ebikemadtown
Member
I just purchased the e2.1 and thought I would give some thoughts. I am coming from an ESPIN Nero. The primary reason I sold the Nero after 2,000 mile of use is the weight. With racks and baskets it was 80 pounds.
I have only driven 33 miles on the new e2.1.
What I like:
Price - at $1,799, then 10% back for REI member and another 5% back for using the REI credit card....it was ~$1,500 which seem like a good price for a shimano mid drive bike.
Weight - I am loving a 50 pound e-bike. It will be much easier to load on my car bike rack
Mid Drive - the torque sensor is nice and intuitive. I had become use to the cadence sensor and like it for solo rides. However, cadence sensor is not great for multiple e-bikers with different speed settings. I never felt I was at the optimal cadence sensor setting when riding with others. I needed to use my throttle often
Hydraulic brakes - they seem like a nice upgrade. However, my mechanical disk brakes got the job done and I never had any complaints. Although I did need to adjust them as pads wore....
Power - see below as well. It has the right amount of power to still get a little exercise and make it easy to bike.
What I like less
power - it does not have nearly the power of the 500 watt, 800 watt peak of the Nero. On two rides where I tracked with my fitness tracker, I averaged 105 bpm heart rate at the highest assist level. There is no free lunch with this motor. On really hot days, I fear that I could show up to work sweaty.
Top Speed - I only went over 20 mph on the Nero less than 5% of the time. However, it was nice to have when I needed to be somewhere in a hurry.
Battery - I did not do a full range test. I don't know how charged it was from REI when I picked it up. I only have 33 miles on it and I just fully charged it. I may do some better range testing. My Nero had a 696 kWh vs the 418 kWh that the e2.1 has
Throttle - a throttle is nice to have for starting out. Especially when you don't downshift coming to a stop. This is a habit I have picked up riding ebikes with a throttle
Overall
I am very happy with it. It is more like a bike than what I had. This is my personal preference. The Nero was more like a car replacement. It excelled at grocery runs, and carrying things (like my dog). However, I was looking for a lighter more "bike like" experience and this meets it. It does have an upright ride and front suspension. I also put on a suspension seat post. I still value comfort....
my 2 cents....
I have only driven 33 miles on the new e2.1.
What I like:
Price - at $1,799, then 10% back for REI member and another 5% back for using the REI credit card....it was ~$1,500 which seem like a good price for a shimano mid drive bike.
Weight - I am loving a 50 pound e-bike. It will be much easier to load on my car bike rack
Mid Drive - the torque sensor is nice and intuitive. I had become use to the cadence sensor and like it for solo rides. However, cadence sensor is not great for multiple e-bikers with different speed settings. I never felt I was at the optimal cadence sensor setting when riding with others. I needed to use my throttle often
Hydraulic brakes - they seem like a nice upgrade. However, my mechanical disk brakes got the job done and I never had any complaints. Although I did need to adjust them as pads wore....
Power - see below as well. It has the right amount of power to still get a little exercise and make it easy to bike.
What I like less
power - it does not have nearly the power of the 500 watt, 800 watt peak of the Nero. On two rides where I tracked with my fitness tracker, I averaged 105 bpm heart rate at the highest assist level. There is no free lunch with this motor. On really hot days, I fear that I could show up to work sweaty.
Top Speed - I only went over 20 mph on the Nero less than 5% of the time. However, it was nice to have when I needed to be somewhere in a hurry.
Battery - I did not do a full range test. I don't know how charged it was from REI when I picked it up. I only have 33 miles on it and I just fully charged it. I may do some better range testing. My Nero had a 696 kWh vs the 418 kWh that the e2.1 has
Throttle - a throttle is nice to have for starting out. Especially when you don't downshift coming to a stop. This is a habit I have picked up riding ebikes with a throttle
Overall
I am very happy with it. It is more like a bike than what I had. This is my personal preference. The Nero was more like a car replacement. It excelled at grocery runs, and carrying things (like my dog). However, I was looking for a lighter more "bike like" experience and this meets it. It does have an upright ride and front suspension. I also put on a suspension seat post. I still value comfort....
my 2 cents....
