rcode3
New Member
- Region
- USA
Just got my Drop. As there do not appear to be too many user reviews on Dost, I thought I'd post my first impressions. Here it is (without the battery as it was charging in the house), the Dost panniers (which are nice), some trunk bag I had previously, and generic water bottle holder I already had.
The brakes seem a bit soft, and, for me, might need to be adjusted to have a shorter pull as gripping them with gloves is somewhat of a stretch. Also, the brakes seem to make a weird vibration noise when engaged at speed. I've got a support request into Does on the brakes. They aren't unusable by any stretch, but just not as good as I would have expected.
The rear cargo rack is awesome. With the rack on my Kona, I had given up on using the trunk bag because it moved about so much that it was distracting... not to mention in the way of panniers. The Dost rack's simple side drop bars make using a trunk bag with panniers simple. It also gives me confidence that it won't fall off.
On the return portion, which is more uphill, I put the pedal assist up to 6 and noticed in some spots I was hitting 24mph. To compare with my Kona, at it's highest assist (5) I usually hit a max of 18mph. So this thing will move. Upon return, I had 45% of the battery, which is a bit of a concern for my commute if I intend to ride with speed. I'll be taking the charger with me just to be safe when I start using the bike in a real commute.
Now, my Kona has a Bosch motor with cadence and torque sensors and the Dost only a cadence sensor. So the Dost has a bit of a lag compared to the Kona, especially when you have a commute such as mine that requires braking and working the gears. And because the Dost is heavier, my mental notes of when to use which gears need to be adjusted. But none of that is off-putting to me. My commute is a lot of muscle memory, and working gears and braking and accelerating... so for people with more pleasant cycling this shouldn't be a problem at all.
About My E-bike Experience
This is not my first e-bike. I've been using a Kona Dew E for about a year. I commute to work on it about 3 days a week, a commute which is 12.5 miles each way. About a mile of that is on suburban streets and the rest on a paved bike path called the Washington & Old Dominion trail in Northern Virginia. That trail goes from the suburbs towards the Potomac River, and my morning ride is more downhill than up while my evening commute can be a bit challenging on a regular bike. I have been doing this commute in the summer heat and now that cold weather has come, in weather just above freezing.Assembly
Putting the bike together was easy, especially if you have watched the Dost videos on YouTube. Just straighten the handlebars and tighten them, then put on the pedals with the included wrench. The kit came with some lock washers, but I have no idea what they are for and didn't use them.Initial Observations
The bike is heavier than it looks. I hadn't really given that much thought, nor had I realized the tires are a bit wider than a typical commuting bike. Both of those things give it different handling that make it feel less nimble.The brakes seem a bit soft, and, for me, might need to be adjusted to have a shorter pull as gripping them with gloves is somewhat of a stretch. Also, the brakes seem to make a weird vibration noise when engaged at speed. I've got a support request into Does on the brakes. They aren't unusable by any stretch, but just not as good as I would have expected.
The rear cargo rack is awesome. With the rack on my Kona, I had given up on using the trunk bag because it moved about so much that it was distracting... not to mention in the way of panniers. The Dost rack's simple side drop bars make using a trunk bag with panniers simple. It also gives me confidence that it won't fall off.
A First Test Ride
After a couple of jaunts up and down the block, I decided to let the battery fully charge over night and take it half way to work and back. The ride was much more comfortable than my Kona, to be expected as I was much more upright and the Drop has bigger tires. At the end of the ride I did not have the usual tingling in my palms from putting a good bit of my weight on the handlebars. I also noticed the muscles in my upper shoulders were burning a little, letting me know that the sitting position is much changed from that which I am accustomed.On the return portion, which is more uphill, I put the pedal assist up to 6 and noticed in some spots I was hitting 24mph. To compare with my Kona, at it's highest assist (5) I usually hit a max of 18mph. So this thing will move. Upon return, I had 45% of the battery, which is a bit of a concern for my commute if I intend to ride with speed. I'll be taking the charger with me just to be safe when I start using the bike in a real commute.
Now, my Kona has a Bosch motor with cadence and torque sensors and the Dost only a cadence sensor. So the Dost has a bit of a lag compared to the Kona, especially when you have a commute such as mine that requires braking and working the gears. And because the Dost is heavier, my mental notes of when to use which gears need to be adjusted. But none of that is off-putting to me. My commute is a lot of muscle memory, and working gears and braking and accelerating... so for people with more pleasant cycling this shouldn't be a problem at all.
