I have had my Homage for about two weeks during which I have only been able to bike three days because of the weather. I don’t mind riding when it is cold but I draw the line when my fingers and ears begin to freeze. I can sum up my experience easily: this is my first ebike and it is everything I hoped it would be.
Some observations:
1. I like the Rock Razor tires. I took a wrong turn and ended up riding through three inches of mud. It was caked on the tires, spokes, rims and everywhere else you can imagine. I kept pedaling and the bike kept going. A less knobby tire would have been a disaster.
2. The default tires turn and corner well. Very stable. I installed a puncture-resistant liner inside the tire.
3. I moved the lock to the seat tube because it interfered with my Racktime trunk bag.
4. The water bottle placement is an experiment to see how well it works. I don’t like stuff on my handlebar so it’s this or a rear bottle holder.
5. I replaced the pedals with Deity Bladerunners. Even wearing non-mountain shoes, my feet stick like magnets.
6. I didn’t get a bell even though the R&M site says the (low speed) bike comes with a bell. This is an absolute must-have where I ride. Fortunately, the folks at Fly Rides were kind enough to send me a bell. Kudos to Hector for that.
7. I like the electric shifter. I find myself shifting without looking at my current gear. I just shift up or down depending on my pedaling.
8. The bike rolls very well. When going down a steep hill, I find that after a certain point, pedaling slows me down. When I coast, I pick up speed. For example, I was pedaling downhill at about 28mph and that was as fast as I could go. When I stopped pedaling, I accelerated to 32-34mph. I don't understand this.
I will now focus mostly on the E-14 and the Kiox and the things I hope can be improved. Overall, the display is usable and provides useful information. It is accurate with regard to time and distance as it matches what is logged by Strava on my phone. The display is readable in all kinds of sun/dark. During rides, I use display #2 almost exclusively. I scroll occasionally when I want to check the clock and battery range.
Here’s my list in no particular order:
1. I like a light touch. The up/down buttons on the E-14 are hard to push and provide little feedback. I sometimes press one and nothing happens. Also, when I do multi-shift, it sometimes only shifts one gear.
2. Multi-shift shifts four gears. According to the documentation, this works as designed. I feel it should only shift three gears at a time. Four is too many.
3. Walk mode is very disappointing. I had hoped to use it to walk my bike up the stairs. The rear wheel turns but there is no torque behind it. I understand that Bosch is worried about people trying to use this as a throttle but that won’t happen because the speed is restricted to 1-2mph. What Bosch needs to do is keep the speed low but increase the torque so that steep inclines can be climbed.
4. The Kiox doesn’t remember which assist level was selected when last powered on. It always starts in Off mode.
5. There is only one set of data. Bosch needs to add a “Trip 2” and “Trip 3” for user-defined things such as weekly, monthly, yearly, lifetime values for trip distance, ride time, speed, etc. All you have now is one set of these values. When you reset it, you lose previous trip data. You should be able to separately keep track of previous rides as well as your current ride. It shouldn’t have to be either-or.
6. The Rohloff gear number displayed needs to be larger. I have to lean forward to read it.
7. The trip odometer should be displayed under the current speed on the main display (#2) which shows your speed and assist.
8. Increase the size of numbers and letters when possible. Not too much but enough for readability at distance.
9. Good option for the phone app: allow the customization of the 4-part display. As of this moment, it shows distance, range, power, heartbeat. Perhaps allow the same on the 2-part displays.
10. The metal battery cover on the down tube is not sealed. I don’t know why. Perhaps the Powertube battery needs to breathe. Otherwise, it should be sealed to keep out the weather and trail.
If I think of anything else, I will add it to the list. Cheers.
Some observations:
1. I like the Rock Razor tires. I took a wrong turn and ended up riding through three inches of mud. It was caked on the tires, spokes, rims and everywhere else you can imagine. I kept pedaling and the bike kept going. A less knobby tire would have been a disaster.
2. The default tires turn and corner well. Very stable. I installed a puncture-resistant liner inside the tire.
3. I moved the lock to the seat tube because it interfered with my Racktime trunk bag.
4. The water bottle placement is an experiment to see how well it works. I don’t like stuff on my handlebar so it’s this or a rear bottle holder.
5. I replaced the pedals with Deity Bladerunners. Even wearing non-mountain shoes, my feet stick like magnets.
6. I didn’t get a bell even though the R&M site says the (low speed) bike comes with a bell. This is an absolute must-have where I ride. Fortunately, the folks at Fly Rides were kind enough to send me a bell. Kudos to Hector for that.
7. I like the electric shifter. I find myself shifting without looking at my current gear. I just shift up or down depending on my pedaling.
8. The bike rolls very well. When going down a steep hill, I find that after a certain point, pedaling slows me down. When I coast, I pick up speed. For example, I was pedaling downhill at about 28mph and that was as fast as I could go. When I stopped pedaling, I accelerated to 32-34mph. I don't understand this.
I will now focus mostly on the E-14 and the Kiox and the things I hope can be improved. Overall, the display is usable and provides useful information. It is accurate with regard to time and distance as it matches what is logged by Strava on my phone. The display is readable in all kinds of sun/dark. During rides, I use display #2 almost exclusively. I scroll occasionally when I want to check the clock and battery range.
Here’s my list in no particular order:
1. I like a light touch. The up/down buttons on the E-14 are hard to push and provide little feedback. I sometimes press one and nothing happens. Also, when I do multi-shift, it sometimes only shifts one gear.
2. Multi-shift shifts four gears. According to the documentation, this works as designed. I feel it should only shift three gears at a time. Four is too many.
3. Walk mode is very disappointing. I had hoped to use it to walk my bike up the stairs. The rear wheel turns but there is no torque behind it. I understand that Bosch is worried about people trying to use this as a throttle but that won’t happen because the speed is restricted to 1-2mph. What Bosch needs to do is keep the speed low but increase the torque so that steep inclines can be climbed.
4. The Kiox doesn’t remember which assist level was selected when last powered on. It always starts in Off mode.
5. There is only one set of data. Bosch needs to add a “Trip 2” and “Trip 3” for user-defined things such as weekly, monthly, yearly, lifetime values for trip distance, ride time, speed, etc. All you have now is one set of these values. When you reset it, you lose previous trip data. You should be able to separately keep track of previous rides as well as your current ride. It shouldn’t have to be either-or.
6. The Rohloff gear number displayed needs to be larger. I have to lean forward to read it.
7. The trip odometer should be displayed under the current speed on the main display (#2) which shows your speed and assist.
8. Increase the size of numbers and letters when possible. Not too much but enough for readability at distance.
9. Good option for the phone app: allow the customization of the 4-part display. As of this moment, it shows distance, range, power, heartbeat. Perhaps allow the same on the 2-part displays.
10. The metal battery cover on the down tube is not sealed. I don’t know why. Perhaps the Powertube battery needs to breathe. Otherwise, it should be sealed to keep out the weather and trail.
If I think of anything else, I will add it to the list. Cheers.
