edwinr
New Member
I've probably put in more than 1,500 miles in my 2017 IZip E3 Protour that came with the COBI tech since I got it about 9 months ago. Almost 90% of those miles, I was towing my dog trailer. Keep in mind, my dog is about 125 lbs and my little one, he's about 20 lbs. Count their weight, their trailer and my weight of 185lbs, my bike is tugging some hefty load. So far though, I have to share that I'm very impressed with the build quality. The motor have not let us down and we've been through many terrain including rain, mud, hot, cold and heavy winds. The bike also handles well in high winds especially in turbo mode. It cuts through like a knife, and I am getting about 20 mph with all that weight too!
I've also cycled through dark - and the LED lights are fantastic. I was able to see far probably, about 10 cars ahead. It's super bright. The Rear signal light I was also very surprised, it lasted a long time about 6 hours in one single charge with the rear light being turned on most of the time (not flashing). I also like the fact that when I turn my bike on, the LED headlight and Rear light comes on automatically. This is the new update that I received from COBI. Speaking off, I used the COBI about 60% of the time, usually when I'm out urban cycling and have to park my bike and activate the alarm. The alarm works excellent. I have had two incidents where strangers attempted to take my bike and the alarm went off. I always have the ABUS and the ulock on as well. That gives me peace of mind with triple protection. Moreover, the hydraulic disk brake is excellent. We've gone through many downhill grade, most of them were off pavement, and so far I have not tuned it up once. It brakes fast and easy. Also, the saddle I was surprised how comfortable it was. I have not had any issues on having a sore butt.
The built-in rear rack I think is also a great benefit. It can hold about 40 lbs of weight. I have my small dog (20 lbs) attached on the left side, while on the right side, I have my panniers which weights about 10 lbs. So far so good, no problem there and no rattling noise either. Oh I also wanted to share, the Fenders are incredible. We've had heavy rain here in the San Francisco Bay Area recently - and the roads were pretty muddy, and the fenders were excellent in keeping the mud and dirt out of my jeans.
Last but not least, you are all probably asking - how's the battery life holding up so far? I've been averaging about 30-40 miles on a single charge. This is on either Level 1 or Level 2 assist mode. The only time I have used the Turbo mode was on high winds, or cycling over steep hills, or going over freeway overpass. But even then - I am still averaging about 30 miles including all the weight towing my dog trailer. When I'm not towing, I've been getting close to 50 electric miles on a single charge. Charging time have been averaging about 4.5 hours (from almost empty).
--If there is one thing I'd like to suggest to IZip or maybe this is with COBI - to have the rear light fully integrated with the battery, and also - when the brake lever is pressed, it would be nice to see the rear light flash steadily brighter since it's always on anyway. Another suggestion for IZip is to add a cover on the bike frame where the battery is located leaving a gaping hole on one side of the frame open. This I think could potentially damage the battery connectors when left outside . All in all, I think my 2017 IZip E3 Protour have lived up to its promise being reliable, fun to ride, and fast. And fun, we are having a lot of.
PS - I'd be interested in hearing your feedback or suggestions for ebike touring particularly, how you charge your batteries during camping travels using solar.
Thank you and Cheers!
I've also cycled through dark - and the LED lights are fantastic. I was able to see far probably, about 10 cars ahead. It's super bright. The Rear signal light I was also very surprised, it lasted a long time about 6 hours in one single charge with the rear light being turned on most of the time (not flashing). I also like the fact that when I turn my bike on, the LED headlight and Rear light comes on automatically. This is the new update that I received from COBI. Speaking off, I used the COBI about 60% of the time, usually when I'm out urban cycling and have to park my bike and activate the alarm. The alarm works excellent. I have had two incidents where strangers attempted to take my bike and the alarm went off. I always have the ABUS and the ulock on as well. That gives me peace of mind with triple protection. Moreover, the hydraulic disk brake is excellent. We've gone through many downhill grade, most of them were off pavement, and so far I have not tuned it up once. It brakes fast and easy. Also, the saddle I was surprised how comfortable it was. I have not had any issues on having a sore butt.
The built-in rear rack I think is also a great benefit. It can hold about 40 lbs of weight. I have my small dog (20 lbs) attached on the left side, while on the right side, I have my panniers which weights about 10 lbs. So far so good, no problem there and no rattling noise either. Oh I also wanted to share, the Fenders are incredible. We've had heavy rain here in the San Francisco Bay Area recently - and the roads were pretty muddy, and the fenders were excellent in keeping the mud and dirt out of my jeans.
Last but not least, you are all probably asking - how's the battery life holding up so far? I've been averaging about 30-40 miles on a single charge. This is on either Level 1 or Level 2 assist mode. The only time I have used the Turbo mode was on high winds, or cycling over steep hills, or going over freeway overpass. But even then - I am still averaging about 30 miles including all the weight towing my dog trailer. When I'm not towing, I've been getting close to 50 electric miles on a single charge. Charging time have been averaging about 4.5 hours (from almost empty).
--If there is one thing I'd like to suggest to IZip or maybe this is with COBI - to have the rear light fully integrated with the battery, and also - when the brake lever is pressed, it would be nice to see the rear light flash steadily brighter since it's always on anyway. Another suggestion for IZip is to add a cover on the bike frame where the battery is located leaving a gaping hole on one side of the frame open. This I think could potentially damage the battery connectors when left outside . All in all, I think my 2017 IZip E3 Protour have lived up to its promise being reliable, fun to ride, and fast. And fun, we are having a lot of.
PS - I'd be interested in hearing your feedback or suggestions for ebike touring particularly, how you charge your batteries during camping travels using solar.
Thank you and Cheers!
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