2025 Surface 604 Colt Mid-Drive Review

With Spring finally here again, I’m glad to be back in the saddle and have been spending nearly six weeks with the updated-for-2025 Surface 604 Cold mid-drive.

Sporting 130 Nm of torque-assisted power from its Ananda mid-drive motor, the ‘25 Colt suddenly rides as much like a sports car as it does a commuter ebike. The best part is that there is no downside. In fact, the beefed-up Colt is a few pounds lighter than its hub-drive equipped alter ego, and at $2,500 USD ($3,500 CAD), the Colt is priced right on the money for the hardware it’s equipped with.

If you’re shopping for a new ebike and considering the 2025 Surface 604 Colt mid-drive, these are the top five things you should know about it:

• The ‘25 Colt may be the best bang-for-your-buck in its class – With quality entry-level components that are a tangible step above Chinese-sourced generic copies typically shipped on bikes around this price point, the Colt delivers excellent range, strong performance from the motor, and good unassisted rideability in a rider-centric package that is more bike than electric bike.

• wBW estimated range is approximately 50 miles / 80 km  – A big 20 Ah battery paired with an efficient mid-drive motor will certainly get you a long way, and the combination is more efficient than a hub drive configuration. Surface 604 claims as much as 65 miles, but those estimates assume little PAS engagement and almost zero throttle.

• You can easily hit 28 mph / 45 kph on throttle alone – Or, if you’re in a hill-climbing gear, you could tackle serious paved inclines without pedaling. Add a bit of pedal-power, and there is almost nowhere this drivetrain won’t take you.

• Made with a relaxed riding position and available in two frame sizes – And if you’re 5’4” to 6’2”, you’ll enjoy it, too. People with lower back problems will also appreciate its upright riding posture, which doesn’t load the neck, shoulders, or lower back. My L5/S1-herniated self enjoys this riding position.

• The Colt rides like a bike designed by people who enjoy riding bikes – As paradoxical as it sounds, most “affordable” ebikes aren’t typically designed by bike enthusiasts. The Colt feels and rides like a bike made by people who actually ride them. The difference in feel and performance is significant compared to the typical D2C ODM ebike brand.

Brands like Surface 604 represent an important part of the market: bikes made with high-quality name-brand components, tailored geometry for a specific goal, and priced between the bargain-basement ODM brands and the expensive enthusiast brands.

The 2025 Colt mid-drive is an excellent example of the type of bike that North American riders will enjoy: a powerful mid-drive that can move almost anyone almost anywhere, paired with a throttle, large battery, and solid entry-level brand-name components.

And, critically, your local bike shop techs won’t hate you when you bring yours in for service. The Colt sports proper 27.5” wheels (instead of 26” or 24” that ODM brands love to ship with), and is made with easily-sourced parts. This one won’t get torn apart on r/bikemechanics.

Words & Photography: Cameron Martel

eBikes Calgary provided us with a brand new 2025 Surface 604 Colt mid-drive loaner bike. We do not have a financial relationship with Surface 604 or eBikes Calgary. All reviews are subject to our review policies. I am an avid biking enthusiast (both “acoustic” and electric) and have hands-on reviewed more than 30 ebikes since 2021.

2025 Surface 604 Colt Mid-Drive Specifications

• MSRP: $2,499 USD / $3,500 CAD
• Where to Buy: Surface 604 USA (Canada: eBikes Calgary)
• Warranty: 3 years on frame, 1 year on major parts
• Top Speed (locked to class 2): 20 mph / 32 kph PAS/throttle
• Top speed (unlocked to class 3): 28 mph / 45 kph PAS, 20 mph / 32 kph throttle
• eBike Class: Class 3 out of the box, lockable to class 2
• Range: Claimed 80 miles / 130 km (wBW estimated 50 miles / 80 km)
• Bike Weight: 67 bs / 30 kg (including battery)
• Weight capacity: 300 lbs (136 kg)
• Motor: Ananda M100BBTR 500-watt mid-drive
• Torque: 130 Nm
• PAS: Torque and cadence, 5 -levels
• Brakes: Tektro Auriga hydraulic brakes with 180 mm rotors
• Gearing: SRAM X5 10-speed
• Battery: 48V 20 Ah (960 Wh), UL certified
• Wheels & Tires: 27.5” x 2.4” wheels with Panaracer/Surface 604 tires with puncture protection
• Other: Headlight, powered taillight, turn signal, electric horn, adjustable stem, front and rear fenders, front/rear racks

2025 Surface 604 Colt Mid-Drive Aesthetics & Design

Getting a good picture of an all-black ebike against an all-brown and grey backdrop is harder than you’d think. Late March isn’t the most photogenic time of year for central Alberta, but the Colt doesn’t seem to mind.

Its low-rise frame isn’t quite a step-thru, but is also far lower than a traditional step-over frame. This makes the Colt more accessible for people with mobility or lower back issues. Still, if those concerns are a large part of your buying decision, you should try before you buy, as the lower step-over frame is still not as accessible as a step-thru or low-step frame (for that, consider the Surface 604 V-Rook, the Colt’s step-thru sibling).

Size perspective: this rider is 5’8″

Every Surface 604 I’ve ridden has felt more “like a bike” than the typical ODM bike-in-a-box, and the Colt is no exception. I like the discreet chainguard, central battery mount, and frame geometry. I really like the suspension with 80 mm of travel and the height-adjustable stem. If this were my bike, I’d pair it with a suspension seatpost and ride happily for many miles.

Most of all, I like that the Colt looks more like a bike than an e-bike. None of its tubes are oversized, it rides on standard-sized 27.5” wheels and 2.4” tires, and it isn’t loaded with motorcycle-esque styling cues that try to make it look like something it isn’t. Ditch the racks, and the Colt looks like any other hardtail that doesn’t scream ebike.

Suffice to say that I think the 2025 Colt looks great.

What’s the 2025 Surface 604 Colt Mid-Drive Like to Ride?

The Colt Mid-Drive’s Strengths

• Pair the right gear with the right PAS setting, and the Colt accelerates briskly
• You have enough power on tap to go anywhere with pavement that you’d want to
• The Tektro Auriga hydraulic brakes with 2-piston calipers stop the bike quickly
• The Colt feels light on its feet, nimble, and easy to maneuver
• Pedaling the Colt without assistance isn’t much more difficult than a regular bike

Where it Could Improve

• The stock pedals don’t have much bite to them, so your feet slip a bit during aggressive pedaling

More Detail

I’m very much in like with this drivetrain. I know the Ananda motor isn’t a more known name, such as Yamaha, Bosch, or Bafang, but my impressions with this motor on several ebikes have been good so far.

The Ananda mid-drive motor makes gobs of torque, so it never feels like it is out of power or running out of steam. Pair that strength with a very-solid SRAM X5 10-speed groupset (and an 11-36T cassette), and it’s not exactly a surprise that the Colt is quick to accelerate and happy to climb.

As with all Surface 604 ebikes, the Colt mid-drive uses a torque-sensing pedal assist configuration. The Ananda motor provides intuitive pedal assist, ranging from ECO mode (PAS 1) to Boost mode (PAS 5). The display uses names (ECO, Tour, Sport, Turbo, Boost) vs. numbers to denote the PAS level, which I find less intuitive at a glance compared to numbers.

Cyclists and people getting into ebiking who want the bike to feel as natural as possible will enjoy the torque sensor’s configuration. In the ECO mode, gentle pedaling is met with a slight nudge in assistance, perfect for slow crawls, such as navigating bollards on a cycle path. In Sport and Turbo modes, the Colt is ready to go, and your pedaling is met with a swift shove forward.

The overall effect is akin to feeling like I imagine Superman must when he sits on a bike: you have super strength whenever you want it, but can choose to be calculating and precise in how it is applied. It’s a great feeling of control and capability.

The motor briefly cuts out power when you shift gears, preventing unnecessary wear on the chain. Other high-powered mid-drives I’ve ridden have done the same, including the monstrous 160 Nm Bafang M620 on the Himiway Cobra. It takes a bit to get used to, especially if you live in a hilly area, but once you learn to account for the drop in power, it’s a nothingburger.

Surface 604 has securely mounted the shift sensor on the lower right side of the frame, just behind the crank and motor. It will sometimes cut power over large bumps, but not nearly as often as other shift sensor bikes I’ve ridden, including the previously mentioned Cobra Pro.

Despite a hefty 20 Ah battery and metal front and rear racks, the Colt feels nimble and spry when it’s in motion, especially compared to its fat-tire-equipped peers. If you aren’t someone likely to use the capability afforded by fat tires, ditching them in favor of more sensibly-sized tires pays off dividends in terms of agility, stopping power, and general responsiveness. This is doubly so if you like to pedal vs. let the motor do all the work for you.

You almost forget that the entire ensemble weighs a hair under 70 lbs, which is heavy for a bike and somewhat light for an ebike with this size of battery.

The frame has minimal wobble or flex, and the brakes stop you in a hurry, both qualities that inspire confidence that you can hoon this bike if you wanted to —and the Colt wants you to.

With the above qualities in mind, you can appreciate that it’s somewhat paradoxical that the Colt comes with lazy swept-back handlebars. While comfortable, these bars take away from the control you have over the bike. It’s just physics, after all: by providing you with a relaxed upright riding posture, your center of gravity has a tangible rearward bias.

This is hardly a complaint, by the way, as it’s trivial and inexpensive to change the handlebars to something more suited to your riding style if the stock ones aren’t for you. I should also remind you that the Colt was designed to be a daily commuter, not a tarmac-tearer, so the comfy bars will be seen by most as a feature rather than a bug.

I make a point of spending as much time riding with the motor off as I do with it on. Most of the time, ebikes are laborious to ride without the assist of their electric motors. At 70 lbs, you certainly feel the weight of the Colt compared to a lighter “acoustic” bike, but riding the Colt powered off isn’t nearly as bad as you’d expect.

The riding position is conducive for effectively putting power through the pedals, so while the Colt is heavier than the typical bike, it doesn’t feel as if it’s working against you… which isn’t something that most ebikes at this price point can say once their batteries are dead.

Again, an example of how you can tell that Surface 604’s designers ride the bikes they design.

The only thing I think the Colt could do better is ship with better pedals than the stock WELLGO’s it comes with. Flats that had a bit more bite to them would make pedaling the Colt even easier, but again, these are an easy swap.

2025 Surface 604 Colt Mid-Drive Build Quality & Components

A $2,500 ebike coming with a nice 10-speed groupset and brand-name components is already somewhat uncommon. The fact is, most new ebikers don’t know enough to know what they don’t know, and it’s this audience that most D2C ODM brands are targeting with their products.

Surface 604 doesn’t fall into that trap, instead focusing on the right geometry and brand-name components up for the task. The outcome is a bike that not only feels more put together and easier to ride, but also a bike that is simpler to service with parts that are domestically available.

In that respect, Surface does a stand up job here: every component on the bike, including the battery, can be replaced with off the shelf parts easily found in North America. Even the battery uses a standard mount, which facilitates replacement in the future should the need arise.

The 6 PAWL rear hub, for example, is a more robust design compared to a typical (and less expensive) torsion hub, resulting in less drivetrain slippage and a longer expected service life. The wheels spin with ease, and the clicking of the bearing is quite satisfying – and also not something you’ll see (or hear) on a dropshipped ODM bike.

Brakes

Tektro Auriga hydraulic brakes with 180 mm calipers do a fine job of stopping the Colt. Of course, when bikes are north of 70 lbs I am quick to comment that bigger rotors would be welcome, and while I think that every bike needs bigger brakes, the Colt’s stock setup performs well.

Both brake levers incorporate motor shutoff switches, killing motor (or throttle) output should you engage them. Positioning is good, and they are easily accessible and reachable. The mirror shown in the image above is an add-on and does not come standard with the Colt, by the way.

The brakes feel punchy and have lots of grip, even after repeated stints trying to induce brake fade. Some brake fade was noticeable after several 45 kph to 0 brake tests, but even then, it was negligible. I feel pretty confident with this brake setup.

Motor, Drivetrain, & Groupset

The SRAM X5 10-speed groupset is an excellent complement to the Ananda mid-drive motor and is a solid piece of kit. You could swap out the cassette for something with more climbing ability if you really wanted to, but I have not encountered a (paved) hill that the Colt wouldn’t readily and easily climb. Even on throttle alone, the Colt is happy to haul you up that hill.

The X5 system is fairly tight, all things considered, which is important on a mid-drive that features a shift sensor. Else, the chain and derailleur bouncing around would throw the sensor and cut power in situations that don’t warrant it. Thankfully, not something I’ve experienced during my varied test rides.

I particularly like the multi-downshift capability offered by the X5, which reduces how long it takes to drop to the right gear when climbing hills. You can also shift without pedaling – just engage the throttle and shift normally – and the X5 has no qualms about it.

Overall, I am very pleased to see the Colt equipped with a capable 10-speed groupset that lets the mid-drive showcase its torque.

Suntour XCT30 Suspension fork

The Suntour XCT30 is a coil suspension fork with 80 mm of travel and a quick release hub. I’m a big believer in air suspension whenever possible, but expecting a good brand-name air fork without bumping up the price is a tall order. And besides, the XCT30 performs very well in the areas where the Colt is designed to be ridden.

Paired with a suspension post, the ride is remarkably comfortable and still quite compliant.

The XCT30 allows for preload adjustment, as well as full lockout if desired. Left fully open, there is some suspension rock with aggressive pedaling, but otherwise it’s just a comfortable and relatively smooth ride. Dialing in some rebound tightens it up, but I found that I was happy to simply leave the suspension wide open. Sure, it makes pedaling a bit less efficient (especially up hills), but that’s what the motor is for, right?

Wheels & Tires

Thank the ebike gods that Surface 604 had the foresight to equip the Colt with properly sized rims and tires. Many D2C brands ship with 24” or 26” wheels, often stacked with fat tires, and that’s not a configuration that’s exactly common in North America. Replacing odd tire sizes is generally more expensive than more conventional sizes.

The Panaracer-built tires are specifically designed for Surface 604 and feature additional puncture resistance, which should give riders added confidence on the road, especially when trying to achieve the claimed 80 miles of range.

Traction on the road is great, but the tires come up lacking in dirt and gravel. Given the decidedly on-road tread pattern, this shouldn’t be a surprise, but if you want a bike that can also handle trails, you’ll want to look into tires with a more universal tread pattern. Surface 604 has options here if you’re keen, and the Colt would shred most singletracks if equipped with the right tires.

Display & Settings

The display is legible in most situations, but it also suffers from glare in direct light. It’s easy to read, but I would prefer a display that provides a solid PAS level number rather than named variants (such as ECO or Tour, versus PAS 1, PAS 2, etc.). This is easy to get used to, but if you’re swapping between bikes, this nomenclature can be a little unintuitive.

The display is also missing some information I’d like to have included, such as the time of day. And if I’m being picky, I’d rather see battery life as a percentage vs. bars.

Finally, the display is also relatively small. In some respects, this discreet factor helps the Colt not resemble an e-bike, but on the other hand, it makes it more challenging to see the battery level or distance traveled at a glance.

So while I find the color display legible and easy enough to read, I prefer the larger and more intuitive displays that Surface 604 equips its other bikes with.

Accessories

The front and rear racks are standard, but also easily removable. If you want to load up the Colt with some equipment, such as a DSLR bag with matching gear, the Colt has got you covered. Both racks are made of hefty metal and feel secure, with the rear rack welded to the frame and the front attached via four bolts.

The fenders are a thin metal (vs. cheap-feeling plastic) and do their job well. I rode through some fresh snowmelt and only got a few drops up my back… chalking that up as a win!

The Colt also comes with a powered LED headlight and taillight, as well as a bell. The lights are nice and bright, with the taillight mounted on the rack to keep the lines clean.

Competitors

The Colt is one of the few bikes with its feature set at its price point, but there are other options to consider as well.

• Biktrix Stunner SO 6 – $2,350 USD ($3,000 CAD) – Has a higher wattage mid-drive and a bigger battery compared to the Colt, but an inferior cadence pedal-assist system and only 50 mm of travel from the suspension fork.
• Trek Dual Sport+ 2 Stagger – $1,500 USD ($1,900 CAD) – Smaller battery, no throttle, and no suspension fork. Lighter and sleeker than the Colt, but also slower and less capable.
• Priority Current – $2,500 USD (not available in Canada) – Smaller battery, similar motor wattage, with a belt drive and a fixed fork. Unfortunately, no throttle. A great bike, though.

Is the 2025 Colt Mid-Drive the Best Commuter Bike Under $2,500? I Think So.

What costs under $2,500, makes 130 Nm of torque, and is made for people who love to cycle? That’s right: the 2025 Surface 604 Colt mid-drive.

Are there better bikes? For more money, yes. Often, much more money.

Can you obtain similar on-paper specs from overseas ODM brands for a lower price? Yes, but they all come with generic components and design compromises.

The fact is that there are very few bikes that directly compare to or compete with the 2025 Colt, and the ones that exist require you to make concessions in terms of price, components, support, or all three.

The Colt is one of the best bang-for-your-buck bikes currently available on the market from a brand with 10+ years of history and an established dealer network.

To summarize: the Colt mid-drive is a feature-rich, well-equipped commuter that has tons of power and excellent riding dynamics. This is the ebike that everyone on Reddit asks for, but fails to correctly identify. This is the bike that everyone who wants a fast, mid-drive, throttle-equipped ebike that can also haul 300 lbs of rider around is practically begging for. 

Well, here it is: now get out and enjoy it!