Another Neo Carbon Lover

[Dave]

Thanks for the comments & advice guys. The assembly went well, no problems. I do recommend that you watch the video about assembly, it helps a great deal. There are no assembly instructions, however all manuals are included, even manuals for all the installed components. One of the things I really loved was that the max torque values are silk screened right on the frame. Nice touch EM!

I finished assembly early last night, the temps were in the teens so I was not able to ride the Carbon. It is raining today, so the test ride will have to wait. All components have checked out on the repair stand, and seem to be working properly. Here is what I did after assembly:

Torqued all bolts to the proper force. ( check the fork stem bolt as well )
Cleaned all electrical contacts with contact cleaner
Tighten all electrical wire connectors ( the two silver connectors at the handlebars were loose , see pic )
Charged battery, and lubed locking pin.
Checked brake fluid reservoir caps for tightness and leaks, and check brake lines.
Check operation of the brakes.
Tighten all wheel spokes, yes each one.! ( Many I could turn 1/8 to ¼ turn )
Check operation of derailleurs and adjust. My front one needed tweaking ( cable tension )
Pump up tires slowly and make sure tire bead is seating.

Here is a list of tools I used;

• Park repair stand
• 4 and 5 mm hex keys ( allen )
• Torque wrench calibrated in NM
• 15mm open ended wrench
• 7mm open ended wrench
• Phillips screwdriver
• Electrical contact cleaner & lithium grease
• Spoke wrench 12ga.
• Cutters, flashlight, and the most important: reading glasses!!

I have included some pictures, the most pertinent is the one showing the two silver connectors at the handlebar that should be checked for tightness. I hope to have a test ride soon and a full review.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Excellent info Dave.
The bike looks sharp and I'm certain it will be a blast to ride.

Cheers

 

[Dave]

Well I finally got to ride my Neo Carbon. After almost two days of looking at it and wondering what this black beauty was all about, I took it for a spin.

RIDE:

I have never ridden or even demoed an electric bike, so I had no real idea of what to expect. I started out with no assist, just to get the feel. I was peddling up a small grade and hit Eco, immediate boost that kicked in and out perfectly with my pedal pressure. Much more boost then I expected! Five minutes later I was doing 26mph in boost mode, smiling my ass off!! I then took on the biggest, hill I could find. No problem, 17 mph and hardly working. This thing laughs at hills. This is one fast, powerful bike. I can’t believe I even questioned the 350 motor / 36 amp battery issues. It has torque to spare and actually caught me by surprise at first. I will need to re-think staying on the front middle chain ring, maybe stay on the large one up front, shifting mostly on the rear gears. I would like to feel a little more resistance while peddling.


I am simply astounded at the capability of this bicycle. I never dreamed it could be so much fun. It’s hard to describe the feeling when you first feel that motor kick in. I am a retired pilot, and in reminds me of my first flight, many, many years ago, and almost as exciting! I can’t imagine anyone that’s into the pure joy of biking not wanting a quality Ebike. I’m hooked, and already thinking "got the road bike, lotta nice trails around here, maybe I need……”

Finally, anyone thinking about buying the Carbon, I would definately recommend the bike if your looking for a fast, comfortable road bike. Very nice components, well made. You will feel the bumps, so smooth pavement is best. The front shock helps, but I would not want to take this bike over a lot of poor roads. The seat is stiff, (can you say board), I have another one coming. Overall a great bike.

 

[James]

The first ride! Way to go Dave, glad to hear it went well for you. I can tell you that I only ever stay on my large chain ring.... I really don't need anything else

 

[Justin McLeod]

Awesome Dave!!! My wife and I tested out e bikes for the first time Nov of last year and we bought her one the next month!! We both could not believe how much fun they were. We had big smiles the whole time!! My Dash should be in next week. Cant wait!!!

 

[Justin McLeod]

What seat are you getting and why?

 

[Brambor]

Dave, I am so happy for you. Life is good!

 

[Dave]

Justin,
Great news on the Dash. I think it is a great bike, and thought seriously about it. Let us know when the big day arrives.

The seat on the Carbon is a narrow, hard racing style seat. I wanted something with similar style, but much better comfort. I have coming the Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow which got very good reviews. A little pricey, but I think it will be worth the money.

 

[Magmir]

I'm glad you also love your Carbon, Dave and that's funny re: your mind already drifting towards something for the trail. Just blame Ravi!

The new seat looks great btw. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

[Dave]

I'm glad you also love your Carbon, Dave and that's funny re: your mind already drifting towards something for the trail. Just blame Ravi!
The new seat looks great btw. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Yes, Ravi and Eddie have me wondering about the joys of trail riding. The Carbon is hardly out of the box and I am thinking about full suspension bikes for the summer. Larry's post on the new Haibikes didn't help any either!

I should have the seat late next week and will do a review. I will post it in accessories. There are so many seats out there, but I think this will work, and it looks good. I did take the time to measure my sitbones ( highly recommended ) and the width of the Selle is just right.

 

[Larry Pizzi]

Hey Justin - regarding battery pack capacity, remember that the size of the fuel tank is measured by multiplying Voltage x Ah to give you total capacity in Watt Hours. For example; 36V 10Ah = 360Wh while 48V 8.7Ah (like on your IZIP E3 Dash) = 417Wh. Also, energy is delivered more efficiently at higher voltage and keeps the entire system running cooler. Just an FYI. Nothing wrong with 36V systems - we use them on a number of models.

18650 Cells are becoming available in higher capacities. The norm is a 2.2Ah cells from Samsung and Panasonic, they are available now in higher capacities. See attached file for some interesting comparative data. Very important is the discharge rate and generally for ebikes, the higher rate the better. Another thing that we are still testing is the cycle life of all these cells. Because the battery pack is the single most expensive component on an electric bike, if the higher capacity significantly reduces the number of charge/discharge cycles, then it becomes a significant factor too. Interesting to note that the 2.2 cells show highest cycle life today, but the technology is improving continuously. The higher capacity cells are also more expensive

 

[oilerlord]

Hey Dave,

The Carbon is a beautiful bike; it looks like a sculpted piece of art. I can't wait to ride all of Easy Motion bikes next weekend. I'm still undecided about what bike I really "need" since I may only go on trails occasionally, and most of it's duties will be commuting on city streets & bike paths. Our streets, however are notoriously bad in the spring and I think Edmonton holds the world record for the number of potholes we have. Lots of drivers have sued the city (and won) for damage to tires, suspension, and other parts due to the pothole problem we have. For that reason, I'm leaning towards the Jumper.

I've yet to ride an e-bike of any kind but I'm sure I'll be hooked! Dave, the nice thing about buying a Jumper is that you get a "free" battery to use with your Carbon! BTW, how has the range been with your Carbon in eco mode?

 

[Dave]

Our roads here in my part of NY are not too bad. The Carbon is definately suited for smooth pavement, with occasional bumps. The front shock and carbon frame does help keep the ride fairly comfortable.

I had not ridden an ebike before receiving my Carbon either. The thing that struck me the most was the power, and how quickly and smoothly it came on. I think Easy Motion in particular has done a very good job matching motor, controller, sensor, etc.

The Eco mode, at least on the 2013 Carbon, ( they seem to have updated this on the newer models ) is very strong, In fact, I seldom use higher levels of assist. Unfortunately, I have only ridden the Carbon 8 miles since new, and still have a full charge, so I can't comment on battery life just yet. The weather here in upstate NY has not been very good for riding. Good luck with your test rides, I think you will have a blast, and I don't think you can go wrong with any of EM's bikes.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Hi Dave,

I just noticed that your saddle is pointing downwards and that could cause uncomfortable feeling. On my bike, I have inclined upwards at an angle of 10' degrees so that my sit bones fit the widest section of the saddle. Made my rides so much more comfortable. I also ordered Selle Royale Respiro saddle for even more comfort.

So, if you are planning to ride your bike, make sure to adjust the angle of your saddle to match the sit bones. The stock saddles are not great but can be used for rides upto ~10 miles.

 

[Dave]

Ravi Thanks, I actually adjusted the saddle to point slightly downwards because it was hitting my sensitive areas, and making things uncomfortable. It may be a tad too much downward, and I may re-adjust again. I shoud be getting my Selle Italia Max Flite by the end of the week, and I will need to play with that adjustment as well, but at least it has the cutout. My sitbones measure 142mm and the Max Flite is 144mm wide so it should work. I agree that the stock saddle is not quite as bad as I thought it was going to be.

 

[Brambor]

I am definitely not an expert on this and I have fiddled with my seat too - front of my seat is also slightly downward on my regular bike. I use a leather saddle. I find that the glide/slickness of the leather coupled with enough space in front reduce any rubbing or hotspots. Basically it's a more active position but it seems to work for me. I could spend 4-5 hours in a day in the saddle and feel ok the next day.

 

[Dave]

We should probably do a saddle thread in accessories the section. As soon as I get my Selle and have a chance to ride on it, I will do a post on it and a link to a video showing how to measure your sitbones. Maybe Ravi and others can comment on their findings as well.

 

[Brambor]

I would be interested in an epic thread on saddles. Seems that there are so many variables in play ranging from size of the bu tt o cks, rider weight, gender, thickness of thighs, level of biking experience and type of terrain be it level or hilly. I went quickly from a gel seat to a leather seat. Even though my gel seat is padded and soft I get less soreness on my leather seat. I have some hypothesies (as above) but overall I still don't think I understand it fully.

 

[Larry Pizzi]

Cycling shorts make quite a difference for longer rides, and there are some rather nice, conventional looking ones on the market. I wear lycra cycling shorts under regular cargo shorts and that works well for me, when Im on the bike for more then a few hours.

 

[James]

Cycling shorts make quite a difference for longer rides, and there are some rather nice, conventional looking ones on the market. I wear lycra cycling shorts under regular cargo shorts and that works well for me, when I'm on the bike for more then a few hours.

That's a good call Larry. I have both the racing bibs and some downhill mountain bike shorts that cover the cycling shorts underneath. There really is no substitute for saddle time though!!