2020 Trek Verve+ 2 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 Trek. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of Trek products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comments below and the Trek electric bike forums.

Observations:

• NOTICE: in the comments below, Ron posted “My local Trek dealer told me that the latest Verve+2’s are now shipping with narrow wide chainrings as a fix to the derailing problem. They said if you buy one in stock which doesn’t have the fix they will retrofit.” so that’s great to hear! Thanks Ron :D
• Trek is one of the “Big Three” bicycle manufacturers along with Giant and Specialized. Trek started out in 1975 making hand-brazed steel frames, and since then they have grown into a global powerhouse in the cycling industry with distributors in 90 different countries, truly impressive in my opinion!
• The original Verve+ was Trek’s most affordable electric bike model in 2018 and the Verve+ 2 still holds that title today, although it’s worth noting that this only includes Ebikes bearing the Trek name brand. Trek also owns Electra which is comprised of even more affordably priced models, but they typically don’t have the premium components and features that we see on Trek branded Ebikes
• You will see the Bontrager name on a lot of components in this review, Bontrager is Trek’s in-house component brand and is therefore common on many of Trek’s electric bikes

Pros:

• Available in four frame sizes, three color options, and the choice of a high-step or a step-through frame style, supported by a huge network of dealers which allows for fitting and test rides as well as maintenance support, and covered by an outstanding warranty with two years of comprehensive coverage and lifetime coverage for the frame and fork. This warranty is an upgrade and new for Trek in 2020, in previous years the warranty only covered the frame and fork for five years
• Fully loaded with great accessories such as integrated lights, fenders, a rear rack, and even a suspension seatpost, the Verve+ 2 is an excellent Ebike for commuting and city use
• The rack is a welcome addition and I love that it’s now a standard accessory, whereas on the original Verve+ it was an optional accessory that cost an additional $45. The rack uses standard-gauge tubing and also has the standard 25kg/52lb weight limit and will work great for hanging bags or panniers
• The integrated lights have also improved in quality compared to the Verve+, here we have a headlight from Hermans that is brighter with side cutouts for more side visibility, as well as being mounted to the fork so it will turn with the handlebars and better illuminate the road ahead. The new taillight is the SOLO by Spanninga and is carrier-mounted on the rear rack, it’s a solid rear light although I do miss the flashing pattern of the fender-mounted taillight on the Verve+
• The fenders still have the same great full coverage with a toe-strike guard on the front and the material used has changed from aluminum alloy to plastic. All fender types have tradeoffs, the upside with plastic is that they weigh less and a bit more resilient and less likely to get bent or dinged, and you don’t have to worry about them getting scratched and rusting
• The suspension seatpost only has about 30mm of travel but it works wonders for the ride comfort, this is coil suspension and it is adjustable for preload so you can tighten it up a bit if you are a larger rider. The seatpost has also gotten a bit larger with a diameter of 31.6mm, this provides a bit more strength and sturdiness compared to the 27.2mm seatpost of the Verve+
• Other positive ride comfort factors include the Bontrager Boulevard saddle, a fairly wide saddle with a ventilation gap in the center, I found this saddle very comfortable even on some longer rides and I also appreciate the locking ergonomic grips (also from Bontrager). The fork has also changed from alloy to solid steel which adds some vibration dampening qualities, the large diameter and greater width of the 700x45c tires means a lower attack angle for smoothing out bumps as well as extra air cushion… There’s a lot of small comfort-oriented details here, and together they make the Verve+ 2 a surprisingly comfortable bike considering the minimal suspension
• Stopping power is solid thanks to the Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, two-finger levers are extremely easy to actuate, and there are dual-piston calipers and 160mm rotors in both the front and rear. In addition to being much easier to actuate and having no delay, hydraulic brakes also require less regular maintenance than mechanical brakes
• We still have the same derailleur here with the Shimano Alivio, this is one of Shimano’s top-tier derailleurs and it performs flawlessly as expected. This is a 1×9 setup with a range of 11-36 on the rear cassette, a fairly large range that works great for city riding. I love that Trek has added a full plastic chain guard to protect the chain itself as well as protecting the rider’s pant legs, this is a nice upgrade from the original Verve+ that had only an alloy bash guard
• The tires are the same excellent Bontrager H5s which have a hybrid tread pattern that is smooth and efficient in the middle, and larger and more grippy on the edges for better traction and control while turning. These tires also have Hardcase Ultimate puncture protection which is some of the best you can get, definitely a welcome feature in places like Colorado where goat-heads are always a cycling hazard
• The electrical system is another area where nothing has changed since the Verve+, we’ve still got the Bosch Active Line mid-drive motor powered by a PowerPack 400 and controlled by the Purion display. This combo works well on the Verve+ 2 which is geared for riders who like to be a bit more active not get as much help from the motor, the motor itself is very quiet and you can get 80 or more miles of range riding in Eco, great for commuters who don’t want to have to charge the battery at work before riding home. The Purion is an older display from Bosch, it’s their smallest display with basic features and a grayscale LCD that is backlit and very easy to see in any lighting as well as swiveling so that you can avoid glare
• The quill stem is also Blendr compatible, Blendr is a mounting platform that allows you to mount all manner of accessories to the top and/or bottom of the stem such as GPS units, phone mounts, cycle computers, additional lights, and much more
• The included kickstand is adjustable for length without needing tools, and I appreciate that it is rear-mounted which prevents “pedal lock” which occurs when the left crank arm collides and locks with a mid-mounted kickstand, being mounted in the rear also provides more stability especially when carrying cargo on the rear rack

Cons:

• Torque-sensing motors require you to put more force against the pedals in order to receive more help from the motor, and the Bosch Active Line only provides assistance up to a max pedal cadence of 100 RPM. This may sound like a lot but it’s actually pretty easy to pass this limit if you ride fast while in a lower gear, so this is not an ideal setup for riders with knee sensitivity who prefer to use a lower gear and cycle the cranks at a higher cadence with less force
• There are some features of the Purion display that Trek disables, one of which is the Walk Mode. There is a dedicated button for walk mode on the bottom of the display but it doesn’t do anything on the Verve+ 2 or on any of Trek’s Ebikes, I’m not sure what the exact reason for this might be but it seems related to the wide range of local laws in different areas for Ebikes, and in some areas walk mode could be interpreted as a sort of a throttle. Another disabled function is the ability to turn the lights off, they are on by default and the normal method of holding down the + button on the Purion display does not turn them off. Presumably, this is a safety feature since lights make you more visible as a rider in the daytime, but it can be frustrating if you want to turn them off to conserve battery or for any other reason, keep in mind that the Active Line motor is very efficient so there is at least plenty of battery to spare for the lights
• As I mentioned earlier all fender types have their tradeoffs and the downside for plastic fenders is that they tend to rattle more than metal fenders, fortunately for the Verve+ 2 they are securely mounted and I didn’t notice any rattling during any of my test rides
• There is no reflective striping on the sidewalls of the tires, I would love to see this since it greatly improves side visibility which is important for safety, I do appreciate that the Hermans integrated headlight has nice big side cut-outs to help with that side visibility
• The Verve+ 2 really is amazingly comfortable when you consider that the only suspension is in the seatpost, but the lack of front suspension may not work for riders that have hand or wrist sensitivity, for such riders I recommend a suspension stem to help reduce jarring bumps and vibrations
• One feature missing here is the ability to charge additional electronic devices, there are no USB Type-A ports on the display or the battery itself. There is a micro-USB port on the Purion display, but this is only for diagnostics and firmware updates and doesn’t work for charging other devices
• I like the new solid steel fork because it is stronger and has vibration dampening qualities, but be aware that steel is vulnerable to getting scratched or dinged and then rusting, if yours gets damaged you can cover the area with clear tape as a temporary fix until you are able to add touch-up paint. Fortunately, since Trek dealers are plentiful they will be able to help you out with the right shade of touch-up paint
• While I personally prefer the Purion display because it’s minimalist and out of the way, it is lacking in features and not removable which leaves it exposed to weather and physical damage when parked at a bike rack, whereas Bosch’s other displays (Intuvia and Kiox) are removable and more feature-rich. It is possible to have a shop upgrade your Ebike to a more powerful display, in addition, Bosch also has a new Smartphone Hub that allows you to use your smartphone as a control display with a lot of cool features such as navigation and reminders for maintenance tasks