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I initially felt bad for the Medeo T9 City e-bike that Gazelle sent me for review. Not through any fault of its own but because I had just recently ridden Gazelle's Eclipse C380+, an all-inclusive beast that retailed for roughly 2.5 times the price of the Medeo T9 City. Would the lower-priced bike, with different versions of some of the same hardware, suffer compared to its beefier brethren?

Short answer: not really. The Medeo T9 City isn't trying to dominate the road; it just wants to get you where you're going. It has the same kind of automatic electric assist level shifting, just packed into a smaller handlebar display instead of a center console. It has chain and gear cogs instead of the Eclipse's belt drive and stepless shifting, an external battery instead of an inline, and a 250-watt Bosch Active Line motor instead of a 350-watt Performance Line Speed.

I think the Medeo T9 City likely makes for a good first or second e-bike, or perhaps a nice upgrade if you're prioritizing comfort and transport. Given its hill-smoothing motor, wide range of sizes, stable ride feel, and the backing of known bike brands, you could do much worse than a Gazelle with a Bosch motor.

Everything but the water bottle

The Medeo T9 City is Gazelle's lowest-priced model, and it's one of the more affordable entry points into the Bosch mid-drive motor. That's not to say it is low-cost, though. Even though it's $300 more now than when I rode it—Gazelle says tariffs played a part, but price changes were "already under consideration due to evolving economic conditions"—it packs in a lot of features you wouldn't otherwise get at this bike's $2,600 price.

For starters, the bike is almost fully kitted out, with custom fenders and chainguard, a substantial rack, lights, an AXA "cafe" rear wheel lock, and even a bell that actually makes some noise. The two colors, "Thyme Green" and "Caramel Khaki," are smart and non-gendered and fit the broad utility of the bike. It's available in four different sizes (40, 45, 50, and 55 inches), intended to cover riders from 4 feet, 9 inches to 6 feet, 4 inches. At 6-foot-2, I was generally comfortable on the largest model, though my arms wanted just a bit more space.

The Medeo T9 City's frame-mounted battery, while perhaps less slick-looking than a built-in, makes removing for charging, building compliance, or theft deterrence possible. There are no bottle mounting points on this model, like most step-through e-bikes, which is just about the only thing missing.

It's a stable ride, and its step-through frame is cut a bit lower than similar e-bikes, making the on/off experience easier. The 27.5-inch wheels, fitted with 62 mm tires, mean you don't have to second-guess plowing through most gravel or mud or wonder whether it's too windy for an upright ride. The battery's position, along with the mid-drive motor, moves your center of gravity downward, which makes handling a bit easier.

The front suspension did its job while going mostly unnoticed, which is what I'm looking for in a road bike. It's slightly stiff in its default adjustment but appropriately tuned to the overall ride feel. Gazelle put 180 mm discs on the front and 160 mm on the back, and they were more than capable of bringing me (at 200 pounds) to a full stop, even at the highest assist levels.

A quiet, non-flashy, capable motor

The mid-drive motor on the Gazelle Medeo T9 City, a 250-watt Bosch "Active Line" model. (Dried leaf to show the author's original ride took place in late fall.) Credit: Kevin Purdy

I'm an unabashed fan of the Bosch mid-drive motor experience on e-bikes, especially those bikes geared toward upright, flat-bar riding. Taking away one set of digital buttons and using torque sensors to suggest to the rider when it's time to shift physical gears makes a ride easier to enjoy instead of analyze. You can feel the limitations of a 250 W motor when you're trying to crank up a very steep hill or push too far past 20 mph, but if that happens a lot, you might have bought the wrong bike.

With Bosch's phone apps, you can adjust the riding modes (Eco, Tour, Auto, and Turbo), shifting them up or down in power range. The motor tops out at 20 miles per hour, however, and will almost always need your legs for anything but downhill riding. The trade-offs for this are that the motor is notably quieter than other motors, and the 400 Wh battery can be stretched to 35 miles and beyond on automatic power, depending on hills and speed.

The Medeo T9 City has a much smaller display than the Eclipse, but that's all it needs. You can see your battery level, headlamp status, speed, power level, and shifting indicator, and that's actually a lot for a handlebar display.

Gazelle's e-bikes are sturdy, solid, thoughtful rides, with a focus on balanced power and convenience. Go shopping for specs and you can absolutely beat the Medeo with a 750 W rear hub, a belt drive, and a bigger battery. But with the Medeo T9 City, you're buying a sturdy, mid-drive ride from an established brand with a bike shop presence. If it's in your budget and you know what kind of power and range you need, it might be worth spending a bit on reliability.

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