Evelo Delta!

[comradecasey]

I just picked mine up locally from Evelo's shop in Seattle (I live in Portland). I've got to say, coming from a weak 250watt Sondors Thin has made switching to this bike a dream. The BBS02 is a fantastic motor and pulled my slightly overweight ass up every Seattle and Portland hill I've been able to track down. The NuVinci CVT is amazing as well.

Made a few changes for commuting though:

Replaced the Nobby Nics with Schwalbe 2" Marathons (at least for now while I wait on the weather for camping again). Also swapped the saddle and grips to an Ergon SCM4 and Ergon GS1s respectively. Fenders and racks were installed right as the rain stopped in Portland of course, and I just put the 203mm and 180mm Shimano rotors on today.

Lovely bike though, commuting is way more fun than it was with the Sondors and I've already got 100+ miles and counting!

 

[comradecasey]

Just chiming in with an update on the Evelo Delta. It has surpassed my expectations in this crappy, typical Portland fall weather! Zero electrical issues (I did have a few in the rain with my Sondors) throughout the few hundred miles I've put on it commuting here. This is an amazing bike and I'll be taking it out to do some actual mountain biking in the Forest Park area this weekend. Very excited!

 

[comradecasey]

400mile update: biked to work today in the ice and snow we got here in Portland. Schwalbe Marathons have been fantastic and the Nobby Nics have been awesome for actual mtb stuff. I swapped out my 48T front chainring for a Lekkie 46T for a little extra torque for the hills (and it's lighter than the stamped steel Bafang unit). Had to use spacers, but wasn't a big deal at all. Also swapped the Bafang cranks for some Lekkie cranks and switched to some Shimano pedals as well. All in all I think I'm done swapping stuff out and I do believe the bike is perfected for me at least!

 

[JoeLong]

I own a Honda NM4 it has a dual clutch 6-speed automatic transmission so I'm looking for my 1st ebike and can't imagine having to shift through through 10 speeds manually. The Evelo Delta appears to have it all, is the controller programmable, and how well does the transmission operate at speeds above 20/mph? I need speed.

Thanks
JoeLong

 

[comradecasey]

You can manually unlock the speed limit yourself and the controller is programmable if you buy the dongle and read up on Bafang settings/limitations (you’ll likely void your warranty though!).

The NuVinci is fantastic at all speeds. I got a smaller front sprocket as I do a lot of MTB and off road stuff, but even with a 46T I can top out at 26MPH if I pedal along. It’ll climb hills like no other bike out there too.

If you’re ever in OR you’re welcome to test ride mine!

 

[JoeLong]

You can manually unlock the speed limit yourself and the controller is programmable if you buy the dongle and read up on Bafang settings/limitations (you’ll likely void your warranty though!).

The NuVinci is fantastic at all speeds. I got a smaller front sprocket as I do a lot of MTB and off road stuff, but even with a 46T I can top out at 26MPH if I pedal along. It’ll climb hills like no other bike out there too.

If you’re ever in OR you’re welcome to test ride mine!

Thanks for the offer to ride but 26MPH peddling... well ok.

I'm really new to this, but I won't purchase an ebike that can't be peddled to 30+ mph easily or without throttle assist. And BTW my motorcycle warranty does not void when I operate it at twice the rated speed limit, must be a millennial safe space thing, no?

I'm probably not gonna be an good ebike guy right?

The irony... Gonna be 64 next month and thinking about selling my motorcycle to slow down a bit, and here I am looking for a speedy ebike. lol

You only live once - Joe.

 

[comradecasey]

Well if you’re looking for a 30mph+ bike you’d likely need a much larger front sprocket than what the Evelo frame can fit. Likely a 56T. If you found measurements I could see if that’d fit the frame, but I haven’t looked in to larger sprockets as they’re not very useful for me personally.

Also, you’re only voiding the warranty if you use the dongle to modify the actual Bafang settings (speed limit mod is kosher and does not require a dongle, whereas messing with throttle/pedal parameters requires a dongle and some know-how). With that being said, you could probably just revert to normal and call it a day, but imho if you’re monkeying with settings that can melt the controller/motor, you probably shouldn’t be a dick and make a warranty claim.

Anyways, another option is to get a hub motored ebike as you can run those throttle only and never shift if you don’t want to. I have a Juiced Hyper Fat and while it does have its own issues, you can run it 30mph+ with zero shifting. Luna is a third option for 30mph+ ebikes, but those are mid drive, so you’ll have to shift to get up to 30mph. Biktrix has bikes that use the newer Bafang Ultra Max, but I have zero personal experience with those!

 

[MikeDD]

Have you felt the need for a suspension seat post when riding off road? Half of my riding is off pavement, I was considering a full suspension emtb but this bike may suit my needs better. I live in Eastern Washington so I could drive to Seattle for a test ride.

Have you had any problems that required warranty service?

 

[comradecasey]

Have you felt the need for a suspension seat post when riding off road? Half of my riding is off pavement, I was considering a full suspension emtb but this bike may suit my needs better. I live in Eastern Washington so I could drive to Seattle for a test ride.

Have you had any problems that required warranty service?

I prefer riding without a suspension post off road as I’m usually doing MTB s*it where I prefer to have a dropper instead. For commuting I always run that suntour post with the Schwalbe Marathons.

No issues at all besides the fact that it got stolen. In the almost year I owned it I rode it every day (rain and snow too!) and had zero issues. It’s a wonderful bike and I wish I still had it.

 

[Jerry LM]

Hey Comradecasey, did you have insurance on the bike? this is the very bike I am considering for myself and about to order from evelo, are you going to get another? I can't imagine how crappy it must have been to lose it, no help from cops?

 

[comradecasey]

Yep! Renters insurance paid out the full value minus my deductible, but I ended up purchasing a Surface 604 Shred as it had a larger battery. I camp a lot and the extra capacity is very useful. I’d say the Delta was a slightly better overall bike mostly due to the RockShox fork vs the Suntour on the Shred as well as the CVT, but the torque sensor on the Shred is incredible. I miss the Delta's forks for the MTB stuff I do, but that isn't a huge loss imo. If I had to do it again, I'd probably just get the shred. Cheaper, higher capacity, and FAR better four piston brakes standard.

 

[Drahuber]

You can manually unlock the speed limit yourself and the controller is programmable if you buy the dongle and read up on Bafang settings/limitations (you’ll likely void your warranty though!).

The NuVinci is fantastic at all speeds. I got a smaller front sprocket as I do a lot of MTB and off road stuff, but even with a 46T I can top out at 26MPH if I pedal along. It’ll climb hills like no other bike out there too.

If you’re ever in OR you’re welcome to test ride mine!

Hi , I’m just awaiting the delivery of my delta and am curious on how you manually unlock the speed limiter ?

 

[Woodie582]

Simple process done through the display, mines at 30mph

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Have one at my store. Awesome ebike !

Its cool they are also going through dealers now.

Dealt with them on an older Aurora for a service issue just this week, and they were just spectacular in responsiveness, and ease of troubleshooting, and shipping out parts super pronto. No hassles at all, with respect to what parts were needed. Heads and shoulders above my experience with Rad Power, or other on-line firms. Very professional, respectful, don't talk down to you, and don't question your trouble-shooting process. And they don't make you jump through all kinds of rules or process requirements that these other firms tend to have. I think they've nailed it having dealt with customers directly for a number of years now, and make it even smoother for us dealers. And a little 'shout out' to Bill Cummings there. He's the best in the business.