Piaggio Wi-Bike Early Adopter

Dfstarman

Active Member
I got my Wi-BIke about 2 weeks ago. It is the Unisex Comfort Plus Model, Cort just posted a review the other day. I have the model he reviewed. This is my 4th ebike I had a Eflow Nitro E3 which I really loved but my hip went bad and I couldn't swing my leg over it any more, I also had an EM Jumper which I sold, and I bought a Benelli Classica for my wife.

The App is great, the bike has plenty of power for me. I love the belt drive and the Nuvinci and the built in theft alarm which is very sensitive , you touch the bike and a message gets sent to your phone. I bought a LE BT chest strap to use in the Fitness mode which tracks BPM and Calories.
 

Attachments

  • 20171110_160542.jpg
    20171110_160542.jpg
    626.4 KB · Views: 2,726
  • 20171110_160609.jpg
    20171110_160609.jpg
    724.9 KB · Views: 2,726
Hello Dfstarman.

Congrats on the Wi-Bike. I am going to check out my local Vespa/Piaggio dealer tomorrow. The Piaggio website says you get 24 months of gps network included. Do you know how much it would cost after that? Thank you.
 
Yes, the Vespa store told me much the same. Max 40 Cdn bucks per year. How about your range. How far are you getting on a charge?
piaggio store.jpg
 
Wow, that is great. The battery is only 400 wh so the engine or you must be very efficient. They look extremely well made in person.
 
A Swedish e-bike magazine tested the Wi-Bike (among many other models) in its latest issue. It was not given very high ratings unfortunately. Major let-downs were the engine which is unique to the Wi-Bike, not found on any other brand, thus hard to service anywhere. And the bike was found to be very "un-bicycley" in it's handling and engine characteristic. Heavy and not responsive at all. Please test ride the Wi-Bike before buying to see if you like it.
 
I got my Wi-BIke about 2 weeks ago. It is the Unisex Comfort Plus Model, Cort just posted a review the other day. I have the model he reviewed. This is my 4th ebike I had a Eflow Nitro E3 which I really loved but my hip went bad and I couldn't swing my leg over it any more, I also had an EM Jumper which I sold, and I bought a Benelli Classica for my wife.

The App is great, the bike has plenty of power for me. I love the belt drive and the Nuvinci and the built in theft alarm which is very sensitive , you touch the bike and a message gets sent to your phone. I bought a LE BT chest strap to use in the Fitness mode which tracks BPM and Calories.

What is the Newton rating on your bike? The Website offers no help! How is it going up hills? What is the stiffest grade you have attempted?
A Swedish e-bike magazine tested the Wi-Bike (among many other models) in its latest issue. It was not given very high ratings unfortunately. Major let-downs were the engine which is unique to the Wi-Bike, not found on any other brand, thus hard to service anywhere. And the bike was found to be very "un-bicycley" in it's handling and engine characteristic. Heavy and not responsive at all. Please test ride the Wi-Bike before buying to see if you like it.
A Swedish e-bike magazine tested the Wi-Bike (among many other models) in its latest issue. It was not given very high ratings unfortunately. Major let-downs were the engine which is unique to the Wi-Bike, not found on any other brand, thus hard to service anywhere. And the bike was found to be very "un-bicycley" in it's handling and engine characteristic. Heavy and not responsive at all. Please test ride the Wi-Bike before buying to see if you like it.
Can you show the link to this magazine article? I am sure many would want to read it, I know I am interested in viewing it!
 
Run through OCR and Google Translate (less than perfect but readable, edited some), here you go:

"
SUV-feeling on heavy Piaggio

Strong stylish frame weighted down by engine and battery. Hard to get service on the Piaggo engine.

Plaggio has sold millions of vespas and mopeds.

So when they started to manufacture Wi-Bice Active, they probably thought they made a really easy vehicle. But the bike is more likely to feel more about the moped than a smooth electric bike.
At the PAPER, everything looked so promising. A strong bicycle frame with belt drive and Stageless NuVinci gear with wide range. A perfect combo with minimal maintenance for those who intend to cycle all year round. In addition, excellent and good theft protection that allows a stolen bike to send its position via the mobile network and can be tracked. Awesome!

BUT ALREADY, Piaggio is basically no bicycle company. When I'm going to lift the bike for the stairs from the editors, I notice that it's really heavy. 27.2 kg is much in a narrow steep staircase. The last extra kg really makes a difference. I happen to bump the back panel against the wall and the reflexes behind the fender are lost from their plastic support. It was placed on a high unprotected plastic holder wider than the fender. Bike designers usually put slim reflexes that do not stick out. The next discovery is that the big engine. It weighs their brave 4.5 kilo and sounds real. Once on the bike it feels like when you borrowed dads bike when you were small. The hydropressed aluminum frame is stiff but the bike feels heavy trampled and turned to swing. Even with the engine turned on, it feels just sluggish. On the paper, the proprietary Piaggiomotor has the same maximum torque as Shimano Steps (50 Nm). But feels much more tired.

EQUIPMENT
Slim semi-soft elegant black alloy fenders that are nice long. but not enough to protect shoes and motor. NuVinci rigid gear, here with a 360% changeover range. Belt drive is quiet and no oil is needed. The light connected to the bicycle's battery is switched on with a simple push on the display. The front lamp is very elegant in plastic with good light, but looks bright. The bicycle support slides laterally. Sporty straight handle that sits on. A steady adjustable steering wheel without any slip. The steering column can only be adjusted to a height of 2.5 centimeters, but with different angles of the steering column, you can get a more upright or forward position. Really sturdy package holder well-tied with strong stag. No lock is included. Shimano hydraulic disc brakes of not specified model. Shimano has a large model program and these feel a bit cheaper.

ENGINE
The engine has three power programs, but does not feel very spicy even at its highest power. Very strange engine control to be a mid-engine, which usually follows slavery as hard as you are stopping. Here I can get the engine to pull, even though I only air tramples without getting in. It feels like a simple hub engine without moment sensor. It takes more power 1 engine when I take in but not very distinctly. Can also control the engine from an app with many more possibilities, but does not fundamentally change engine problems. Exceptional engine that the very few bicycle mechanics can make. The display is removable but has a darker field over half the screen, because the removable display has labels on the underside which partially obscures the diodial light from the bracket. How did you think now? The screen is big and easy to read. But when you get into the settings you get tricked up with long and short pressures. Heavily navigated mildly said. But if you find the right information and settings you need. Estimated remaining distance is calculated dynamically according to the amount of current used. Good! The screen also has usb sockets for charging mobile, etc. The battery is a heavy lump and holds 418 Ah, with a large fixed handle that protrudes to the side.
Big charger, must be fanless, I think. But when I plug in, it sounds like a industrial fan. Worthless if you want to chargein an apartment, at work or on a get. Clearly not good.

BUILD QUALITY
Super strong frame in fine design with inner cable tie. The fenders are held by solid stays. Mounting with the screen is unusual with bolt and a nut that is close to the wheel. On two occasions, the nut dragged against the tire and started to sound like a jet plane. No play in bearings. Plastic pedals are easiest kind and kick stand has play. The choice of reflex mount on the rear fender is subpar.

BIKE SENSE
Without a motor, Wi-Bike is heavily trampled. With the power turned on, it still feels quite heavy and tired. Midmotors tend to be so compliant that you forget them and just feel strong. This engine produces such an odorous response to the pedaling and makes it so much that the bicycle feeling is suffering. The weight plus the big wheels make the bike feel sluggish. Only two storylines on the frame make it difficult to find optimal size for active cycling in the right position.

PRICE VALUE
There is a nice frame, belt drive and NuVinci gear which can cost more than this plus unusually good anti-theft protection with gps / gms. But the charger with fan, sad engine, doubtful display / menu system and a heavy-lumped bumpy bike drag down the rating.

APPEARANCE
The actual frame with rear luggage carrier and fenders is really stylish. But the clumsy battery and the clumsy engine ruin much of the appearance unfortunately."
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20180329_134323.jpg
    IMG_20180329_134323.jpg
    2.5 MB · Views: 4,195
  • IMG_20180329_134351.jpg
    IMG_20180329_134351.jpg
    2.6 MB · Views: 4,068
Last edited:
Wow! Piaggio is crossed of my list until next generation! Back to looking at the Haibike!

If you have a Piaggio dealer nearby, please go for a test ride. Never trust only one review. You might feel the bike entirely different than the reviewer.
 
Thank you all for your very informative and helpful comments. I just went to a Trek dealer and tested their Dual Sport + Ebike which I found to be very light and very responsive. They told me it weighed only about 20 kilos. I will see what Court has said about it but woul certainly appreciate any comment.
 
Back