PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
After happily riding and absolutely loving my Giant La Free E+2 for a year and a half in hilly western WA State, I decided I wanted another E-bike for our second home in North Carolina. My riding conditions and needs would be different in NC, and I really didn't want to spend $2000+ on a second, part-time-use bike, so after months and months of research and agonizing, I decided to order an Espin Flow for the North Carolina location. I ordered the bike on March 12, 2021, and received it 15 days later - March 27. That was lightning-fast shipping for Espin; so much so that many customers who had ordered their bikes weeks or even months before me were still awaiting theirs when I got my shipment notification. Not sure what happened that I got mine so quickly.
It took about 30 minutes to actually assemble the bike, after unboxing (thanks to AHicks for the tip on pulling it out the end of the box rather than trying to lift it up out of the top!) and removing all the packing materials. The manual that came with the bike was worthless for assembly - you know it's bad when the first thing they tell you to do is go to Youtube and watch (several years old) assembly videos. Everything went together smoothly, but because I watched all the Youtube videos and also checked in for tips from owners here at EBR, we did make the following adjustments to the procedure outlined in the manual:
1. We put the handlebars on first.
2. In order to put the handlebars on, we completely removed the video display so we could more easily access the bolts on the stem; after the bars were installed, we re-attached the display. It has two screws that tighten the flexible plastic rings onto the handlebars, and was easy to remove and reattach.
3. We attached the front fender BEFORE putting the front wheel on. The included headlight was NOT installed at this time, as there is an ongoing disagreement between the owner of the bike and her "live-in bike mechanic"
regarding whether the light is really necessary, and whether the drain on the battery is worth having it. At some point, when the mechanic realizes the customer is always right, the light will be installed 
.
4. We mounted the front wheel as described in the manual - no problems encountered. We did need to make some adjustments to the side attachments on the fenders after the wheel was mounted - the length of the side fender stays can be adjusted a bit by loosening the screw and pulling gently (not too far!) on the metal to extend the length.
5. The seat post was already in the tube, so we just adjusted the height. The manual says to adjust so that feet are touching the ground when not pedaling, but this configuration is too low for leg extension WHILE pedaling. I was already used to hopping on and off the seat with my La Free, so mine is set to give a good pedaling leg extension.
6. The battery was already charged to over 80%, so first short rides happened before charging fully. My "bike mechanic" took it out first, after inflating the tires to the recommended PSI, to check all the systems - everything was working fine. He did go over the bike to make sure all the parts we assembled were securely tightened, and also made sure the cable connections and other components were secure before the initial ride. Right about the time he returned, the skies became threatening; we had just enough time to get the bike into our storage room before the rain and thunderstorms hit. My helmet from Amazon (Giro Trella MIPS) had not yet arrived, so between no helmet and thunderstorms there was no ride for me yesterday.
With another rainy stormy day forecast for today, I made sure I got out first thing to acquaint myself with my new ride. As the manual recommends, I first rode without any PAS to get used to the feel of the bike. It shifted smoothly between gears, but I'm not sure what gears I was pedaling in as I was just going by what felt good, and, unlike my La Free, there is no indication on the lever or display that provides that information. I'll have to pay closer attention next time I ride. I was definitely not in the most difficult gears, as our neighborhood has several gradual inclines, and a couple of short but fairly steep hills.
One thing I noticed is that the Flow feels more stable on tighter turns than my La Free. Mainly that's because I have to be careful with tighter turns on the La Free that my toes don't hit the back of the front fender. The geometry on the Flow allows more room up front, though I did notice a couple of times that my heel hit the front of the kickstand in the back. I may need some pedal spacers at some point if this is a contuing issue. Overall, though, pedaling unpowered felt about the same as it does on the La Free.
At the beginning of a long, gradual incline, I turned on PAS 1. I was a little worried because I have heard that hub drives can feel like they're taking off on the rider, but that was not my experience this morning. The power felt like it came on fairly gradually (not meaning too slowly, but just in a manageable manner). I played around with shifting up, pedaling more slowly, coasting without pedaling at all, and using the brakes to control the speed; they all seemed to do the trick, so I guess I just adjust depending on what's going on.
There was a noticeable difference between PAS1 and 2, which I used to get up the steeper hill. But, still, using the methods described above, I felt like I was in control of the speed - confident nothing crazy was going to happen when using PAS.
When I rode a few hub drive bikes a couple of years ago while researching before purchasing my La Free, there was a definite sensation of being "pushed" from the back, which I did not like. The Flow did not have that feeling. The assist was definitely more perceptible than on the La Free, but it was not the sudden, jerky "push" I remembered from before. I could feel the assist, but it was pretty smooth and comfortable.
I didn't use anything above PAS2 on my initial ride, and didn't use the throttle at all. I am not a speed rider and am only intending to use the PAS to help me get up hills so my knees stay happy. When I ride the paved bike paths, I don't think use of the throttle is allowed - I'll check it out sometime soon on the streets in the neighborhood and report then.
That's all I can think of for now - so far I'm very happy with the bike! In fact, there's a break in the weather now, so I'm taking it out for a longer ride! If there's something I haven't covered that you have questions about, let me know!
It took about 30 minutes to actually assemble the bike, after unboxing (thanks to AHicks for the tip on pulling it out the end of the box rather than trying to lift it up out of the top!) and removing all the packing materials. The manual that came with the bike was worthless for assembly - you know it's bad when the first thing they tell you to do is go to Youtube and watch (several years old) assembly videos. Everything went together smoothly, but because I watched all the Youtube videos and also checked in for tips from owners here at EBR, we did make the following adjustments to the procedure outlined in the manual:
1. We put the handlebars on first.
2. In order to put the handlebars on, we completely removed the video display so we could more easily access the bolts on the stem; after the bars were installed, we re-attached the display. It has two screws that tighten the flexible plastic rings onto the handlebars, and was easy to remove and reattach.
3. We attached the front fender BEFORE putting the front wheel on. The included headlight was NOT installed at this time, as there is an ongoing disagreement between the owner of the bike and her "live-in bike mechanic"
regarding whether the light is really necessary, and whether the drain on the battery is worth having it. At some point, when the mechanic realizes the customer is always right, the light will be installed .4. We mounted the front wheel as described in the manual - no problems encountered. We did need to make some adjustments to the side attachments on the fenders after the wheel was mounted - the length of the side fender stays can be adjusted a bit by loosening the screw and pulling gently (not too far!) on the metal to extend the length.
5. The seat post was already in the tube, so we just adjusted the height. The manual says to adjust so that feet are touching the ground when not pedaling, but this configuration is too low for leg extension WHILE pedaling. I was already used to hopping on and off the seat with my La Free, so mine is set to give a good pedaling leg extension.
6. The battery was already charged to over 80%, so first short rides happened before charging fully. My "bike mechanic" took it out first, after inflating the tires to the recommended PSI, to check all the systems - everything was working fine. He did go over the bike to make sure all the parts we assembled were securely tightened, and also made sure the cable connections and other components were secure before the initial ride. Right about the time he returned, the skies became threatening; we had just enough time to get the bike into our storage room before the rain and thunderstorms hit. My helmet from Amazon (Giro Trella MIPS) had not yet arrived, so between no helmet and thunderstorms there was no ride for me yesterday.
With another rainy stormy day forecast for today, I made sure I got out first thing to acquaint myself with my new ride. As the manual recommends, I first rode without any PAS to get used to the feel of the bike. It shifted smoothly between gears, but I'm not sure what gears I was pedaling in as I was just going by what felt good, and, unlike my La Free, there is no indication on the lever or display that provides that information. I'll have to pay closer attention next time I ride. I was definitely not in the most difficult gears, as our neighborhood has several gradual inclines, and a couple of short but fairly steep hills.
One thing I noticed is that the Flow feels more stable on tighter turns than my La Free. Mainly that's because I have to be careful with tighter turns on the La Free that my toes don't hit the back of the front fender. The geometry on the Flow allows more room up front, though I did notice a couple of times that my heel hit the front of the kickstand in the back. I may need some pedal spacers at some point if this is a contuing issue. Overall, though, pedaling unpowered felt about the same as it does on the La Free.
At the beginning of a long, gradual incline, I turned on PAS 1. I was a little worried because I have heard that hub drives can feel like they're taking off on the rider, but that was not my experience this morning. The power felt like it came on fairly gradually (not meaning too slowly, but just in a manageable manner). I played around with shifting up, pedaling more slowly, coasting without pedaling at all, and using the brakes to control the speed; they all seemed to do the trick, so I guess I just adjust depending on what's going on.
There was a noticeable difference between PAS1 and 2, which I used to get up the steeper hill. But, still, using the methods described above, I felt like I was in control of the speed - confident nothing crazy was going to happen when using PAS.
When I rode a few hub drive bikes a couple of years ago while researching before purchasing my La Free, there was a definite sensation of being "pushed" from the back, which I did not like. The Flow did not have that feeling. The assist was definitely more perceptible than on the La Free, but it was not the sudden, jerky "push" I remembered from before. I could feel the assist, but it was pretty smooth and comfortable.
I didn't use anything above PAS2 on my initial ride, and didn't use the throttle at all. I am not a speed rider and am only intending to use the PAS to help me get up hills so my knees stay happy. When I ride the paved bike paths, I don't think use of the throttle is allowed - I'll check it out sometime soon on the streets in the neighborhood and report then.
That's all I can think of for now - so far I'm very happy with the bike! In fact, there's a break in the weather now, so I'm taking it out for a longer ride! If there's something I haven't covered that you have questions about, let me know!
Last edited:
. I LOVE that bike!
. The only reason I didn't get another La Free was I didn't want to spend that kind of money on a second bike for part-time use. I managed to fool around long enough to pay a couple hundred more for the Flow than I would have when I started looking at it, but, from what others have said about the previous controller, I'm happier with the newer, improved model.
. It was more about the charger than the battery 
