E-Bike Reviews

Cycling Weekly

This year is one of the best years to get one of the best e-road bikes on the market. The biggest brands all have e-bike options available. In this video we highlight our top electric bikes for those who also love drop handlebars. We have picks from Trek, Orbea, Look, Giant, Pinarello , Specialized and Cannondale.

Transcript

00:00e-bikes are taking the world by storm every year offering more pedal powered electric assistance

00:06to make riding smoother faster and more fun and they aren't just for the city streets either so

00:12here's seven of the best drop bar e-bikes ready to tackle the open road

00:18the giant defy advanced e plus elite zero is the newest bike on our list blending the revere

00:24defies endurance road prowess with cutting edge e-bike technology the new sync drive move plus

00:30motor is lighter mounted in the rear hub and engineered for low weight and smooth power

00:35delivery it also features intelligent algorithms that are said to ensure natural feeling assistance

00:41gradually ramping up support when you start pedaling and easing off when you stop with five power levels

00:46and a responsive power mode tackling steep climbs or fierce headwinds should be easy as far as range is

00:53concerned the defy boasts 400 watt hours of juice from the energy pack 400 battery but when paired

01:00with an optional extender it's good for up to 150 kilometers or 93 miles of range built on giant's

01:08advanced composite carbon frame set the defy e plus elite retains the comfort and control of its analog

01:14sibling enhanced by defuse handle bars and seat posts starting at 5999 pounds this sleek e-road machine is

01:23a premium blend of tradition and innovation the look e765 optimum rival axis blends the performance dna

01:33of looks road bikes with the subtle power of the fazua ride 16 motor well i say subtle it's good for a

01:41maximum power output of 450 watts at 12.9 kilos it sits around par for the course on this list of road

01:50going e-bikes and looks pretty non-invasive too the updated fazua system delivers 60 newton meters of

01:57torque and a range of up to 120 kilometers or 75 miles plenty of power for tackling long climbs or making

02:05rolling terrain that little bit easier add in a premium cockpit and wheels from look paired with hutchinson's

02:12sector 32 millimeter tires and this bike is ready to deliver a fast yet smooth experience look has

02:19also kept things simple with a one by group set from sram's explore range to keep things simple

02:24and light while retaining a good range of gearing all in all it's a premium choice for those seeking an

02:30elegant balance of speed power and comfort orbea has been in the road e-bike market for some time now

02:39and the game d50 is the latest generation of the spanish brand's handiwork one of the cheaper bikes

02:45on our list it poses as a solid entry point into the world of premium electric road bikes

02:52rather than opt for a stonking great bottom bracket mounted motor the game d50 features a rear hub drive

02:58system following orbea's enough powers philosophy the mall x35 plus hub motor in the game d50 delivers 40

03:06newton meters of torque enough to smooth out climbs while keeping the ride light and responsive paired

03:12with a 350 watt hour internal battery it boasts a range of 100 kilometers or 16 miles with the option

03:20to upgrade with a range extender for even longer adventures the aluminium frame matched with a full

03:25carbon fort provides clearance for tires up to 40 millimeters and features endurance focus geometry at

03:312 899 pounds the game d50 is certainly far from cheap but it does provide some serious range and

03:39power for the price point when you compare it to the competition the pinarello nitro e7 is the latest

03:48generation e road bike and it's been updated around the tq hpr 50 motor system it's one of the sleeker

03:56bikes on our list too the oversized downtube hints at its e-bike core but to an untrade eye it's just

04:02another high-end road machine the frame set shares many of the same marketing buzzwords as the brand dogma

04:08f race bike with an asymmetric frame an under fork with third tier t900 carbon fiber construction the

04:16geometry leans more towards all-day adventures than race day aggression this helps it feel stable on the

04:22descents helped also buy 160 millimeter disc brake rotors front and rear providing plenty of stopping

04:29power the 13 kilo weight is noticeable but the assist modes more than compensate especially when climbing

04:36this is certainly a heavier but more powerful option compared to the more subtle or better gain

04:43being a pinarello it will come as no surprise that the nitro e7 is a premium entry into the e-road

04:49market but for riders seeking to keep up recover from injury or simply extend their range the nitro

04:55is worthy of shortlisting specialized launched the second generation turbo creo almost exactly

05:02a year ago and this time they went big this all starts with the price at 12 000 pounds the s works turbo

05:10creo 2 is certainly the most expensive bike on our list and as you might expect comes with all the

05:16technology and marketing buzz to justify such a hefty price tag at its core the turbo creo 2 is built with

05:23a fact 11r carbon frame which is lightweight yet stiff and features a more gravel friendly geometry

05:30compared to the original with a slacker head tube and a taller stack it handles with a little more

05:36stability especially on steeper terrain and gravel paths the big news though is the stonking 57 millimeter

05:44tire clearance combined with specialized latest generation future shock stem suspension system

05:50the turbo creo 2 is perhaps the most versatile bike on our list the s works version features the sl 1.2

05:57motor which provides a significant increase in torque and power compared to its predecessor it delivers up

06:04to 120 miles of range thanks to a 320 watt hour battery which can be extended with a range extender

06:11specialized pairs this motor with a high-end sram xx1 eagle axis drivetrain roval terra clx2 carbon wheels

06:19and a terra handlebar the trek demane plus slr6 axis is another premium e-bike option that is low profile

06:28enough to go unnoticed by the untrained eye it's built off a premium chassis with trek using its more

06:35premium 800 series oclv carbon fiber to construct the new demane plus in keeping with the bike's

06:41non-motorized sibling the demane plus still features the rear iso speed decoupler the pivot

06:47device located in the seat tube allows for increased seat post flex which improves rider comfort over

06:52rougher terrain powering the demane plus is the discreet tq harmonic ping ring motor delivering 15 newton meters of

07:00torque the included battery is slightly less than the competition at just 360 watt hours but trek

07:06claims this is still good for a range of up to 62 miles for longer adventures the optimal range extender

07:12can add up to 44 percent more capacity shifting is taken care of by sram's wireless rival explore axis

07:181x12 drivetrain and paired with 40 millimeter gravel tires on the airless pro 3v oclv carbon wheels the

07:26demane plus can blur the lines between both smooth roads and loose conditions other features such as

07:33a sleek display and full cable integration for a traditional road bike aesthetic all help the demane

07:39plus slr to be one of the highest tech bikes on this list and finally we come to the cannondale synapse

07:48neo all-road part road machine part gravel e-bike the synapse neo all-road is another versatile

07:56electric bike designed for adventures of all different kinds built off the synapse endurance

08:02bike platform the neo all-road offers the same brilliant blend of comfort and handling as its

08:07lightweight sibling except now with up to 55 newton meters of torque at your disposal the power is thanks

08:14to bosch's performance line sx motor which the german brand claims is the lightest bottom bracket motor yet

08:21it provides up to 600 watts of assistance to make climbs and long rides more manageable the motor is

08:27paired with a 400 watt hour battery integrated into the frame and like many a 250 watt hour extender

08:34can be added using the bottle cage mounts should you require the extra juice the bike's frame is made

08:40from cannondale series 2 carbon and features heavily drop seat stays and slim rear tubing all in aid of a

08:47more compliant rear end it's another case of endurance tuned geometry 2 with cannondale focusing the synapse

08:53neo all-road on comfort and control the build is finished off with a sram force axis explore group

08:59set and 40 millimeter vittoria terreno tires for mixed surfaces a perfect middle ground of grip and rolling

09:07resistance so let us know which e-bike would you love to ride in 2025

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