Want a bike for getting about town? There are loads of options, starting at around £500-600 and heading north from there. If £500 is London we’re probably in Inverness here: the £3,800 Trek Super Commuter+ 8 is a top-dollar option for your city riding.
“There’s no reason to hit the snooze button when your morning commute feels like a dream. Super Commuter+ is the electric bicycle that makes getting where you need to go exactly where you want to be”, says Trek of this bike. “The Super Commuter+ pairs our most advanced e-bike technologies with Bosch’s longest-lasting battery for a ride that redefines the experience of getting around on two wheels.”
The Super Commuter+ is available in two builds. The one that we’re testing here, the 8, has a Shimano XT derailleur drivetrain and a wide-ratio 11-42T cassette. For £200 more you can have the bike in a similar build, but with Nuvinci’s continuously-variable planetary rear hub. Both versions have their pros and cons: derailleur drivetrains are more efficient and make taking the rear wheel out to change punctures really easy. Hub gears require less regular maintenance and your chain will last longer. Which is best for you will depend on what your priorities are.
Both bikes share the same motor, though: Bosch’s top-of-the-range Performance Line CX unit. Pushing out 75Nm of torque, the CX has been a firm favourite over the last few years in mountain bike circles, and it’s popular on performance-oriented city bikes too. Trek have specced the higher-capacity 500Wh PowerPack too, to extend the range as far as possible. Trek don’t publish a range estimate for the Super Commuter+, instead pointing you at the Bosch Range Cockpit tool, which allows you to play around with a bunch of variables to get a range estimate. Anyway, our experience is that unless your commute at least an hour each way you’re unlikely to find yourself worrying.
Trek have opted for a rigid carbon fork on the Super Commuter+, which both improves its aesthetic and drops a bit of weight: Our 45cm bike weighs in at 21.5kg which is pretty good for a full-spec city bike with a big battery. If you’re worried that the ride might not be as comfortable as a result then the 2.4″ Schwalbe Super Moto-X tyres should put your mind at ease. They’re one of our favourite big-chamber e-bike tyres, and they’re also exptremely resistant to punctures. You get full mudguards too, and integrated Supernova lighting. The rear light is very neatly incorporated into the mudguard and the front light hangs down from a special stem face plate. It’s all very tidy, and the lights are high quality.
Finishing kit is mostly from Trek’s partner brand Bontrager, and it’s good quality stuff. The Super Commuter+ 8 is available in five sizes – 45cm, 50cm, 55cm, 60cm and 65cm, covering riders from 1.5m up to over 2m. You should be able to find one that fits.
We’re already out and about on the bike, and we’ll be posting a full review soon.
