What should I buy? What is the most bike for money with these choices?

[OmahaBiker]

Hi. I am considering buying my first ebike that I want to keep long term. I watched reviews. I test rode a trek super commuter 8, 2019. It retails for 5200. A shop in town offer the size 55 for 4000 but I need a size 50. I can drive six hours and get a new one in my size for 3900. I couldn’t take it back for (most likely wouldn’t) any first year free tuneups. So should I add that cost if any to the 3900 or make return trip for that?
I decided no because figured if I may be able to purchase Allant 2020 8s which retails for 4299 on sale on Black Friday for 3900.
butI’ve read the Allant 9s is the super commuter upgrade and that will retail for 5999. So should I take the drive and get the super commuter 2019 8 for 3900? Is that the best bike fir my money or should I consider the allant 8s 2020 even the Raleigh redux for 3599. Thank you. Big decision for me. these are the options I’m considering. I’m not an expert on all parts and improvements between bikes, so Any thoughts would be appreciated. I love the long video reviews. I’m learning! Thank you.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Allant 2020 8s which retails for 4299 on sale on Black Friday for 3900.

Go for the newer 2020 model.
The new 4th Gen Bosch motors would be around for another 3 years before we see an upgrade and slowly the 2nd motors will be phased out (2nd gen motors were introduced in 2014 and will be phased out eventually).
Trek Allant 8s is a great bike, esp considering it comes with the latest hardware and battery.

 

[OmahaBiker]

Go for the newer 2020 model.
The new 4th Gen Bosch motors would be around for another 3 years before we see an upgrade and slowly the 2nd motors will be phased out (2nd gen motors were introduced in 2015 and will be phased out eventually).
Trek Allant 8s is a great bike, esp considering it comes with the latest hardware and battery.

Thank you your reply. When a motor is phased out, even Gen 4, will there still be a motor to fit, fir example, my Allant 8s if I need one in 2025? I wondered about that since usually more powerful batteries get smaller over time or sometimes bigger? A Specialized dealer told me Bosch is a big established company and will always make old motors to fit previous bikes. Thank you fir the first answer. Like I said, whatever I buy I plan to keep long term.

 

[Alaskan]

Go for the newer 2020 model.
The new 4th Gen Bosch motors would be around for another 3 years before we see an upgrade and slowly the 2nd motors will be phased out (2nd gen motors were introduced in 2015 and will be phased out eventually).
Trek Allant 8s is a great bike, esp considering it comes with the latest hardware and battery.

Sound advice here. The allant 8s also comes with the 625wh battery for 25% greater range.

 

[jim6b]

There is another side to the arguments Ravi makes for going with the new Allant model, they work against the dealer who has the old discontinued model and suggest that a 50% discount is reasonable. While a dealer today is offering 20%, that does not mean that tomorrow the price will come down as the old needs to be sold to make room for the new, not to mention that the old model will suffer from a direct comparison of the the new model.

Time is on the buyers side. So while the op is considering (dithering?) what to do, the pressure is on the dealer to lower price and $2,500 is not out of the picture . . . which would be a pretty good deal.

 

[Alaskan]

There is another side to the arguments Ravi makes for going with the new Allant model, they work against the dealer who has the old discontinued model and suggest that a 50% discount is reasonable. While a dealer today is offering 20%, that does not mean that tomorrow the price will come down as the old needs to be sold to make room for the new, not to mention that the old model will suffer from a direct comparison of the the new model.

Time is on the buyers side. So while the op is considering (dithering?) what to do, the pressure is on the dealer to lower price and $2,500 is not out of the picture . . . which would be a pretty good deal.

valid point well worth consideration.

Best to decide whether your situation dictates economizing or if having faster, stronger, longer and most current is worth the extra $$$

 

[OmahaBiker]

valid point well worth consideration.

Best to decide whether your situation dictates economizing or if having faster, stronger, longer and most current is worth the extra $$$

Yes. Good point. I emailed him after thinking maybe 3900 is not cheap enough after the trek dealer in town who had the 55 just blurred out he’d sell for 4000 and I was only on shop a couple minutes and did no dickering.

 

[OmahaBiker]

valid point well worth consideration.

Best to decide whether your situation dictates economizing or if having faster, stronger, longer and most current is worth the extra $$$

my last trek regular bike I bought for 500 and kept for over 20 years. So I want long term bike so I’m thinking I’ll go higher end. I have no debt in my life. I do wonder if in six or eight years I’ll still be able to get battery for any bike I buy now.

 

[Alaskan]

my last trek regular bike I bought for 500 and kept for over 20 years. So I want long term bike so I’m thinking I’ll go higher end. I have no debt in my life. I do wonder if in six or eight years I’ll still be able to get battery for any bike I buy now.

Good call. Let us know when you get the bike and how you like it. As to the Battery question; with Bosch you probably stand the best chance of being able to replace your battery for the greatest number of years of any manufacturer. I believe I read somewhere that their commitment was for 8 or 10 years of parts and replacement availability.

 

[OmahaBiker]

Good call. Let us know when you get the bike and how you like it. As to the Battery question; with Bosch you probably stand the best chance of being able to replace your battery for the greatest number of years of any manufacturer. I believe I read somewhere that their commitment was for 8 or 10 years of parts and replacement availability.

Thank you for the information. The Trek dealer miles away has lowered his
Price to 3600. But I’m sitting tight for now. I want to see what Black Friday brings.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

When a motor is phased out, even Gen 4, will there still be a motor to fit, fir example, my Allant 8s if I need one in 2025?

Unfortunately, no!
Bosch Gen 2 motors do not fit in Gen 1 housing and similarly, Gen 3 does not fit in the Gen 2 housing.
Gen 4 motors are very different and as the technology matures, both motors and batteries will change. However, you can keep the same motor going for another 8 years (by replacing batteries when they get old).
E-bikes and E-cars are a rapidly evolving space. It is not like automotive market.
Especially, anything to do with electric, things change fast. You can get a used 2013 Nissan Leaf electric car with 30,000 whrs of battery capacity for $7100!
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

The battery is almost 50+ times more capacity than normal ebikes and it was sold for $30,000 just 6 years ago. Similarly, Ebikes also depreciate quite fast as the technology keeps improving and battery life does go down.
So, in theory you can keep your ebike for 8+ years but in reality it is hard to do

 

[Rob NJ]

For what it is worth. We have two Trek SuperCommuter 8+ bikes. Owned one for two years, my wife's for 1.5 years. Have >1500 miles on both with zero problems. We have been on Vermont Bike Tours and Backroads with electric bikes as well (Fuji hybrid bikes). We love the SuperCommuters because they are solid to ride, well made, and shift well. I call them the "SUV of bikes", and we have taken them on a lot of near mountain bike trails. The wide tires give you confidence, they handle well, and are just so much fun.

Yes, they are expensive, but it reminds me of a saying "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten". Some of the cheaper bikes are great for short weekend rides and what you buy certainly depends upon your mission. For us, the solid build, quality components, wide dealer network, and a large manufacturers (Trek, Bosch, Shimano) that can stand behind their product was important.

Sadly, my SuperCommuter was stolen a few weeks ago off our car in Boston in broad daylight (yes they were locked with an extra thick cable). We normally also lock them together with chains while on the rack, but we were visiting for only a few hours, and the car was parked right out in front of where we were visiting. Filed police reports, insurance claims, and was paid within 3 days so I could find a replacement. While I love the SuperCommuter and thought about finding one on closeout, the Allant 9.9S was too tempting. Delivery of the new one is scheduled in a few weeks.

 

[OmahaBiker]

I bought a Specialized 2020 Vado 4.0 For me, it was worth having the dealer less than a mile from my house. I test rode the bike and liked it. It looks good. I was only, in the end, considering Trek, Raleigh, and Specialized because they have dealers in town.
P.S. Thieves suck!

 

[Rob NJ]

I bought a Specialized 2020 Vado 4.0 For me, it was worth having the dealer less than a mile from my house. I test rode the bike and liked it. It looks good. I was only, in the end, considering Trek, Raleigh, and Specialized because they have dealers in town.
P.S. Thieves suck!

The Vado is also a great bike! Having the dealer close is also important to me, and I did the same. Friends of ours in Oregon have a couple of Como's and are having a ball with them. We raved so much about ebikes they just went out and bought them.