It was smart to save some money
Originally Posted by
grannygears
Hello, I am sorry but I'd like to bring this thread back to life. I am still in the market as I did not purchase anything last year because I had to sell a bike to muster up the funds. As I said earlier I am looking for a commuter bike (step over or low step) not step through. I am located in Canada and here we get kind of dinged on pricing. I have a few types of bikes in mind that I like the look of so you can get an idea. My budget is about $3000 to $3500 Cdn so I'm guessing that puts me at about $2500 USD roughly. These are the types of bikes I'm looking at.
Giant Roam E+
Aventon Level 2
Gazelle Medeo T9
Ride 1 up Prodigy V2
Cube Touring Hybrid One 500
Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0
I am 6'1" tall and 240 pounds so a bike that offers a Small/Med and Large/XL type frame would be great. I'm usually around a 21"-22" frame or 56"-58" road bike frame.
What do you guys think. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Oh I should also mention I am really looking to get into a mid drive motor for my money if possible. Thanks
From that list, here are my thoughts:
- Eliminate the Giant, because it doesn't include rack & fenders and it's enough money that it should.
- Aventon Level.2: This is an outgoing model now, but I wouldn't avoid it because of that. I don't like the internet-enabled, subscription business model they're going to on the Level.3. I have 1900 trouble-free miles on mine now. It is not mid drive, but it powers up hills just fine and the chain & sprockets will last longer, being hub drive. On the other hand, I think our US models have a higher power rating (500 W) than Canadian? I only very rarely use higher than assist level 1, but maybe eliminate this one because it will seem less powerful without mid drive. (less torque available to the rear wheel in low gear)
- The Gazelle looks good overall, but on the downside, their battery integration is pretty lazy on that model. Some bratty teen could just walk by and kick it, breaking it off and cost you hundreds of dollars. Maybe you don't have that type of person in Canada. On the plus side, it's the only one with a cafe lock, the rack looks a lot heavier-duty than all the others' and definitely will give the best support for a pair of panniers. The rack also comes with a custom triple bungee. The chain guard seems to be the best of the bunch. Very practical. Mid-drive like you wanted.
- Ride1UP Prodigy V2: This one has a bit chunkier tires with a bit more aggressive tread than the rest. If you're going to ride off-pavement or even in a bit of snow, this will be nice to have. On pavement, they'll drain a bit more power than the others' tires. Chain guard is kind of a joke; just an elevated edge to the ring, you'd definitely need to keep your pant cuffs gathered with something. Ride1UP is a good brand though, and their after-sale support is good. Mid-drive.
- Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0: Very clean design and the only one in this bunch whose front fender extends down far enough to really keep your pants clean when the ride turns mucky. Nice chain guard too, and nice battery integration. It has a telescoping seatpost, so you will certainly be able to get full leg extension on it, which translates to free power; it's a question mark for the others. (Gazelle is probably fine, they have a LOT of very tall people in the Netherlands!) Mid drive.
- Cube: Like Gazelle, they are well-regarded in Europe but we don't get them here in the states. I've never seen one in the metal, so I can't really comment. It appears to be a bit slicker design than the Gazelle, but the Gazelle has that awesome rack & chain guard... Mid-drive.
After typing all that out, I think I would narrow it down to Gazelle vs. Specialized. Do you have a local shop that supports either brand? Just in case of a fault you couldn't work out at home, it would be nice to have the option to drop it off to a dealer and let them handle it. Ride1UP will support you, but you'd be your own technician, I think.
__________________
-Jeremy
Last edited by Smaug1; 03-21-25 at 03:13 PM.
Reason: corrected "power limit" to "power rating in 2nd bullet. Rated power can be very different than peak