2020 Surface 604 Shred Review

To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This in-depth review was sponsored by Surface 604 Bikes. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of Surface 604 products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comment section below and the Surface 604 electric bike forums.

Observations:

• The price increased from $1,890 to $2,099 for the latest version of the Surface 604 Shred. The paint design was updated with new decals and the steering tube got slimmer while the top tube got more angular in design. The top tube has been lowered a bit more to make the bike easier to approach and stand over and they’ve moved to a rigid stem with steep 45° angle for a more upright body position
• The torque sensor was relocated from the bottom bracket to the rear wheel, which performed just as good if not better than before, and they added wiring for an optional rear light to be powered by the main battery vs. being independent
• Surface 604 offers a bunch of great add-on accessories that are optional and add to the price including custom fitted fenders, a rear rack with pannier hangers as well as slats to support a trunk bag, and an optional suspension seat post with shim (adapts 30.4mm to 27.2mm)

Pros:

• Given the $2.1k price point, Surface 604 hasn’t skimped on quality or durability too much, the headset and bottom bracket still use sealed bearings that won’t rust or creek as easily, they chose great pedals, a solid drivetrain with wide 11-34 tooth cassette, and Velo branded locking grips
• Given the higher potential top speed and heavier build of this ebike (especially with suspension seat post and rear rack options) the 180mm hydraulic disc brakes with long four-finger levers and motor inhibitors are perfect
• I like that Surface 604 is offering two battery size options for this bike, you can spend a bit more money to extend range if you like riding faster or plan on carrying heavier loads, both packs are positioned low and center on the frame for balance and look pretty good
• It’s rare to see an integrated headlight on cross country / trail mountain bike like this, but I like the light that they chose because it’s bright and feels solid, it could come in handy if you add a rear rack and use the bike around town during the week (I love that the frame has rear rack bosses and that they pre-wired it for an optional rear light)
• The suspension fork on this ebike looks good and has some decent adjustability (lockout and preload), but weighs more because it uses springs vs. air and has steel stanchions vs. anodized alloy
• I love that Surface 604 decided to include a kickstand on this e-bike! This will come in handy for those who like to ride around the city or just need an easier way to stand the bike up in their garage or apartment… it’s easy to remove the stand for off-road use to reduce bounce and jitter, they positioned it at the rear of the frame so you won’t get pedal lock
• I like that the battery can be charged on or off the frame and has a full sized USB charging port built into the right side (which can be used whether the pack is mounted to the frame or not), there’s a second USB port on the right side of the display panel that’s perfect for use with a smartphone or secondary headlight
• The Shred is unique in that it can reach higher top speeds of ~28 mph (45 km/h) and has a trigger throttle, these are features not commonly found on trail and mountain bikes but they might restrict where it can be used legally because it’s a Class 3 vs. Class 1 in this configuration. You can adjust the top speed in the display settings and remove the trigger throttle easily with the quick release connector if you want to ride as Class 1 instead
• I’m glad that Surface 604 chose to use a trigger throttle here vs. half-grip twist throttle, because those can be accidentally activated much easier when riding on bumpy terrain, triggers seem to be safer for off-road use because they don’t compromise your grip and stay out of the way
• The torque and cadence sensing rear dropout hardware worked very well during my test rides, I never felt like there was a delay or that I had to work extra hard (which can sometimes be the case with pure torque-only sensors)
• Minor pro here, I like the large, sturdy, grippy Wellgo aluminum alloy platform pedals that Surface 604 chose, they match the colors and design, and provide a stable surface to ride from compared to plastic or alloy cages
• Surface 604 products can be found at dealers in Canada and the USA, but they also sell direct online and offer free shipping, there will still be some setup involved but at least it doesn’t cost a lot extra
• Both wheels are built with thicker spokes and 36 hole vs. 32 hole to add strength for the higher speeds, off-road use, and optional rear rack. I like that the spokes and rims are black vs. silver but would have liked black nipples as well
• The hub motor performs very quietly, I could hardly hear it activating in the frame shots from the video review above, some competing hub motors produce much louder zipping sounds, especially under full power
• The new color display is awesome! It’s slim but very easy to read, it has battery percentage readout vs. infographic 5-bars like many others, the control pad has dedicated buttons for lights and information, it even dims the display when you turn the headlight on… it’s one of my favorite displays out there right now
• Unlike the prior-year version of the bike, the trigger throttle now overrides all levels of assist (including 0) with full power, so you can zip up hills or catch up to friends without having to click any extra buttons, great job on that!

Cons:

• The SRAM X5 drivetrain is pretty snappy but the trigger shifter for high gears is one-way vs. two way and there’s not clutch system like Shimano offers on some of their derailleurs
• The headlight will bounce more on bumpy terrain because it’s mounted to the fork arch vs. the head tube or handlebar, it feels solid enough and I like the beam pattern (it helps you actually see terrain vs. just being seen)
• Minor consideration, despite the larger 27.5″ x 2.8″ plus sized tires, the hub spacing isn’t boost and the axles are more traditional 9mm front and 11mm rear vs. thru-axles at 15 mm front and 12 mm rear which would provide more stiffness and strength
• Weighing in at ~57.3 lbs (for the 19″ frame with the smaller 10.4 amp hour battery), this ebike is a bit heavy for a hardtail and I think that comes back to the spring fork, plus sized tires, and more powerful hub motor
• The prior-year version of this ebike had an adjustable angle stem that was pretty nice! I guess they dropped that part to help save money and because most people put it in the high 45-degree position anyway, I think they still sell that part separately for people who like adjustability
• Because the battery pack is positioned so low on the downtube, the charging port is located in the path of the left crank arm, and as a result, if you’re charging the pack on the bike, the plug and wire could get snagged or bent more easily
• The demo model I reviewed did not have a slap guard. I’d probably add a basic sticker slap guard and some cable sticker guards like this just to keep it looking beautiful, but the team told me that future models should have this included so maybe it’s a non-issue? I was also told that future models would have bottle cage bosses along the base of the downtube and a low-rise handlebar vs. straight
• There’s a little bit of crowding at the right rear dropout because the shifter cable and motor power cable both connect here, try not to let these cables get snagged or bent (like if the bike tips over), there’s no derailleur guard or other protection hardware in place but you could add one aftermarket for under $10 if you wanted, I was told that future versions of the bike should have a derailleur guard included
• The display seems tough and is easy to read because it swivels a bit, you can interact with it easily thanks to the independent button pad (mounted near the left grip) but you cannot easily remove the display… so it could take sun and rain damage over time or get scratched at a bike rack
• The control pad is mounted behind the trigger throttle on the left, and I found that it took a bit more flexibility and effort to reach in this configuration, you could always change the order, but then the throttle would be tricky to reach, you could also try to put the throttle on the right portion of the handlebar but then it will interfere with the trigger shifters, maybe a future throttle mount will be narrower so the buttons can move closer… also, I prefer to have the throttle on the right, but it wouldn’t fit there because of the trigger shifters
• There’s no chain guide in place and the chainring uses standard teeth vs. narrow-wide which would improve chain retention, though I didn’t experience any chain drops during my test rides