Evelo Omega - 200 Mile Review

[Alaskan]

I'm about to order an Omega. How easy or difficult is it to remove/install the main battery? Do you need the key to install or can you just snap it in place?

Thanks,Joe

It is an easy and very secure latching mechanism that needs no key to install the battery, just needed to remove it.

 

[RMK!]

I'm about to order an Omega. How easy or difficult is it to remove/install the main battery? Do you need the key to install or can you just snap it in place?

Thanks,Joe

It is a little fiddly but when positioned correctly it just snaps in place. The key is to release the battery. The setup video demonstrates how to do it. Practice makes perfect.

 

[RMK!]

I set my wifes Omega up yesterday. All good and straight forward but it seems the joint of the head tube and the fork isn't as solid as it should be and I can observe movement and hear a clunking sound when riding over a bump or pushing the handel bars with the front break applied. I tried tightening the head bolt but no improvement. There appears to be no explanation of tigtening the head bolt or the proper torque in the setup instructions. Any suggestions?

 

[Alaskan]

I set my wifes Omega up yesterday. All good and straight forward but it seems the joint of the head tube and the fork isn't as solid as it should be and I can observe movement and hear a clunking sound when riding over a bump or pushing the handel bars with the front break applied. I tried tightening the head bolt but no improvement. There appears to be no explanation of tigtening the head bolt or the proper torque in the setup instructions. Any suggestions?

 

[RMK!]

You are the man ... thank you!

 

[RMK!]

Since the large stem of the bike is rotated 180 degrees (I assume for shipping purposes) the headset adjustment is a crucial step in setup. Thanks again for the fine Park Tool video.

 

[RMK!]

My wife is 200+ plus miles into her Omega experiment and really likes the bike. We did find that when riding in Assist level 3 and 4 (mostly 4) she only had 5% battery remaining on a 32 mile ride (she's 5.9" 140#). We have the 2nd battery/rack ordered and that will resolve the range issue but the range for a single battery is disappointing. My Serial 1 Rush Cty Speed had 28% remaining on the same ride with a similar sized battery and assist mode, plus a 70# heavier rider so either their mileage claims are a bit off, or the Serial 1 Brose motor is way more efficient.

 

[KnobbyGuy]

My wife is 200+ plus miles into her Omega experiment and really likes the bike. We did find that when riding in Assist level 3 and 4 (mostly 4) she only had 5% battery remaining on a 32 mile ride (she's 5.9" 140#). We have the 2nd battery/rack ordered and that will resolve the range issue but the range for a single battery is disappointing. My Serial 1 Rush Cty Speed had 28% remaining on the same ride with a similar sized battery and assist mode, plus a 70# heavier rider so either their mileage claims are a bit off, or the Serial 1 Brose motor is way more efficient.

Hmm.. that doesn't sound great. My wife's Omega just arrived in early October (and then we were out of town for several weeks). We just put 30 miles on it around Columbus and she had 52% left on her battery. But she was running mostly in PAS #1. I have to say that her motor is dead quiet, my Atlas (Bafang motor) always has a subtle whine.

 

[RMK!]

Hmm.. that doesn't sound great. My wife's Omega just arrived in early October (and then we were out of town for several weeks). We just put 30 miles on it around Columbus and she had 52% left on her battery. But she was running mostly in PAS #1. I have to say that her motor is dead quiet, my Atlas (Bafang motor) always has a subtle whine.

Actually it isn't bad ... I like to ride relatively fast so to keep up, she uses PAS 3&4 which would account for the range difference. The 2nd battery should be arriving soon so that will end all range anxiety with her Omega. It is a very quiet bike and we really appreciate that feature. Both of my bikes are 250W pedelecs (no throttle) and are equipped with Bosch and Brose motors respectively that make a bit more noise than the Dapu equipped Omega. My wife has a Tesla Model 3 and has said, the Omega is the ebike equivalent of her Tesla e.g. simple to operate, fast and comfortable. It really is the perfect bike for her use case which is 3-4K miles/year, mostly paved trails..

 

[AHicks]

2 things, keep in mind the bikes run in cooler temps (<45-50f?) are not going to get the best battery mileage they're capable of. And second, unless there's some e-bike experience in hand going into it, your early mileage figures, especially while using PAS 3&4, are going to be easy to improve on as you build experience.

 

[Alaskan]

Great review and thank you very much !! My wife is a little over 5'3" and 130 lbs. I am a little under 5'8" and 135 lbs. The Omega should fit me fine but I am a bit concerned about her at 5'3". I would welcome any and all advice before ordering. Black Friday sale ends tomorrow.

try reading the whole thread as many questions are asked and answered, such as this one on page 2

"For your wife, you might consider their Galaxy 500, same maintenance free drive train with carbon belt and auto shifting with a bit less power and considerably lighter weight. This is a bike well suited to a smaller woman.

Galaxy 500

With its 24” wheels, deep step-through frame and wider tires, Galaxy electric cruiser fits riders of virtually any height and skill level.

evelo.com

"

 

[CSH]

My new Omega was delivered on June 22. It arrived in good condition with a minor paint scratch on the front wheel, something easily fixed with some matt black Testors model paint. It was an easy assembly, just mounting the handlebar, with stem attached, to the steering tube and installing the front wheel. I checked all key fasteners on brakes and drive train and confirmed that all was installed to proper torque specs.

I did order the bike with the extra battery and rack, which is supposed to land in Tacoma, WA on August 6 and should be sent out by mid August after clearing customs and arriving at the Seattle fulfillment warehouse. The bike is really a subtle stunner with its metallic, pearlescent white paint w/ smokey silver fork and accents. The paint is hard thick and appears to be very durable...only time will tell.

The lines are clean and simple, the layout of the cockpit is uncluttered with the wires, cables and hydraulic lines cleanly arranged and well managed. It appears that most cables coming out of the cockpit go to waterproof male/female plugs/joints prior to disappearing into the frame a thoughtful choice that allows the display, headlight, etc. to be swapped out simply by unplugging and dismounting with the need to run new wiring through the frame. Given its strong motor and large battery, it is somewhat of a wolf in sheep's clothing with rather subtle if not tame looks but dynamic ride performance. I made the following modifications and additions:

• Ergon Biocork grips
• Hammerhead Karoo 2 cycle computer with GPS mapping, customized display with hear rate,
• Garmin cadence sensor on left crank
• Accessory bar at the center of the handlebar
• Sun Co. clip on thermometer
• Quadlock phone mount
• horn
• Spurcycle bell
• Knog PWR Trail light with 5,000MaH battery pack/phone charger
• Kinekt spring loaded, 30 degree rise stem with stem cap computer mount
• Kinekt seat suspension seat post
• Selle Anatomica H2 leather saddle
• Rack Time seatpost clamp rack
• Rosewell 13L trunk bag with bright reflective piping and rain cover
• Light and Motion Seca 1800 lumen headlight with three steady on light levels and a lower amperage daytime pulse mode
• Vee Rubber 26x2.8 Speedster tires mounted tubeless
• Busch & Muller rear view mirror

The bike is easy to access with its deep step through. The frame construction, buttressing and welding is very robust and there is no perceptible twist, frame instability or wobbling at higher speeds and moving through turns.
The motor is whisper quiet, in fact all I really hear is tire noise and the sound of the servo-motor in the hub interface changing drive ratios. I am avoiding using the word "gears" as there really are none in the Enviolo CVT. Getting accustomed to automatic shifting was quick and easy, really trusting it to be in the right ratio for the terrain has taken a bit more time but is done now. I have discovered that getting into the lowest ratio, while pushing hard up a hill does require a very brief easing up, if not a slight pause while pedaling. A brief hicup at top dead center with the cranks and then immediately resuming pedaling takes the pressure off and allows the servo to push the CVT into the lowest gear. It also helps to do this at speed around 22 mph where I ease up, get the pressure of the hub and lets the servo get into the highest ration for lower cadence at 25+mph. In between those two conditions it's fully automatic with no help required of the rider.

Mounting my phone near the right handlebar grip allows me to easily switch between Automatic and Manual mode. I was using manual far more at first but now that I have come to really trust the Automatiq function I rarely am in manual shift mode. Still it is nice to have the phone connected to the hub interface for information and easy switching. Once one learns to trust the shifter to keep you in the right ratio, the wireless, handlebar controller is almost never used.

All my prior bikes were Bosch powered with 250 watt motors peaking at 350 with 85 Newton meters of torque. This bike, with its Japanese Dapu, mid drive motor is 750 watts, peaking at 980 with 115 Newton meters of torque really has quite noticeably more zip and oomph, to use technical terms. 30% more torque makes a big difference in power, acceleration, hill climbing prowess, exertion level and power use. Despite its large 720 watt hour battery, it is easy, in the higher assist levels, to run yourself out of battery if you are not paying attention. Going up a 10% grade at 12 mph with a 190 lb rider on a 70 lb. bike, in PAS-5 is a perfect configuration for rapidly depleting a battery. However keeping the bike in PAS 2 on flat ground I am able to return home after 28 miles with 46% of the battery remaining. I will do some total range tests once I have battery #2 to bring along and I can ride #1 down to 10% remaining.

I have altered the ride position to suit my comfort zone which is to say the stem is at the bottom of the protruding steering tube with the spacers on top of it. Also the replacement Kinekt spring loaded suspension stem has way less rise than the stock one. Over all my riding position is more sporty and forward leaning, less upright than stock, which is how I like it, being used to riding a Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3 a gravel ebike with drop handlebars. Completing the comfort profile is the Kinekt spring loaded, parallelogram seat post with a Selle Anatomica leather saddle with an open slot down the middle, which has been my saddle of choice on most of my ebikes for four years now.

I bought this bike to help me rehab from some health challenges that left me with less muscle mass and reduce lung capacity. As we live at the top of a 500 foot hill all rides end with a steep climb. Riding this bike has gotten me back on my other bikes for more vigorous, exercise based distance rides.

The Omega is perfectly suited as a daily automobile substitute, riding around town to appointments, using a rack mounted grocery basket or a trailer to pick up groceries, tools, haul stuff down to our boat, etc.

Nancy and I went on a 27 mile touring ride out into the river valley just north of town, cruising comfortably in PAS2 at around 20mph. If I want to go faster than that I up the PAS level, 22mph at PAS3, 25mph at pass 4 and 27 mph at PAS5 These are sustainable speeds on flat terrain, decent roads and at a comfortable cadence. The last of the ride, coming up the hill to our home, there are two blocks at 18-20% grades that I can easily pedal in PAS4 in not quite the lowest ratio, moving uphill at around 7-8 mph. Overall I find this a nicely designed, well thought out, robustly built bike.

Any review of an Evolo bike would not be complete without acknowledging the superb support Evelo provides. They have been designing and selling their bikes exclusively in the USA since 2012. The are assembled in Taiwan and distributed out of a warehouse near Seattle. When I have called their tech support team, about half the time I get right through to a person. If not I leave voice or email and someone friendly, courteous and smart gets back to me.
If there is any indication of a part being needed it is usually shipped out with tracking notification that same day. Being just 85 miles north of Seattle that means next day delivery...YMMV. This my first DTC (direct to consumer) ebike. Thus far my experience with the bike and the team standing solidly behind it has been outstanding.

This a fun bike to ride, good looking, solid, well made, with great support and well worth the premium price it commands.


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Hello Alaskan !
Do you happen to know if a Thudbuster "LT" will fit ok on the Omega ?

Thanks,
CSH

 

[Alaskan]

Hello Alaskan !
Do you happen to know if a Thudbuster "LT" will fit ok on the Omega ?

Thanks,
CSH

Never had one so I do not know. I test rode on and stuck with Kinkekt. It was not to my liking, too bouncy, difficult to adjust the ride by changing elastomers also that hardness varied too much due to temperature

 

[gizmoboy]

Hello Alaskan !
Do you happen to know if a Thudbuster "LT" will fit ok on the Omega ?

Thanks,
CSH

The 27.2mm one will fit. Evelo sells it.

 

[teaman]

Hi Alaskan,
In looking through your gear add-ons, I was puzzled why you have an Knog 1100L headlight and a Seca 1800L headlight and from the photos, the stock headlight. Maybe you do a lot of night riding? Which headlight do you recommend for someone who rides nearly always in the daytime but wants to be seen?

 

[Paris]

My new Omega was delivered on June 22. It arrived in good condition with a minor paint scratch on the front wheel, something easily fixed with some matt black Testors model paint. It was an easy assembly, just mounting the handlebar, with stem attached, to the steering tube and installing the front wheel. I checked all key fasteners on brakes and drive train and confirmed that all was installed to proper torque specs.

I did order the bike with the extra battery and rack, which is supposed to land in Tacoma, WA on August 6 and should be sent out by mid August after clearing customs and arriving at the Seattle fulfillment warehouse. The bike is really a subtle stunner with its metallic, pearlescent white paint w/ smokey silver fork and accents. The paint is hard thick and appears to be very durable...only time will tell.

The lines are clean and simple, the layout of the cockpit is uncluttered with the wires, cables and hydraulic lines cleanly arranged and well managed. It appears that most cables coming out of the cockpit go to waterproof male/female plugs/joints prior to disappearing into the frame a thoughtful choice that allows the display, headlight, etc. to be swapped out simply by unplugging and dismounting with the need to run new wiring through the frame. Given its strong motor and large battery, it is somewhat of a wolf in sheep's clothing with rather subtle if not tame looks but dynamic ride performance. I made the following modifications and additions:

• Ergon Biocork grips
• Hammerhead Karoo 2 cycle computer with GPS mapping, customized display with hear rate,
• Garmin cadence sensor on left crank
• Accessory bar at the center of the handlebar
• Sun Co. clip on thermometer
• Quadlock phone mount
• horn
• Spurcycle bell
• Knog PWR Trail light with 5,000MaH battery pack/phone charger
• Kinekt spring loaded, 30 degree rise stem with stem cap computer mount
• Kinekt seat suspension seat post
• Selle Anatomica H2 leather saddle
• Rack Time seatpost clamp rack
• Rosewell 13L trunk bag with bright reflective piping and rain cover
• Light and Motion Seca 1800 lumen headlight with three steady on light levels and a lower amperage daytime pulse mode
• Vee Rubber 26x2.8 Speedster tires mounted tubeless
• Busch & Muller rear view mirror

The bike is easy to access with its deep step through. The frame construction, buttressing and welding is very robust and there is no perceptible twist, frame instability or wobbling at higher speeds and moving through turns.
The motor is whisper quiet, in fact all I really hear is tire noise and the sound of the servo-motor in the hub interface changing drive ratios. I am avoiding using the word "gears" as there really are none in the Enviolo CVT. Getting accustomed to automatic shifting was quick and easy, really trusting it to be in the right ratio for the terrain has taken a bit more time but is done now. I have discovered that getting into the lowest ratio, while pushing hard up a hill does require a very brief easing up, if not a slight pause while pedaling. A brief hicup at top dead center with the cranks and then immediately resuming pedaling takes the pressure off and allows the servo to push the CVT into the lowest gear. It also helps to do this at speed around 22 mph where I ease up, get the pressure of the hub and lets the servo get into the highest ration for lower cadence at 25+mph. In between those two conditions it's fully automatic with no help required of the rider.

Mounting my phone near the right handlebar grip allows me to easily switch between Automatic and Manual mode. I was using manual far more at first but now that I have come to really trust the Automatiq function I rarely am in manual shift mode. Still it is nice to have the phone connected to the hub interface for information and easy switching. Once one learns to trust the shifter to keep you in the right ratio, the wireless, handlebar controller is almost never used.

All my prior bikes were Bosch powered with 250 watt motors peaking at 350 with 85 Newton meters of torque. This bike, with its Japanese Dapu, mid drive motor is 750 watts, peaking at 980 with 115 Newton meters of torque really has quite noticeably more zip and oomph, to use technical terms. 30% more torque makes a big difference in power, acceleration, hill climbing prowess, exertion level and power use. Despite its large 720 watt hour battery, it is easy, in the higher assist levels, to run yourself out of battery if you are not paying attention. Going up a 10% grade at 12 mph with a 190 lb rider on a 70 lb. bike, in PAS-5 is a perfect configuration for rapidly depleting a battery. However keeping the bike in PAS 2 on flat ground I am able to return home after 28 miles with 46% of the battery remaining. I will do some total range tests once I have battery #2 to bring along and I can ride #1 down to 10% remaining.

I have altered the ride position to suit my comfort zone which is to say the stem is at the bottom of the protruding steering tube with the spacers on top of it. Also the replacement Kinekt spring loaded suspension stem has way less rise than the stock one. Over all my riding position is more sporty and forward leaning, less upright than stock, which is how I like it, being used to riding a Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3 a gravel ebike with drop handlebars. Completing the comfort profile is the Kinekt spring loaded, parallelogram seat post with a Selle Anatomica leather saddle with an open slot down the middle, which has been my saddle of choice on most of my ebikes for four years now.

I bought this bike to help me rehab from some health challenges that left me with less muscle mass and reduce lung capacity. As we live at the top of a 500 foot hill all rides end with a steep climb. Riding this bike has gotten me back on my other bikes for more vigorous, exercise based distance rides.

The Omega is perfectly suited as a daily automobile substitute, riding around town to appointments, using a rack mounted grocery basket or a trailer to pick up groceries, tools, haul stuff down to our boat, etc.

Nancy and I went on a 27 mile touring ride out into the river valley just north of town, cruising comfortably in PAS2 at around 20mph. If I want to go faster than that I up the PAS level, 22mph at PAS3, 25mph at pass 4 and 27 mph at PAS5 These are sustainable speeds on flat terrain, decent roads and at a comfortable cadence. The last of the ride, coming up the hill to our home, there are two blocks at 18-20% grades that I can easily pedal in PAS4 in not quite the lowest ratio, moving uphill at around 7-8 mph. Overall I find this a nicely designed, well thought out, robustly built bike.

Any review of an Evolo bike would not be complete without acknowledging the superb support Evelo provides. They have been designing and selling their bikes exclusively in the USA since 2012. The are assembled in Taiwan and distributed out of a warehouse near Seattle. When I have called their tech support team, about half the time I get right through to a person. If not I leave voice or email and someone friendly, courteous and smart gets back to me.
If there is any indication of a part being needed it is usually shipped out with tracking notification that same day. Being just 85 miles north of Seattle that means next day delivery...YMMV. This my first DTC (direct to consumer) ebike. Thus far my experience with the bike and the team standing solidly behind it has been outstanding.

This a fun bike to ride, good looking, solid, well made, with great support and well worth the premium price it commands.


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Hi Alaskan, and thanks for your review. My wife and I ordered two Omegas and I have a question about the Seca 1800 you installed. Was it a simple plug-in swap? Did the connector on the Seca match the stock connector of the Omega? What modifications were needed, and how do you control the Seca light programs?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Hi Alaskan, and thanks for your review. My wife and I ordered two Omegas and I have a question about the Seca 1800 you installed. Was it a simple plug-in swap? Did the connector on the Seca match the stock connector of the Omega? What modifications were needed, and how do you control the Seca light programs?

Sadly, @Alaskan passed away last year. But others will hopefully chime in.

 

[tgianco]

1. Allant 9.9s, lean into it and GO! - good all around bike, very refined drive train, great round town or day cruiser. Totally satisfying ride in every way
2. Cannondale Tosptone Neo 3, fast cruiser, at home on road or trail, Long legged bike, gets the most out of the Bosch system of any bike, light weight and really fun to ride
3. Evelo - Omega - No better bike as a vehicle replacement that I have ridden. Steady, fast, powerful, great hauler (either on a rack or in a trailer) - Definitely the bike of choice for zipping around town and getting it done and a great bike for when I am not 100%, which, these days, is more often than I would like but, WTF, I'm old and have a formidable adversary.

Which bike will take you the furthest (range)?
How is the Omega holding up after 2 years?
TIA.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

It’s one year today that we lost Alaskan. I was thinking about that while riding this afternoon. I have gotten so much enjoyment and involvement out of my seven plus years hanging around here, and guys like him were central to that. Amazingly, the group is still holding together though some of us come and go from time to time.

 

[tgianco]

It’s one year today that we lost Alaskan. I was thinking about that while riding this afternoon. I have gotten so much enjoyment and involvement out of my seven plus years hanging around here, and guys like him were central to that. Amazingly, the group is still holding together though some of us come and go from time to time.

I'm so sorry for not reading this fully. My bad... and my apologies.