I test a lot of bikes. Gravel terrain, city biking, biking trips, fold-ups, electrics, carbon or aluminum. I have tested them all, multiple times. These five, however, are my favorite e-bikes from 2024. They range in material and price, making it possible for everyone to have an e-bike, regardless money constraints. Below there is a short blurb of the main facts, and a link to a full review for each bike. Happy Riding!
5. The Specialized Turbo Vado
The Specialized Turbo Vado is designed for people who enjoy the thrill of cycling. The Specialized Turbo Vado is something special. The Vado has plenty of modes to help you figure out the range. I used eco mode on several trips and, making sure I took advantage of hills and even switched off the motor on occasion, easily surpassed 60 miles in one day. I prefer the turbo mode (e.g. the red cyclone setting), but even then made it a good 25 miles.
On a few trips, I even brought along the charger, which fit nicely in my backpack. I liked the display that let me flick through options where I could see my speed, the range, or even my total distance. Since the bike costs $5,500, I was happy to see some extra security features. You can enable a motion sensor and disable the motor using an app. Another sensor can alert you when someone is about to pass…
4. The Pivot E-Vault
Because the Pivot E-Vault is a road bike that is meant to compete with the lean and sporty model you might typically use, minus the electric battery, I was curious if it could keep up. Controlling the bike is about as easy as I’ve ever seen. There’s a touchpad right below you where you can turn on the bike. A quick tap up or down changes the E-Vault setting from green (light assist) to red (full assist).
The bike has a full-carbon frame, which accounts for why it costs $9,299 but is also what makes it so much lighter than most.The E-Vault works great on paved trails, but I also tested it on a light gravel road with no stability problems. Probably the coolest feature has to do with what Pivot calls the “custom assistance profiles,” which is a way to tweak the settings for pedal assistance to match exactly what you want. My one recommendation with the E-Vault is to consider a second battery. I really wanted to take the bike on a seriously long commute — say 40 miles to a remote office — and if I owned this model, I’d probably want to bring a spare battery along.
3. The Decathlon GRVL 520 Subcompact
The Decathlon GRVL 520 Subcompact is not exactly heavy at all (ar 23.6 pounds), but it has an aluminum frame as opposed to carbon fiber, so the cost is a bit less than other higher-end bikes. Most importantly, it is meant for riding on “any terrain” including gravel, so the tires are of course thicker and heavier. Yes, the bike is not as light as some previous test models. But it can practically go anywhere. One perk with the bike is that it uses disc brakes, so the stopping power is sure and confident.
The overall design looks beefy as well. Combining the gravel-road traction with the thicker tires, the disc brakes, and yet with the Shimano 105 groupset (aka. the drivetrain) for added power, the whole package felt rugged enough for dirt and gravel but powerful enough for trail riding. At press time the price was $1,599. I was thoroughly impressed with the Decathlon GRVL 520 Subcompact on all my rides. Eventually, I even got to the point where I realized I would like to have a gravel bike on hand at all times, especially when paved roads are hard to come by…
2. The Lectric XP 3.0
Currently priced at $999, the Lectric XP 3.0 electric is a significantly capable bike for a low cost. The Lectric XP 3.0, as a folding bike, is highly portable, though you do need a strong back—it weighs 64 pounds. On a normal bike path without hills, I could pedal comfortably with the battery off—there was minimal resistance, thanks to human power alone. The Lectric XP 3.0 is simply enjoyable to ride. This electric bike excels in cargo transport as well.
Lectric offers two versions of this bike: one with a Standard and another with a Long-Range 48V lithium-ion battery certified to UL 2271, providing up to 45 or 65 miles per charge, respectively. The larger tires provide enhanced confidence while riding. In summary, the Lectric XP 3.0 is compact enough to fit in my car’s trunk, travels up to 40 miles on a single charge, and is genuinely enjoyable to ride…
Adventure Neo Allroad
As an electric, the Adventure Neo Allroad is more rugged than most and able to handle about 305 pounds (including rider). It can go about 47 miles on a charge. The bike can handle a bunch of cargo for excursions. The Adventure Neo Allroad is more than capable of traveling on gravel and dirt, although I would probably not use it on a mountain bike trail. It is able to easily transport all of my gear for a weekend camping trip. There are five distinct “gears” to use which add more power as you go up higher. In the lower modes, the pedal assist is more minimal. I estimated that the fifth setting with the most assist would last about 20 miles on a charge. The Cannondale Adventure Neo Allroad really impressed me with its stability, handling, torque on uphill climbs, and ruggedness. It’s a cargo-hauler meant to go anywhere you want to go and my number one pick this year…