I was apparently too giddy with excitement to THOROUGHLY read the instruction manual (pg. 5 Memory Effect from the RIDE+ supplement). I'm curious if the dealership went thru this process since it sat on their floor for awhile and was used for test rides (~8 miles).

I love this bicycle!

Hi there,
I'm researching for my first electric bike and was wondering what you guys & gals thought about how the Valencia or Fx would perform on very bumpy roads. I live off a dirt road, very steep, lots of potholes and gravel. I like the idea of regen brakes because I have to brake all the way down the 1 mile hill because it is so steep.

So far I've just been looking at e mtn bikes.

Thanks for any input!

I have no idea how the Valencia would act on an awful road, although some of the roads I take aren't paved all that well. It's really meant as a commuter bike, which sort of implies decent roads. A very steep road also works against a hub motor I think, because they don't develop as much torque as a chain linked motor.

I'd start a new post asking what kind of ebike to use on a steep and bumpy dirt road. I'd bet that the Treks won't be recommended.

The FX+ isn't very forgiving on bumpy roads - I try to steer clear of unimproved roads. It sounds like you might be better off with wider tires (mountain bike/low pressure tires) and shocks to absorb some of the impact. The FX+ is an excellent commuter bike; I added Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus panniers to the rear and manage to haul a bunch of stuff back and forth to the firehouse (extra clothes, toiletry kit, charger, crocs, etc.) which totals ~30 lbs. The bicycle is quite heavy with the panniers so I replaced my standard kickstand with a dual-leg kickstand. I also have a velcro strap to secure the front wheel when it is parked to keep it from swaying sharpy to one side, preventing it from crashing into the downtube paint job. I tried the 7200+ and it was a little more forgiving but I wasn't able to try a Valencia. Are you able to get to a local Trek dealer and give them a test-ride?