Rode my new Espin Sport today for the first time. Received in fine shape. Well packaged. Took less than an hour to be ready to ride. I had a bike pro go over it to make sure everything was adjusted correctly (Thank you Velofix). It is a beautiful bike. I have the colbalt blue. It was bigger - longer and heavier - than I expected. Just had to connect front tire, handlebars, front light, seat post (seat was attached) and front fenders. It is heavy. Even though it looked big, I had no problem standing over the bar or mounting the bike. I am 5'8". My son had to coax me to ride with him. I was a little nervous as I have not ridden my bike in at least 3-4 years. After a test ride around my back yard and a seat adjustment, my confidence returned. It is easier to ride than expected. Smooth. You have to be in at least pedal assist 1 for the throttle to work. I kept it in assist levels 1 and 2. I got used to the power assist/cadence sensor quickly. After a few minutes I realized that the assistance works best in conjunction with being in the right bike gear. At first I was just spinning my pedals too fast. After I started shifting it was much more natural.
I had no problem climbing the moderate hills in level 2. The throttle works well in conjunction with the assistance for a little extra boast, for taking off after being stopped at a light, for example. I did get a lot of exercise pedaling. The brakes are hydraulic disk. They work very well with no noise.
Negatives: All the negatives are minor and very fixable. I could not find a place to put a water bottle. All the tubes are too thick to attach my holder. Finally gave up and put in my pannier bag. The bag fit great on my rack. No rattling and very secure.
My feet seemed to slip off the pedals easily. I have never had this issue before. Maybe it was my shoes. I had regular running shoes on. It was annoying. I will either try toe clips or change the pedals or both.
I found the grips uncomfortable. After about a half hour I had soreness between thumb and first finger like I was extending fingers too far. The grips are standard rubber locking grips textured. They are similar to my son's bike and he had no complaints. I was wearing gloves. I will try adjusting my grip. If it continues I will look for different grips or some kind of padding. Anyone else have this issue ?
Overall I am happy. Seems like a great bike and well worth the price.
I had no problem climbing the moderate hills in level 2. The throttle works well in conjunction with the assistance for a little extra boast, for taking off after being stopped at a light, for example. I did get a lot of exercise pedaling. The brakes are hydraulic disk. They work very well with no noise.
Negatives: All the negatives are minor and very fixable. I could not find a place to put a water bottle. All the tubes are too thick to attach my holder. Finally gave up and put in my pannier bag. The bag fit great on my rack. No rattling and very secure.
My feet seemed to slip off the pedals easily. I have never had this issue before. Maybe it was my shoes. I had regular running shoes on. It was annoying. I will either try toe clips or change the pedals or both.
I found the grips uncomfortable. After about a half hour I had soreness between thumb and first finger like I was extending fingers too far. The grips are standard rubber locking grips textured. They are similar to my son's bike and he had no complaints. I was wearing gloves. I will try adjusting my grip. If it continues I will look for different grips or some kind of padding. Anyone else have this issue ?
Overall I am happy. Seems like a great bike and well worth the price.
