Photon Pro: First ride
Hey guys, here's my first impression of the Photon Pro for those who are interested. I've been a roadie for the last 15 years, and I will still ride my road race bike on the weekends. General commuting is my intended use for the Photon Pro: ride to work, groceries, picnics, beach, etc. I picked the Photon based on a few criteria: mid-motor, belt drive, internal gear hub, some cargo capacity, and large battery capacity.
I received the bike yesterday and promptly assembled it. It was mostly assembled out of the box; the rest of the assembly was just the front wheel and fender, the handlebar, the front rack, the seat post and seat, and the pedals. Assembly was simple and took about 25 minutes.
One minor gripe: I did not know the charger was shipped separately and will not arrive until tomorrow. I hope that in the future, the charger will just be in the box or is made clear that it will be shipped separately. Receiving the bike and finding out that the charger won't arrive for a few days really deflated my enthusiasm. Fortunately, the battery came with a 68% charge, so I can still go on this first ride and give my first impression.
Setup:
I increased the speed limit to 45 kph, or 28 mph, for our American friends. The saddle was moved back slightly, and the saddle angle was relaxed for a more upright position. A phone mount was used for navigation.
The Ride:
This first ride was just for fun and testing, so it was probably not representative of how I intend to use this bike.
The first couple of things I noticed were the smoothness and stability of the ride. The bumps on the road were handled quite well between the suspension fork and seat post. The pedal assist is exactly what I expected. At lower assist levels, the motor made me feel like I was a twenty-year-old again. I was able to reach 45 kph with little effort at level 2 assist. It was quite windy out, gusting above 25 kph, but with the motor assist, it felt like nothing. Hills were no problem either; we don't have many steep hills here, so level 1 was enough.
This bike is pretty hefty at 70 pounds, and it prefers to go in a straight line. This is my first e-bike, so I'm not sure how agile it is compared to other e-bikes. It didn't feel sluggish, but it was not a road race bike either. I didn't have any trouble with corners, and the turning radius was fine; just look where you want to go, and it'll get you there.
Without motor assistance, the bike was manageable. So if it ran out of power, I think most would have no problem pedaling home.
Noise:
With pedal assist turned off, the bike was silent. This was why I wanted the belt drive: smooth and quiet. The motor is fairly quiet; you can hear it, but it didn't really bother me. At higher speeds, the wind pretty much drowned out the motor. This was one of my concerns before placing my order, but it turned out to be a none issue.
Range:
I started the ride with 68% battery, but after 62 km, or 38.75 mi, the display showed 8%. I was on level 1 assist for about half of the ride. The other half was testing levels 2 to 5 at various speeds. We did ride pretty fast, usually around 30 kph; for some long straight stretches, we were over 40 kph. It was also quite windy out, so it wasn't an ideal condition for range.
Once I receive the charger, I'll do a more controlled range test. At level 1 or 2, I think a fully charged Photon can probably go over 100km.
Frame:
I love the look of the frame. The integrated rear rack and the extra support at the bottom give the bike a fairly unique look.
The frame did flex a bit when I pedaled hard. This would've been unacceptable if this was a road race bike. Maybe a future version with a top tube would stiffen the frame significantly, but that would nullify the benefits of a step-through frame.
That's all for now. I will try to do a full review in a few months.
Hey guys, here's my first impression of the Photon Pro for those who are interested. I've been a roadie for the last 15 years, and I will still ride my road race bike on the weekends. General commuting is my intended use for the Photon Pro: ride to work, groceries, picnics, beach, etc. I picked the Photon based on a few criteria: mid-motor, belt drive, internal gear hub, some cargo capacity, and large battery capacity.
I received the bike yesterday and promptly assembled it. It was mostly assembled out of the box; the rest of the assembly was just the front wheel and fender, the handlebar, the front rack, the seat post and seat, and the pedals. Assembly was simple and took about 25 minutes.
One minor gripe: I did not know the charger was shipped separately and will not arrive until tomorrow. I hope that in the future, the charger will just be in the box or is made clear that it will be shipped separately. Receiving the bike and finding out that the charger won't arrive for a few days really deflated my enthusiasm. Fortunately, the battery came with a 68% charge, so I can still go on this first ride and give my first impression.
Setup:
I increased the speed limit to 45 kph, or 28 mph, for our American friends. The saddle was moved back slightly, and the saddle angle was relaxed for a more upright position. A phone mount was used for navigation.
The Ride:
This first ride was just for fun and testing, so it was probably not representative of how I intend to use this bike.
The first couple of things I noticed were the smoothness and stability of the ride. The bumps on the road were handled quite well between the suspension fork and seat post. The pedal assist is exactly what I expected. At lower assist levels, the motor made me feel like I was a twenty-year-old again. I was able to reach 45 kph with little effort at level 2 assist. It was quite windy out, gusting above 25 kph, but with the motor assist, it felt like nothing. Hills were no problem either; we don't have many steep hills here, so level 1 was enough.
This bike is pretty hefty at 70 pounds, and it prefers to go in a straight line. This is my first e-bike, so I'm not sure how agile it is compared to other e-bikes. It didn't feel sluggish, but it was not a road race bike either. I didn't have any trouble with corners, and the turning radius was fine; just look where you want to go, and it'll get you there.
Without motor assistance, the bike was manageable. So if it ran out of power, I think most would have no problem pedaling home.
Noise:
With pedal assist turned off, the bike was silent. This was why I wanted the belt drive: smooth and quiet. The motor is fairly quiet; you can hear it, but it didn't really bother me. At higher speeds, the wind pretty much drowned out the motor. This was one of my concerns before placing my order, but it turned out to be a none issue.
Range:
I started the ride with 68% battery, but after 62 km, or 38.75 mi, the display showed 8%. I was on level 1 assist for about half of the ride. The other half was testing levels 2 to 5 at various speeds. We did ride pretty fast, usually around 30 kph; for some long straight stretches, we were over 40 kph. It was also quite windy out, so it wasn't an ideal condition for range.
Once I receive the charger, I'll do a more controlled range test. At level 1 or 2, I think a fully charged Photon can probably go over 100km.
Frame:
I love the look of the frame. The integrated rear rack and the extra support at the bottom give the bike a fairly unique look.
The frame did flex a bit when I pedaled hard. This would've been unacceptable if this was a road race bike. Maybe a future version with a top tube would stiffen the frame significantly, but that would nullify the benefits of a step-through frame.
That's all for now. I will try to do a full review in a few months.
