Limited Edition Aurora

[MechaNut]

Hello,
Wondering if you have an update. I am very interested in this bike. My challenge is that I have the duel challenges of inseam shy of 29” and Too heavy, way much so. Wondering what your wife thinks about this bike. Thanks.

I'm a fellow "industrial sized" individual. I did contact Evelo about the weight limit on the bike. I was told that the frame and motor system can handle much more weight than advertised. The wheels are built for up to 350 pound loads. If you are going to do a lot of riding on smooth surfaces it shouldn't be too much of a problem other than keeping an eye on your wheels to make sure they don't go out of true. If they do you'll want to take it to a shop to have the wheels trued and potentially re-laced with a different spoke pattern that can handle higher weight loads.

The only other things I'd recommend for a 300 pound plus rider based on personal experience:

- You may need to replace the seat post quick release with a bolt and a nut or at the very least wrench tighten it. Quick releases aren't designed to handle the tension required for a large person's weight load.
- You will not be able to use a suspension seat post. No spring or elastomer is made that can handle the preload necessary for somebody 300 pounds or heavier. A big person will bottom out the suspension rendering it largely useless. Stick with a rigid seat post.
- Expect to get the lower end of the battery range calculation.

Don't be put off by the max weight numbers on e-bikes. That is mostly for the wheel builds and not the frames and motors. Find one you like. Set it up to be comfortable and correctly sized for you and get out and ride. The fun and health benefits are numerous.

 

[@AubergeSanDiego]

Am now at 300 miles ODO.
Recently completed a 37 mile and 33 mile ODO ride and still had some battery reserve.
ODO compared to Google Map miles was off by 5% . . . ODO * 0.95 ~= Google miles
This is about the same as the 10-22-19 data set.

The more miles ridden the more I like this e-bike.

Here is real world report for battery life. I am a 173 pound man riding almost exclusively on PAS 1 on mostly flat roads using manual Enviolo shifting, throttle only to get started, and generally riding 3 to 4 miles at a time. In other words, going easy on the battery. Just reached 140 miles on my bike. Last charge was at 88 miles, so I got 52 miles and did not run the battery all the way down. I have wheel size set to 26 vice 700C so I probably really rode 54 miles total. I feel confident I could have got 60 miles had I sucked all juice out of the battery, but I had no reason to do that. It seems Evelo’s claim of up to 60 miles range is legit.

 

[MechaNut]

I am having an issue when in full auto mode that the ratio is slow to adjust when starting to climb a grade. EVELO emailed instructions for installing a firmware update. I don't have the necessary USB cable yet, so I haven't actually tried the update and cannot vouch for it. Here are the instructions in case anyone is interested:

The Harmony system has received a firmware update that great enhances the performance of the system. ("Firmware" is the computer program that runs the Harmony system.) With the new firmware and some small tweaks to the settings, the overall experience is much improved! To download the Harmony software upgrade to the latest firmware, here is procedure. This will take about 10 minutes. You will need to use a computer for this, and the bike will need to be within a few feet of the computer so you can connect the two. The bike should be powered off to start.

• Go to the following link to download: https://support.enviolo.com/hc/en-u...armony-and-enviolo-automatic-Desktop-Software (download the top link, extract the files and then "run"). This will create a desktop application.

• After downloading, you'll need to "extract files"--at that point, the installer should open automatically.
• Once installed, you'll need to hook a USB (from computer) to Mini-USB. Mini USB is pictured here ("micro won't work):
  
  

The port for the mini-USB is on the underside of the NuVinci controller, which is attached to the chain side of the rear wheel (pictured in the link)

Once you're connected, a red light will turn on near the plug on the Harmony unit, you'll enter the interface in the "Harmony Desktop Software". The software will request you to choose a file to open-- it should be named something like "default.HC" Select that file.

The full instructions on how to process and upgrade the firmware are all included here:

Once there, go to the selection to "update firmware". Make sure that the cord remains plugged in during the entire process.

In the "set-up screen", got to "sprocket sizes" and input the 22T). This should increase battery draw and power as it assumes a lower overall gear ratio is being used. Under chain ring sizes, input 46T). Click "Send Settings to Harmony" , then disconnect.

Lastly, under "cadence, change the cadence range to 35 on the low and 100 on the high.

CRITICAL: Calibrate the unit before the first ride. Power on the bike (press and hold "MODE" for 2 seconds), and power on the Harmony system (press the Green button). Then, press and hold the silver button on the NuVinci controller and hold for about 10 seconds-- the Orange lights on the display will start to cycle up and down, indicating that the unit is in calibration mode. While supporting the rear wheel off of the ground, lightly turn the pedals or twist the throttle. Once the unit stops shifting, continue pedaling or using the throttle for about 10 seconds or until the Harmony unit stops flashing. When the rear wheel has stopped turning, set it back on the ground, and you are all set to ride! You can also recalibrate by riding on flat ground in pedal assist level 1 and doing very light pedaling. Keep pedaling lightly as it goes through the calibrations process.

That's it, you're ready to ride! If you prefer pedaling faster, you can adjust the auto shifting (more blue dots will be present). Fewer blue dots will get more power at a lower cadence. Explore which options work best!

As a note.

If you want to upgrade the firmware and want to keep the factory gear ratios the chain ring (front) size is 44 and the sprocket (rear) is 18.

 

[MuttonChops]

Dead Throttle Update Feb-2020

Original post about issue was Nov-21-2019 on this thread

a) While initial rides after replacing the Throttle Assembly were positive with increased miles the intermittent Dead Throttle did reappear in Dec-2019.

b) Over five weeks in Jan/Feb-2020 was Snowbird Vacationing around southern California and Arizona, the eBike was with me.
While in southern CA & AZ the Throttle did not fail a single time !

CA & AZ temps were 65+F with <35% Humidity. At this time it seems the issue is Ambient Temperature or Humidity related.
Evelo has provide new instructions for things to try to isolate which component has the weakest . . . but with spring coming it could be early-winter-2020 before additional troubleshooting results are available.

{ { rode dozens of fun miles in Joshua Tree NP on sandy/dirt roads that would not have been as easy without our Fat Tires }}

 

[cuwatra]

Looking hard at this bike and enjoyed reading all of the posts in this thread from beginning to end. Lot's of good knowledge here.

In the end I am concluding that I might not need such an expensive bike. I live close enough to Seattle to go test ride Evelo's offerings and have already been over to RAD and tried almost all of theirs. Those RAD bikes do work pretty darn well at $1500!

 

[MuttonChops]

Dead Throttle Update May-2020

Well in April after several days of rain the throttle stopped working again.
Unplugging the L/R Brake wires did not clear the failure.

Evelo service sent me a new Motor Controller Unit.
Installed yesterday { [ real world example of too many worms in the can ] }
Bike is running fine. Will see if this is the final fix over time.

 

[jaizon]

Dead Throttle Update May-2020

Well in April after several days of rain the throttle stopped working again.
Unplugging the L/R Brake wires did not clear the failure.

Evelo service sent me a new Motor Controller Unit.
Installed yesterday { [ real world example of too many worms in the can ] }
Bike is running fine. Will see if this is the final fix over time.

Remind me not to stand too close to you.

 

[@AubergeSanDiego]

Here is real world report for battery life. I am a 173 pound man riding almost exclusively on PAS 1 on mostly flat roads using manual Enviolo shifting, throttle only to get started, and generally riding 3 to 4 miles at a time. In other words, going easy on the battery. Just reached 140 miles on my bike. Last charge was at 88 miles, so I got 52 miles and did not run the battery all the way down. I have wheel size set to 26 vice 700C so I probably really rode 54 miles total. I feel confident I could have got 60 miles had I sucked all juice out of the battery, but I had no reason to do that. It seems Evelo’s claim of up to 60 miles range is legit.

Now at 400 miles on my odometer. I'm down to to 163 lbs. from riding 4+ miles per day and eating out less. Once I get riding I generally ride a loop around my neighborhood and do not have to stop, so I'm probably getting the most mileage out of my battery. My observations on battery charge readout: I usually drop to 4 bars after about 25 miles, 3 after about 35 miles, 2 after about 42 miles and 1 after about 47 miles. YMMV.

 

[smorgasbord]

Hey, @AubergeSanDiego, that's great fitness results - congrats!

Good that you have your battery bar to miles calibrated. With the varied terrain I ride (sometimes flat, sometimes very very hilly) I had a more difficult time at that. 25 miles on the first bar and 5 miles on the second to last is a pretty wide spread. Evelo's not alone in this, of course.

 

[jaizon]

Anyone have the Nm on this motor? Thanks.

 

[BillH]

Anyone have the Nm on this motor? Thanks.

Per the specs.....105Nm. 750W (1,000W peak)

 

[jaizon]

Thank you, sir.

 

[jaizon]

Okay. It's been a while since the first owners got their bikes and gave us feedback.

Can we get an update on your thoughts about the bike overall, motor, performance, durability, etc. It would be most appreciated! Thanks.

 

[MuttonChops]

It's been a while since the first owners got their bikes and gave us feedback.
Can we get an update on your thoughts about the bike overall, motor, performance, durability, etc. It would be most appreciated!

Mini User Review 950 ODO Miles, 8 months ownership

Overall a 5-Star Bicycle. Enjoy more each time I ride.
Helps that ALE has all the 'must have features' in fact did delay buying an e-bike for three years waiting for someone, hopefully Evelo, to build one.

Those must haves:
== mid-drive motor of at least 500W; == belt-drive
== NuVinci (Enviolo) gear set; == in-frame battery
== 2.0 or greater tire width

Would estimate the 950 ODO miles are 70% paved bike path/trail, 20% street bike lanes, 10% gravel, sand, dirt (& dust gets everywhere)

ALE is my first e-bike. Before purchasing ALE was riding a human-pedal power REI, Manual NuVinci, belt-drive, 28x1.4 tires commuter style. ALE is stock except for the purchased when new upgraded seat post and seat option. Evelo also replaced original 26x3.0 tires with 26x2.8 tires. Bike is one of the original 200 unit product introduction build.

On REI had to aftermarket purchase handle bar riser and Cloud-9 seat to get a comfortable riding position. With ALE an even more comfortable riding position was possible within the bike's standard equipment adjustment range.

REI had the NuVinci N360 manual (cable controlled) hub. While no expert on how bicycle gearing is defined believe the N360 is about the same as a 7 or 8 speed derailleur. Evelo has not been clear on which Enviolo hub is installed - - - assume it is one of the newer N380 which might have a slightly wider gearing range. On the ALE really only use the manual mode, beyond playing with automatic mode have never ridden with it. I like being in control and would be happier with a standard cable manual then the more complex (needs power) automatic. Have calibrated the automatic twice and it still does not 'feel' as linear in gearing as the REI N360. Also the automatic version can not be full gear range downshifted at a dead stop (which is possible on the cable style) so have had to retrain myself to downshift before a full stop.

Tires. ALE has city/street tires. With the 26x3.0 tires tire to belt clearance is really small which should not be an issue. Just bugs me. The 26x2.8 might have an extra mm+ of clearance. When tires need replacement will research what's available >2.0 <2.8 with maybe a more aggressive tread. Evelo replaced the tires due to original Innova Tires not being round. Evelo stated Innova was having production issues and no Innova replacement tires were available so they installed a different brand 26x2.8 to correct the out of round issue.

Frame. ALE is first step-though style frame for me. Was not sure if I'd like it . . . really do now. Makes mounting/dismounting so darn easy.

Dapu Motor. 750W of power! Seems to be a good combination with NuVinci/Enviolo hub. After 200 miles or so it did develop an odd noise, something like a metal brush on a slowly rotating drum. Noise comes and goes, is always there at high PAS levels and heavy load (high climbing low gear) situations. One professional e-bike review noted 'ALE has the classic Dapu motor strange sound” so I've assumed that is what I'm hearing.

Maintenance While being capable of most modern life DIY maintenance tasks think professional bike shop help is in the future for at least rear wheel tire service, belt adjustments, etc. It takes a huge amount of pressure to correctly seat the rear axle while getting the correct initial belt tension. Upper body strength and coordination needed is getting beyond my senior years. A life not ALE issue.

Battery Range. Have never ridden it down to dead. Estimate my riding style has a 35-37 mile battery range. I use PAS 1-2 as much as possible but don't hesitate to use 3-4 on hills and 5 on the really big hills.

C800 Display. Functional nothing fancy. I use the password lock and ODO reset features all the time. There is some ODO error, in the 4-5% range depending if you select the 700C or 26 inch tire size set-up option. Mine is running 5% high so the title line 950 ODO miles is more like 902 real-world road miles.

Evelo Support. 100% fantastic. My ALE had a few factory assembly defects; tires, rear wheel alignment, cut wire that was causing shutdowns. All was corrected quickly (am near Seattle office). Have also had intermittent dead throttle issues. Evelo has worked with me providing troubleshooting help, parts for swap out, and even a minor tool needed to complete one swap out. Most recent part change was to replace the Controller. Am confident if that does not finally fix it Evelo will be there to help.

 

[jaizon]

Mini User Review 950 ODO Miles, 8 months ownership

Overall a 5-Star Bicycle. Enjoy more each time I ride.
Helps that ALE has all the 'must have features' in fact did delay buying an e-bike for three years waiting for someone, hopefully Evelo, to build one.

Those must haves:
== mid-drive motor of at least 500W; == belt-drive
== NuVinci (Enviolo) gear set; == in-frame battery
== 2.0 or greater tire width

Would estimate the 950 ODO miles are 70% paved bike path/trail, 20% street bike lanes, 10% gravel, sand, dirt (& dust gets everywhere)

ALE is my first e-bike. Before purchasing ALE was riding a human-pedal power REI, Manual NuVinci, belt-drive, 28x1.4 tires commuter style. ALE is stock except for the purchased when new upgraded seat post and seat option. Evelo also replaced original 26x3.0 tires with 26x2.8 tires. Bike is one of the original 200 unit product introduction build.

On REI had to aftermarket purchase handle bar riser and Cloud-9 seat to get a comfortable riding position. With ALE an even more comfortable riding position was possible within the bike's standard equipment adjustment range.

REI had the NuVinci N360 manual (cable controlled) hub. While no expert on how bicycle gearing is defined believe the N360 is about the same as a 7 or 8 speed derailleur. Evelo has not been clear on which Enviolo hub is installed - - - assume it is one of the newer N380 which might have a slightly wider gearing range. On the ALE really only use the manual mode, beyond playing with automatic mode have never ridden with it. I like being in control and would be happier with a standard cable manual then the more complex (needs power) automatic. Have calibrated the automatic twice and it still does not 'feel' as linear in gearing as the REI N360. Also the automatic version can not be full gear range downshifted at a dead stop (which is possible on the cable style) so have had to retrain myself to downshift before a full stop.

Tires. ALE has city/street tires. With the 26x3.0 tires tire to belt clearance is really small which should not be an issue. Just bugs me. The 26x2.8 might have an extra mm+ of clearance. When tires need replacement will research what's available >2.0 <2.8 with maybe a more aggressive tread. Evelo replaced the tires due to original Innova Tires not being round. Evelo stated Innova was having production issues and no Innova replacement tires were available so they installed a different brand 26x2.8 to correct the out of round issue.

Frame. ALE is first step-though style frame for me. Was not sure if I'd like it . . . really do now. Makes mounting/dismounting so darn easy.

Dapu Motor. 750W of power! Seems to be a good combination with NuVinci/Enviolo hub. After 200 miles or so it did develop an odd noise, something like a metal brush on a slowly rotating drum. Noise comes and goes, is always there at high PAS levels and heavy load (high climbing low gear) situations. One professional e-bike review noted 'ALE has the classic Dapu motor strange sound” so I've assumed that is what I'm hearing.

Maintenance While being capable of most modern life DIY maintenance tasks think professional bike shop help is in the future for at least rear wheel tire service, belt adjustments, etc. It takes a huge amount of pressure to correctly seat the rear axle while getting the correct initial belt tension. Upper body strength and coordination needed is getting beyond my senior years. A life not ALE issue.

Battery Range. Have never ridden it down to dead. Estimate my riding style has a 35-37 mile battery range. I use PAS 1-2 as much as possible but don't hesitate to use 3-4 on hills and 5 on the really big hills.

C800 Display. Functional nothing fancy. I use the password lock and ODO reset features all the time. There is some ODO error, in the 4-5% range depending if you select the 700C or 26 inch tire size set-up option. Mine is running 5% high so the title line 950 ODO miles is more like 902 real-world road miles.

Evelo Support. 100% fantastic. My ALE had a few factory assembly defects; tires, rear wheel alignment, cut wire that was causing shutdowns. All was corrected quickly (am near Seattle office). Have also had intermittent dead throttle issues. Evelo has worked with me providing troubleshooting help, parts for swap out, and even a minor tool needed to complete one swap out. Most recent part change was to replace the Controller. Am confident if that does not finally fit it Evelo will be there to help.

Nice report. Thanks. So, I’m guessing you would buy it again?

 

[MuttonChops]

Nice report. Thanks. So, I’m guessing you would buy it again?

Most likely yes would buy again.
However, new Evelo Galaxy 500 would be considered. It does not have an in-frame battery but is a bit lighter/smaller which could be handy for when I'm travel trailer traveling. Plus if Evelo has the new Galaxy 500 someone else might have a new NuVinic mid-drive that meets my needs so would do research . . . do expect one of the Evelo models would end up with my money, really like their designs and company business style.

 

[@AubergeSanDiego]

Most likely yes would buy again.
However, new Evelo Galaxy 500 would be considered. It does not have an in-frame battery but is a bit lighter/smaller which could be handy for when I'm travel trailer traveling. Plus if Evelo has the new Galaxy 500 someone else might have a new NuVinic mid-drive that meets my needs so would do research . . . do expect one of the Evelo models would end up with my money, really like their designs and company business style.

My wife and I both have ALEs and like Mutton Chops, we are both very happy with the bikes and the company behind them. My wife has shorter legs and might have opted for the Galaxy 500 had it existed in its present form at the time we bought our ALEs, but we waited and waited for a company like Evelo to come out with a bike like ALE that ticked all the right boxes for us. Our desire for ebike all started on our 30th anniversary trip to Victoria B.C. 3 years ago when on a whim we decided to rent ebikes and rode out on the Galloping Goose trail (rails to trails). We had such a blast and came back from our trip wondering why ebikes weren't as popular in the U.S. as in Canada. The bikes we rented were step-through folders with 24 inch tires. In the future we may very well end up getting a pair of folders like that as auxiliary ebikes to take on road trips. Let's face it, one can't easily toss a pair of ALEs into the back of a small SUV and off you go. If anyone has a recommendation, please feel free to chime in!

 

[Mikelu]

For those who have owned both the fully loaded and the limited edition. Does the torque sensing shut off more smoothly than the cadence sensing? My fully loaded can jerk hard when the motor shuts off and on. Sometime my feet come off the pedal.

 

[MuttonChops]

For those who have owned both the fully loaded and the limited edition. Does the torque sensing shut off more smoothly than the cadence sensing? My fully loaded can jerk hard when the motor shuts off and on. Sometime my feet come off the pedal.

Have only owned the Aurora LE.
Would say shut off is smooth, have never experienced the jerks / feet off pedal issue you noted.

 

[MuttonChops]

Miles Milestone

Continue to love this bike.