Trek Verve 3+ vs CO-OP Cycles CTY e2.2. Electric Bike

[L Johnston]

Hi we got my wife a Verve 3+ and she absolutely loves it. We have been Trek owners for years. I road one in my size from the dealer as we were trying out hers. I really like it, but I is a tad pricy. I received an REI ad advertising Co-OP Cycles CTY e3.3 Electric Bike and thought it looked interesting. I don't have the guts to purchase anything I can't try out for fit, but my REI might have one I could try. Looked like component wise they were pretty similar maybe the CTY has a bit bigger amp? But I don't know anything about a Shimano motor and reliability and longevity? Anyone have any thoughts? Much appreciated.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Any specs you could share?

 

[Johnny]

Very similar bikes, CTY seems to be a bit better (has a front suspension though an entry level one but still) on top it is almost $1k less.
As for motors Shimano is just as reliable as bosch.

In between them CTY would be an easy pick. Verve is very overpriced for what it is.

 

[rdowns]

Hi, seems like there was a discussion here somewhat recently about that CTY bike. I thought it looked pretty nice. I do not have an REI near me, but I would be interested if they did. I did ride a Verve+ , I liked it alot. Very comfy. I did upgrade to the Allant+ 7s and I am at over 550 miles and it has performed exceptionally for me. I ride a lot of gravel. Dealer support was important to me since I know so little about working on bikes (though I am trying to learn)

 

[EmotionLynx6Pro]

I have not seen the Co-op bikes, nor sat on them. They do look like nice bikes for the money and if you are near an REI the local support would be nice. What I wanted to add here is a response to the original posters question regarding the Shimano motor - Shimano is a Japanese company that has built high quality bicycle components for decades and has several motors that are very highly regarded in the mountain bike world. Even if this motor is assembled in China, it would be built under Japanese quality control. It should be a great motor.

Another bike that is similar in look/price/component is from Charge bikes. https://www.chargebikes.com/products/xc IIRC, the company that makes Cannondale also makes or markets Charge bikes via a direct to consumer route.

 

[L Johnston]

Mike had asked for specs. I have tried to attach two .pdf files with the specs for each. Thx

 

[L Johnston]

I have not seen the Co-op bikes, nor sat on them. They do look like nice bikes for the money and if you are near an REI the local support would be nice. What I wanted to add here is a response to the original posters question regarding the Shimano motor - Shimano is a Japanese company that has built high quality bicycle components for decades and has several motors that are very highly regarded in the mountain bike world. Even if this motor is assembled in China, it would be built under Japanese quality control. It should be a great motor.

Another bike that is similar in look/price/component is from Charge bikes. https://www.chargebikes.com/products/xc IIRC, the company that makes Cannondale also makes or markets Charge bikes via a direct to consumer route.

I have not seen the Co-op bikes, nor sat on them. They do look like nice bikes for the money and if you are near an REI the local support would be nice. What I wanted to add here is a response to the original posters question regarding the Shimano motor - Shimano is a Japanese company that has built high quality bicycle components for decades and has several motors that are very highly regarded in the mountain bike world. Even if this motor is assembled in China, it would be built under Japanese quality control. It should be a great motor.

Another bike that is similar in look/price/component is from Charge bikes. https://www.chargebikes.com/products/xc IIRC, the company that makes Cannondale also makes or markets Charge bikes via a direct to consumer route.

Hey thanks for the response. Yes this bike does look nice too. I guess my only concern is that I couldn't ride it ahead of time? Maybe I also might be concerned about who could service in Milwaukee? Any maintenance or even just software updates? Oh one think I forgot to mention on the REI bike concept is that We're REI members so that gives me 10% (i.e. $219) back in cash points too. I forgot to look at the shipping on the Charge to see how that was and any return policies. It is a nice looking bike however.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I have tried to attach two .pdf files with the specs for each.

After having seen the specs, I agree with those who made their opinion in this thread before. The CTY e2.2 is nicely specified and certainly worth its money. Shimano is the big mid-motor league player together with Bosch, Brose, Yamaha. Go for it!

 

[john peck]

Verve 3, hahaha, too much money for too little bike.

 

[antboy]

REI is a known entity, so you have that "local support" peace of mind, and the $1000 price difference between the Co-op and the Verve 3, with a 10% discount, makes it a no brainer, IMHO.

I've got a bike with the Shimano E6100 motor (the OHM Cruise) and love it. From my experience, I think REI is being conservative with their range estimates as well.

They state "50 miles", but that's a really conservative estimate - In ECO mode on flat terrain, my 500Wh battery gets my fat (but thinning) a$$ closer to 90+ miles. It dropped from 2 bars to 1 bar when I hit 127 km, which is a little under 80 miles (this is after not resetting my trip meter on 3 pretty flat Lake Ontario paved rides).

 

[john peck]

REI is a known entity, so you have that "local support" peace of mind, and the $1000 price difference between the Co-op and the Verve 3, with a 10% discount, makes it a no brainer, IMHO.

I've got a bike with the Shimano E6100 motor (the OHM Cruise) and love it. From my experience, I think REI is being conservative with their range estimates as well.

They state "50 miles", but that's a really conservative estimate - In ECO mode on flat terrain, my 500Wh battery gets my fat (but thinning) a$$ closer to 90+ miles. It dropped from 2 bars to 1 bar when I hit 127 km, which is a little under 80 miles (this is after not resetting my trip meter on 3 pretty flat Lake Ontario paved rides).

REI reminds me of Rivendell bikes. A decade or so ago, Rivendell was proof of profit from snob appeal

 

[McCorby]

Hey thanks for the response. Yes this bike does look nice too. I guess my only concern is that I couldn't ride it ahead of time? Maybe I also might be concerned about who could service in Milwaukee? Any maintenance or even just software updates? Oh one think I forgot to mention on the REI bike concept is that We're REI members so that gives me 10% (i.e. $219) back in cash points too. I forgot to look at the shipping on the Charge to see how that was and any return policies. It is a nice looking bike however.

Hi! Wouldn’t REI on Capitol Dr in Brookfield be able to service the bike? I thought they had a service dept. the last time I was there. If not, Wheel & Sprocket down the road may be willing to service it. Wouldn’t hurt to ask them.

 

[EmotionLynx6Pro]

I forgot to mention that the Charge bike had been on sale at one time with a discount of $150. It was $2150 at that time. Being an. REI member makes the REI bike a very good deal.

 

[L Johnston]

Hi. Thanks to all the members for all the good input. Thought I owed you an update. First to McCorby, you're correct, the Brookfield store does have a shop and from what I've heard a fairly good one. That was a big motivator for me to consider the bike. And you're also correct Wheel and Sprocket is a great shop and I know they would be happy to work on the bike as well - that's where our garage of Treks and one Mel Pinto Tandem came from. So I decided to call REI Friday and see if they had one I could ride. Unfortunately the answer was no, but they are very good about working with people and informed me that I could order, cancel order have them get it, assemble, ride and decide. Who could ask for more? Only problem, we decided I would best be served by a large (5'11") and there were only 2 in REI's stock nationwide. So they suggested I call headquarters and see if there was any possibility of shipping from one of the stores (1 in CA another in CO). Well as it turns out, REI doesn't ship bikes (battery issue supposedly - but I suspect when in short supply the dealers have a whole lot to say about that) from store to store. So I'm stuck until the next shipment is received. That is supposed to be in January, but I think I'm interested enough that I will likely wait until after the first of the year. I am disappointed that they would not offer to guarantee a price for me out into the future, but I don't know that anyone is engaged in dickering on eBikes during the pandemic, they have flown off the shelves. Maybe waiting is not such a bad thing. The mechanic in Brookfield indicated that they really liked the bike and that the only complaint was that there were a couple of fit and finish issue that hopefully would be resolved before future shipments. I thought the inventory issues didn't matchup well with their marketing announcement, but as I understand it the original plan was not to release until 2021, but there has been such a demand that they decided to pump them out early. Not too surprising. Would have liked it yet this year, but think I'm willing to wait on what looks to be an interesting bike. Thanks again everyone. Ride safe

 

[john peck]

Not long ´til black friday, Usually some very good bargains on ebikes; it´s the best time to buy an ebike.

 

[L Johnston]

Hi All. Thought I owed you an update from my last post of Oct. 11, 2020. Well based upon the comments I received here, I had decided to proceed with at least trying the Coop Cty e2.2 at the local REI here in Milwaukee. I called them and they had a methodology where I could buy then try and refund - sounded ok so I gave them a call. They decided I needed a large and they only had a small. They suggested that I call the corporate office in Washington State to see if they could locate one and ship. Well there was only two in U.S. one in California, and the other in Colorado. Unfortunately they said they could not ship because of battery. I suspect something to do with their original shipment being parts vs an assembled bike and/or the carrier restrictions. Given the short supply last year I'm sure that any REI would be reluctant to give up their supply anyway. They said they would expect shipment after the first of the year. Well I called in January, I called in February, and the headquarters have no idea when they might be receiving any. Although they said that they had been informed that they might have a smaller bike supply (REI) in general in 2021. I had hoped it would improve. I asked if there was anyway I could be informed if they knew of a shipment. They said no. Maybe try the wish list, but of course that only works by clicking on the list to add something and of course if it is sold out there is nothing that would enable clicking as it is not in inventory. So I called the local store. Pretty much the same story but a willingness to have me bug them every Monday or every other Monday. In the meantime I've preoccupied myself with cross country skiing but by the end of this week we may be out of snow with dry streets and I'm ready to try something out. I had really convinced myself that that bike was a great value at around $2,100, and that was the direction I wanted to go. I'm willing to wait a bit but kind of freaked out about the statement about continued short supply. I really don't know what I might want to try next particularly given that I would like to try the fit before purchasing. I'm sure there are many great online bikes but am gun-shy about that kind of money prior to a test ride and the hassle of returning something. I might put me back in Trek mode like my wife's, our dealership is great but there sure seems to be a premium on the product and not a huge amount of different brand options here in Milwaukee. Guess I've got to start thinking of potential contingency plans. Thoughts?

 

[McCorby]

Check out Wheel & Sprocket and Erik’s in Milwaukee. Crazy Lenny’s in Madison.

 

[L Johnston]

Check out Wheel & Sprocket and Erik’s in Milwaukee. Crazy Lenny’s in Madison.

Thanks Wheel & Sprocket is our go to shop. Several Trek Road/Cross/Mountain bikes in the garage and a MelPinto Tandem. Know nothing about Crazy Lenny's, will check that out. Thanks Larry

 

[McCorby]

Wheel & Spocket also sells brands other than Trek. I got a great deal on my Felt Sport-E 50 in ‘19. I believe their Brookfield store has the largest selection of ebikes. Great customer service. Erik’s sells Specialized. Crazy Lenny’s sells too many brands to list and would definitely be worth the trip to Madison.

 

[vincent]

Crazy Lennys is a huge ebike store, probably more selection than anybody around there

if I was even a few hours drive from there I would definitely check them out

good luck, hope you get a bike soon