The EG Zurich 350 IX

bikerjohn

bikerjohn

Well-Known Member
"EG" stands for Ever Green -a cool name for a bike company. It appears the home base of EG Bicycle is Jakarta, Indonesia. EG bike USA is based in Canton, Massachusetts. Wayne Hui -Owner, Metronome LLC / EG Bike;

Having read and viewed the review which Court posted this week, the EG Zurich 350 IX seemed like a feature loaded entry level commuter style e bike. Court rates the bike a 4 out of 5 on his value scale.

Yesterday I exchanged communication with Wayne the proprietor of EG Bike USA. He directed me to 2 local dealers. Today I settled on a deal for the bike through Electric Bikes of New England. After speaking to Paul Morlock, we agreed on the price for $1649.00, which included free shipping. Seemed like a good deal!

Electric Bikes of New England
5 West Broadway
Derry, NH 03038 USA
(603) 319-4909, www.EbikesofNE.com​

EG Bikes are shipped ground from Canton, Mass. Excited now knowing the EG Zurich 350 IX, should arrive quickly. I will keep our EBR blog community updated on the experience.
 
That's awesome news John! I'm so glad this review helped you... that's why I'm always trying to get out there and discover new bikes. The price, features and balance of this bike were great and I hope it works well for you. I can't wait to hear about your rides and I hear the Electric Bikes of NE shop is great :D
 
Court said:
That's awesome news John! I'm so glad this review helped you... that's why I'm always trying to get out there and discover new bikes. The price, features and balance of this bike were great and I hope it works well for you. I can't wait to hear about your rides and I hear the Electric Bikes of NE shop is great :D
Click to expand...
Court your reviews have been extraordinary and quite informative. I appreciate the effort you put into making this site so unique! As is my way, I intend to keep the EBR community apprised on my perspective.
 
The EG Zurich 350 IX arrived today! I had only 90 minutes to un-box, but it looks really sharp in brushed aluminum/Silver. Had only enough time to Slime the tubes, inflated the tires to 75#, and rang the bell. Maybe I'll be able to take it on a work commute tomorrow...
 
Last edited:
The bike arrived Yesterday 5/7/14. The shipping box had a nasty looking hole, but the bike seems O.K. except for some light scratches on the front fork and no tail light or assembly instructions.

eg-zurich-bikerjohn.jpg

I had no issues assembling and fine tuning the bike. The bike worked perfectly on my 17.5 mile commute today: E biking is FANTASTIC!
 
E-bikerjohn here!
Being a 240# biker, there is no question that to go the distance one needs to use the battery conservatively. Having enough battery to assist the effort at critical moments, is what I am trying to achieve.

Here is a technique which seems to preserve battery power while maximizing motor performance.
Keep the "pedal assist" set to "medium" power. When an extra boost of power is desired in order to maintain or increase speed, engage the thumb throttle at those moments to achieve that wanted boost. Using the thumb throttle along with Pedal assist decreases battery drain when compared to throttle only use or pedal assist mode set at high.

Today on an 8 mile morning commute I was able to average 20.3 mph on the 58# EG Zurich 350 IX -not too shabby for a 60 year old fat guy!
Yesterday, the first day on the Zurich, I averaged 18.7 mph. Typical for me on this route would be 13 mph, using a 32#, non-E bike. The E bike power difference is stunning!
 
Last edited:
Commuting on an ebike is absolutely wonderdul (if you're not riding in traffic).

Great move John.
 
106 miles in now;
The bike moves right along with the typical effort I would put out using lighter non-electric bikes. The difference is in the speed attained from the effort, which is 5-6 mph faster on the E G Zurich than a non-electric bike. That makes for shorter commute times which increases my capability and flexibility for commuting on bike. Bottom line for me is an ability to use the bike with the same or greater effort per minute, just less minutes to go the distance.

I really appreciate the ability to climb 6-8% grades at 10 mph without having to stand on the pedals. As far as overall handling, the front fork can be a bit wobbly if I take my hands off the handle bars. I think that could be a characteristic of the step-through design, when a heavy rider like me is on it.
 
Last edited:
Today makes 8 days and ten rides since adding the EG Zurich 350 IX to my stable of bikes. Dialing in the ride just about perfect now. The rear wheel needs a bit of truing -I shall attend to that before my next ride.

The 350 watt system on the 57 lb Zurich seems to be perfect for my commutes. With pedal assist set at low or med, with an occasional boost on the thumb throttle, I get an exhilarating 8 miles down the road. Averaging 19-20 mph is a typically attainable speed.This involves significant rider effort, but all that speed hauling my 240 lbs and no discernible loss of power in the first 10-12 miles seems very good.
10 rides; 124.98 miles; 07:23:04 total ride time; 27.47 maximum speed attained; 17.15 mph average speed (includes leisure mileage);
 
Last edited:
bikerjohn said:
Today makes 8 days and ten rides since adding the EG Zurich 350 IX to my stable of bikes. Dialing in the ride just about perfect now. The rear wheel needs a bit of truing -I shall attend to that before my next ride.

The 350 watt system on the 57 lb Zurich seems to be perfect for my commutes. With pedal assist set at low or med, with an occasional boost on the thumb throttle, I get an exhilarating 8 miles down the road. Averaging 19-20 mph is a typically attainable speed.This involves significant rider effort, but all that speed hauling my 240 lbs and no discernible loss of power in the first 10-12 miles seems very good.
10 rides; 124.98 miles; 07:23:04 total ride time; 27.47 maximum speed attained; 17.15 mph average speed (includes leisure mileage);
Click to expand...

John, Thanks so much for the detailed info. I am thinking about getting this bike. My question, in relation to your comment above about going "8 miles down the road," is do you mean this distance used up the full battery charge? I typical do 25 mile rides on moderately hilly country roads and would like an E-bike that can "go the distance." Thanks, Michael
 
Michael Ostrov said:
...I typical do 25 mile rides on moderately hilly country roads and would like an E-bike that can "go the distance." Thanks, Michael
Click to expand...
Mike, a round trip commute for me is between 16 and 20 miles. Typically, on the EG Zurich 350 IX, I can travel that distance at 18 mph, using less than 1/2 of the total battery capacity. Here is a link to my blog where I managed to travel 41 miles, 155 minutes, climbing 1900 ft. with some battery energy left: http://www.bikejournal.com/blog.asp?rname=bikerjohn&cdate=5/11/2014

Rider weight, weather, elevation, road and traffic factor in battery power drain. I expend a substantial effort averaging 18 mph with the EG Zurich during a commute, but without e-motor assistance my average speed would be closer to 13 mph. With the e-bike, commute time is shortened by 30 to 40 minutes on the round trip.
 
Last edited:
bikerjohn said:
Mike, a round trip commute for me is between 16 and 20 miles. Typically, on the EG Zurich 350 IX, I can travel that distance at 18 mph, using less than 1/2 of the total battery capacity. Here is a link to my blog where I managed to travel 41 miles, 155 minutes, climbing 1900 ft. with some battery energy left: http://www.bikejournal.com/blog.asp?blogID={17DDD180-9DDD-42D3-85E0-1FF0E458C016}

Rider weight, weather, elevation, road and traffic factor in battery power drain. I expend a substantial effort averaging 18 mph with the EG Zurich during a commute, but without e-motor assistance my average speed would be closer to 13 mph. With the e-bike, commute time is shortened by 30 to 40 minutes on the round trip.
Click to expand...

John, This all sounds good. Thanks so much for your detailed reply. Michael
 
bikerjohn said:
Mike, a round trip commute for me is between 16 and 20 miles. Typically, on the EG Zurich 350 IX, I can travel that distance at 18 mph, using less than 1/2 of the total battery capacity. Here is a link to my blog where I managed to travel 41 miles, 155 minutes, climbing 1900 ft. with some battery energy left: http://www.bikejournal.com/blog.asp?blogID={17DDD180-9DDD-42D3-85E0-1FF0E458C016}

Rider weight, weather, elevation, road and traffic factor in battery power drain. I expend a substantial effort averaging 18 mph with the EG Zurich during a commute, but without e-motor assistance my average speed would be closer to 13 mph. With the e-bike, commute time is shortened by 30 to 40 minutes on the round trip.
Click to expand...
Hi John, I was trying to visit your Bike Journal page but the link didn't work? Could you post it again or edit your previous post to fix it? I'd like to see the stats... maybe the link is doing what it's meant to and they just disappear after a while or something?
 
Nice! I enjoyed looking at your different bikes. You've got quite the collection ;)
 
Court said:
Nice! I enjoyed looking at your different bikes. You've got quite the collection ;)
Click to expand...
I am using the Zurich for most of my work commutes. On weekend rides with my Wife, she is using the Zurich! So the bike has proven it's versatility!
But I have too many bikes!
Of course, the right amount is always the next one. I need to sell, trade or give away 3 or 4 bikes to make way for future acquisitions. Perhaps next year a Falco hub kit, or a mid drive electric kit, or complete mid drive lighter weight commuter bike will round out my stable.
 
Wow,
Your journal is amazing. I tried to access the link couple of times before and it didn't work but this time I could and I have to say, that's terrific documentation of stats.
I'm sure you can cross 10,000 miles this year alone on Zurich EX.
 
After nearly 800 miles, my experience commuting on the Zurich 350 IX, I have found that my speed is limited by the gearing of the Nexus hub, along with my ability to maintain a high cadence pedal effort, -regardless of electric assistance. If I could maintain a cadence of 100 rpm in high gear on the Zurich, then my maximum average speed would be about 23.5 mph. Therein lies the limitation of speed on any bike you intend to pedal. My best steady cadence is about 85 rpm. I can reach a cadence upwards of 100 rpm but only for fractions of a minute at a time. So it is a combination of a cyclist's cadence capability, and gearing which combined will determine maximum sustainable speed. The assistance of an electric motor enhances ones ability in accelerating and maintaining a maximum speed, which again is limited by bike gearing and average cadence.

To sum it up:
A maximum sustainable speed with the Zurich or with any bike is contingent on rider weight and input effort, as well as environmental factors such as wind. Other factors with an e-bike to consider are motor wattage, voltage and the energy capacity (amp hours) of the battery.

Commuting with the Zurich 350 IX:
  • My best speed average on my 16-18 mile r/t commute has been about 19.5 mph.
  • Inbound, the 8 miles from my house to Hilton is slightly downhill, and my maximum sustainable average speed is about 20.5 mph.
  • If I could maintain a cadence of 100 rpm in high gear, with the configuration of the Zurich bike, my speed average would be 23.5 mph; (I have not been able to maintain that cadence for longer than a fraction of a minute at a time).
  • I often reach a peak speed of over 30 mph, but that is on a downhill, and has little to do with e-motor assistance.
  • At full throttle, I can discern power assistance up to 24 mph or so.
Primarily because of the gearing configuration with the 7 speed Nexus hub, a lighter rider weight would not achieve much faster average speed. But a lighter weight would enable less battery power drain over a given distance.

All in all I continue to be totally satisfied with my enhanced riding capability on the Zurich 350 IX. It is an excellent commuter set-up for any sized rider. I will note that the front-end seems to be a bit "twitchy" -noticeable riding no-hands. Perhaps the twitchy nature is due to a relatively high center of balance. Anyway it tracks steady and smoothly as long as one hand remains on the handle bar. I would guess the non-step through version may have a bit more rigidity.
 
John,

Using Sheldon Brown's internal gear calculator you can calculate the maximum speed at various cadences given your setup. You will need to know chainring teeth, sprocket teeth, and crank arm length. If you don't know crank arm length (usually stamped on one of the arms) then just use 170mm or 172.5mm. Select what you want to calc in the drop down, whether it is gear inches, gear ratio, or mph given a specific cadence.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Justin Schultz
EG Athens
Replies
19
Views
9K
irenewg13
irenewg13
Back