Trek Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT Review

The Trek Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT is a lightweight electric city bike that encourages riders to ride more and feel better along the way. From commuting to cruising the Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT has just enough boost to support you through your rides.

Most importantly Trek aims to put safety and comfort first. From an ergonomic and super low step-thru frame design to quality components you can depend on.

This Class 1 city eBike for $2299 is perfect for beginner riders or those that may be on the fence with electric assist. It may have a higher sticker price then other entry level bikes, but there is value in buying a Trek.

Continue on to see the specifications of the Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT, what Trek has up their sleeves, and our thoughts on who the ideal rider is and how it rides.

The Trek Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT comes in three sizes, small, medium and large and three colors: Galatic Grey, Viper Red, and Baja Yellow. As mentioned the Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT has a very low step-thru frame design. Using Trek’s lightweight Alpha Gold Aluminum to keep things light and durable, the bike weighs in around 44 pounds.

Electric assist is supplied by a Hyena 250W – 40Nm rear hub motor with a 250Wh integrated battery. This will provide pedal assist up to 20mph and has an estimated maximum range of 35 miles.

We’ve ridden a few bikes with this drive unit and all of them including the Verve+ 1 have been very enjoyable to ride proving to have plenty of power to boost you on up those steep hills. As a bonus the Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT is compatible with a range extender that nearly will double the range.

There is an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain and Tektro hydraulic disc brakes. Both of which are much nicer quality then seen on competitive electric bikes at the lower price points.

Absolutely ideal for the city are 27.5″ wheels with massive 2″ wide hybrid tires (Bontrager H2 Comp) that offer premium traction around town and a boost of comfort while you ride.

All Verve+ 1’s will come with fenders, lights and a MIK-compatabile rear rack. Keeping you prepared for riding any time any day.

Our first few rides on the Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT were short blips across town for a cup of coffee. Within a few pedal strokes you quickly feel at home and very comfortable while riding. The riding position is very upright and has reminded me a bit of riding an old Schwinn cruiser. Back straight, arms relaxed, a very comfortable way to cruise around town.

Seeing as comfort is a non-issue, we turned our attention to the performance. While we’ve ridden a few electric bikes with the Hyena 250W – 40Nm hub drive, This is where it has felt most at home. Could be the overall size and weight of the bike or maybe your riding position, but it is plenty powerful and never left us looking for an increase in power or a desire to go faster.

The Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT is much more a cruiser city bike than a sporty go fast bike. Which is exactly why I logged a few long rides to see how comfortable things were over time and how well the bike performed.

While a “comfy” seat is often saught after on city bikes, it wasn’t quite right for us. We lean towards firmer more narrow saddles, but for the purpose of riding around town doing the short 3-5 mile zips around town, it is very comfortable. On longer rides where you are pushing the limits of your battery, the saddle begins to show it’s size and doesn’t support the rider as well as it could.

We know many riders would like to see a Throttle (Class 2 rating) on this bike, at this time Hyena doesn’t quite support that option. We didn’t think twice about wanting a throttle. With such a comfortable riding posture, holding down a lever for extended rides would become quite stale in our opinion.

One thing that we were hoping to be able to adjust was the responsiveness of the drive unit. The delay when initially pedaling and waiting for the power to kick on is fine on flat ground, but tight switch back on bike paths can put you in a pinch if you’re in the wrong gear.

Pairing to the Hyena App is seemless and works well for personalizing the different levels of pedal assist, but we would still hope to see a way to personalize the responsiveness of the inital distribution of power.

This is a great town bike. Something that is nimble and lightweight and comes with all the accessories you need for a proper city bike.

If you’re looking for your first eBike or perhaps you haven’t ridden a bike in some time, the Verve+ 1 Lowstep LT creeps it’s way on up towards to top of our list of bikes to suggest.

For starters the lowstep frame design is LOW. This makes the bike very easy to get on and off. Not everyone can swing their leg up and over a bike to start riding, even for myself after taking a tumble or two in the woods.

There’s no argument this bike is simple and comfortable. With no massive distractions of a clunky display on the handlebars or even a hyper complex controller. It’s distraction free. The rider posture is upright relieving tension from angling your neck or having to reach too far forward for the handlebars. With three frame sizes to choose from the you’re able to find an optimum fit.

Additionally when we consider newer riders we always encourage them to look at bikes from reputable brands. Someone who can be there to support them overtime whether that be for simple setup and service or more complex warranty support.

When looking at a Trek there are three major takeways. A we’ll take care of you no matter what philosophy embedded into their DNA. Additionally, have your bike assembled and maintained by professional mechanic thanks to the massive Trek dealer network, this is often over looked and could become problematic with other brands when it comes to having your bike serviced. Trek also provides a 30-day no questions guarantee and a 2 year warranty.

All in all, the Trek Verve+ 1 Low Step LT is a worthwhile bike to consider for many riders out there. From commuting daily and having a rear rack, fenders, and lights to recreational riders that want a lightweight bike that is easy to get on and off and or anyone just looking for an electric bike that’s downright comfortable to ride. The Verve+ 1 Low Step LT is a solid contender in the Trek lineup.

If you’re looking to do sustained rides 30+ miles consistently we may point you towards other bikes. It all comes down to preference, we pushed the bike to the limits and found our own overall range averaging 33 miles with mixed urban and farm roads all of which are pretty flat.

Overall, the Trek Verve+ 1 Low Step LT is a great bike that boast the Trek name and support. All this packaged into a very comfortable bike to ride that will effortlessly pedal along at 16-18 mph in the first two levels of PAS and hold constant at 20mph in the highest mode.

While we favor bike to venture out on gravel roads and are more explorative by nature, a comfortable bike to cruise around town is equally as enjoyable and this one definitely ranks with the best of them for city riding.

Price: $2299
Sizes: Small, Medium, Large
Weight: ~44lbs
Website: trek.com