My Espin Sport

I moved the handlebars more upright by loosening the bolt that was shown here. There is not much difference in how much you can move it. I went as far up right as I could without stretching the cables. Is there a way to actually raise the stem vertically?

I think it maxes out at about 40-45 degrees or so?
 
I moved the handlebars more upright by loosening the bolt that was shown here. There is not much difference in how much you can move it. I went as far up right as I could without stretching the cables. Is there a way to actually raise the stem vertically?

There are stem spacers but not sure if that will work with the Sport's stem.

You could also buy a different stem connector with more rise... or higher rise handlebars (mentioned previously).
 
So finally took the Sport on a ride I usually don't like taking with my regular bike. It's a nice paved trail except at the beginning there is this long incline. It's about a 7% grade just over a mile long and I'm usually looking for an extra lung midway through.

I actually got 1/3 up this long one and was thinking about trying it the whole way on 0 but the point was to test the ebike. So I put it in 1 and I could have left it there... very easy to pedal, seemed like there was no incline at all. I upped it to 2 and it was even easier... at 3 it was cheat mode because I was moving way faster than I should be... it was crazy how powerful a 500w motor could push uphill because I'm not a small guy. I was impressed.

It's interesting because the combinations of gears and PAS level really helps dictate the assist and really does flatten hills.

The rest of the ride has smaller inclines and then long downhill portions but I didn't use any PAS which surprised my wife because she thought I was using it on the subsequent inclines since I seemed to take them pretty quickly without much effort. This makes me feel like the Sport has pretty good gearing. Prior to this ride, I've gone a quite a few inclines on 0 assist (mostly underpasses or bridges) and it's easy to do.

There's another big hill I want to try out which is steeper and a shorter distance but I'm confident the Sport will flatten that one too.

I was concerned that a hub drive wouldn't be able to push my size up a hill and was wondering if I needed to get a mid-drive but it was fine... and I get too zoom-zoom (what my kid refers as using the throttle) every once in a while for fun.

One other thing... I went back down the hill halfway to ask my wife if she wanted to switch bikes but she's too macho. When I tried to go back up, it was hard because I forgot to gear down... and then I remembered the throttle and that gave me the push I needed to start pedaling again (so I now understand why some people are not too happy with the Aventon set up).
hilarious write-up. well done.
 
I moved the handlebars more upright by loosening the bolt that was shown here. There is not much difference in how much you can move it. I went as far up right as I could without stretching the cables. Is there a way to actually raise the stem vertically?

wonder if something like this would help? Up to 60 degree adjustment.
If you try it out, let us know.
 

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I just have to say riding this has been the most fun I had in a while. I think I put 35 miles on in 3 days.

I rode my XP today to golf and back and I must say, the Sport is such a smoother ride. That's the sun just to the right of the flagstick this am. The smoke is erie...
Smoke flag.jpg
 
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@Taylor57 I think the suspension fork and seatpost (not sure if you added that to the Sport) probably help with that. 27.5" tires that are smoother rolling (*because they are thinner! :) ) than the 20" fat tires on the XP probably also contribute.

One of the things I was worried about the Sport was the ability of the rear hub motor to help push me up inclines... after yesterday's ride, I think even a 250w/350w is capable with small paved hills.

I also appreciate the easier build (as I read people with issues on their builds of other D2C brands) and the stealthy look compared to other ebikes.

It's just so heavy. :)
 
@Taylor57 I think the suspension fork and seatpost (not sure if you added that to the Sport) probably help with that. 27.5" tires that are smoother rolling (*because they are thinner! :) ) than the 20" fat tires on the XP probably also contribute.

One of the things I was worried about the Sport was the ability of the rear hub motor to help push me up inclines... after yesterday's ride, I think even a 250w/350w is capable with small paved hills.

I also appreciate the easier build (as I read people with issues on their builds of other D2C brands) and the stealthy look compared to other ebikes.

It's just so heavy. :)

I really like my Sport. It handles bumps so much better than my XP. I took the XP today for my ride and it helped reinforce I made a good decision to get the Sport. My kids are excited to be getting the XP. Win, win!
 
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Can you reset the odomoter ?

I have not fiddled much with the display on the Sport. It is very basic. It does not have a voltage readout so you are at the mercy of the bar graph. I got down to 2 bars yesterday and had no clue how much power I had left. On my XP, I have a voltage chart taped to the frame and can see remaining voltage while riding. The odometer figure looks like a small font. I think I have close to 100 miles for far. Other than the voltage issue and my left heel catching the kickstand, the bike is great!
 
You can reset the trip odometer and the time and a few other settings. I don’t think the regular odometer can be reset. The manual that comes with the bike shows you how to do the reset.
 
Have any Sport owners changed out their back sprocket/freewheel to one that will offer more speed in 8th gear? I've noticed in PAS 5 and 8th gear the bike rides comfortably at 25-26 mph on flat ground however I am barely pedaling and the PAS is doing the majority of the work. Would a new back sprocket allow me to contribute more with pedaling?
 
@Taylor57

If you pedal harder in 8th while in PAS 5, you will probably get up to 28mph.

I tried it... got a bit scary because I was on a residential street. I would only try that again if I had a wide open space.
 
Reading all these difficulties with the other D2C bikes being hard to assemble, I really appreciate the simplicity of putting together the Sport. Even my mechanic friend was impressed that all I had to do was attach the front wheel, handlebars, and pedals.

The bike also rides really well, not sure if it's the derailleur or the cassette but the gearing is really smooth. The only time I feel the weight is when stopped at a light and I have to move the bike (or when I have to put it into my vehicle).

Need to convince Espin to make a lightweight ebike. :)
 
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Reading all these difficulties with the other D2C bikes being hard to assemble, I really appreciate the simplicity of putting together the Sport. Even my mechanic friend was impressed that all I had to do was attach the front wheel, handlebars, and pedals.

The bike also rides really well, not sure if it's the derailleur or the cassette but the gearing is really smooth. The only time I feel the weight is when stopped at a light and I have to move the bike (or when I have to put it into my vehicle).

Need to convince Espin to make a lightweight ebike. :)
Agree the Sport is easy to put together, solid. People have few complaints. I heard they might make a folder. Do not know if it will be lighter.
 
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