MAK

I'm very interested in the Verve+ 4s and would like to hear opinions from owners or shops that sell them. I want a class 3 bike so the +2s and +3s Verves don't interest me. At the moment, other brands don't interest me either.

A brief forum search didn't produce anything useful.

Thank you.

Bald Paul

I purchased one for my friend. Years ago (a LOT of years ago) she rode with me bikepacking through Nova Scotia. Now she's retiring, (it's her retirement gift from me) moving south, and wants to ride again.
The bike is HEAVY. Heavier than my neighbors Specialized e-bikes. But, that could be in part due to the huge battery. It comes with Schrader valve tubes. I already changed those out to Presta tubes with hole adapters.
The 'cockpit' is very adjustable. Bar height, angle of grips (useful, since she had broken her wrist in a car accident years ago and still has screws in it) brake levers, etc. Shifting is simple and intuitive. The seat is comfortable for her, and mounted on a shock absorbing seatpost with quick release adjuster for height. Hydraulic disc brakes (Shimano) work well. It didn't come with a tool to remove the wheels (don't know if that was an oversight from the bike shop or not) so have a 5mm allen ready for wheel removal if needed.
Now, on to the power system. Bosch mid drive motor has plenty of oomph, and the control system has 4 modes (5 if you count OFF): Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo. The control system is Bosch Purion. Hmmm. The documentation that came with the bike didn't cover the Purion controller or operation on the 4s. I did find a manual online that tells you how to change modes for range, MPH, etc on the display. It does have a Walk mode as well. But, it doesn't connect to the Bosch Flow app you can download to your smartphone, nor will it connect to a Garmin bike computer. Why, Bosch, why? Hopefully, this will be corrected in a software/firmware update sometime soon.
With the weight of the bike, I bought a RockyMounts hitch rack for my car (my bike weighs 17 lbs and goes on my roof mounted rack easily) that will support the weight and makes it much easier to lift the bike onto it. However, I did have to modify the front fender to end just at the front of the fork so the arm of the mount wouldn't clamp on a plastic fender. Just didn't seem secure to me. And the headlamp mounts low, so the arm of the mount was a very tight fit between the fender and lamp. The tail light on the bike is hard wired as well, and mounts on the rear of the rack.
If there's any other info you want, just ask and I'll do what I can to help.

Smaug1

I stopped looking when I saw the price. They're motorcycle money or nice used car money.

I think if I was going to spend that amount of money, I would either get a lightweight road bike (Domane+) or an eMoped. (Ride1Up Revv1)

Bald Paul

What market are you talking about? "Nice used car money"

adlai

Just looked it up.

not at all impressed. It’s a mid drive with a chain and derailleur and costs around 3.5 to 4k

I also do not like hybrid/upright e-bikes very much. Granted, I own one, but the upright position actually hurts my lower back compared to my road bikes.

you could get a priority current for less and it will have a belt drive and an igh and mid drive.

Smaug1

I have a Verve 3; it's a very nice bike. Consider it a gravel bike with flat bars and you won't be far off. 45 size tires with a bit of knobby action on the edges. I added fenders and a rack to mine.

If it were motorized, it would have replaced my "need" for an Aventon Level.2 commuter eBike. However, we should also note that I got the Level.2 AND Verve 3 for WELL under the price of the Verve 4+! (and that's bike shop new prices, not used)

adlai, if you don't like upright eBikes, how about the Domane+ instead? They're big bucks too though; starting at $5k and going up over $10k. (new)