Hi guys sorry i have not been on much lately and updated on the progress of the Trek. I have been using it daily for my 40 mile commute to work, 20 miles each way. I have been using the bike 7 days a week bar 3 days when we had 3 foot of snow, just stayed at home
After 3500 miles the Trek is still riding like a new bike, the motor is if anything pulling stronger. I use this bike in all weathers and nothing bothers it, rain snow hail it just keeps going.
But down to the details, i am now even more convinced that this bike is for people who are reasonably fit who want to lose weight rather than an all out electric bike. The trek has 4 levels of assist the first 2 are a complete waste of time if you are looking for electrical assist. In fact level one is probably worse than riding a normal bike as it does not compensate for the extra weight. Level 2 i would say is enough to compensate for the extra weight, so good for getting fit. Now if you use level two you could achieve at least 30 miles i reckon before the battery is dead. But as i say on level 2 you really do need to work at it, not excessively but you do know you are cycling up a hill. Now slot into level 3 and now we are talking, the weight disappears and the bike feels ultra light at speed and you can push up hills with very little effort. Do not get me wrong on very steep long hills you do still need to work at it, but not too much effort. On lever 3 i reckon you could easily do between 14-20 miles of mixed terrain. Now slot it in level 4 and you really are doing no work regardless of the hill, as far as i am concerned you might as well be getting the bus
But you do pay the price for level 4, i reckon you are down to single figures on battery range possibly pushing 10'ish miles. But in reality you use a mixture of 2,3 and 4 and with a 17 stone rider on a hilly terrain you can get about 17 miles out of it.
Nothing on the bike has given me any trouble so i can only report back that the bike has been 100% reliable. I had a small issue with the front light that the wires would be stretched on full lock so i extended them, no big deal but then again its not a cheap bike. The seat mount snapped but that was my fault, it was creaking when i left work and i never bothered to tighten the clamp and it snapped. No big deal as i was looking for a more comfy saddle anyway, bought a selle royal gel saddle which is fantastic. The frame has picked a few dents up but i am rough on my bikes and alloy frames are soft so not a fault of the bikes. But the bike is still absolutely silent, i mean silent no one could ever tell it was an electric bike unless you told them. I have vaude panniers on mine which hide the battery so absolutely no indication its electric. The silence of the bike still impresses me to this day, i test rode other bike and the noise put me off them.
As for battery life Trek claim 500 charges but i cannot comment on this. But i charge the battery 2 time a day since September and if anything its even stronger now so no idea but 500 sound realistic.
Overall i would say, fantastic fitness commuter bike, but pure electric bike NO unless you do less than 15 miles then yes you could use assist 4 all the time. I have lost 2 stone since using it so i am 100% over the moon about the bike.
In summary it is one very high quality electric bike designed as a mid way machine between a pure electric bike and normal bike. Will post some pictures tomorrow as i need to wash it as the grit is causing me hassle with the gears.
