Drop-bars on Emazing Artemis

[Dude222]

I installed Origin8 Gary-2 handlebars on my Emazing Artemis, with Shimano ST-A070 Brake/Shifters. The installation was straightforward with the original cable housing, except that the front brake housing might be a bit short, which results in a little bit of brake cable tension when the handlebars are turned at extreme angles. I'd recommend getting a little bit longer front brake cable housing. The disc brakes on the Artemis are "long-pull" (as are most disc brakes apparently), so the short pull of the Shimano brifters I installed makes for a somewhat spongy brake action: I basically have to squeeze them all the way to the bar to get decent stopping power, and if I adjust them any closer I risk having brake drag. However, my regular route involves going down a hill at around 40 mph and the brake-action seems to be fine for it.

One issue I faced was how and where to mount the PAS controller and display. Drop bars typically have a grip diameter of 23.8mm, whereas the MTB handlebars that come stock on the Artemis have a grip diameter of 22.2mm, so the controller and display can't be mounted directly on standard drop bars. What I ended up doing was buying the Minoura Accessory Holder handlebar extension, which mounts to the bike's steering stem and has a 22.2mm diameter mounting tube. It works great.
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[JoePah]

Never saw that brand before.. Looks like a pretty stealthy eBike... What speed do you cruise?

 

[J.R.]

Dude, Emazing looking! Looks like a standard cross bike... stealthy! Welcome to EBR-Comm.

 

[Ann M.]

Nice set up, @Dude222 , very classy! Try tightening the brake cable by the calipers and then check the alignment of your calipers; (generally look for a pair of 5mm allen head bolts which allow you to set the alignment of the 2 pads with the rotor) this may help give you snappier brake action; they really shouldn't be too sloppy. Some disc brake levers also have a small set screw on the lever that adjusts the actuation or length of pull on the lever to activate the brake.

Interesting background for your photo btw! Where are you doing your 40mph downhill?

 

[Dude222]

I live in the SF bay area and there are lots of places with hills like that. I live up on a hill, about 2 miles over 1000 feet of elevation from the last bus stop. I'm a lifetime cyclist so I like the bike-feel. I've seen the heavy ebikes for fat people who don't like to pedal, and that's not really my thing. I like to ride a bike, but faster and up hills, and I like something I can carry up and down stairs and put on a bus rack. The Emazing Artemis is nearly ideal except that it's a little underpowered (350 watts) for the hills where I live. I weigh 155 lbs and often have another 20 lbs of stuff to carry. The bike is great for zipping around on flat surfaces but on steep hills it suffers. The hub motor is inefficient at speeds lower than around 10mph so you either have to crank hard to keep it over 10mph up a steep hill or risk the motor cutting out from too much voltage draw, especially at boost levels 3-5. So when going up steep hills I found keeping the boost at level 2 is optimal and I just have to pedal really hard and go up fast.

At this point I really would prefer a mid-drive ebike. That way I could choose between cranking hard and going fast or putting it in a lower gear and spinning my way up. Unfortunately mid drives tend to be really expensive, or heavy. I did test ride a Felt Sport-e and it was very nice but I can't do $4000 right now.

The brake action was as good as I could get it without getting brake-drag.

 

[JoePah]

I live in the SF bay area and there are lots of places with hills like that. I live up on a hill, about 2 miles over 1000 feet of elevation from the last bus stop. I'm a lifetime cyclist so I like the bike-feel. I've seen the heavy ebikes for fat people who don't like to pedal, and that's not really my thing. I like to ride a bike, but faster and up hills, and I like something I can carry up and down stairs and put on a bus rack. The Emazing Artemis is nearly ideal except that it's a little underpowered (350 watts) for the hills where I live. I weigh 155 lbs and often have another 20 lbs of stuff to carry. The bike is great for zipping around on flat surfaces but on steep hills it suffers. The hub motor is inefficient at speeds lower than around 10mph so you either have to crank hard to keep it over 10mph up a steep hill or risk the motor cutting out from too much voltage draw, especially at boost levels 3-5. So when going up steep hills I found keeping the boost at level 2 is optimal and I just have to pedal really hard and go up fast.

At this point I really would prefer a mid-drive ebike. That way I could choose between cranking hard and going fast or putting it in a lower gear and spinning my way up. Unfortunately mid drives tend to be really expensive, or heavy. I did test ride a Felt Sport-e and it was very nice but I can't do $4000 right now.

The brake action was as good as I could get it without getting brake-drag.

That sounds pretty good.. I have a BMC 1000w geared hub motor that moves along... A cheap upgrade might be to have that 350 watt motor upgraded to 500 or 750 watts.. BMC, Mac and others sell them.. Or you can ask them about upgrading the controller and/or battery. Or you could ask the shop where you purchased the bike. Range might suffer a bit.

 

[George S.]

I live in the SF bay area and there are lots of places with hills like that. I live up on a hill, about 2 miles over 1000 feet of elevation from the last bus stop. I'm a lifetime cyclist so I like the bike-feel. I've seen the heavy ebikes for fat people who don't like to pedal, and that's not really my thing. I like to ride a bike, but faster and up hills, and I like something I can carry up and down stairs and put on a bus rack. The Emazing Artemis is nearly ideal except that it's a little underpowered (350 watts) for the hills where I live. I weigh 155 lbs and often have another 20 lbs of stuff to carry. The bike is great for zipping around on flat surfaces but on steep hills it suffers. The hub motor is inefficient at speeds lower than around 10mph so you either have to crank hard to keep it over 10mph up a steep hill or risk the motor cutting out from too much voltage draw, especially at boost levels 3-5. So when going up steep hills I found keeping the boost at level 2 is optimal and I just have to pedal really hard and go up fast.

At this point I really would prefer a mid-drive ebike. That way I could choose between cranking hard and going fast or putting it in a lower gear and spinning my way up. Unfortunately mid drives tend to be really expensive, or heavy. I did test ride a Felt Sport-e and it was very nice but I can't do $4000 right now.

The brake action was as good as I could get it without getting brake-drag.

Nice bike. It's hard to find a production bike with drops. A mid-drive like the Bafang BBS02 might work. Those are serious hills.

 

[Dan Mulholland]

Dude 222,

Most interesting post. The "new" Artemis, is obviously geared very differently. Mine chugs up hills really well, with my 185 pounds, in first or second gear, but does very little in the electric department above 10 MPH, or a little more at power level 4. I can't claim the hills in Eugene are anything like San Francisco though. I was going to harass Emazing to provide me with the controller from your "old" Artemis, so there could be some power at higher speeds; not so sure now, or if that's even where the difference is. I assumed that the lack of power was about complying with European standards. It appears that they decided to fix your problem by making the bike work better, with more power, at lower speeds, sacrificing power at higher speeds.

 

[Brad Allen]

At this factor I really would select a mid-drive ebike. That way I could select between decent difficult and going quick or placing it in a reduced equipment and rotating my way up.



36 Volt Electric Bicycle Battery