EVO 29.5 or EVO Cross or Phantom XR5

[Eric J]

Looks like the 29.5 is not sold in 2016. I see a local store has a 2015 model for 2700. He said the new model for this is AWD, and is only pedal assist and does not have throttle. True? Is this a good bike?

I see the EVO Cross. Does it have a throttle and pdeal assist? Or only pedal assist?

For those that have been riding a while, what do you tend to use more? Pedal assist or Throttle?

Last question, I also test drove a Prodecotech PhantomXRS. Seemed very powerful It was only throttle, and no pedal assist. What are thoughts here? Would this be a mistake to get throttle only?

 

[Andreas]

To your last question, I'm riding the the Phantom X for one year and over 1200 miles and must say it works well. I got used to throttle only. However, pedal assist would be nice for longer distances which would give you more even power and can control the battery life much better. It depends on your use. If you ride a lot of up hills I would recommend at least a 500 watt power gear driven motor, gives you a lot of torque.

 

[Chris Nolte]

I believe you are referring to the 27.5. The 2015 model has a 350 watt model and the 2016 Evo bikes have a 500 watt motor. I'm not a big fan of the 2 motor system. I think it's overkill. The 2015 27.5 is nice bike. The Cross has both throttle and pedal-assist. I find that most people prefer pedal-assist if it works well and it's smooth.

 

[Scooteretti]

Hello Eric,

You are correct that the 29er is not available in the 2016 collection. For the Evo Cross there are 2 versions out there as Chris mentioned above. There is a 36V x 350W Evo Cross and a 48V x 500W Cross. The frames are essentially and the main difference is the wattage of the motor and voltage of the battery. The total battery capacities are the same in terms of Wh (Voltage x Ah = Wh). Some noticeable differences is that on the 500W versions Easy Motion has gone with a wider 28 x 2" tire for added comfort vs the 700 x 38C on the 350watt versions and on the 500W that have added a wider handlebar (can be cut if you don't like the wider bar). Both versions are equipped with a throttle.

There is always the debate as to whether to get a throttle or not. I have to say that most people who come into the shop thinking they need a throttle initially come back after riding the bikes and say they hardly use the throttle feature. If you are able to pedal without a hip, knee issue etc... then you will probably be like most and not use the throttle. The pedal assist is fully automatic so there is no need to twist your wrists and hold a throttle in place which can be tiring on the wrist. The throttle is a neat feature for those who need a break or like to ride the bikes under no assist and want a burst of power say passing someone, going up a small hill, leaving a traffic light etc.... Riding under pedal assist will also significantly increase your range.

Like Andreas mentioned above, if you are going to use the throttle a lot then a 500W is the way to go as you will be asking the motor to work harder for you.

Hope this helps,

Will