Test rides and 1st impressions

Kaldeem

Kaldeem

Active Member
As long as I've been on the forums, I haven't had a chance to test ride any ebikes. Most likely why I still don't own one, but that has changed as of today. I found a bike shop that is much closer to home and today I got to test ride a few bikes.

I want to give a shout out to my new favorite ebike shop; E spokes 4 folks in Denver Co. You guys are killing it!

E-Joe Epik SE: Honestly, I was surprised at the zippyness of this bike. Especially for my 5'11 276 lb frame sitting on it. It handled very well and felt pretty balanced. I like the design and color, and overall performance of the E-Joe.

E-Joe Anggun 3.0: Although this bike has more features and an LCD display, it didn't feel as zippy as the Epik, and I felt kinda cramped on it.

iZip e3 Dash: Wow, this bike is fast, but I wasn't super impressed with the overall feel of the bike. It's super sleek though.

Pedego Interceptor: I now know why they are one of the top dealers in electric bikes. This thing is like an old time American muscle car. It handles superbly and has the look and feel of quality made bike. However, I do not care for the super cruiser handlebars...ugh.

Pedego City Commuter: All the same as above. As well as having the slightly less curved cruiser handlebars makes this bike top notch.

Haibike Xduro FS RX 27.5: I will admit, that I wasn't able to test this bike as well as I would have liked. I was kinda intimidated by the price tag, and the bike itself. Not to mention the owner of the bike store said that this was his actual bike, and he likes to leave it on the floor. Okay, so there must be some getting used to the Bosch system, as I didn't feel the responsiveness that is reported by @Court . Granted, I still enjoyed the ride, the physicality of the mid-drive system is appealing and I can imagine that once I get my own bike, and it's dialed in, and I get used to the interface and shifting, I'll feel the hype that is widely reported. Other than that I assume it's most likely it's user error, but I plan on giving it another test before I commit to the Haibike Xduro Trekking RX. Additionally, for being such an expensive bike, the stock saddle is terrible. It's like sitting on a busted up cinder block.

*** On a side note, if you read my status in the last few days you might be wondering about it's cryptic message/meaning. Allow me to disclose a little; on tuesday of this week, I drove to espokes4folks to meet with Terry the owner, and his super nice wife. We chatted about ebikes and cars, and a little business. It's half offical right now, but I am the newest member of their ebike representatives here in CO. I will be working with them on everything for ebikes, especially selling and events. Terry is assembling a young crowd of enthusiastic electric bike minded adults who are up for the challenge of riding an ebike every day and talking about them to complete strangers and giving out demo rides. "So hard!" (sarcasm) I mean wow, really I get commision for selling an ebike, which is really just me sharing my story about how I got involved with ebikes and riding them all day!!! So stoked!!***
 
Kaldeem said:
Additionally, for being such an expensive bike, the stock saddle is terrible. It's like sitting on a busted up cinder block.
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I hear that. I said I could use it as a ping pong paddle - never sat on it. I think these guys know that people are going to replace the saddle anyway, so they use something very basic.
 
JayVee said:
Congrats on your new occupation! Sounds pretty fun. Looking to hear more about those bikes you ride.

I didn't find the Bosch to be super responsive the last time I tested it either, but sometimes when you try several bikes at a time it skews your perception of things. I tested a Bosch Performance Haibike Trekking RS just after the ST2. I've heard people say the ST2 is "progressive" but I would say that it takes off as soon as you caress the pedals, particularly when it's configured in the more "torquey" mode settings, which Stromer reps seem to like for demos. So I'm pretty sure that influenced me a lot. I kind of like the Haibike Trekking Series as well. Everything on the bike seems to be well placed and thought out, and you could probably do a bit of everything with the bike, which appeals to me.
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That's interesting, and you're probably on to something there. I 100% agree that the Trekking appears to be extremely well thought out with all of its features and specs. Additionally it's also pretty damn sexy looking in that black and cyan color.I can pre-order the Trekking RX and if I don't like it, they will "refund" the money and keep the bike to resell. So, I'm not totally messed up if I hate it, which I doubt I will. I was probably already used to riding those rear hubs, which have greater torque off the line and more power. I'll definitely have to give it another go and try the Haibike again. Maybe I'll bring a pillow this time...lol
 
stevenast said:
I hear that. I said I could use it as a ping pong paddle - never sat on it. I think these guys know that people are going to replace the saddle anyway, so they use something very basic.
Click to expand...
Man, what a let down that saddle was, I was thinking about getting a thudbuster or the other shock seat that's pretty popular. But really, for a bike of that grade and price, I would have expected a decent saddle that would at least 2 weeks for another paycheck to come in. I mean after that 4-7k spent on the Haibike, who really wants to fork out another 400 for a saddle... but I digress.
 
Kaldeem said:
Man, what a let down that saddle was, I was thinking about getting a thudbuster or the other shock seat that's pretty popular. But really, for a bike of that grade and price, I would have expected a decent saddle that would at least 2 weeks for another paycheck to come in. I mean after that 4-7k spent on the Haibike, who really wants to fork out another 400 for a saddle... but I digress.
Click to expand...

Lol, my saddle was $20. :) But then my bike wasn't 4k either...

I did spend about $120 on (much) better tires. Schwalbe Marathon Plus.
 
I think they put the crap saddle because it keeps the weight down and it looks really good on the bike with its matching graphics. All about sales. Net Jet had the same sort of cardboard saddle as well. They get replaced immediately in my home.
 
I totally forgot I even had this post, so for an update, I posted a comparison under a different thread of some of my finalist for an ebike. Currently I'm just buying my time and putting money aside. Once the 2016 models come out, I'll go back and re-evaluate the data, and of course go test ride some more eBikes!!
 
Test rides and 1st impressions\part 2

So today I had some time to visit "Small Planet eBikes." They opened a shop much closer to where I live, it's about 15 min drive downtown Denver. So after talking to Tom (the owner) I had the chance to test ride the Focus Aventura Impulse Speed 1.0, the 2.0 (I think), Focus Thron Impulse Speed, and lastly a Stromer St1 Elite.

Here's my general rough 1st impressions.
Stromer St1 Elite: Smooth. Very little to say in opposition of the Elite. The bike's weight felt good, I can pick it up with one hand and handles nicely for having the rear hub motor. The controls are easy to reach and the breaks did a great for stopping my 290 lb mass. The power assist from ECO to POWER felt adequate and very noticeable when starting to pedal and when I stopped pedaling. I could definitely see myself commuting on this bike.

Focus Aventura Impulse 1.0/2.o: These bikes are the bee's knees. The power ratio from ECO to POWER SPORT is superb. I liked how well the bike handled and Definitely my choice over the bosch system. When I tried the bosch systems I couldn't even feel the assist power on while peddling. With the Focus it was a completely different story. I'm super impressed with the impulse mid-drive system.

Focus Thron Impulse Speed: Holy bloody hell. Take everything I said about the Aventura's above and multiply that by exponents of billions!! haha maybe not that much. But a speed pedelec with full suspension capable of commuting and off roading. I'm in freaking love!

Ug, this will definitely come down to my budget and will power to save!! My life just got a little harder.
 
OMG that's what I thought a Focus would be like . Really appreciate your review. That is one mighty fine looking e-bike.
 
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