with it.

thanks for your reply!

Do you find the front light OK? The bike path that’s half my commute is unlit at night so I would benefit from a reasonably powerful one.

Also, how you find the weight?

 

[dodgeman]

I’ve never ridden at night. I feel the light is more for cars seeing you than lighting where you’re going. There are posts where people have added lights.

The weight? It’s heavy, around 50 pounds I think. I have a Thule bike rack and I don’t use the ramp and just lift it up instead, maybe 2 feet high or a little more. I do take the battery out though which takes 10 pounds off of it.

I‘ll add I agree with more power and bigger battery is better. I have 50 nm of torque on mine. I rode another Trek with 40 nm of torque and the difference is noticeable. I wish for more power sometimes when I’m nearing the end of a long ride. If you think you will ride a lot, spending more money is worth it. If all you plan on is that commute and there aren’t a lot of hills, what your looking at is probably fine.

 

[dubdevil89]

I’ve never ridden at night. I feel the light is more for cars seeing you than lighting where you’re going. There are posts where people have added lights.

The weight? It’s heavy, around 50 pounds I think. I have a Thule bike rack and I don’t use the ramp and just lift it up instead, maybe 2 feet high or a little more. I do take the battery out though which takes 10 pounds off of it.

I‘ll add I agree with more power and bigger battery is better. I have 50 nm of torque on mine. I rode another Trek with 40 nm of torque and the difference is noticeable. I wish for more power sometimes when I’m nearing the end of a long ride. If you think you will ride a lot, spending more money is worth it. If all you plan on is that commute and there aren’t a lot of hills, what your looking at is probably fine.

Sounds like I’d replace the light then. Not a big deal though!

Also just realised there are bike racks on the ground at work, not just vertical ones. So I won’t need to worry about the weight when parking at work

I’ll check out some other brands but I’m convinced the Verve’s the way to go if I go Trek.

 

[dodgeman]

Most people it seems just add a second light, maybe on the handlebars. They even make rechargeable ones and that way you don’t have to mess with the wiring.

 

[Sparky731]

thanks for your reply!

Do you find the front light OK? The bike path that’s half my commute is unlit at night so I would benefit from a reasonably powerful one.

Also, how you find the weight?

The front light on the Verve is more than adequate for night riding on streets and maintained paths, however, with most bike lights the width of the projected beam is narrow.

Per the weight of an ebike: one suggestion I offer to new riders is to always compress the brake lever when getting on or off the bike.

 

[MHC48]

You've probably already made your decision on which bike to buy, but I'll tell you that for me, the size and weight of the FX+2 made the choice easy. I find since having it that it's so light and the gears so well chosen that on on roads and paths I rarely have to use any PAS at all. So far I only use it going up over bridges or large hills (and occasionally since I do have an E-Bike, just for the sheer fun of it!)

 

[dubdevil89]

You've probably already made your decision on which bike to buy, but I'll tell you that for me, the size and weight of the FX+2 made the choice easy. I find since having it that it's so light and the gears so well chosen that on on roads and paths I rarely have to use any PAS at all. So far I only use it going up over bridges or large hills (and occasionally since I do have an E-Bike, just for the sheer fun of it!)

Yep, I ended up getting a Momentum Transend E+ since it has a removable battery like the Verve but it looks nicer IMO (e.g. battery blends in with the Down tube). I love it!