Evo 29'er, My New Bike

[J.R.]

I've had my new bike for about 6 weeks or so, I thought it was time I posted a few words on it. Actually a couple of others here have PM'd me asking about the bike, so here goes.

I had a difficult time locating a 29'er in September when I decided this was the bike for me. I'd been shopping for my next ebike since I purchased my first in 2014 (Obsessive? Maybe). I tested ebikes every chance I had, yet couldn't locate an Easy Motion Evo 29'er this past summer, so I did the next best thing. I tested several Easy Motion bikes, both Neo and Evo and also tested non-e-29'ers that had the same basic frame dimensions as the BH-EM and found myself wishing I had ridden 29'ers all along.

With the help of @Crazy Lenny Ebikes I finally got my Evo 29'er at a very good price in the second week of October. I do have one major gripe with this bike... the name! (Deep breath) BH Easy Motion Evo 29'er. Way too long to type, my Harley has a crazy long name like that, so from here on out my new ebike is EM29!

I love this bike, it's the most comfortable bicycle I've ever owned, with the help of a proper Brooks B17 saddle, Wellgo pedals and because I'm old I added a Thudbuster LT and Ergon Grips (large). This bike is BIG! It's a large frame with 29" wheels and looks big, but for me it doesn't feel big, it feels right. I'm not a huge person at 6'2", 190 lb and 33" inseam in stocking feet. This bike fits me like a glove, unlike most bikes I've owned where I'm tinkering with the bars and stem for six months to get it right. I can't speak to the stock saddle, as I replaced it before ever siting on the bike, but it looks to be of good quality. The stock pedals on the other hand are cheap and torturous! I did one 20 mile ride with them and even with 5.10 MTB shoes it was very painful, hence the Wellgo addition.

The componentry on this bike is top notch, with Shimano Deore, XT, Hollowtech, Octalink. The Tektro Auriga e-Comp brakes are very good, but a slight downgrade from the Avid Elixer brakes on my other ebike. The Tektro brakes do have motor inhibitor levers, where the Avid do not and that's a plus. In addition the service procedures and parts are simpler (easier) and less expensive. I did have to bleed the rear brake upon receipt of the bike.

Other doo-dads added:

• Bontrager Interchange rack and bag.
• Mirror
• Bell
• Water bottle solution I found from Topeak and Zefal works great and is rock solid! Posted on another thread here...
• Front light
• Rear light
• Edit: 2016 Replaced Thusbuster with Cirrus BodyFloat
• Edit: 7/17 Replaced Wellgo Pedals with Xpedo Spry low profile magnesium MTB pedals
• Edit 10/17 BV Ibera Large Panniers for longer tours.

While researching this bike and Easy Motion I did have concern for the range I might get with the EM29, due to BH estimates on range. I thought it odd that with the same motor and battery on the Cross, their estimates for range on the two were very different, with the Cross being much higher. I can now say for sure after 400 or so miles my concerns were unfounded. I've yet to use 50% of the 11.6 AH battery on a 20 mile ride, with a typical 20 mile ride coming in at around 45-48% with the temperature in the 40's Fahrenheit.



I also haven't run the battery dead, the longest ride I've done is 34 miles using 80% of the battery. I'm not sure how many miles remain in the last 20%, but I'm confident I could easily get 40 miles per charge and more on a warm summer day.

Most of my riding on this bike has been in the dry, in 30-50% PAS. I've tried all levels of assist (0-throttle, 30, 50, 70, 100%). Throttle reached 19.4 mph, with little torque for hills. I'm very happy with the speed and hill climbing ability of 30 or 50. With 30% I can easily cruise at 16-19 mph and 50% at 21+ mph on the paved flat. With 100% assist it's fairly easy to cruise on flat paved surface at 23.8 mph and if I dig in I can reach 25-26 mph, but I don't know for how long my legs could keep 26.

Everyone on EBR has added to my ebiking experience and enjoyment over the past 1-1/2 years, some of you help to educate me and others entertain me and still some do both. As I noted, I purchased this EM29 from Len at @Crazy Lenny Ebikes and @Ravi Kempaiah was also instrumental in this process and I'd like to thank them and the EBR community. I'm enjoying the bike very much, but still riding my "old" ebike (old... 2014) on many commutes and will likely continue that way through the winter snow and ice. The range and speed is much better than I had anticipated and the bike looks great!

 

[mark63]

Nice bike. How did you mount the kick stand? I have a new 27.5 and bought a kickstand but theres no way to attach it.

 

[J.R.]

Hi Mark,

The 29'er has a mounting plate behind the bottom bracket/seat tube, between the chainstays. I tried several stands I had at home and was able to figure out what I needed. When I can get to my bike and PC I can better inform you.

 

[George S.]

I've had my new bike for about 6 weeks or so, I thought it was time I posted a few words on it. Actually a couple of others here have PM'ed me asking about the bike, so here goes.

I had a difficult time locating a 29'er in September when I decided this was the bike for me. I'd been shopping for my next ebike since I purchased my first in 2014 (OCD? Maybe). I tested ebikes every chance I had, yet couldn't locate an Easy Motion Evo 29'er this past summer, so I did the next best thing. I tested several Easy Motion bikes, both Neo and Evo and also tested non-e-29'ers that had the same basic frame dimensions as the BH-EM and found myself wishing I had ridden 29'ers all along.

With the help of @Crazy Lenny Ebikes I finally got my Evo 29'er at a very good price in the second week of October. I do have one major gripe with this bike... the name! (Deep breath) BH Easy Motion Evo 29'er. Way too long to type, my Harley has a crazy long name like that, so from here on out my new ebike is EM29!

I love this bike, it's the most comfortable bicycle I've ever owned, with the help of a proper Brooks B17 saddle, Wellgo pedals and because I'm old I added a Thudbuster LT and Ergon Grips (large). This bike is BIG! It's a large frame with 29" wheels and looks big, but for me it doesn't feel big, it feels right. I'm not a huge person at 6'2", 190 lb and 33" inseam in stocking feet. This bike fits me like a glove, unlike most bikes I've owned where I'm tinkering with the bars and stem for six months to get it right. I can't speak to the stock saddle, as I replaced it before ever siting on the bike, but it looks to be of good quality. The stock pedals on the other hand are cheap and torturous! I did one 20 mile ride with them and even with 5.10 MTB shoes it was very painful, hence the Wellgo addition.

The componentry on this bike is top notch, with Shimano Deore, XT, Hollowtech, Octalink. The Tektro Auriga e-Comp brakes are very good, but a slight downgrade from the Avid Elixer brakes on my other ebike. The Tektro brakes do have motor inhibitor levers, where the Avid do not and that's a plus. In addition the service procedures and parts are simpler (easier) and less expensive. I did have to bleed the rear brake upon receipt of the bike.

Other doo-dads added:

• Bontrager Interchange rack and bag.
• Mirror
• Bell
• Water bottle solution I found works great and is rock solid! Posted on another thread here...
• Front light
• Rear light

While researching this bike and Easy Motion I did have concern for the range I might get with the EM29, due to BH estimates on range. I thought it odd that with the same motor and battery on the Cross, their estimates for range on the two were very different, with the Cross being much higher. I can now say for sure after 400 or so miles my concerns were unfounded. I've yet to use 50% of the 11.6 AH battery on a 20 mile ride, with a typical 20 mile ride coming in at around 45-48% with the temperature in the 40's Fahrenheit.

View attachment 4910

I also haven't run the battery dead, the longest ride I've done is 34 miles using 80% of the battery. I'm not sure how many miles remain in the last 20%, but I'm confident I could easily get 40 miles per charge and more on a warm summer day.

Most of my riding on this bike has been in the dry, in 30-50% PAS. I've tried all levels of assist (0-throttle, 30, 50, 70, 100%). Throttle reached 19.4 mph, with little torque for hills. I'm very happy with the speed and hill climbing ability of 30 or 50. With 30% I can easily cruise at 16-19 mph and 50% at 21+ mph on the paved flat. With 100% assist it's fairly easy to cruise on flat paved surface at 23.8 mph and if I dig in I can reach 25-26 mph, but I don't know for how long my legs could keep 26.

Everyone on EBR has added to my ebiking experience and enjoyment over the past 1-1/2 years, some of you help to educate me and others entertain me and still some do both. As I noted, I purchased this EM29 from Len at @Crazy Lenny Ebikes and @Ravi Kempaiah was also instrumental in this process and I'd like to thank them and the EBR community. I'm enjoying the bike very much, but still riding my "old" ebike (old... 2014) on many commutes and will likely continue that way through the winter snow and ice. The range and speed is much better than I had anticipated and the bike looks great!

View attachment 4911

Thanks @J.R.

The first time I looked at ebikes, in a shop, the Easy Motions seemed like the obvious choice. I think I was looking at a Cross, but the 8.x battery seemed too small. The bigger batteries weren't getting to the US. I wasn't sure how interested I was, so went with something cheaper.

They are beautiful bikes, no question. I think they are designed to be very efficient, which is probably why your watt hours per mile number is very low. I never found the X3 completely smooth, to just pedal. It would skip a little here and there, demanding a certain cadence really. And I didn't like the vague steering. But for a 2013 model, it was great, and I figure Prodecos newer models are much more refined.

You can spend a lot of time, cover a lot of miles, on an ebike. I rode my bike as a bike and had no complaints. Then I put a motor on it. As an ebike, the stresses were too much with the flat bar. The Brooks seat helped enough so that I stopped there. I think you are experienced enough to know what will 'fit', make educated guesses, at least. There must be some minimum 'saddle time' before you get a sense of how bikes respond, what ends up hurting. When I rode a Townie it was kind of a revelation, like "This IS really different". But that doesn't mean it would work over the long haul. My main takeaway was to play with the handlebars, and that cost about $40. It's kind of cool that you could buy a bike in this way and have it fit extremely well. Fezzari has a questionnaire with maybe 20 questions, measurements mostly, and they claim to tune the bike to those numbers.

Glad it worked out. You tried on a lot of outfits in the virtual changing room, and I like it when people think out loud on these forums. Yesterday you posted a review of the BH, and @Logan Gogarty posted a review of the Bafang HD on a fat bike. Wow, two very different bikes, but both seem to work well. It's really early in this business. So much to look forward to, I think.

Happy trails!

 

[mark63]

I'll look for that mounting plate again. If you have a picture showing the connection that would be awesome. Thanks.

 

[J.R.]

Happy trails!

Thanks George! The '13 and '14 X3's are identical as far as I know and have good Sram (et al) components. It's interesting to note the throttle on the X3 is instantaneous on and off, with the additional electronics on the EM29 there is a lag when using the throttle. With the auto PAS assist I'm not really using the throttle on the EM at present. I like that the EM29 has the throttle in the event I can't pedal though!

have a picture

Hey Mark, I know what you mean about having a kickstand! So much more damage can happen leaning or laying your bike down. I'm almost certain your bike has the same mounting plate. The gusseted plate should also have a place to attach the leading edge of a rear fender, should you want to add one.

From Court's video review of the 27.5:

A-1 A-2
Photo A-1 arrow points to gusseted plate. A-2 shows hole where kickstand is attached.

My 29er:

B-1 B-2
B-1 shows same gusseted plate as in A-1. B-2 shows bolt through hole, same hole as A-2

I'm not entirely happy with the stand I purchased, it wasn't expensive and I wanted to be sure it would fit a 29er. It does the job though, so I'm not unhappy with it.

 

[mark63]

J.R, thanks a lot for the pictures. I will check out my 27.5 when I get home. I wanted the 29'er as well but went for the 27.5 because it was available and that my wife could ride the 27.5 with the seat all the way down. ~mark

 

[Joergen8]

My European, early 2015 Evo 29er does not have a mounting plate for a kickstand. It sure is a welcome addition by BH though. BTW here's how I secured the bottom end of my full fender.

 

[mark63]

My 2015 red 27.5 model looks like Joergen's 29er. No mounting plate for a kickstand.

 

[J.R.]

No mounting plate for a kickstand.

That is disappointing! I thought for sure if Court's test bike had it, yours would. Prior to getting my 29'er I was concerned and I checked Court's video of it and saw a mounting plate. That's how I knew to check the video of your bike, saw the mounting plate and took those screen shots. Sorry for getting your hopes up.

There are clamp on stands that can fit the chain stay at the bottom bracket. This is the Pletscher kickstand hardware set and it's one of the better ones I've used on other bikes.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

They at least have plastic caps for frame protection. Those caps can be ground to your chain stay shape and lock under the cast aluminum bridge cap. A longer bolt may be need as our frame chain stays are fairly tall at that point. If I needed to I might have tried this, I'm not sure though after reading the links below.

I don't know why it's true, but the more one spends on a bike, the less chance it is you'll get a stand or a place to mount one. There are concerns raised with using clamp on stands. They can be read here:

http://www.tamiasoutside.com

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

My European, early 2015 Evo 29er does not have a mounting plate for a kickstand.

 

[mark63]

J.R. thanks for the info on the pletscher kickstand hardware. I ordered the hardware to see if it will work. I wont over tighten I constantly looking for a place to lean my bike.

 

[J.R.]

More musings from the bike on the e-Bridge. No I didn't paint that, it's actually a freak road patch

The EM29 comes with good parts and accessories. The Schwalbe Rapid Rob tires are 29"x2.25" with a pressure rating of 26-54 PSI. I run them at 48 PSI and they roll well on packed trails, paved roads and have good traction. The tread doesn't pick up stones to sandblast your frame, I've had happen with some MTB tires.

The bike has 30 gears and shifters are quick and crisp. I don't need or use 30 gears but wouldn't give up more than 10, 1 chain ring. With the geared hub motor, the bike is very easy to ride without assist. I may not be going fast, but it's very easy to cruise the rail trail with friends, at 10-12 MPH, with no assist. It doesn't feel heavy.

The LCD is easy to read and appears accurate. It's easily removed, the bike came with a screw that can lock the display to the bike. The display angle is also adjustable to account for glare, but I ran into a problem while pedaling up a big hill and attempting to adjust the angle. On the back of the display there are 6 very small electrical contacts and when I went to adjust the angle, the display lost it's connection to the bike and all assist stopped. At the time on the hill I didn't realize what exactly happened, later that day after having time to think about it, it struck me that the bike must have lost communication with the display.

I tested the theory at home of an interrupted connection and that was the case. I also tested the connection with the display screw in and did not lose the connection. I think a better place to push on the display base or a larger base would solve this issue. I also wondered about some of the accounts I've read about intermittent power problems, if they might have been caused by the same. It wasn't apparent to me at the time, I was busy working up the hill, worried about traffic and it was second nature to correct my vision to the display. The bike powered up when I held the power button 3 seconds, still I was concerned at the time.

The rear wheel tool-less wheel removal devise works well. Much easier than carrying an adjustable wrench around.

 

[mark63]

J.R., I have a question for you. Your bike is similar to mine so here goes. When I pedal in no assist mode, or with the display completely off theres a lot of resistance I think comes from the rear hub. I was hoping the bike would ride more like a normal but heavy bike without battery assist. If I ever ran out of juice on a trip there's no way I'd make it home. Maybe somethings wrong with mine but I have nothing to compare it to, other than my non ebike. Does your bike pedal normally when in no assist mode? Thanks.

~mark

 

[WelshBazinNZ]

I often pedal my 29er in no assist mode. Only on the flat though, it's a bit heavy to be going up a hill with any decent amount of elevation.
I find it takes a bit of effort to get it going due to the weight but once it's up an running it rides really well and is similar to a non electric bike, just a very heavy one.
If I push the bike backwards there is some resistance from the motor.

 

[J.R.]

J.R., I have a question for you. Your bike is similar to mine so here goes. When I pedal in no assist mode, or with the display completely off theres a lot of resistance I think comes from the rear hub. I was hoping the bike would ride more like a normal but heavy bike without battery assist. If I ever ran out of juice on a trip there's no way I'd make it home. Maybe somethings wrong with mine but I have nothing to compare it to, other than my non ebike. Does your bike pedal normally when in no assist mode? Thanks.

~mark

Hey Mark,

My experience mirrors @WelshBazinNZ

Pedaling any ebike without e is more difficult and for me depends on the day. Some days I'm able to do more than other days. I would suggest pumping your tires close to max PSI. You might also consider switching the tires to a smoother, more road tread like Schwalbe Big Ben.

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/big_ben

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/e-bikes

I did that on another ebike with a direct drive hub and it helped a lot.

 

[mark63]

Thanks J.R. I like the idea of going with the Big Ben road tread tires.

 

[Joergen8]

Any "resistance" (or rolling drag) from a geared hub motor like the Dapu that BH use, is an illusion created by the huge contrast between the ease of assisted pedaling and without. I've often felt this illusion myself, but the bike rolls beautifully with smooth Big Apple tires, and there is absolutely no tangible resistance. The motor does indeed resist while reversing (possibly due to magnetic cogging).

My brother has a 2015 Cube carbon full sus MTB that weighs only 10kg and costs over 5000$, and it feels like dragging a sack of rocks to me. I was shocked. I've completely ruined traditional bikes for myself

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Any "resistance" (or rolling drag) from a geared hub motor like the Dapu that BH use, is an illusion created by the huge contrast between the ease of assisted pedaling and without. I've often felt this illusion myself, but the bike rolls beautifully with smooth Big Apple tires, and there is absolutely no tangible resistance. The motor does indeed resist while reversing (possibly due to magnetic cogging).

My brother has a 2015 Cube carbon full sus MTB that weighs only 10kg and costs over 5000$, and it feels like dragging a sack of rocks to me. I was shocked. I've completely ruined traditional bikes for myself

It is a one-way gear system and when in reverse, you will feel the resistance from the moving gears but not cogging.
Cogging in geared systems is negligible.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

View attachment 4925

More musings from the bike on the e-Bridge. No I didn't paint that, it's actually a freak road patch

The EM29 comes with good parts and accessories. The Schwalbe Rapid Rob tires are 29"x2.25" with a pressure rating of 26-54 PSI. I run them at 48 PSI and they roll well on packed trails, paved roads and have good traction. The tread doesn't pick up stones to sandblast your frame, I've had happen with some MTB tires.

The bike has 30 gears and shifters are quick and crisp. I don't need or use 30 gears but wouldn't give up more than 10, 1 chain ring. With the geared hub motor, the bike is very easy to ride without assist. I may not be going fast, but it's very easy to cruise the rail trail with friends, at 10-12 MPH, with no assist. It doesn't feel heavy.

The LCD is easy to read and appears accurate. It's easily removed, the bike came with a screw that can lock the display to the bike. The display angle is also adjustable to account for glare, but I ran into a problem while pedaling up a big hill and attempting to adjust the angle. On the back of the display there are 6 very small electrical contacts and when I went to adjust the angle, the display lost it's connection to the bike and all assist stopped. At the time on the hill I didn't realize what exactly happened, later that day after having time to think about it, it struck me that the bike must have lost communication with the display.

I tested the theory at home of an interrupted connection and that was the case. I also tested the connection with the display screw in and did not lose the connection. I think a better place to push on the display base or a larger base would solve this issue. I also wondered about some of the accounts I've read about intermittent power problems, if they might have been caused by the same. It wasn't apparent to me at the time, I was busy working up the hill, worried about traffic and it was second nature to correct my vision to the display. The bike powered up when I held the power button 3 seconds, still I was concerned at the time.

The rear wheel tool-less wheel removal devise works well. Much easier than carrying an adjustable wrench around.

EM bikes are some of the most appealing to look at. The newer versions have excellent styling and decals.
There is a sense of aesthetics and integration that is hard to achieve on any DIY bike.
Someone knowledgeable like you should be able use this for several years.

I have had three EM bikes and literally zero problems except few flats. Wishing you long lasting e-grin....

 

[Jack Tyler]

@J.R. thanks for your EM29 comments; very useful. I haven't yet seen you comment on the amount of elevation change where you are riding this bike. I.e. how hilly is it/isn't it? Hearing about that would put your other comments about your bike's performance in a helpful context for me. Many thanks!

Jack