So a bit of background. My partner bought a Kalkhoff Groove about 5 years ago and it’s been a great bike for her, although she lost a bit of confidence in her riding ability in slippery conditions and it’s not got much use of late. At the time I was riding a few a forest trails with son , but he quickly lost interest. That left me with a heavy full suspension mountain/downhill bike on bobbly tyres; not the kit to keep up with the Kalkhoff on cycle paths and roads with plenty of undulations !
I’ve now sold the MTB and started looking at pedal power city hybrids like Boardman hyb range, figuring with slick narrow tyres and a lighter bike I’d be able to keep up with the Kalkhoff on 10-15 mile rides. Then reality struck that my gorilla frame was never going to be zipping around the local roads and towns like a courier/deliveroo rider!
That reality check means I’m noW looking at the following..
Trek Allant+ 7 I’m pretty happy sitting on the medium frame version in my local bike shop, the higher and adjustable stem makes for a comfortable riding position and less weight on the wrists (avoiding pins n needles that I sometimes suffered on the MTB). A large frame would be a better fit again. I like the build quality and the 500wh battery
Giant Fastroad e EX+ Pro - same shop have a large frame in stock, it suits me fine although the lower bars mean my position is less Upright. It’s well built, feels solid and it’s £300 less than the Trek. Only downsides I can see are the smaller battery (375) and the solid fork (a hint to my original aspiration for a zippy solid hybrid lol!). I know I could add a range extender battery if needed , albeit bringing the bike up to Trek pricing. I’m a little hesitant as the battery seems small compared to rivals 2021 offerings.
Cube Kathmandu Pro - 625 battery version comes in around the same price, the 500 version saves a few hundred pounds. Looks comparable in most aspects (Not been able to view one though) but I,m not sure about the pannier being non removable . I guess in the back of my mind I have visions of a stripped down version of all these bikes without mudguards and panniers!
my local shop also have a Merida espresso but I didn’t feel as comfortable on that, didn’t like the less Integrated battery nor the rider view looking down at thinner wheels n tyres.
So , availabiliy aside as I’m in no rush, which would people recommend? I’d ask for experiences of these bikes but as they are relatively new I don’t expect a flood of reviews. My local bike shop have sold Giant for many many years and Giant’s Bristol store is only an hours drive away if I were to have issues/ service
apologies for the long post but thought I’d try to put my circumstances / usage to aid responses.
I’ve now sold the MTB and started looking at pedal power city hybrids like Boardman hyb range, figuring with slick narrow tyres and a lighter bike I’d be able to keep up with the Kalkhoff on 10-15 mile rides. Then reality struck that my gorilla frame was never going to be zipping around the local roads and towns like a courier/deliveroo rider!
That reality check means I’m noW looking at the following..
Trek Allant+ 7 I’m pretty happy sitting on the medium frame version in my local bike shop, the higher and adjustable stem makes for a comfortable riding position and less weight on the wrists (avoiding pins n needles that I sometimes suffered on the MTB). A large frame would be a better fit again. I like the build quality and the 500wh battery
Giant Fastroad e EX+ Pro - same shop have a large frame in stock, it suits me fine although the lower bars mean my position is less Upright. It’s well built, feels solid and it’s £300 less than the Trek. Only downsides I can see are the smaller battery (375) and the solid fork (a hint to my original aspiration for a zippy solid hybrid lol!). I know I could add a range extender battery if needed , albeit bringing the bike up to Trek pricing. I’m a little hesitant as the battery seems small compared to rivals 2021 offerings.
Cube Kathmandu Pro - 625 battery version comes in around the same price, the 500 version saves a few hundred pounds. Looks comparable in most aspects (Not been able to view one though) but I,m not sure about the pannier being non removable . I guess in the back of my mind I have visions of a stripped down version of all these bikes without mudguards and panniers!
my local shop also have a Merida espresso but I didn’t feel as comfortable on that, didn’t like the less Integrated battery nor the rider view looking down at thinner wheels n tyres.
So , availabiliy aside as I’m in no rush, which would people recommend? I’d ask for experiences of these bikes but as they are relatively new I don’t expect a flood of reviews. My local bike shop have sold Giant for many many years and Giant’s Bristol store is only an hours drive away if I were to have issues/ service
apologies for the long post but thought I’d try to put my circumstances / usage to aid responses.
