New Aurora 2019 Model

[iamjcl]

I have 860 miles on my delta and for me the battery life is about what I expected for my weight 285lbs and terrain. I alternate between two very different types of terrain, one route is mostly flat paved paths and gravel and I get about 40 miles per charge the second route is dirt trails and very hilly terrain on the nor ca coast and I get around 30 miles there.

I am happy with my purchase and have had zero issues. This was my first purchase and have since gotten much more knowledge on Ebikes and I would buy again.

Good info - thanks!

I'm curious if you've ever checked range on throttle only? I guess this would give a worst-case scenario range figure.

I'm also considering a Pedego Ridge Rider which as I understand has a torque sensor mode (also has a throttle only mode like the Delta), so I'm curious of what your perception of the cadence sensor only pedal assist on the Delta is like?

 

[Woodie582]

I bought mine for the exercise benefit and rarely use throttle only. The cadence sensing is not an issue for me, keeping in mind I have never ridden a torque sensor bike. Overall the bike does exactly what I wanted and I really like the nuvinci overall I’m pleased with it.

 

[TWBKR]

My battery drain is about the same after depleting it below 20% remaining and recharging a few times. Will keep trying more and see if it improves at all, but thus far, no improvement noticed. On flat ground, if I use throttle only, battery goes down about 2% - 3% / minute on flat ground, and I am about 135 pounds. So, you can almost see it ticking away. And even though I use it mostly on PAS, level 1-3, it still drains pretty fast. Will have to try a few more times depleting and recharging and also measure in mileage what I can get. The battery life has been disappointing to me, but other than that, love the bike.

Also, I noticed after charging the battery fully to 100% and then unplugging the bike and leaving it unplugged for about 2 days, then I see the battery was at 91% with no riding, just from sitting. Anyone else have this happening with their Aurora?

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

My battery drain is about the same after depleting it below 20% remaining and recharging a few times. Will keep trying more and see if it improves at all, but thus far, no improvement noticed. On flat ground, if I use throttle only, battery goes down about 2% - 3% / minute on flat ground, and I am about 135 pounds. So, you can almost see it ticking away. And even though I use it mostly on PAS, level 1-3, it still drains pretty fast. Will have to try a few more times depleting and recharging and also measure in mileage what I can get. The battery life has been disappointing to me, but other than that, love the bike.

Also, I noticed after charging the battery fully to 100% and then unplugging the bike and leaving it unplugged for about 2 days, then I see the battery was at 91% with no riding, just from sitting. Anyone else have this happening with their Aurora?

This used to happen on Surface604 shred and it was because of something in the controller. They came up with a fix and the solution is available in the Surface604 forum.
Since EVELO also uses a Bafang controller, I think it could be something similar.

 

[TWBKR]

Thanks. I will check out that forum.

I took the Aurora out for a ride today. Went 7.9 miles in city riding, so some stop and go at signals. Mostly flat, but one block of slight incline, but also coasting on the block of decline. Did pedal assist and tried to get up to a pretty fast clip, probably use a bit more battery at start up, getting up to speed, but decent pedaling power and not full ghost pedaling using level 2-3 and battery dropped to 59%.

That is 41% to go 7.9 miles, which would give me an approximate range of 20 miles. This is really disappointing.

 

[Al P]

That isn't normal. My 4 year old Evelo battery still takes a full charge and gets at least 25 miles in various terrain. Also, the battery shouldn't drain when turned off. Does it also drain when off the bike?

 

[TWBKR]

Thanks. I will try to remove it from the bike, when sitting idle, to see if the draining stops.

 

[evelo-bikes]

Hi TWBKR,

I had mentioned this a while ago, but we think this should work to mount your Ortlieb bags on an Aurora

https://ortliebusa.com/product/ql2-1-20mm-top-hooks-e193/

We don't have confirmation yet, as none of us own the matching bags, so if you do try it, please let us know!

Also, please keep us apprised of your battery range. While it's not uncommon for new batteries to run a little short, we want to make sure you're getting the performance that you should.

Cheers,
David

 

[TWBKR]

I did try a test charging the battery full to 100% and then taking the battery off the bike and then after 2 days, checking and it was still at 100%. Then tried again putting it on the bike and it was down to 93% a couple days later, so when attached to the bike, something is draining the battery.

 

[Woodie582]

Are you actively conversing with Evelo?

 

[TWBKR]

Yes, for the first problem about battery draining too fast, Evelo contacted me again and suggested the same thing to deplete the battery below 20-10% and then recharge it a couple of times. I have done this twice, without much improvement, but will try a couple more times.

About the other problem, nothing yet. I imagine this could also be related to the first.

And thanks David, I will try to order those larger 20 mm diameter clip handles and see if those work.

 

[TWBKR]

I guess I just have bad luck with this bike. Discovered my tire was flat when I went to ride it. Luckily it was discovered at home, rather than when out riding it. Of course, it is the rear wheel that is flat. So got the wheel off and no punctures at all in the tire. Checked the inner tube and found it was leaking from a few cracks/holes along a small line on the inside of the tube that sits against the rim. Checked the rim and no sharp objects found, so must have jut gotten a bad innertube or one that got pinched before and weakened and finally gave out after a few weeks of riding. So I just replaced the inner tube and good to go.

Then, I noticed one of the screws on the side motor plates is missing, so had popped off, so now I have to go find what size screw I need. Ugh, not big things, like the battery issue, but frustrating to have one thing after another. They seem to be very small screws and probably would have been better served to be a bit larger, as one cant get much leverage on them, as they are small and shallow philips heads, so then will strip the phillips slots , if one tries to turn too hard. Will have to contact Evelo to find out what screw size these are.

Hopefully, these were a couple of just rare one off cases, as it is a nice bike and except for the battery drainage and limited range, I really like this bike and think it is a good bike and Evelo service is very good. But, will have to see how the bike holds up and if the battery issues improves at all.

 

[keithd]

Did you get this sorted out?

 

[TWBKR]

Since my last post, John at Evelo said that they had found similar problems and that it seemed to be the display. So, I mailed the display and they are reflashing / updating it now. So, I am waiting to get the display back and hoping that will fix it. Will post after I get it back and try it out again.

 

[keithd]

Thanks! keep us posted

 

[Scarecrow]

When I visited their Seattle location in April, it was mentioned that the Dual Kickstand was exhibiting some issues with too much strain on the attachment point to the frame, creating some cracks. So they went back to the single leg style. They may be modifying the dual.

Also, I was told the new Aurora would be out "in the Fall" with wider tires, Dapu larger motor, and Gates Belt Drive. Hope that still happens. But sometimes these rumors remain just that.

On the Dapu motor idea, it was explained this change from Bafang is because the larger Bafang Ultra-type motors require too great of an offset for the Gates Drive. I really prefer Gates -- so I hope there's a second version coming in the Fall. I do see this latest Aurora offers 500W or 750W motor options, but no Gates Drive. Plus, they offer the Fully-Automatic Transmission in the Fully-Equipped version, as bought by TWBKR.

Anybody wondering how Evelo gets around the restrictions on the Nuvinci vs. the higher-powered motors (which virtually nobody else offers) -- it's because Evelo warranties their drive setup themselves. You do not have to deal with Fallbrook / Enviolo. They will ship you a newly-configured unit so you are not waiting months for Warranty work, should you ever need it. According to the guys I spoke with, Evelo typically only has to ever exchange a very few of these. The Nuvinci holds up pretty well!

One more thought... That non-removable display might be non-removable because the Automatic Transmission controls are integrated into that display. This eliminates some complexity. But I'm wondering if it would be akin to ripping out the dash module in a car (which you wouldn't want to do each time you parked it)? This is just a guess on my part.

 

[keithd]

I was under the impression that the belt drives were not used above 500 watts due to the belts not holding up. I am sure there are belts that could easily be adapted though and Evelo would stand behind them. I just ordered the Aurora fully loaded model and it has been shipped so I am just waiting now.

 

[Scarecrow]

Uhhh, no. The belts are used in race cars under far greater stress than on a bicycle. The problem is the Nuvinci style hub. I did learn yesterday, however, that Evelo will NOT be releasing an Aurora with a belt drive until 2020, at the earliest (according to Alex in their company) . So the just-released 2019 with the chain drive is the closest to my desires, so far. I may have to give up hope of a belt drive with a 750w motor, for now.

 

[keithd]

Uhhh, no. The belts are used in race cars under far greater stress than on a bicycle. The problem is the Nuvinci style hub. I did learn yesterday, however, that Evelo will NOT be releasing an Aurora with a belt drive until 2020, at the earliest (according to Alex in their company) . So the just-released 2019 with the chain drive is the closest to my desires, so far. I may have to give up hope of a belt drive with a 750w motor, for now.

Sorry you must have misunderstood my comment, if you read my comment you would have noticed "I am sure there are belts that could easily be adapted though and Evelo would stand behind them" I have motorcycles with belt drives so I know the belts are available but the current belts that seem to be offered on these bikes and some others do not hold up over 500 watts and most likely were developed for lower powered motors. The Galaxy uses the same Nuvinci hub with belt drive but has a less powerful mid-drive. If the belt could standup to the 750W I am sure they would have offered it. Like you I love belt drives and wish they did offer it, but for now I will live with a chain drive.

 

[Scarecrow]

But that is simply not the case. The belts are never mentioned as the limiting factor. The internal hubs are. Nuvinci officially does not warranty anything over 350w concerning motor size. It is stated in their Warranty, in fact. This is the first time I've ever heard anybody claiming the belts are the issue.