Commuter bikes don’t come with the constraints that many other bikes do. A mountain bike should glide gracefully over all types of rough terrain; Road bikes need to blend high performance with enough comfort so that riders can enjoy sitting in the saddle for hours. All a commuter bike needs to do is get you from A to B on normal roads comfortably and reliably with a minimum of fuss.
So it’s surprising how few of the commuter bikes I’ve tested have gotten it right. At the lower end of the price scale, as you’d expect, the necessary compromises have a big impact on the experience. The high-end addresses those shortcomings, but at prices comparable to high-end bikes in specialized categories. I’ve never seen anything in between: affordable, with no compromises.
But maybe I’ve just found my ideal commuter bike: the Velotrique Discover 3. It’s comfortable, has a great combination of components, and comes in at under $2,000.
upgrades all around
Velotrique’s first entry in this series, the Discover 1, made a promising start for the company. Although it was definitely in the “compromise required” category, the shortcomings were relatively minor and carefully chosen. Since then, the company has expanded significantly, introducing several new models, beginning to work with local dealers in the US, and moving into the slightly upmarket market.
The third edition of the Discover reflects an upmarket move. It costs almost twice as much as the original Discover, but you get a lot for that price. The hub motor is gone, replaced by a mid-frame motor built under contract by Velotric.
Although it still has a cadence sensor that you can select via the menu, the Discover uses a torque sensor by default, which offers far greater integration with your pedaling. Cadence sensors easily register when the pedals are rotating; A torque sensor registers how much force you are applying to the crank. The latter makes electric assistance feel more like it: an aid to your legs rather than a replacement for effort.
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