What speed does pedal assist turn off on Easy Motion electric bikes?

[JRod0802]

I've been looking at a range of the mid-priced Easy Motion bikes, and according to the reviews found here, some are 28mph pedelec bike, and some are only 20mph pedelec bikes:

Easy Motion Neo Xtrem - 20mph pedelec
Easy Motion Neo 650B - 20mph pedelec
Easy Motion Neo Cross - 20mph pedelec
Easy Motion Neo Race - 28mph pedelec

Is this correct?

If so, are there any plans to upgrade the Xtreme, 650B, and Cross to be capable of what the Race can do?

Below is a relevant quote found in the 12 AH Option for Neo Cross thread.

Ravi, pedal assist will kick out well before you reach 27 mph so it is up to your own ability to pedal at this speed or faster. We have tweaked the programming to provide less boost in Eco mode based on feedback from customers and dealers, but no change to when motor assist stops as far as I am aware of.

 

[Admin]

Great question JRod, they all function the same at higher speeds but the 2014 bikes have a gentler eco mode (which will save the battery some and feel lighter).

To answer your question specifically, it seems like the pedal assist cuts out around~26 miles per hour. Easy Motion hasn't been promoting this feature heavily and I think they're just more conservative but it is possible, I have tested it and you will top 20mph in assist mode as long as you're pedaling

 

[JRod0802]

Thanks for the reply Court! So is this right?

Easy Motion Neo Xtrem - at least 20mph pedelec, possibly up to 26 mph
Easy Motion Neo 650B - at least 20mph pedelec, possibly up to 26 mph
Easy Motion Neo Cross - at least 20mph pedelec, possibly up to 26 mph
Easy Motion Neo Race - at least 20mph pedelec, possibly up to 26 mph

This will kinda make a difference to me in my purchase choice (the IZIP E3 Dash goes to 28 mph on pedelec). If you're not sure, I can test out max pedelec speed on each in a couple of weekends and post my results here (currently my local ebike dealer is waiting for more Dash's to come in, so I have to hold off until more come in before I do ride comparisons).

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Thanks for the reply Court! So is this right?

Easy Motion Neo Xtrem - at least 20mph pedelec, possibly up to 26 mph
Easy Motion Neo 650B - at least 20mph pedelec, possibly up to 26 mph
Easy Motion Neo Cross - at least 20mph pedelec, possibly up to 26 mph
Easy Motion Neo Race - at least 20mph pedelec, possibly up to 26 mph

.

I have heard a lot about Dash being faster. You might want to test ride both.
If the battery is topped off and tires are properly inflated, any of the Neo's you mentioned can get you to ~27mph in sport/boost mode. Its very difficult to achieve that speed in Eco mode for longer duration unless you have terrific strength.
I would assume Cross and Race would be tiny bit easier given their thin tire profile and rolling.

 

[Vern]

The Dash is faster. If you are in decent shape you can top 30. I almost bought a Dash, but when I test rode it I was not thrilled with the brakes and lack of gears. If you want one of the fastest bikes, go Dash. If you want a pretty fast bike with great stopping power from hydraulic brakes and more gears, go Easy Motion!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

This will kinda make a difference to me in my purchase choice (the IZIP E3 Dash goes to 28 mph on pedelec). If you're not sure, I can test out max pedelec speed on each in a couple of weekends and post my results here (currently my local ebike dealer is waiting for more Dash's to come in, so I have to hold off until more come in before I do ride comparisons).

Vern is the right guy to talk to.
He was in a very similar position couple of months back. He was choosing between the Dash and the Carbon.

 

[Vern]

I know you don't often need those extra gears on an e-bike, but I like knowing that they are there in case I run out of battery. I would not feel stranded on my Neo Carbon if the battery died. It is heavy, but lighter than most and I have enough gears to compensate. Best of luck to you. I REALLY struggled between choosing a Neo bike and the Dash. Please read my posts iin the Even More Carbon Love thread to get my thoughts! They are both AWESOME bikes.

 

[Admin]

Sounds like we agree that the Dash goes faster in pedal assist mode... that said, even 25mph is pretty fast on an electric bike. I used to own the Pedego City Commuter and changed the settings to reach ~24mph and could tell it was causing more wear to the frame and components (and me). I eventually got a seat post shock to help and ultimately decided to put the speed limit back to 25mph. For the Neo and Dash bikes I'd choose based on the fit, feel, gears maybe and price vs. top speed because they're both pretty fast

 

[JRod0802]

Interesting Court... I guess I've never really traveled at high speed for a long time on a bike before, so I didn't really think of that wearing me out. I suppose everything at high speed is probably a bit more taxing.

Great advice!

 

[Admin]

Interesting Court... I guess I've never really traveled at high speed for a long time on a bike before, so I didn't really think of that wearing me out. I suppose everything at high speed is probably a bit more taxing.

Great advice!

Thanks man! Glad it helped you out, this week I was in a class about electronics and batteries and they taught us that excess vibration can actually slowly crumble the cells and create shorts. It doesn't happen as much with Lithium cells but has been a problem with Lead Acid. Batteries aside, I enjoy the smooth ride and the higher speeds do create more vibration so full suspension bikes like the Neo Jumper are great if you are going to top 20

 

[Bike_On]

Sounds like we agree that the Dash goes faster in pedal assist mode... that said, even 25mph is pretty fast on an electric bike. I used to own the Pedego City Commuter and changed the settings to reach ~24mph and could tell it was causing more wear to the frame and components (and me). I eventually got a seat post shock to help and ultimately decided to put the speed limit back to 25mph. For the Neo and Dash bikes I'd choose based on the fit, feel, gears maybe and price vs. top speed because they're both pretty fast

Court makes a good point about high speed bikes and riding them. If you stay under 20mph, almost any of the major offering will be sufficient to reach speed and ride safe. When we start going into the 20's and 30's, one needs to think more about the quality of components, frame design, fatter tires, disk brakes, better lighting, etc.

How many full suspension bikes are there out there that go 30mph? Not many. So the hub weight in in the rear wheel will bounce right up thru the frame and the momentum will lift the rear wheel if you hit a bump at high speed. A cheaper frame made for Cruisers, like Pedego, will not last.

The newer dd hubs seem to be a bit lighter, which is great. The EasyM geared hubs are lighter too. For me, riding reguarly at 25-35mph on a carbon or fixed fork hard tail is only ok if the road is good quality, or I need to slow down, or get a bike with suspension. It beats up the bike and rider.

 

[Admin]

Well said Bike_On, the impact on the frame, rider and balance gets multiplied as speed goes up and if the bike isn't balanced or the components aren't strong enough it will literally crack the frame (this happened to me when I overclocked a 20mph cruiser last year, the metal literally broke).

The other piece is unsprung weight and how that will impact the suspension. During this off-road test with the Easy Motion Xtrem my friend and I basically ruined the SR Suntour suspension fork by going hard and fast. This happened to the front wheel where there isn't any additional weight... basically the shock just couldn't take the speed and pounding we put it through and turned into a spring... we lost most of the rebound permanently and he plans to replace the fork with something better. EddieJ here on the forums has done the same thing with his Xtrem.

Anyway, these are all of the reasons I rated the ProdecoTech Outlaw SS so poorly. The thing is not designed to go offroad (slides all over the place with the weight high and rear) and there is a ton of unsprung weight with the 750 watt motor). Even the battery pack mount on that bike is vulnerable, I feel like they are taking a huge risk selling a product like that. I'm happy to ride a Stealth Bomber at high speeds because it's built for it... unfortunately that's not the case for some of these other bikes.

 

[Bike_On]

Court,
Good feedback. You prove the point how the additional weight and speed of an ebike accelerates the impact upon the components. Many of the ebike suspention forks are the SR Suntour variety. I just got one on my Trek DS 8.5. These forks are really only good for LIGHT trail riding and rumbly road surfaced. To go harder off road requires the Rockshock or Fox grade forks. So far, only Stealth, Optibike and Haibike (maybe the redicuolous M55) offer these type of quality forks. When I had an Optibike 850Li, I had the Talas 32 Fox racing forks, and the Fox float RP23 of the rear. Great quality , but they still require some maintenance with regular use, as would a normal mtn bike.

 

[Bike_On]

I have been riding my Falco powered road bike pretty hard/fast lately and keep pooping off spokes in my rear wheel, when I hit a hard/but contollable bump at higher speed. The mass of the motor+high speed impact+28mm tires >> brakes spokes. It could be the quality of the spokes or how they were laced. It is a 36sp wheel, which is good. But the small tires and lack of suspension is in issue. The spokes are just 14awg, from the looks of them.

These are all part of the pain for the DIY option. OEMs have to plan for it or they suffer too.

I was going for the "light and fast" option. My bike is fine on smooth pavement, but uneven road and RR crossing are giving it a shakedown.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I have been riding my Falco power road bike pretty hard/fast lately and keep pooping off spokes in my rear wheel, when I hit a hard/but contollable bump at higher speed. The mass of the motor+high speed impact+28mm tires >> brakes spokes. It could be the quality of the spokes or how they were laced. It is a 36sp wheel, which is good. But the small tires and lack of suspension is in issue. The spokes are just 14awg, from the looks of them.

These are all part of the pain for the DIY option. OEMs have to plan for it or they suffer too.

I was going for the "light and fast" option. My bike is fine on smooth pavement, but uneven road and RR crossing are giving it a shakedown.

Have you tried 12g spokes? Stromer has them and it is much heavier compared to any of the other bikes like Neo/Falco.

 

[bikerjohn]

-On, the impact on the frame, rider and balance gets multiplied as speed goes up and if the bike isn't balanced or the components aren't strong enough ...

...I rated the ProdecoTech Outlaw SS so poorly. The thing is not designed to go off-road ...Even the battery pack mount on that bike is vulnerable, ...they are taking a huge risk selling a product like that. I'm happy to ride a Stealth Bomber at high speeds because it's built for it... unfortunately that's not the case for some of these other bikes.

Court, You've expressed a concise perspective! The write-up pronounces important design strength considerations. An additional consideration with regard to wheels, spoke count, and heavier gauge spokes, the wider the tire the better. Especially for shock absorption, comfort, and overall and durability. Even a "light riding" heavy biker needs at least 36 spokes and a minimum tire width around 38mm/1.5".

 

[James]

I think you've probably got some pretty big problems with that bike if your pooping spokes off.

 

[Bike_On]

Have you tried 12g spokes? Stromer has them and it is much heavier compared to any of the other bikes like Neo/Falco.

I have not tried them. I really don't want the hassle to relace a wheel.

Rakesh said they are upgrading their spokes.

 

[Peter]

Back to the topic .

What is your assisted top speeds (not on the LCD display but on GPS) when you pedal normal without too much effort.

On my euro Race it is 19 mph.