New spark City

[Bcbob]

Just received a new spark city from sparkbikes.ca. For those of us in Canada shipping is free to any province. They are out of Vancouver. Shipping was super prompt and arrived in perfect condition. Had to attach the front wheel, front fender, handlebars and seat. About 1/2 hour tops. Took a couple of quick rides after battery charging and loving it. It is my first e-bike so I am not really comparing it to anything but it flies up steep hills and does everything I expect effortlessly.

 

[Marci jo]

Just received a new spark city from sparkbikes.ca. For those of us in Canada shipping is free to any province. They are out of Vancouver. Shipping was super prompt and arrived in perfect condition. Had to attach the front wheel, front fender, handlebars and seat. About 1/2 hour tops. Took a couple of quick rides after battery charging and loving it. It is my first e-bike so I am not really comparing it to anything but it flies up steep hills and does everything I expect effortlessly.View attachment 34528

Congrats!
White bikes are pretty and white ebikes even prettier.
Many happy miles.

 

[Gmakepeace]

Hi BcBob. How did you decide on Spark and which model? What other brands were you looking at? Why did Spark win out? What do think of the Bafang mid drive motor?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[Bcbob]

Hi Greg. I bought 2 bikes for me and my wife, so I bought online for price point.I bought a voltbike bravo for myself and Sparkbike spark city for my wife as voltbike did not have one that fit her. I am very happy with both bikes. You can check out both their websites. Both of these companies are out of Vancouver Canada. I am not sure of their shipping policies to the States. Motors on both of these are 500w rear hub drive motors, not mid drive. smooth and lots of torque for hills.
Cheers, Bob

 

[HyperCat77]

Just received a new spark city from sparkbikes.ca. For those of us in Canada shipping is free to any province. They are out of Vancouver. Shipping was super prompt and arrived in perfect condition. Had to attach the front wheel, front fender, handlebars and seat. About 1/2 hour tops. Took a couple of quick rides after battery charging and loving it. It is my first e-bike so I am not really comparing it to anything but it flies up steep hills and does everything I expect effortlessly.View attachment 34528

Hello- Did you mean by "out of Vancouver" that the company has left Vancouver ?

 

[Bcbob]

Sorry, no,I meant they ship out of Vancouver.

 

[Handlebars]

I just got my Spark City a couple of days ago. It's a combination of features that really work for my measurements. I'm impressed with this model as a fit. I too now need to get a hydraulic seat post to handle the bumps. So many people mention the seat suspension they bought. Now I know why. The heavy bikes take a beating on the rear wheel.

 

[Bcbob]

Congratulations on your new ride. If you bought that model for the fit, just be aware that you need an extra couple inches on your seat post for the suspension. So if you are riding with your seat post very close to the frame you won’t be able to use one. This was the case on my wife’s bike.

 

[Handlebars]

Yes indeed! The seat height is perfect but the bottom of the saddle metal rods is only 4" from the tube. It's less than 3" if measured under the bend at the point where it changes from glossy paint to matte. If I had to do stoplights with only one foot able to touch the road, well, that is what I opted to avoid in getting the small frame model. I'll have to just keep the air pressure a bit low for bump reduction and buy a gel seat cover, if the hydraulic post would make the seat too high.

 

[Bcbob]

Sounds like you should have enough room for most suspension seat posts except maybe ones like the Thudbuster.

 

[Handlebars]

Thanks, Bcbob. It's a close call. I love the way the bike handles in the configuration I have it in.

 

[Bcbob]

Yes, I would not raise the seat from where you are comfortable for safety. If you can check out a seat post physically in a shop I still think you could find one to fit. They also come ln different diameters so best go to a bike shop if you are not comfortable measuring it yourself.

 

[Handlebars]

Good idea

 

[Xbusboy]

Yes indeed! The seat height is perfect but the bottom of the saddle metal rods is only 4" from the tube. It's less than 3" if measured under the bend at the point where it changes from glossy paint to matte. If I had to do stoplights with only one foot able to touch the road, well, that is what I opted to avoid in getting the small frame model. I'll have to just keep the air pressure a bit low for bump reduction and buy a gel seat cover, if the hydraulic post would make the seat too high.

Hi, I have a Spark City and I’m vertically challenged. However, seat height should be adjusted to give the most efficiency while peddling. Your leg should only have a slight bend at the knee when the pedal is at the bottom of the stroke, with the ball of your foot on the pedals. As for coming to a stop, practice dismounting just before coming to a complete stop while straddling yor bike. With this practice seat height doesn’t matter.

 

[Lastname First]

Hey Bcbob!

It's been a few months now since you bought your Spark City. Are you still liking it? Have any issues developed? I'm thinking of getting one very soon and any info you have would be appreciated.

 

[Xbusboy]

I now have 817 kms on my Spark City and look forward to every chance to ride. It was an easy decision to go with a purchase from Spark Bikes because I saved $500-$600 over a comparable bike from the other competitors that have the overhead of a store front. I believe any modern e-bike will hold up well during the warranty period, after which, you’re on your own anyway, so why pay for a retailers store front overhead?
P S I live in Surrey BC and was able to assemble my bike on the loading ramp of the distribution centre, throw the bike on my hitch mounted bike rack and drive away. They even disposed of the big box for me!

 

[Lastname First]

Thank you Xbusboy! 817 KMs...isn't that like, 30,000 miles? No, wait...20 miles? Just kidding (Just a little south of the border humor--I know it's .62mi/km). I appreciate the update, and yeah, I've thought of that storefront factor, too. The only thing about only having a web presence is that you really have to be successful at getting the word out or you're toast. I think this site has done an amazing job at giving electric bike makers fair, complete and unbiased exposure. Anyway, thanks again for the update, I hope you have many happy miles with your bike.

 

[Xbusboy]

Thanks for your comments. To figure miles, I just get a rough idea by multiplying by six. So, 817 kms. becomes roughly 480 miles. “Fight Metric, Don’t Give An Inch”

 

[BILL]

I am lucky enough to live very close to the RIZE(they changed their name from Spark) BIKES office/warehouse and was able to check out the bikes in person. The City seemed to be the best fit for me and they just happened to have an upgraded assembled model with hydraulic brakes, torque sensor and huge 17 amp/hr, battery. The guy handed me a loaner helmet and told me to take my time riding the bike on a beautiful sunny day today. The bike felt as if it was custom made for me with the bars adjusted for perfect upright posture with no pressure on neck, arms, shoulders or hands. The seat post had a line with 10 written on it and it just happened to be the perfect amount of leg extension. Because of the battery position on the frame, the stand over height is higher than I would like but it is a small price to pay for a better balanced bike than if the battery were on the rear rack. I quickly got used to it. Motor was amazingly smooth and powerful with loads of torque to quickly and easily reach 32kph with lots of power left for those who wish to remove the speed limits. The sprung seat was very comfortable and I did not find myself wishing for suspension. Braking and hill climbing were superb and the price is amazing.

 

[Wmrit]

Hi Bill, thanks for your info. Can I ask how tall you are? I am about 5'9" with about a 29" inseam. Would the City Bike be too small for me ? Did you find a dramatic difference between the Torque and Cadence sensors. I'm trying to compare the upgraded City to the Amego Infinite Plus Step Through.
Cheers!