VOLTBIKE Elegant 2017 model review?

[Denis Shelston]

Looking for an E-bike for my better half.

Kinda like the look and price of this 2017 model but cannot find much on it, few details, few owners with comments and no reviews...

Anyone with some information?

Thanks.

 

[Mike Burns]

Looking for an E-bike for my better half.

Kinda like the look and price of this 2017 model but cannot find much on it, few details, few owners with comments and no reviews...

Anyone with some information?

Thanks.

EBR just posted a review today. There is a link to it on the Voltbike website. I just unpacked and assembled three black ones this afternoon that will be part of a rental/tour fleet. The frame is strong and nicely finished. The battery is solidly mounted and east to charge and remove. The rack is extremely sturdy. The display is nice and its control pad is responsive. Backlight comes on then the lights are turned on. I changed the settings from km/hour to MPH and the pedal-assist from 1-9 to 0-9 to provide a no assist with display plus throttle setting. Only rode one for a half mile before it started to rain but the bike went to 20 MPH easily (I am 6'/188 pounds) and climbed a reasonably steep hill without pedaling. Throttle was smooth. Brakes seem fine for this type of bike and the brakes and gears were well adjusted out of the box on the one I rode. My initial impression is that motor performance and sound is in the same league with the current Pedegos. I cannot envision doing any assembly or repair with the tools that come with this or most any other bike (Except one Northrock that came with acceptable tools). Carry a hex tool and wrenches for the wheels. I think that the only area of concern will be the fenders. They are of nice quality with breakaway safety stays and a cool mudflap but the clearance on the front is extremely tight and may require frequent adjusting to avoid rubbing. At the advice of Voltbike, I enlarged the slot on the fender where it contacts the suspension fork to get a bit more clearance. I have never seem any bicycle fenders that are non irritating in some way. I will add more comments when they have been ridden more and I get to play with the advanced settings.

 

[Denis Shelston]

Thank you for this @Mike Burns , very much appreciated.

My wife has decided to go with the Voltbike Urban in white, she likes the design, the size and I appreciate the folding, easier to store.

 

[Mike Burns]

EBR just posted a review today. There is a link to it on the Voltbike website. I just unpacked and assembled three black ones this afternoon that will be part of a rental/tour fleet. The frame is strong and nicely finished. The battery is solidly mounted and east to charge and remove. The rack is extremely sturdy. The display is nice and its control pad is responsive. Backlight comes on then the lights are turned on. I changed the settings from km/hour to MPH and the pedal-assist from 1-9 to 0-9 to provide a no assist with display plus throttle setting. Only rode one for a half mile before it started to rain but the bike went to 20 MPH easily (I am 6'/188 pounds) and climbed a reasonably steep hill without pedaling. Throttle was smooth. Brakes seem fine for this type of bike and the brakes and gears were well adjusted out of the box on the one I rode. My initial impression is that motor performance and sound is in the same league with the current Pedegos. I cannot envision doing any assembly or repair with the tools that come with this or most any other bike (Except one Northrock that came with acceptable tools). Carry a hex tool and wrenches for the wheels. I think that the only area of concern will be the fenders. They are of nice quality with breakaway safety stays and a cool mudflap but the clearance on the front is extremely tight and may require frequent adjusting to avoid rubbing. At the advice of Voltbike, I enlarged the slot on the fender where it contacts the suspension fork to get a bit more clearance. I have never seem any bicycle fenders that are non irritating in some way. I will add more comments when they have been ridden more and I get to play with the advanced settings.

Update: Took one out today for a shakedown cruise. Running the battery to empty took exactly 35 miles mostly in top gear on pedal-assist level 7 in very hilly terrain including about 2 miles rolling terrain throttle only and a few 0-20 full-throttle runs. I was also impressed by the brakes. Tektro has several different brake-pad compounds and I suspect that this bike has the high-friction ones. I was never wishing for better brakes on the Elegant and I have 203 mm multi-piston hydraulics on my 60 MPH bike. Handles well as a bike. Decent balance between stability and maneuverability.
No issues except a rubbing front fender.

 

[Barry S]

@Mike Burns I'm looking for my first ebike and Voltbike's offerings are definitely in my price range. I stumbled across Voltbike after seeing EBR's review of their Elegant model, but then got really interested in the Yukon. However, after reading some feedback on my recent post ("Any Yukon Commuters") I'm revisiting the Elegant. My biggest concern is how well the bike will hold up on the terrible roads over here. An elevated rail system is being built along my route so the roadway underneath is taking a beating from the heavy equipment. Riding on the sidewalk is illegal through business districts, which only encompasses a small portion of my route but that short time on the road can take a toll on a bike. Do you think the Elegant would hold up as a daily commuter?

Regarding the fenders, can they be removed? Is it possible to outfit it with better fitting fenders or modify the existing one enough so it's not an issue? In the EBR review of the Elegant, Court highlighted the flimsy fenders and their clearance.

If you have any experience with the Yukon 750, I'd love to hear your feedback on that post.

 

[Mike Burns]

@Mike Burns I'm looking for my first ebike and Voltbike's offerings are definitely in my price range. I stumbled across Voltbike after seeing EBR's review of their Elegant model, but then got really interested in the Yukon. However, after reading some feedback on my recent post ("Any Yukon Commuters") I'm revisiting the Elegant. My biggest concern is how well the bike will hold up on the terrible roads over here. An elevated rail system is being built along my route so the roadway underneath is taking a beating from the heavy equipment. Riding on the sidewalk is illegal through business districts, which only encompasses a small portion of my route but that short time on the road can take a toll on a bike. Do you think the Elegant would hold up as a daily commuter?

Regarding the fenders, can they be removed? Is it possible to outfit it with better fitting fenders or modify the existing one enough so it's not an issue? In the EBR review of the Elegant, Court highlighted the flimsy fenders and their clearance.

If you have any experience with the Yukon 750, I'd love to hear your feedback on that post.

The Elegant should hold up fine. The frame is quite robust and the rack in welded on. The tires are wide enough to deal with rough roads without being so wide as to limit range. The battery and controller are identical to the Yukon. I can't comment on the long-term durability of the front fork but I haven't heard of any broken ones. As with any bicycle, check every single bolt when you buy it and every so often after that. Inspect your spokes regularly and keep them tensioned properly. If you have loose spokes, you will end up with bent wheels and broken spokes. Also, when you are about to hit a pothole or bump, get your butt off the saddle. Your legs are probably the best suspension out there! I see people and their bikes take jarring hits all the time that could have been avoided by rising off the saddle.

Fenders can easily be removed in less than 5 minutes. The front one is the problem. It is way too close to the tire. The back one visibly shakes (as do all bicycle fenders), but does not rattle or rub. Enlarging the slot on the front fender did not provide enough additional clearance. Reversing the metal bracket and positioning the fender above the fork brace instead of below works. You don't have road salt in Hawaii, so I would just remove it. I have ridden a bunch of fat bikes and owned one for a bit. If I was riding on the snow or sand, they are amazing. Might even consider a full-suspension one as my next normal off-road bike. Don't think they make great commuters because of the tires weird handling on pavement handling and their effect on range. I think 2-2.5" tires are the sweet spot for commuters with variable road conditions.

 

[Barry S]

@Mike Burns Thank you for your insight. I love how cool the Yukon looks, but the Elegant is probably the more practical choice for my commute.

 

[Mike Burns]

@Mike Burns Thank you for your insight. I love how cool the Yukon looks, but the Elegant is probably the more practical choice for my commute.

Everybody says the same thing. The Elegant is the right design mechanically but doesn't have the "attitude" or look that they want. Lots of people feel "dweeby" riding anything with a step-thru frame. I personally have no issue with the look and have never had a negative comment riding the flat-black Elegants.
No one makes a moderatly-priced, agressive-looking ebike with 2.5-3" tires. I will suggest such a mid-fat tire option on the Yukon/step-over Elegant to Voltbike. You could always put 26x2.5 Hookworms on the Yukon. I am using them on a 6000-watt full-suspension enduro bike conversion. Great traction on anything but snow, mud, sand, and deep loose gravel. Handle wonderfully on pavement even at 50 MPH. My daily driver ebike for 4 years.

 

[Barry S]

@Mike Burns Your points are spot on about the impression of the step-thru Elegant vs the Yukon. I definitely think Voltbike could sweep the entry-level commuter market by designing a commuter bike with a more aggressive look with the same quality build as their other bikes and keep the selling price under $1500. Take the look of Prodecotech's Phantom XR and outfit it with a removable rear rack, fenders, and the rest of the Voltbike component package and I'll buy one today.

Regarding tires, I thought I had to stay with a 4" tire on such a wide rim. I guess that shows how much I know. If I go with the Yukon (hope to make a decision within the next few weeks), my plans were to have my LBS swap out the Kenda's for something quieter like the Origin8 Supercell tires. As for the Elegant, I wish Voltbike had made the rear rack removable instead of a weld-on. And while I don't have a problem with the step-thru frame, it does prevent me from putting it on my car's hanging bike rack if I need to transport it due to a roadside emergency or scheduled maintenance at my LBS. I thought maybe I could get around it by using one of those adapter bars that are made specifically for women's and kids' bikes, but most of them have a weight limit of under 40#.