What brand and model options would you recommend

[Noobebiker]

My noob two cents here. I would pick a few bikes from each of the brands mentioned above (Specialized, Cannondale, Trek, Giant, etc.) and have both you and your wife ride them. I found ebikes to be quite different from standard bikes and in fact from each other based on motor type and power, drive trains, controllers, etc. I really didn’t know what I wanted until I rode quite a few. I bought a bike after riding 15 different ones. Good hunting and keep us posted.

 

[Brew61]

All I can say is WOW, I feel sorry for the gentleman who started this thread to have it ruined by a few. All he was asking for was some help in finding some good bikes. I hope this does not turn him off of using this Forum ever again. There are a lot of good people here and a lot of good information to be had. For some of those who posted, please go back and read.

ebr-etiquette-please-be-kind.1952

My apologies to Pierre.

Please lets not derail this thread any further and just stick to helping him out.

Thank you
Bruce

 

[Nomad]

My noob two cents here. I would pick a few bikes from each of the brands mentioned above (Specialized, Cannondale, Trek, Giant, etc.) and have both you and your wife ride them. I found ebikes to be quite different from standard bikes and in fact from each other based on motor type and power, drive trains, controllers, etc. I really didn’t know what I wanted until I rode quite a few. I bought a bike after riding 15 different ones. Good hunting and keep us posted.

It worth more then 2 cents good advice!

 

[Pierre Chatelain]

Good day all,
thank you for the constructive feedback and options. We will finalize our online evaluations and comparison, get shopping and be ready for the new season.
To answer the question, Ottawa is indeed fairly flat and that is our typical weekly treks. We do rolling hills and limit or avoid repetitive high steep hills on our yearly trip.
AgaIn thank you. Line and Pierre

 

[AHicks]

Good day all,
thank you for the constructive feedback and options. We will finalize our online evaluations and comparison, get shopping and be ready for the new season.
To answer the question, Ottawa is indeed fairly flat and that is our typical weekly treks. We do rolling hills and limit or avoid repetitive high steep hills on our yearly trip.
AgaIn thank you. Line and Pierre

2 thoughts for you-
I would suggest you consider bikes equipped with a throttle. Bunches of reasons, especially when considering senior riders, but they're illegal in Europe, so none of the big 4 have them available....

I do all of my own work, and for that reason insist on bikes built with non proprietary parts that are available everywhere. The big 4 use MANY proprietary parts that force you to return to the dealer for tuning, updates, and replacements. That's if the part is even available (especially when considering older bikes).

 

[tomjasz]

That's if the part is even available (especially when considering older bikes).

I’ve had lots of contacts with kit builders that were far out of their league wrenching. For some reason there’s a myth that wrenching on bikes is easy. For some yes. My scratch build was an incredible experience, I would have lost it if I already hadn’t a couple of finished bikes. I also learned the value of nomenclatur,pe, search string structure, and the power of Google.

 

[TrevorB]

Go with a mid drive like Bosch or Shimano or Brose. Remember that weight is less relevant on an ebike. Specialized, Giant, Cannondale, and Trek are goof choices though if I were in the market to replace my Allant I would give consideration to Zen bikes whose owner frequently posts here.

We have a couple Moustache Xroads which are brillant trekking bikes. Also checkout, Cube, Merida, Gazelle. Go for at least 60nm motor and 500wH battery, 600-700wh is ideal. Higher spec bikes have better forks, brakes and drive trains. 10spd 11-42t is great place to start. You don't need identical bikes but having interchangeable batteries is big plus as you can buy an additional spare.

Most importantly do a few test rides of varies bikes.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I'll second the Zen bike suggestion. It looks like it will be a quality ebike that's built in Canada.

Zen Ebikes | Top-Rated Electric Bikes USA

Zen manufactures electric bikes that offer superior performance, longevity, and warranty. Shop Premium, Mid-Range, and Built-in-North-America eBikes for an exceptional ride.

zenebikes.com

 

[dodgeman]

To the OP, it sounds like you have a plan and a decent budget. I retired about 2 years ago and we bought e bikes about last fall and have enjoyed them. We went we Trek Verve +3 bikes. There are lots of good choices. Good luck on the search.

 

[TrevorB]

2 thoughts for you-
I would suggest you consider bikes equipped with a throttle. Bunches of reasons, especially when considering senior riders, but they're illegal in Europe, so none of the big 4 have them available....

I do all of my own work, and for that reason insist on bikes built with non proprietary parts that are available everywhere. The big 4 use MANY proprietary parts that force you to return to the dealer for tuning, updates, and replacements. That's if the part is even available (especially when considering older bikes).

Throttle is personal choice thing, my wife and I have both had bad experiences with throttles on rental, activated by us unexpectedly. Good for getting off mark at lights while commuting but for touring no real advantage and they use lot of power.

Support of main middrive motors is mixed bag. As a rule these don't need servicing most are sealed for life.
Any Bosch dealer can service any Bosch powered bike as parts of drive system including batteries are standard Bosch components. All parts have 2 year Bosch warranty.
Shimano is much same except they do allow bike manufacturers make their own batteries or use shimano's.
Bike brands that use Brose and Yamaha tend to tune them for their ebikes, supply their own controllers and batteries. Specialize use Brose, Giant use Yamaha. I don't know if Specialize dealer would support another brand with Brose motor same for Giant

Any small bike manufacturer using Bosch or Shimano (+factory batttery) doesn't need to worry about dealer network as 100s of shops can support the drive systems. Drive systems are backed by Bosch and Shimano 2 year warranties. Bar frame breakage everything else is common bike components.
If Trek went bankrupt tomorrow drives would still be covered by Bosch warranty and dealers. It may not be that simple with Specialized and Giant not that they will be going bankrupt in foreseeable future.

I've had two Bosch motor failures, one in warranty and another just out of warranty in both cases support was excellent and bikes were fixed in a few days. Out warranty motor was expensive. From what I've heard Shimano support is just as good.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I don't know if Specialize dealer would support another brand with Brose motor same for Giant

They would not.

 

[Downhiller]

Good morning EBR team and glad to join the forum.

We are looking for help and suggestions to choose and buy our first ebikes.
Line and I are approaching 65 and have been cycling for 15 years. We have a Cannondale and an Eclipse Turmoil touring bike (between road and hybrid). We cycle on average twice a week averaging 35 to 40 km per trek, up to 60km on city streets and bicycle trails (Ottawa region). Every year we do a 4-to-5-day cycle trip carrying approx. 20lbs each in saddle bags. Our trip segments would typically vary from 55 to 65km up to an occasional 80. We love these trips but felt our age!!! on our last summer trip. No doubt we want to continue as long as we can and feel the electric assistance would be a good solution. We want to get ahead of the season coming and glad we found your site.

We have never tried one, this is unknown territory and hope you could help us offer options that would best fit. In addition to the above high-level info here are additional parameters;

• Retiring this year, would increase frequency and distance a bit with the assistance;
• Light weight, not heavy and bulky;
• Carry approx. same weight on our trips, not much more;
• Could be 2 different brands or models for me and Line;
• Prefer higher quality and comfort;
• High speed is not a requirement, we cycle at an average speed of 20km/hr
• We were thinking of a price around $3,500K to $4,000. Looking at recent pricing willing to go up if required for the right fit, quality and comfort.

We had started to look into the Cannondale NEO SL 2 model;
We looked at the Rad models and would prefer lighter models;
We found your web site (great) and read the detailed evaluation on the Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0.

What brands and model options would you recommend?
We look forward to your feedback and thank you in advance.
Line and Pierre

Good morning EBR team and glad to join the forum.

We are looking for help and suggestions to choose and buy our first ebikes.
Line and I are approaching 65 and have been cycling for 15 years. We have a Cannondale and an Eclipse Turmoil touring bike (between road and hybrid). We cycle on average twice a week averaging 35 to 40 km per trek, up to 60km on city streets and bicycle trails (Ottawa region). Every year we do a 4-to-5-day cycle trip carrying approx. 20lbs each in saddle bags. Our trip segments would typically vary from 55 to 65km up to an occasional 80. We love these trips but felt our age!!! on our last summer trip. No doubt we want to continue as long as we can and feel the electric assistance would be a good solution. We want to get ahead of the season coming and glad we found your site.

We have never tried one, this is unknown territory and hope you could help us offer options that would best fit. In addition to the above high-level info here are additional parameters;

• Retiring this year, would increase frequency and distance a bit with the assistance;
• Light weight, not heavy and bulky;
• Carry approx. same weight on our trips, not much more;
• Could be 2 different brands or models for me and Line;
• Prefer higher quality and comfort;
• High speed is not a requirement, we cycle at an average speed of 20km/hr
• We were thinking of a price around $3,500K to $4,000. Looking at recent pricing willing to go up if required for the right fit, quality and comfort.

We had started to look into the Cannondale NEO SL 2 model;
We looked at the Rad models and would prefer lighter models;
We found your web site (great) and read the detailed evaluation on the Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0.

What brands and model options would you recommend?
We look forward to your feedback and thank you in advance.
Line and Pierre

Good morning EBR team and glad to join the forum.

We are looking for help and suggestions to choose and buy our first ebikes.
Line and I are approaching 65 and have been cycling for 15 years. We have a Cannondale and an Eclipse Turmoil touring bike (between road and hybrid). We cycle on average twice a week averaging 35 to 40 km per trek, up to 60km on city streets and bicycle trails (Ottawa region). Every year we do a 4-to-5-day cycle trip carrying approx. 20lbs each in saddle bags. Our trip segments would typically vary from 55 to 65km up to an occasional 80. We love these trips but felt our age!!! on our last summer trip. No doubt we want to continue as long as we can and feel the electric assistance would be a good solution. We want to get ahead of the season coming and glad we found your site.

We have never tried one, this is unknown territory and hope you could help us offer options that would best fit. In addition to the above high-level info here are additional parameters;

• Retiring this year, would increase frequency and distance a bit with the assistance;
• Light weight, not heavy and bulky;
• Carry approx. same weight on our trips, not much more;
• Could be 2 different brands or models for me and Line;
• Prefer higher quality and comfort;
• High speed is not a requirement, we cycle at an average speed of 20km/hr
• We were thinking of a price around $3,500K to $4,000. Looking at recent pricing willing to go up if required for the right fit, quality and comfort.

We had started to look into the Cannondale NEO SL 2 model;
We looked at the Rad models and would prefer lighter models;
We found your web site (great) and read the detailed evaluation on the Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0.

What brands and model options would you recommend?
We look forward to your feedback and thank you in advance.
Line and Pierre

Hi there. I also live in Ontario & am wondering what you purchased ? I’ve been researching forever and am test riding the Devinci Milano hybrid today. (It’s a Canadian company). They also have the Hatchet, which is a gravel setup, with lots of attachment points for your rack and fenders. If you haven’t purchased I would check it out. Youd probably be able to explore the Gatineaus and the area north of Kingston too. It has a good range, just not the display/tech advantages of Specialized (which I might buy if the budget permitted).

 

[Handlebars]

Hi there. I also live in Ontario & am wondering what you purchased ? I’ve been researching forever and am test riding the Devinci Milano hybrid today. (It’s a Canadian company). They also have the Hatchet, which is a gravel setup, with lots of attachment points for your rack and fenders. If you haven’t purchased I would check it out. Youd probably be able to explore the Gatineaus and the area north of Kingston too. It has a good range, just not the display/tech advantages of Specialized (which I might buy if the budget permitted).

For me, De Vinci seems like a decent bike. I had to re-write my post because I erred about the battery size. https://www.devinci.com/en/bikes/electric/e-milano-e5000-8s-titanium/
Here's one for less dough, with fenders, rack, kickstand but it's heavier. $2,649 CAD https://rizebikes.ca/products/rize-md?variant=39904139051161 $750 difference. I'd want fenders and rack and stand on the De Vinci, so the big weight difference would be narrowed somewhat and the price difference widened somewhat
More info on the motor comparison would be good. Shimano vs Bafang. Someone will be able to answer that for you, probably.

 

[Downhiller]

For me, De Vinci seems like a decent bike. I had to re-write my post because I erred about the battery size. https://www.devinci.com/en/bikes/electric/e-milano-e5000-8s-titanium/
Here's one for less dough, with fenders, rack, kickstand but it's heavier. $2,649 CAD https://rizebikes.ca/products/rize-md?variant=39904139051161 $750 difference. I'd want fenders and rack and stand on the De Vinci, so the big weight difference would be narrowed somewhat and the price difference widened somewhat
More info on the motor comparison would be good. Shimano vs Bafang. Someone w

For me, De Vinci seems like a decent bike. I had to re-write my post because I erred about the battery size. https://www.devinci.com/en/bikes/electric/e-milano-e5000-8s-titanium/
Here's one for less dough, with fenders, rack, kickstand but it's heavier. $2,649 CAD https://rizebikes.ca/products/rize-md?variant=39904139051161 $750 difference. I'd want fenders and rack and stand on the De Vinci, so the big weight difference would be narrowed somewhat and the price difference widened somewhat
More info on the motor comparison would be good. Shimano vs Bafang. Someone will be able to answer that for you, probably.

Turns out I am too short for either. Money stays in my pocket for now.
(and I will learn how to reply without copying everything multiple times ! Sorry !)

 

[Mulezen]

Turns out I am too short for either. Money stays in my pocket for now.
(and I will learn how to reply without copying everything multiple times ! Sorry !)

Talk to Ravi at Zen bikes in Halifax…or read the threads here

 

[Downhiller]

Talk to Ravi at Zen bikes in Halifax…or read the threads here

O my gosh. I just watched his video and also the review here. Great stuff. Now to the ZEN forum.

 

[tom9779]

Good morning EBR team and glad to join the forum.

We are looking for help and suggestions to choose and buy our first ebikes.
Line and I are approaching 65 and have been cycling for 15 years. We have a Cannondale and an Eclipse Turmoil touring bike (between road and hybrid). We cycle on average twice a week averaging 35 to 40 km per trek, up to 60km on city streets and bicycle trails (Ottawa region). Every year we do a 4-to-5-day cycle trip carrying approx. 20lbs each in saddle bags. Our trip segments would typically vary from 55 to 65km up to an occasional 80. We love these trips but felt our age!!! on our last summer trip. No doubt we want to continue as long as we can and feel the electric assistance would be a good solution. We want to get ahead of the season coming and glad we found your site.

We have never tried one, this is unknown territory and hope you could help us offer options that would best fit. In addition to the above high-level info here are additional parameters;

• Retiring this year, would increase frequency and distance a bit with the assistance;
• Light weight, not heavy and bulky;
• Carry approx. same weight on our trips, not much more;
• Could be 2 different brands or models for me and Line;
• Prefer higher quality and comfort;
• High speed is not a requirement, we cycle at an average speed of 20km/hr
• We were thinking of a price around $3,500K to $4,000. Looking at recent pricing willing to go up if required for the right fit, quality and comfort.

We had started to look into the Cannondale NEO SL 2 model;
We looked at the Rad models and would prefer lighter models;
We found your web site (great) and read the detailed evaluation on the Specialized Turbo Vado SL 4.0.

What brands and model options would you recommend?
We look forward to your feedback and thank you in advance.
Line and Pierre

I think you will definetly need to test ride a few bikes. I’ve just bought one myself after a bit of research and getting tips from experience owners/riders here!

Typically light weight = lower assist
Heavy and bulky = higher assist.(battery and motor weight).

Given your touring getting flat tyres is going to happen a bit. So perhaps take a look perhaps at a mid drive bike rather than a hub motor. They seemed to be more expensive when I looked but then your not removing a rear wheel with a hub on it to change a tyre!

My use case was commuting but it needed to be light and nimble(ie I could carry the bike when required). This quickly narrowed my search down to the vado SL from specialized. I also considered the Giant Fastrack but couldn’t see one in the flesh. The Giant being much more powerful however at a cost of a few kilos.

There’s some wonderfully specced European bikes I liked but didn’t have good access to them to try ride them and decide if they were for me. Locally in Australia we had some very nice local alternatives as well.

I ended up with the Vado sl we as I got a very good price on it and it was a very good fit for me.

If I was paying retail I might have considered a different bike.

Note the Vado SL does not have a lot of assist. It’s quite mild in comparison. It’s the right bike if you can say easily ride unassisted 50kms and want something to help you easily ride 70kms in fairly flat terrain.

Whereas other heavier more torquey bikes will be probably be more suitable to hilly terrain.

This website probably does a disservice by starting its Specialized Vado SL review as “one of the best e-bikes I have reviewed”. It should read “for its use case”. The specialized bikes all have that same high build quality synonymous with the “big brand”.

 

[indianajo]

Given your touring getting flat tyres is going to happen a bit. So perhaps take a look perhaps at a mid drive bike rather than a hub motor. They seemed to be more expensive when I looked but then your not removing a rear wheel with a hub on it to change a tyre!

I have zero problem changing a tube with a hub motor. No display so I can turn bike upside down on handlebar & seat, unplug motor wire, off & on in 25 minutes or less. Using knobby tires on road I have about 1 flat a year over 2000 miles.
Hub motors wear out in 4500 miles or less. They cost $300 or less. The last one was $36. Built in a wheel, hub motor takes less time to change out than a chain. Fewer tools, too. My 8 speed chains last 2 1/2 times what mid-drive chains do. I keep a spare power wheel in the garage, so no waiting for parts or toting the bike to a shop in my non-existant car. My battery cost 1/2 of a bosch or shimano battery and has lasted 9000 miles & 4 1/2 years. Still going strong.
My cargo bike is not suitable for the O.P.: heavy, extremely stable, 80 lb cargo capacity, made for people with short legs. Doesn't snap wheel sideways and pitch me on my chin the way the 3 previous bikes did.