Why Are Some E-Bikes So Heavy? Folding Gravel Options & Dual-Suspension Picks – TWR Ep 50
Welcome back to Electric Bike Report. My name is John and I’m Griffin. Today we’re going to be taking a look at some new ebike releases. We’ve got a new gravel bike from Track as well as a peak behind the scenes at Rivian. Rivian as in the car company. That’s the one. Nice. We’re also going to take a look at some new helmet technology that is safer than MIP. Hey, you bring on the safety. And we’ll have a discussion about some lightweight high-end commuters. All that and more on this episode of the Weekly Recharge. [Music] All right, jumping into this week’s news. Let’s take a closer look at that new gravel bike from Trek. So, this is called the Checkpoint Plus SL. And it’s going to be available in three models. So, there’s the SL5, the SL6 AXS, and the SL7 AXS. And uh there’s a lot in common between them. Just some spec differences here. So, all feature the TQ HPR60 mid drive, and that has been recently upgraded to uh 350 watts of peak power and 60 new m of torque. There’s also an internal 360watth battery with an estimated 50 mi of range. The bikes have carbon frames and they come with Bontrager uh Gerona or Herona, I’m not sure the pronunciation of that. Uh Pro, I believe it’s my Shirona. My Shirona Pro 700C by 42mm tires. Uh thank you, Griffin. Anytime. Uh they do have capacity for up to 50 millimeter wide tires though for those who want a little bit of extra traction and cushion. And uh the weights here are going to vary by spec and size. But if we’re looking at the u medium large frames that have tubeless setups, we’re looking at between 30 and 31 lbs regardless. Uh so diving into the SL5 here. This one has a 12speed Shimano GRX drivetrain. There’s alloy wheels, a carbon fork, and then it has class 3 speeds. The SL6 AXS has the 12-speed Stram Rival or GX Eagle AXS drivetrain, as well as alloy wheels, a carbon fork and class 3 speeds. And then the SL7 AXS has a 13-speed Stram Force AXS drivetrain along with carbon wheels, a Rock Shocks Rudy XPLR fork with 40 mm of travel, and that one is a class 2 going by the website there. So, yeah, a lot of pretty promising stuff. Uh, pretty excited out there. Looks like a nice range of differences and it’s pretty interesting to see the Rock Shock Rock Shocks Rudy suspension fork there as well. Absolutely. This was one of those things, you know, our buddy Mike over at Electric Bike Review, we showed this to him. He’s kind of the road gravel person and took him all of like half second to be like, “Oh, I want that.” So, it’s a really good looking bike, really good looking setup, too, especially up on that SL 7 axis. Trek checkpoint’s going to be a little bit hard for me to say. I’m just going to call it the trek point moving forward. Yeah, I already messed up one take saying the checkpoint. We’re on take two of the news section, folks. Hopefully, we don’t go to three, but anyway, let’s move on to our next news story. Um, so this comes to us from Electra, and it’s a peak behind Rivian’s long rumored ebike with their secondary brand known as Also. So, this was pretty good. Also what? Also, just just also. Yeah. Also, what exactly? So, anyway, moving on. Um, so also, this is the uh, you know, long rumored brand that uh, Rivian has had in the works. They have poached some like uh higherend people like at Specialize and things like that. So, a lot of mystery here. I’ve actually tried grilling some Rivian employees on it at different trade shows we went to. Couldn’t get a peep out of them. So, kudos to Micah here at Electra for some good reporting. So, what they were able to find after kind of like scrubbing through this video tease release, they were able to get some unblurred images that uh they had originally tried to blur out. The bike looks to be a utility style step through ebike with small wheels, a rear hub motor, we think, an inverted suspension fork, a head tube integrated headlight, a child passenger capable cargo rack, and potentially a rear suspension via a swing arm attached to the rear wheel. Now, there’s an interesting kind of like rectangular block making up the middle of the frame that likely houses the battery and possibly some rear suspension elements, too. We will see. And then Micah rightly pointed out in his article that much of the bike looks custom and potentially higherend, which may mean its price could be out of the affordable range for most consumers. And if it’s premium, we know we have the question, how well will it sell? Time will tell. Um, it’s just very cool to see the bike and imagine the possibilities, but like, you know, details are a bit scarce for now. The formal announcement is scheduled for October 22nd, so stay tuned and we’ll have more details then. Like I said, this is kind of one of those things I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time. time. Lots of car companies have kind of dabbled in electric bikes. We’re even testing some out like right now. Been kind of waiting for like one of the dedicated electric car manufacturers to do a serious take on an ebike. So fingers crossed maybe this is what you know what we’re going to finally like see coming from those brands. Yeah, it definitely looks like they’re they’re putting a lot of development time and effort into this. So maybe we’ll end up with one and we’ll get some firsthand experience. We will see. Uh moving on though, our last story for the week comes to us about the uh new helmet technology. So um there is basically a new helmet design from Canyon that got the number one spot at the Virginia Tech helmet lab uh kind of dethroning all of the things that use MIPS at the moment. So if you’re not familiar already, helmets with MIPS uh involve like a low friction internal layer that can it it sort of floats freely inside the helmet. can move a little bit and shift if you do have an impact. Uh gives you about 10 to 15 millimeters of like rotation to reduce that rotational force that causes traumatic brain injuries. Um this new system though is called RLS. That stands for release layer system. So instead of being an internal layer, this is an external system of plates that actually can like break away from the helmet and roll away. Um so with this new technology, there are three layers to the helmet. starting with the the base layer which is the helmet shell. Then on top of that there’s a what’s called a bearing layer uh that is bonded to the helmet shell and that’s made up of like little tiny polycarbonate bearings. And then on top of that there’s like the outer shell which is called the uh patented release panels and basically if enough force is applied the adhesive between the layers kind of breaks free and allows the separating plates to roll and break away from the base layer. And that actually works a little bit faster than the MIP system. So it is ultimately safer and a little better at uh taking away that rotational force. So according to the RLS website here, there was a company called Fulsum Insurance that tested 68 different helmets between 2019 and 2023. And then a quote here directly, RLS was shown to reduce the relative risk of concussion by 76% compared to conventional helmets tested in this set. RLS was also shown to reduce the relative risk of concussion by 63% when compared to helmets equipped with MIPS in the data set. So I mentioned the Canyon helmet that is uh kind of up and coming here yet to be released that is called the Deflector RLS that’s uh kind of like a mountain bike style half shell. And then there’s another brand, another company that is producing a helmet uh that actually got the number two spot at the Virginia Tech Lab. That is called Hexr. And the helmet is called the Meen RLS. So the company Hexer or Hexrar uh was co-founded by Jamie Cook who actually created the RLS technology and and founded that company. So uh the helmets have 6.82 and 6.93 ratings respectively to Canyon and the Hexer. Uh, and so the Canyon model is again, uh, details to to be released here, but we’re going to have a retail price of 160 bucks on that. And then the Meeten helmet is a commuter style helmet that’s set to release in October with a price of about 150 bucks. Uh, but then Hexer’s website also lists an Arrow Road helmet called the Cipher, and doesn’t look like that one’s been tested by Virginia Tech yet, but that one is set to come out next spring and costs around 250 bucks. Um, I mean, a lot of good information in there, but you know, for me, my going away, like the big takeaway here for me is just the fact that we’re getting safer technology. MIPS has for a very long time been kind of the standard for helmets. Um, the top safety rated things that you will find out there almost all had MIP technology in them. And now we have like a new number one and number two in Virginia Tech’s very well uh respected database. It’s really awesome to see. And even looking at their database here, those are more affordable helmets and basically everything else like in the top 10. Very good point. So, we’re seeing some premium elite tier protection for more affordable costs, new advancements in technology. This seems really, really promising and I’m very excited for this tech to come out and hopefully get our hands on to test it uh for ourselves. But yeah, really promising stuff here. So, I agree. I feel like it’s not that long ago that we were just talking about sort of the last shakeup at Virginia Tech ratings. There was the Fox helmet that I believe you talked about on the show a while back, but you know, just in the span of of a couple months, a few weeks here basically that we’ve seen, you know, big changes in the industry. And if it actually turns out as promising as as it looks, I expect this is going to just sort of take off. I say TBI are not fun things and not things we like to see, but it is unfortunately a thing tied into the cycling culture. So, if there’s something out there that can further reduce like occurrences of that, sign me up all day. Absolutely. But anyway, that’s going to do it for this week’s news. Now, we’re going to take a look at some gear that we’ve been sent for testing. And well, to start things off, I actually have to get rid of this mug. Bye-bye, old thing. We’re going to be talking about some new stuff today with some Tibo insulated water bottles. John, tell us a little bit more about these. Yeah, for sure. So, we got these in to test. These are dualwalled insulated water bottles that are made from 304 stainless steel. Uh there are two sizes. We’ve got either 17 or 23 ounce options. Um, so they’re advertised to drink uh keep drinks cold for 12 plus hours, but do note that they are not for hot beverages. So the uh main canister is stainless steel, but then you have a plastic screw on cap with a silicone nozzle. And this is designed to be like a high flow nozzle. So since you can’t squeeze the bottle, you need to be able to get, you know, actual worthwhile amount of liquid out of it. So, they have this set up very well. Um, so that I actually did test and and it was great. Um, now the uh there’s a little vent in here that actually, you know, keeps uh the flow going when you have that open. And because of that, um, you know, you you can get some some leaks there. So, you don’t want to like put this in a backpack where it can get kind of tilted upside down, but if it’s in a bottle cage on your bike, it is not going to leak there. Um, now these are dishwasher safe as well. And uh let’s see, they are compatible with universal bottle cages. And then again with two sizes. So I’ll talk about weights here as well. So the 17oz option is 260 g. The 23 ounce option is 320 g. And then we’ve got prices of right about $35 and 40 bucks on the big one. Uh with five and two color options, respectively. So yeah, seems like a pretty good setup. Uh yeah, seem like pretty solid products. You know, interested to try them out a little bit more. It is one of the more annoying things. Anytime I use one of my squeeze bottles, I almost always like will make like some sort of like uh you know like energy drink thing like mix in the night before, put it in the fridge and like 10 minutes into my ride, especially during the summer time. It feels like it’s already gotten back to uh warm. So nice to have something insulated. Sorry, John. They don’t recommend a hot drink, so Mr. Coffee drinker, don’t do it. You’ll probably do it anyway, let’s be honest. But I was looking forward to that on my commute. Yeah, especially as the mornings get cooler here. But all in all, seemed like pretty good stuff. and, you know, let you know more about them as we start testing these out more. But you can find links down in the video description if you want to check that out for yourself. All right, let’s talk about what we have going on behind the scenes here at Electric Bike Report. So, we’ve got a few things that came in the door that are pretty interesting. Starting off with a bike from a company called Bi Omega. Now, uh, this bike, I’m not sure exactly what the pronunciation is on this. Uh, it’s the letters B R. So, I don’t know if that’s Burr, Bear, or BER or BER. Exactly. So, the downside of email exchanges, but it does look like a pretty cool bike though, regardless. Correct. Yeah. So, this is a pretty lightweight city bike, but it’s got a really crazy cool frame design. Uh, definitely sort of a highly conceptual thing going on, but really cool and also very practical, very comfortable. Uh, it’s got a 250 watt rear hub motor with a single speed belt drive, very responsive, very dialed in. a lot of custom parts on this bike, too. But then I think one of the coolest things that I saw so far, there was like a headlight that was actually directly integrated into the handlebar, like not mounted to like part of the set into the handle. Kind of surprised me the first time I turned on. I was like, “Oh, hello.” Yeah, there you are. That’s a thing. Yeah, for sure. So, anyway, uh you know, that’s uh that review is going to be coming up relatively soon. That’s right. And then the next one’s actually kind of a big one. We have the Ama Santa Monica. Uh, this is actually one of the brands that our audience has been asking us our opinions on for a long time. So, we’re really happy to finally be getting some AMA bikes in. Yes, we’re starting things off with the Santa Monica. I think we’re going to be getting some more in later as well. But the Santa Monica, it’s a pretty nice looking design. Kind of that commuter cruisery kind of blended styling. Uh, 750 W motor, 720 watth battery, SR Sunour fork. Um, and you know, pretty decent like paint jobs. Three different options to pick from there. So again, looks really promising and we’re excited to finally be able to answer the questions you guys have been asking uh for a long time on that one. Make sure to subscribe so you can see that one when it comes out soon. That’s right. But things that we did have coming. You had one with the Rue Rev XL. That is right. Following up the regular RREV, which was really radical and a bunch of other Rwords, rambunctious rad’s a different company. That is fair. Okay, we’ll avoid that one. Anyway, in any case, yes, so the RUREV XL was the larger version of Retrospect’s cargo ebike. So, uh, pretty cool paint job here with like a sage green and then a high viz orange cargo rack. Uh, it’s a little bit on the lighter weight for a, uh, cargo bike like this, but, you know, plenty of capacity there for moving stuff and you got a powerful 750 W motor with a torque sensor to, uh, you know, get you where you need to go. Yeah, that’s right. Um, I also had a couple other things go live. So, I had the Avel Atlas go live. This is a very fun bike as well. It is kind of that commuter styling, but it’s got a lot of potential with it. In fact, this bike at one point actually held the world record for longest uh distance traveled in like an ebike tour. Um it’s since been passed, but again, just really rock solid foundation. Cool tech on there with um some Nvolo um drivetrain technology, Gates carbon belt drive, and a pretty powerful uh mid drive motor as well. So, check that one out. There’s a lot going on to discuss on that. And last but not least, we had a um hanging storage rack that we reviewed the store your board um or store your bike in this case. Freestanding G system. So it holds up to a max of five different bikes. I like to think of it as either long-term uh storage or like kind of like short-term bike parking for three between three and five bikes. So, um, if you want to tidy up your garage space and, you know, just get reclaim some more square footage on the floor, take a look at that one as you can hang a bunch of bikes off of it. [Music] All right, so now we’re going to take a look at some of the cool places around the country where you can ride your ebike and just take in the scenery, enjoy the sights, just relax, cut loose. That’s what that’s what we’re good for. So, uh, last week we talked about Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the trail systems there. Today, I’ve got something relatively similar today, right? Yeah. Today we’re going further east to Harbor Springs, Michigan. I really did like John’s approach last week, kind of like focusing on a city or town and talking about some of the cycling infrastructure they’ve got going on. And this was actually a pretty cool location to learn about. This was one of People for Bikes’s top 10 uh, biking cities back in 2024. And the more I looked into it, the the more obvious it was that it was a top biking destination. It has such a diverse mix of ways to ride here that there is quite literally like something for everybody. You can take some really cool coastal views in along like rail trail lines. There’s some road biking opportunities, mountain bikings with a you know lift and gravity park. really just whatever type of ragging you do, you can do it here at this kind of like fairly small town like population of less than 2,000 people, but pretty big like area to just explore right alongside of Lake Michigan. So, some pretty cool stuff here. Uh, starting things off, I mentioned the like coastal views you can take in. They have something called the Little Traverse Wheelway. So, this is a 26mi ride along a rail trail. Just a pretty cool pathway. Very picturesque opportunities. some of the photos, you know, that we could find here. You have some cool tunnels, wooded areas, some craftsmany looking buildings, just again nice peaceful small town vibes. Really pleasant looking thing. Now, the looks really great. It looks really great, doesn’t it? Now, the uh history dates back to the 1880s when this was a rail line. You could actually spot some penny farings uh along along the route, I’m told. I’ve always wanted an electrified penny farthing, so if someone out there has it, please get in touch with me. Um anyway, but if you’re more of a roadie type person, you can actually do a pretty long loop. You can turn it into like a 55 mile stretch just sticking on um roadways, there is the Susan’s Creek Nature Preserve in Lake Michigan you can check out. So, some really cool and scenic things where you can check out forests, meadows. There’s even the Black Ash Swamp and some cedar thicket. Uh just a fantastic place to spot wildlife as well. So, a lot going on. And then the bike park that I teased is the Highlands Bike Park for mountain bikers. So, there is a lift ticket for $32 that you can take. A mix of free ride and technical trails, cross country as well. There’s just something for all skill levels here. Dense forest settings. It is ebike friendly as well, at least for class one ebikes on some of the trails. Just make sure to check out the trail heads. But overall, just again, really cool small town. A lot of cycling uh appeal here. It also has some like year- round stuff going on because that bike park is actually next to a ski lodge. So, you can enjoy it in the spring and summer. You can come back in the winter. Just a lot of really cool stuff to check out. And as always, I just love scrolling through the photo packs here. Love what people have uploaded. Just looks absolutely p picturesque. And that’s, you know, what we like to talk about in this section. You know, there’s no point talking about a place if it’s boring or ugly. So, uh, good find here. I like what I’m seeing here. And, you know, if there’s any place that you ride that you’d like us talk to talk about on the show, let us know down in the comments section. Uh, if you’re from Harbor Springs and you’ve ridden in any of these areas, let us know what you what you thought of them. Uh, but then of course you can also email us at questionsele electric.com. [Music] All right, now we’re going to dive into the meat and potatoes of every week, which is the question and comments from you out in our audience. These are all pulled directly from our YouTube channel, our website, or sometimes from our email at questionselectricbikereport.com. So, if you’ve got burning questions, just remember you can always reach us and hopefully we’ll be jumping into yours next week. But let’s start things off with a question we got from I believe it’s David Poe with 2066 at Velrifold One Plus review on YouTube who says, “I take it this bike wouldn’t be good on gravel. If not any folding bikes that would be or excuse me, are there any folding bikes that would be great review?” Well, thank you, David. Uh well, definitely David Poe with two. Yeah, that Yeah. Also, I wanted to say I love meat and potatoes, so I’m glad we made it to this section. Okay. Uh so anyway, I obviously tested and reviewed the Fold One Plus there. And during my testing, I did briefly take it on a couple of gravel sections. Uh so one was like a pear-ravel parking lot area and then another one was a sort of behind our area spot where there’s some like full-size large gravel. Um and it actually did a surprisingly good job in both places. A little bit uh you know smoother on the pravel than the huge gravel. Um, but you know, the suspension fork helped out a lot there. And then of course the 20×3 knobby tires that the bike comes with, that’s that’s what they’re there for, you know. Um, so if you are going to choose this bike and ride it in areas like that, I would recommend uh dropping the handlebars down a little bit lower. So steering can just be a little harder to control with bars that are high due to the bike’s long reach. Um, that, you know, is pretty common on a lot of folding ebikes. But uh just something to keep in mind. Actually, one thing that we liked about the Field One Plus is the fact that the handlebars are a little bit wider than than you find in most cases. But uh in any case, so with that in mind, this is not a gravel bike per se. Um so if you are looking for a folding bike that is specific to gravel, there is one that we know of out there called the uh Brmpton electric Gline. That’s a pretty new ebike that is specifically made towards gravel. uh and of course has Brmpton’s very quick folding technology built in there. So, uh it’s not on the it’s on the pricey side for sure, but you know, you can definitely check that one out. Um but other options out there, the Electric XP4 may be a good one. And the reason that I recommend that really is uh the differences in in geometry there. So, Electric switched uh to a 0° stem. So, that brings the handlebars a little bit closer, makes it a little bit more ergonomic and comfortable. uh just a little bit easier to steer. But with that bike, you would probably want to look at swapping out the tires. So, Electric did sort of a custom tire tread pattern on that uh that doesn’t really have the the knobby tread that you would need for riding on gravel. Um so, you would need to probably look at that. But, you know, to round that all out, again, again, the if you’re looking for something right out of the box that’s, you know, pretty affordable, uh the Fold One Plus is still a good option there. Absolutely. All right. What’s our next one? Next one we have uh this one comes to us actually from the website. This is on the best electric trikes page from someone named Sheila Noble. So Sheila, thanks for writing in. She said, “I am 75, female, 5’11. Bike will be used on road and cobbled street. Do I buy a fat wheel or not? Most trikes makers do not give stepover height. I would need it low in caps as I have trouble raising my leg high. My bike repair shop suggested a rear wheel motor for better balance. says they are cheaper than midwheel. I have researched trikes and looking at the following electric but they say suitable for 5’4 to 6’1 and meet one breeze pro. Only downside is the odd tire size. They tell me tires are not exclusive to them but are rare. So what can we what can we help Sheila out with um yeah we’ll jump into this. We’ll take it point by point. There was a lot to kind of cover there so we’ll jump into it one by one. Um so in terms of the first thing, do you need a fat tire trike? Not necessarily. I would say there is some benefit to it when you do have that wider footprint if you are going over like some the gravel like area that we were just discussing. Now for something that’s cobbled it’s it might be a little bit bumpier or something like that. But again it should be set in place and you’re not going to be like moving around too much. So it’ll just be a little more of a bumpy ride. There are benefits to the wider tires of course. You can kind of like air them down a little bit. Does make it just feel a little bit softer. Kind of like a faux form of suspension really. So again there are benefits there but you don’t need to if you don’t want to. um your bike shop technicians are correct. Most of the cost friendly trikes that we’ve reviewed have either like hub motors mounted between the rear wheels or just one in the front tire. Um the for me in particular, I feel like that mounting of the hub motor between the rear wheels was a bit of a game changer as it does kind of provide some nicer benefits, more traction stuff to the rear tires. It’s wheelie great. It’s really great. That is the second time he’s made that joke. Let’s see if he can get three. But um I’m so sorry. But either of those if it’s located there or in that front tire. It is more affordable than a traditional mid drive which kind of like integrates in between the cranks. So, um if you’re uh you also asked about Meat One products, which in all honesty, we were not familiar with that company before you had talked about them. Um interesting looking design. There’s like some things that kind of intrigues me, but there are a couple of potential red flags as well. Um the company’s website did not specify much detail in terms of components, especially the motor and battery. That’s something we’re always we don’t want any mysteries or surprises there. Definitely. They also advertise a trike going up to 22 mph. Um, we typically advocate for slower speeds on trikes. Most people are going to be at their most comfortable somewhere in the 12 to 15 mph max range. Some go up to 20 if they can handle it, but kind of going beyond that, we don’t really advise it just because trikes are inherently tip prone into corners. And the faster you’re taking those, there’s just some obviously built-in risks there. So, not loving the advertise the speed up to 22. Um, and then the saddle setup seems a bit unconventional or actually a little bit torn on this between me and John. Um, I think it looks kind of intriguing in a way, but at the same time, so the the back rest is like separate from the actual part that you sit on. So it’s more of like a traditional bike saddle with like a mounted back rest separate from it. I don’t know. You could talk me into it like being like kind of cool. And there was also like a different like little like captain chair looking one. So I’m not sure which one you’re referring to there. Captain chair more promising than the other ones I’d say. just kind of like some questions we have before we can say, “Oh, it looks like a great idea.” Um, so the electric XP trike, that one should actually work for you. It had um we actually put one of our shorter uh testers on it, Kaylee, who is 5’4 and has a 28 in inseam, and she actually said that she was doing just fine on that at her height. So, um I I realize you’re a little bit shorter than her, but she still had room to spare though on that to go even lower if needed. So, I think you’d probably be okay. If you do want something that is, you know, designated for someone in your height range though, the Rad Track from Rad Powerbikes is another good option. That one does have the hub motor in the front tire on that one, but it is listed at being suitable for people. Um, oh, I lost it. It was 7410 to 6’4. 4 foot 10 to 6’4. There it is. Thank you, John. And has a low standover height of about 13.4 in. So, very easily accessible on that one. So, either the Rad Trike or Electric XP would be really good ones to take a look at. and we’ll leave links for those down in the video description. Um, so next question comes to us from Michael Bradbury on the Scott Silence Evo um, review on the website who said, “Watched with growing excitement. This bike is just me and always liked Scott bikes, but 62 lb is just crazy. WTH, why is it so heavy? I know geared hubs are heavy, but no suspension and 62 lb. Dang. My 2016 full suspension EMTB weighs 51 lb. What other bikes would you compare this to in terms of quality, but on the lighter end? Okay, so I took a pretty close look at this bike. I just wanted to kind of figure out like where most of the weight was. Uh just cuz yeah, I I think you brought up a fair point there. It’s uh it’s on the heavier side. But um you know, in terms of similar commuters out there, I you know, it’s it’s kind of about average. Um but but uh yeah so anyway I kind of you know played around with bike lifted various parts of it and most of the weight really seemed to be the frame motor and battery. Um so actually looking into like Bosch publishes the weights of their motor and battery. Uh and then just kind of finding some like generalized frame info without taking all the stuff actually off the bike to weigh it. Um it kind of seems like those things make up around 40% of the total bike weight. So, that’s pretty significant there. Um, but then, you know, generalizing based on data available online, uh, you know, we’ve got another 8 to 10 pounds in the wheels and tires, maybe another two or three in the brakes, and then another five and five or six in the drivetrain. Um, so I think that this really is a case of just like a lot of little things adding up. Uh, and especially if you’re looking and comparing to your 51lb EMTB, there are a lot of things here that are going to be a little bit different. Um, I mean, you know, you’ve got a aluminum fork here on the Scott. You’ve also got fenders. You’ve got a wheel lock. You got a license plate holder. You have the cargo rack. You know, all of those things definitely add up. Um, I’m sure that there’s going to be some differences in, you know, suspension and, uh, and drivetrain with your bike there. But, uh, this bike also has a pretty beefy adjustable stem as well, so there’s some weight there. again just kind of the sum of its parts getting to that 62 lb which again if if we look at similar bikes is uh you know not too far off from the norm. Um so with that in mind I definitely think if you’re interested in this bike I I would say that I think you would like it. Just my experience riding it. I noticed the weight when the bike was stationary but the motor is plenty powerful to make up for the weight when you’re riding. Um, you know, and and in some ways actually weight can be a really good thing because that just helps the bike feel really stuck to the ground, really planted as we say, and stable going at speed as well, like when you’re barreling downhill, stuff like that. Sometimes I do prefer those heavier bikes beneath me in all honesty. I I definitely agree with that, especially if you’re going at class 3 speeds like this one does, for sure. Um, but with that said, you know, we did uh take a look at our testing database and found a couple similarish options here uh that are on the lighter side. So, I was actually going to mention the Trek Alant Plus, but that bike is currently sold out. So, little little interesting there to see if maybe there’s a new model on the way. We’ll find out. Yeah, but uh things that are available right now. So, we um going in order, I guess, from lightest to heaviest. We’ve got the Specialized Turbo Vado SL2 6.0 Carbon. That’s a mouthful. We tested the EQ model. Um, but the base model here uh is weighs in around Yeah. base model for the Carbon 6400. Is that right? Yes. Correct. Yeah. Base model for the Carbon 6400. The one that we tested was higher. Uh it had the cargo rack and fenders. Uh but our test bike weighed 41 lb. So the regular 6.0 uh should be a little bit lighter. And then there is also an alloy model uh that we have not reviewed, but that one is advertised to weigh 404 12 lb. Uh and that one starts at $4,600. But then Griffin one that you tested was the Trek FX Plus 7S. Um so yeah, all of these are going to be pretty similar as far as like their their motor power and battery capacity, that sort of thing. Uh this bike weighs in at 43 lb and it’s uh pretty similar in price to what the Scott is currently. me it’s right around $4,000. Yeah. Um and that was also a great bike as well. So if you do want an alternative that is lighter weight, I would actually endorse the FX Plus 7S. Um that’s one of the I don’t know top five bikes I feel I’ve tested in the last 12 months or so. It really is a good ride there. Um and will help save weight. So I I would say and correct me if I’m wrong, but like the Specialized model is maybe a little bit higher tech if you’re into that sort of thing with like motor tuning and app connectivity, security features, that sort of thing. Um whereas the FX is just a little bit more natural in its power delivery and and and really does feel like riding in all that one has the TQ motor which is we you know you can kind of like analyze motors under different lenses. You can talk about raw power but if we look at the like natural engagement side of things and the amount of noise it produces. The TQ motor is amongst the best for natural engagement and for the quietness of the motor. It is really something else. um and was still pretty decent and good usable power as well, I’d say. Definitely. And and as far as noise goes, the uh Specialized motor was was pretty quiet as well. But definitely, yeah, there’s a few trade-offs there with both models. But anyway, moving on to our next question. This comes to us from a regular commenter and viewer of the show, Rick ID, who commented on last week’s episode. Uh a little bit of a lengthy comment here. We’ll read through. Rick says, “Another good show. I’ve been watching your reviews and this weekly show since it began while reaching 79 years in age. Congratulations. Yes, my newest bike is UL approved with name brand parts, but my first ebike is heavy folding with small fat tired nonul and has currently gone 11,667 mioo. Watching your reviews, I’ve learned the tester begins in the highest gear and shifted down while climbing hills. And on bikes with throttles, does that test does that test in the highest PAS setting? Is one to assume you’re using the bike’s lowest gear when climbing? Remembering the biggest enemy for any electric motor is heat? I don’t recall ever hearing what gear you’re in on throttle tests, only the highest PAS setting. Remember, now you have 100,000 viewers. Thank you all to you who have subscribed. Uh and then some who have never ridden a bicycle before buying an ebike. So, that’s a good point. You know, definitely worth diving into some Yeah, for sure. Happy to kind of clear that one up there. So, for most throttle tests, uh just to clarify for those who might be new. For most throttle tests, gearing doesn’t matter, the majority of ebikes are hub motors, which operates independently of your drivetrain, your uh your chain and your cassette. So, with that, just mash the throttle and off it will spin. Which, you know, fun fact, if your chain broke for any reason and you have a throttle with a hub motor, you can technically still power your way back home. All right. Now, when it comes to mid drive motors where that sits directly beneath the crank arms, that actually helps you do the pulling of the bike, pulling that chain, moving that rear wheel, so you’re working together as opposed to two different forces operating kind of like simultaneously. We kind of like to think about rear hub motors as like adding to your effort while mid drives sort of amplify your effort, but which is a great way to put it. So that’s why they’re usually a little bit more natural feeling, but you do have to respect gearing because you are still interacting with the drivetrain and the cassette as you would on a regular bike. So with that in mind, typically when pedaling, the gearing just kind of depends on the motor power and the gearing range in all honesty. Um the lowest gear on a 5-speed commuter isn’t the same thing as the lowest gear on an EMTB or a gravel bike, for example. Um so Justin had mentioned that he can cruise up the hill with, you know, some fast and powerful bikes like in eighth or ninth gear, while others require first or second. We really do kind of take it on a case by case approach. We just try to find the sweet spot, the optimal uh gear for getting that bike up the hill as it were. So the key again is just finding like the the right cadence, the right amount of effort and you know if you go too low in a gear, it can take forever to climb the hill as well. And we’re trying to give everything like it’s you know best foot forward exactly when it comes to that. So and there is even occasionally like a bike that might have like an Nvolo system or something like that. the type of thing that you can uh it has a mid drive so it’s pulling that system but you can actually gear that one like pretty easily just using the throttle too. It’s kind of designed to be able to shift under a load as opposed to other systems where you don’t want to be shifting under a load. So it’s not ideal to try and change gears midway up these this particular test. We usually try to avoid that. So, um, hopefully that’s a little bit more information and insight. And, you know, kind of like Rick here, like if you see like something you have a question about our testing or anything like that, we’re always more than happy to answer those questions and to expand a little bit. And we do actually have a description of how we do our tests on the website. We can always kind of expand on that and add more to it. So, keep the helpful questions coming for sure. All right. So, next up is um Lauren Esera 5888. Hey, Bike Ranger review on YouTube. Who says, “Uh, what other dual suspension ebikes are a good competitor to this?” Uh, are a good competitor to this for me to research and consider. Not concerned with price or folding. I need it to be small with the Ranger for my wife. Minimum 750 watts, dual suspension, max range is important. Thanks. Sure. Yeah. Uh, good good question here. So, actually, uh, looking at the two most recent hayike reviews that we’ve completed, so that was the Ranger 3.0 Pro and the Mars 3.0. know those are the first full suspension folding ebikes that we have tested. Um you know kind of in in the past folding bikes have kind of prioritized low weight and portability over comfort and power but that kind of largely seems to have gone out the window at least here in in the US. There’s still companies overseas making very lightweight folding bikes, but yeah, definitely the these are not those. Um, states side we seem to like a lazy boy for comfort and Ferrari speeds. That’s absolutely true. Yeah, for sure. And that lines up here. Um, so, you know, those are really the only full suspension folding ebikes that we have to to say that’s specifically, you know, what you’re looking for. But um there are some options that we’ve tested that uh and I know you said that folding isn’t necessarily important, but uh smaller bikes that have full suspension, we don’t have anything that’s that’s quite in that same vein, but we can recommend some similar sized ebikes that have suspension seat posts, which will get you pretty close in terms of comfort. Uh so there we’ve got the Aventabound SR. So that’s a short tail uh utility/cargo style ebike. We’ve got the electric XP4 uh 750 model which is a folding ebike. And then we have the Aventon Cinch 2.5 which is also a folding ebike from Aventin. Um but then there are some other similar sized options that you might consider but then you would need to add a suspension seat post. And you know depending on what model of suspension seat post you’re looking at you can generally get those somewhere between you know 60 and 120 bucks all the way up to 300 if you really want to go for it. Uh anyway, uh we’ve looking at the Ride OneUp Portola there. We’ve got the Veltric Fold 1 Plus. We have the Rad Powerbikes Rad Expand 5 Plus and then of course the electric one. So, all very good bikes, ones that we highly recommend, and you know, variety of brands to choose from there. But, uh you also mentioned that range was a big consideration here. So, I’m just going to run through our data for kind of all of those bikes that we have discussed so far. So, the Aventabound SR, that one had, you know what? I’m sorry. I’m going to back up and we’re going to hit the hay bikes first since we started with those. So, the Ranger 3.0 Pro, that went 26 and 51 mi in our testing. The Mars 3.0 went 34 and 61 mi. Now, jumping into the Eventbound SR, that one went 35 and 87. The electric XP4 went 37 and 63. Again, that was the 750 W model. The Avent and Sin 2.5 went 35 and 56 miles. The Rideonut Portola gets a little bit dicey here cuz our test bike had a bigger battery than what is currently offered. So, based on our testing, we have estimates of 22 and 47 mi with the highest uh battery capacity that’s offered right now. That’s 13.4 A. And let’s see, we’ve got the Fold One Plus that went 30 and 68 mi. We have the Rad Expand 5 Plus that went 39 and 83 mi. And finally, the electric one went 32 and 53 miles. So based on all of that, if range is a very high priority, uh the Abbound SR from Aventin and the Rad Expand 5 Plus from Rad Powerbikes might be the best options just because they they really topped out when on the high end in their low power settings. Um, so pretty much all of these bikes were were very similar in their high power range tests, but the low end is is really where the big differences are. So again, those uh the Abound went 87 mi and the Rad Expand was up to 83. But then the XP4750 and Veltric Fold 1 Plus might be like your secondary options. They had like results in the ’60s pretty good. Um, but you know, just kind of coming back to that full suspension thing that you started with. If that really is kind of your primary consideration, then you know, both of those Hey models are very solid. Uh, we actually were very impressed with those bikes. They showed a very big leap forward for the band uh for the brand and um yeah, they were comfortable. They were well put together and they had pretty good test results. Yeah, prior to those ones, you know, a lot of hayback models were affordable and kind of roadl like it, but those ones we were actually very satisfied with just in terms of the comfort and just the overall solid feel to it. Really a hard thing to quantify, but they’re just pretty solid, especially for like newer full suspension folding designs, which no one’s really tackled. So, they’re pretty good. So, yeah, very impressive. Very impressive. Uh, but then rounding things out here with our last question of the day. This comes to us from John 52772 on the electric XP4750 review. Griffin, uh, do you feel a difference in frame flex or control between the step through and regular frames at all? Do they ride different in any way at all other than the approach to the seat? Um, good question. And the answer is like not really very much that we could recall or notice at the time. We I I know we vaguely discussed that when we were reviewing those. Um, full disclosure, I wanted to get those out and ride prior to filming, but they’re buried behind a mountain bike. So, um, it does not stand out in any way. That is something that we often discuss when we have both those bikes side to side. The step through is really more of a mid-step, just kind of like a lower angle. And as you mentioned, you know, just the approach to the seat is a little bit different. So, it is easier to mount, but in terms of its ride quality, they just both felt really, really solid. Electric builds those things like a tank. And I mean that in the best possible way. They are just very sturdy. Um, you know, a lot of people if they the first time they discover folding bikes, there’s kind of like a natural hesitance there of like, oh, there’s a hinge frame in the frame like in the middle there seems bad. But on these ones, like you would not know it’s a folding frame if you didn’t actually look down and see it. They just feel very solid and very sturdy. Um, so with that in mind, you know, of course the XP4 model does come in two specific tiers. So there’s the 500 watt and 750 watt motor, and both are available in high-step or step through frames. And honestly, both feel pretty great to me. Um, there’s a little bit of power difference that you can notice, but the 500 is still punching above its weight in terms of its motor spec, I’ll tell you that much. Um, you can start at the 500 watt model for $1,000 or the 750 for a few hundred more. Um, plus looks like right now you get the larger battery, the suspension seat post, more color options and stuff, moving up to that 750 watt uh tier. So, um, you know, if it were me, I would go for the 750. I always like a little more battery, a little more power, but for either of them, high step, step three model, they ride confidently, they ride really well. They’re amongst the best values you’re going to find in ebikes, period. I think to to add to that, you know, in response to our previous question, you talked about sort of the the leap that Hey Bike made in, you know, just ride feel and and build quality and everything. And I think we saw the same thing from electric with this generation of XP4 models. like the XP123 all kind of felt very much the same kind of light light construction on the frames. Like it just felt kind of entry level, right? Where these were very much sturdier, beefier, bigger, better built. I was going to say it, they went from good to great. And when you kind of factor in the price of it all, it just some of the best value out there, any bike. So, absolutely. Um, but really great questions this week. Just a reminder, you can reach out to us and hope we’ll be answering yours next time. Now it is time for John and I to save you money. That’s right. I am talking deals of the week. Deals of the week. And starting things off, let’s talk about Aventon. They have discounts on their last generation of ebikes, including the Adventure 2, the Pace 500.3, and the Level Two. So, the Adventure 2 is a flagship model from them. Their fat tire eBike is $500 off down to $14.99. So, even though it is last generation, it is still a fantastic fat tire eBike, even by modern standards. The Pace 500 is their classic city cruiser. That’s $300 off down to $14.99 as well. And finally, the Level Two uh Trusty Commuter, $400 off down to $14.99. Pretty good pricing on all of those ones. Yeah, I mean, really, you know, uh the only differences here are the lack of security features when compared to the newest models, but uh performance still topnotch. the performance is still great and if you want to save $35 $500, good opportunity to do so there. Absolutely. But then we’ve also got some clearance going on over at Mockhe. Uh so great deals on last gen models there with the Basult highep and step through models. Um and the Obsidian highstep and step through. So these are both uh power station ebikes, meaning that you can use their batteries once connected to a power inverter to power or charge other devices on the go. Uh, so the Basult main difference here, Basalt is a hard tail with 750 watt motor. The Obsidian has a full suspension and a 10,000 watt rear hub motor. Uh, the Basalt is 600 bucks off down to 1,600. And then the Obsidian is $800 off down to just 2,000. So, uh, you know, definitely still some good deals out there despite all the price increases and tariffs and all that stuff. That’s right. And then rounding things out here is Volt sale on the Centauri 2, which is a mid drive commuter. That one is $600 off down to $2,599. It’s got some fun tech on here, including an automatic shifting uh 3-speed hub. It’s a fun and smooth just hop on and ride type of experience. So, take a look at that one while it is on discount. But that’s going to do it for deals of the week. [Music] All right, we really appreciate each and every one of you who writes in and contributes to the show. Uh, so we have this section where we take some time to, you know, shout out to somebody who wrote into us. And, uh, this week, Griffin, who do we have? We have 2Z Max on the Velri Nomad OnePlus review on our YouTube channel who says, “I got a Nomad 1 Plus recently. Your test results are spot-on with my experiences. Very close numbers with my bike. I like settings 3, four, and five and will go about 28 mi. I purchased an extra battery to be able to enjoy riding without battery anxiety. I do take longer trips. The bike is perfect for larger persons. I’m 6’1”, 220 lbs. I am very comfortable on it. Your entire video is well done with trusted numbers and descriptions. Thank you. Thank you. Um, we’ve talked about this a few times before, but in all honesty, the hardest part of this job is sometimes the logistical nightmare that is getting testing done, that is getting photos and video and getting scripts written and the stuff we have to do on the uh website, things like that. Believe it or not, this is still a job that we have responsibilities. It is John’s responsibilities and it takes a long time to get all put together and we’ve got such a great and supporting team. you see John and I, but there are a lot of other people behind the scenes like Christina behind the camera right now and who’s now doing a dance. Um, so it again is a collaborative group effort. Our whole purpose and goal is to just help you learn more about these bikes. It’s why we go out and test them as thoroughly as we do. Even though it is such a pain, we know it is a huge deal spending a,000 up to we’ve reviewed $12,000 $13,000 models before and we want you to be able to spend that money with confidence. So again, glad your testing numbers are lining up with ours because we do real world testing. It’s what we do. I I just like seeing, you know, some some direct feedback about, hey, this is the bike that I bought. I really like it. This is how I use it. And my yes, my my experience matches yours. So, you know, we do a lot of recommendations here. We spend a lot of time in our Q&A sections answering questions and whatever. Uh but you know rarely uh we do we do we get to see what it looks like once you guys actually get your bike. So we really appreciate when you write in like this and uh you know we’d love to you know shout you out next time. So you can always drop us a line down in the comments section. Let us know if you take advantage of the uh deals of the week and uh you know send us photos. We’d be happy to talk about you next time. If you’re still sticking around with us, as always, we just really thank you for contributing, watching, hanging out with us while we talk about bikes and other cool stuff. Crack some dad jokes and take five minutes to start the camera cuz someone was eating a Hi-Chew. I like snacks. Uh, but like John said, sincerely, thank you. And just as a reminder, you can catch the audio only version of this on all your favorite podcasting apps, Spotify, Amazon, Apple. Wherever you find them, you can find us. And, you know, I’m actually going to end this a little bit differently. I’m going to ask you guys a question. Like I said earlier, we’re getting uh AMA bikes in for testing. That is one of those our audience asked us so much about that we were very curious about them and we’re very happy that we have, you know, a relationship moving forward. We’re going to be testing out some of their bikes. Let us know other brands that you want to see on this channel and we will do our darnest to bring them in. As always, we are here for you guys. So, thank you again. But that’ll do it for this week’s episode of the Weekly Recharge.
Gear tested, trails explored, and your biggest questions—answered.
In this episode we review a budget-friendly Tiibo insulated bottle (flow rate, cage fit, dishwasher test), preview new bikes we’re testing, spotlight Harbor Springs, MI (coastal paths, road loops, and lift-served MTB), and dig into viewer Q&A on gravel-capable folders, trikes for shorter riders, step-thru vs high-step frame feel, throttle testing, dual-suspension alternatives, and more. Plus: fresh deals you can actually use.
🔧 Gear & Reviews
Tiibo Insulated Bottle – 17/23 oz, 304 stainless, high-flow vented nozzle, cage-compatible
https://ebrdeals.com/TiiboCyclingBottles
New/Recent Reviews –
Retrospec Roo Rev XL: https://electricbikereport.com/retrospec-roo-rev-xl-review/
EVELO Atlas: https://electricbikereport.com/evelo-atlas-review/
StoreYourBoard G-System: https://electricbikereport.com/store-your-board-freestanding-g-bike-review/
We also have the Biomega BER & AIMA Santa Monica in for testing.
🗺️ Trail System Spotlight: Harbor Springs, Michigan
Little Traverse Wheelway – https://www.traillink.com/trail/little-traverse-wheelway/
Susan’s Creek Nature Preserve – https://www.komoot.com/smarttour/e940324303/susans-creek-nature-preserve-lake-michigan-harbor-springs
Highlands Bike Park – https://www.highlandsharborsprings.com/activities/bike#question_9d96ab9a-8330-4979-b2fd-ef7ae6ecc9f2
💬 Q&A Highlights
“Are folding e-bikes OK on gravel?” Setup tips, tires, cockpit height, and ready-to-roll picks
“Trike for 5’1” on cobbles?” Fat tires vs suspension, step-over needs, and safer speed targets
“Why are some commuters 60+ lbs—and better options?” Weight breakdowns and lighter comparables
Throttle tests: When gearing matters (mid-drives) vs when it doesn’t (hub motors)
“Dual-suspension alternatives to compact folders?” Comfort setups & range results across models
“Step-thru vs high-step frame flex?” Real-world ride feel on sturdy folders
🛒 Deals of the Week
Aventon Clearance: Aventure 2, Pace 500.3, Level 2
https://ebrdeals.com/AventonPromos
Mokwheel Clearance: Basalt & Obsidian power-station bikes
https://ebrdeals.com/MokwheelPromos
Volt Centauri II: Mid-drive commuter with auto 3-speed
https://ebrdeals.com/VvoltCentauriII
Bikes Discussed in this Episode:
Trek Checkpoint+ SL – https://ebrdeals.com/TrekCheckpointPlusSL
Velotric Fold 1 Plus – https://ebrdeals.com/VelotricFold1Plus
Lectric XP4 750 – https://ebrdeals.com/LectricXP4-750
Lectric XP Trike2 – https://ebrdeals.com/LectricXPTrike2
Rad Power Bikes RadTrike – http://www.ebrdeals.com/ebrRP-Rad-Trike
Scott Silence eRIDE EVO Speed – https://ebrdeals.com/ScottSilence
Specialized Turbo Vado SL 2 6.0 EQ Carbon – https://ebrdeals.com/SpecializedTurboVadoSL6
Trek FX+ 7S – https://ebrdeals.com/TrekFXPlus7S
Heybike Ranger 3.0 Pro – https://ebrdeals.com/HeybikeRanger3
Heybike Mars 3.0 – https://ebrdeals.com/HeybikeMars3
Aventon Abound SR – https://ebrdeals.com/Report-Aventon-Abound-SR
Aventon Sinch 2.5 – https://ebrdeals.com/AventonSinch2-5
Ride1Up Portola – https://ebrdeals.com/ebrRide1UP-Portola
Rad Power Bikes RadExpand 5 Plus – https://ebrdeals.com/ebrRad-RadExpandPlus
Lectric ONE – https://ebrdeals.com/ebrLectricONE
Velotric Nomad 1 Plus – https://ebrdeals.com/VelotricNomad1Plus
Email questions to: questions@electricbikereport.com (or comment on this video, we love comments)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/electricbikereport/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElectricBikeReport
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/E_BikeReport
#ebikes #ebike #podcast #podcastshow #ebikenews #cycling #ebikedeals
00:00 – Intro
00:34 – News Of The Week
00:41 – New Trek E-Bikes!
02:59 – Leaks of the possible new Rivian E-Bike!
05:00 – New Bike Helmet Technology
09:26 – Gear Highlight
11:50 – Currently Testing & Recent Reviews
15:20 – E-Bike Trail Systems
18:45 – Questions & Comments
19:05 – Is the Velotric Fold 1 good for gravel?
21:54 – Trike recommendation for Sheila
26:05 – Why is the Scott Silence eRide so heavy?
31:35 – How do we approach gearing while hill testing?
35:05 – E-Bike recommendation for lorneserpa5888
40:06 – Do we feel any frame flex on the new Lectric XP 4?
42:48 – Deals Of The Week
44:54 – Rider Highlight
47:18 – Wrap Up
