Joe, All...
I received the E-Glide SS (Single Speed) yesterday and have a few rides in. It looks great and rides well (like a city bike, as described in some similar e-bike reviews which I link in below). I
For info about single speed bikes and their characteristics, see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-speed_bicycle. Single Speed Bicycle wonks love their simplicity and the burn of a hill or sprint. I tried a few mild hills without the power on, and you have to work a bit.
(There are spots along the Potomac River Bike Trail between Mt Vernon, VA and Alexandria, VA where I would have to walk the bike up if the battery was empty. I know this because I rode my old Trek hybrid there a few weeks ago -- and my front gear shifter was broken so I could not shift down to the lowest gears).
The hub motor and the battery juice, of course, help flatten those hills. On my initial rides, the mid and high settings of the 3 level pedal assist give a noticeable boost and help maintain speed on hills (at about 15 and 18-20 mph respectively with some power input by rider). The low setting seems to target about 9-10 mph, and does not seem to provide much power on the mild to moderate hills -- the rider puts a good deal of their own power in to maintain speed.
The thumb throttle can add power and speed to pedelec modes, and can supplement the low setting. Max thumb throttle with minimal rider input tops out at 18-19 mph. On high power (or downhill with lower power), my fastest comfortable pedal rate on this single speed bike got up to 24-25 mph.
I've linked Court's review of a similar bike, the Easy Motion EasyGo Race below. It is a single speed, lower cost "City Bike" similar to the E-Glide SS. It may give you a feel for the general class of bikes.
- E-Glide SS has 350/700 watt hub motor, more power than the EasyGo race 250 watt model. I haven't yet, but will post speed performance. The SS tops out at 18-20 mph with throttle (or light pedaling) only. Court notes the EasyGo feels sluggish at/above 16 mph.
- E-Glide SS has 10 AH bottle battery mounted on down tube, vs. Easy Go race approx 3 AH pack mounted behind seat post.
- Aggressive ride posture and stiff light frames are similar, but not identical. E-Glide SS has all tubular round frame.
- Controls are somewhat different: E-Glide SS has both electric throttle and 3-level pedal assist which uses a cadence sensor on the front gear. You can use both at the same time - kicking in more power on low assist when needed for a hill, for example. The EasyGo has a torque sensor strain gauge on the rear gear, and Court notes some issues in the review.
https://electricbikereview.com/easy-motion/easygo-race/
