Originally Posted by
mooooo
Thank you for the recommendation. Searching Bosch website, Cannondale Adventure Neo 4 maybe good one. Since I am new to ebike, let me ask differently. I am looking for the following in ebike.
1. Recreation only.
2. Looking for a reliable quality bike, preferably from a well known brand. (not a startup/etc)
3. I want it to be a bike first, not a motorcycle. So lighter the better.
4. My budget is under $4000 (doesn't mean I want to spend $4000 but upto $4000)
5. Range is probably not an issue. I will ride less than 20 miles. (I usually ride less than 10 miles but this could increase with ebike)
6. Another consideration is my bike rack only supports upto 40lbs. willing to buy new rack if that's what I have to do.
What bike would you recommend?
My recommendations are really not going to change much. If you want to avoid a startup then Bosch is the way to go, they have been around since the 1880s granted not all doing e-bike motors but they have been in the motor game for quite sometime and even the e-bike game since 2009 (I believe). However Mahle who helped make the motor with Specialized for the SL line has been around since 1920 so also not strangers to the motor game but newer to e-bikes.
If you want to avoid the motorcycle thing then Bosch is a good way to go in that they don't do throttles and have no interest in throttles. Specialized doesn't do throttles either.
In terms of racks if your rack can only handle 40lbs total I would not use that rack for any bike. If the per bike weight is 40lbs it is still a bit low for an e-bike granted yes you can get a bike that is in that weight range but I would rather have something I can trust with my bike but also everyone behind me. I don't want a rack to fail ever.
I would take a look at the Vado SL 4.0 in terms of what you are looking for it ticks pretty much most if not all the boxes minus the first one but that is a silly box, bikes can do anything and the Vado is a fine bike for recreation but also commuting and even touring so it can do all sorts of stuff easily.