Zen Samurai - Built in Canada - shipping since June 2022

[PedalUma]

Bikepackers, Commuters, and Tourers prefer quality IGH'. The maintenance is so low. Do you want a derailleur/ cassette/chain failure in the mountains of Peru? Automatic shifting simplifies things for commuters, creating greater accessibility thus taking cars off the roads while removing barriers to entry to enjoying eBikes. This approach is so simple and clean. The path to Zen over clutter. Less is more.

 

[AdilDesai]

I agree, Rick!
Enviolo has an awesome price-performance ratio.
I have seen riders do 50,000 kms and beyond without needing any maintenance and that is quite impressive.
When have a moment, check this out.

Touring on an Electric Bicycle - An Ebike Journey

An ebike journey. Touring the world on an electric assisted bicycle. 39,000 miles/62,000 kilometers in 37 countries.

www.ebikejourney.com

@Ravi Kempaiah are you offering the Automatiq? The original thread alluded to it, but didn't commit.

Thanks for answering my other questions. Very much appreciated. Regarding the batteries, I was asking if one could just get two powertubes (internal batteries) versus one internal and one external. I live/ride in a city, so range anxiety isn't an issue. Theft is.

 

[Ebiker01]

Well done @Ravi , starting an ebike co. from scratch with todays issues & competition( i do hv to say that there may not be ANY competition for what is being offered , simply b/c as u r very well aware nobody dared to produce reliable, very well specd and powerfull ebikes with a solid multi year warranty for under 4.5-5k for a Gen. 4 Boch or under 2.5k as is the case with the rear hub motor Shakti ! !

At both price points and for the 2 ebikes specs there is literally almost zero equal offerings....

Let me study the Samurai now... i would like to build a full Grin tech equipped ebike but your product is on equal footing ! And the warranty may be the decisive winning advantage in Zen's favour

Q's for the Shakti model :

What size (width) is the thru axle ?
What company makes the motor ? You may have written about this in other threads, i missed it.

Q's for Samurai model :

None here, all is very clear and we know the website is not fully ready with all details, specs, etc...the most imp. things are well described.

This is a wishful thinking , but why couldn't have them fabricate the Shakti frame to accept a 2nd battery ?

And an even more wishful thinking ,
would be to offer a 2x750wh for Samurai. 2x500wh is okay, but 750's would be enough for all types of rec. riders/ long commuters . Os that due to Bosch system ? But i rem. they do offer a 625wh pack , a bit moe WH .
I'm sure, i'm hardly the only one carrying 2 spares (672wh each in my case) when going for a min. 50miles ride ON a class 3 ebike (some may be ok with 19-20mph but if ebikers want to keep it @ 24-26mph and enjoy this fairly decent speeds then many WH are a must.

 

[Martinet]

We are dedicated scientists working in this EV space and not just some businessmen trying to market a product.
[/QUOTE]
Assembled by quantum mechanics?

 

[Quick514Biker]

Well done @Ravi , starting an ebike co. from scratch with todays issues & competition( i do hv to say that there may not be ANY competition for what is being offered , simply b/c as u r very well aware nobody dared to produce reliable, very well specd and powerfull ebikes with a solid multi year warranty for under 4.5-5k for a Gen. 4 Boch or under 2.5k as is the case with the rear hub motor Shakti ! !

At both price points and for the 2 ebikes specs there is literally almost zero equal offerings....

Let me study the Samurai now... i would like to build a full Grin tech equipped ebike but your product is on equal footing ! And the warranty may be the decisive winning advantage in Zen's favour

Q's for the Shakti model :

What size (width) is the thru axle ?
What company makes the motor ? You may have written about this in other threads, i missed it.

Q's for Samurai model :

None here, all is very clear and we know the website is not fully ready with all details, specs, etc...the most imp. things are well described.

This is a wishful thinking , but why couldn't have them fabricate the Shakti frame to accept a 2nd battery ?

And an even more wishful thinking ,
would be to offer a 2x750wh for Samurai. 2x500wh is okay, but 750's would be enough for all types of rec. riders/ long commuters . Os that due to Bosch system ? But i rem. they do offer a 625wh pack , a bit moe WH .
I'm sure, i'm hardly the only one carrying 2 spares (672wh each in my case) when going for a min. 50miles ride ON a class 3 ebike (some may be ok with 19-20mph but if ebikers want to keep it @ 24-26mph and enjoy this fairly decent speeds then many WH are a must.

I don't think Ravi has revealed ever the motor for the Shakti model(he did indicate it was a customized version from a established motor manufacturer). Just as you, really really curious(a deciding factor on how much interest I have on it).

 

[Johnny]

Thank you for the kind words, Axel!
The custom seatpost from Zen works similar to Thudbuster ST and here is a drawing of that seatpost. We have about 300 of these on the way to us. They are on a shipping vessel en route to us.
You may notice some companies offer the basic purion display, simple 100 lumen lights, and no suspension seatpost in that price range. We wanted to offer the best possible value to our riders, so we are upgrading many of these components.

View attachment 111353

Looks almost the same as Animaris Seatpost suspension.

Great to hear that you have started to take preorders.

Best of luck.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

@Ravi Kempaiah are you offering the Automatiq? The original thread alluded to it, but didn't commit.

Thanks for answering my other questions. Very much appreciated. Regarding the batteries, I was asking if one could just get two powertubes (internal batteries) versus one internal and one external. I live/ride in a city, so range anxiety isn't an issue. Theft is.

Hi Adil,
We will be testing the Automatiq version extensively to ensure the riding dynamic is very positive.
We could offer it but we will make a decision in about a month. Of course, this upgrade costs extra.
Regarding the battery, yes, we could offer two internal batteries and you will have to carry the 2nd one in a pannier. There are panniers that have a dedicated compartment for batteries.
Let us know if we can help you with additional information.

 

[Ebiker01]

Posting the below comparision here, b/c it's
very relevant of what a major ebike company offering vs the product from a top start up ebike company !


Another unspecialized hedge fund special for those who own 1 or 2 megayachts and feel like
splurging(https://electricbikereview.com/specialized/turbo-tero-4-0-eq/) . Ok, that does looks great (5star review as always ) but after you add tax and a few accesories , price wise would easily be around 7k.
There is also Tero 5.0 , which is probably another 2 or 3k extra, hv. no interest of knowing that.

Inferior specs and accesories for the unspecialized :
-20mph top speed
- 210 lumen front light
- analog drive train
- 1 x710wh vs 2x500wh
- weak controller
- shorter warranty of 2yeas VS 3years !!



Could buy almost 2 Samurai(s) ? ! And Specialized has the clunker drive train vs internal.

 

[PedalUma]

Could buy almost 2 Samurai(s) ? ! And Specialized has the clunker drive train vs internal.

I used to sell Specialized. I was likely the top individual sales person or among the top four who were in the same room with me at Mike's Bikes HQ. They are nice bikes, but they make just about everything the can proprietary on their eBikes. So, you are stuck. Like Kodak making a camera that can only use Kodak film.
Good point about drivetrains! Imagine getting stepped on by a stiletto heal vs a running shoe's heal. When an electric bike runs through a narrow gage drivetrain such as an Eagle 12, that narrow gage focuses pressure and wear on all drivetrain components. I had an expensive SRAM that lasted three weeks. Then it had to go into the landfill.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

A quick note of gratitude to all those who expressed pre-order interest. We greatly appreciate your trust.
We are busy arranging all the components for production. Many of them are here and some are on the way.

• As you might have noticed, our website is an ongoing development process. Since the website is built on code, not on Shopify or WordPress template, it loads much quicker.
• The geometry, warranty, component customization details will be posted on the site.
• A welcome email to all the customers would be sent out before the end of the month.
• We have received sizeable interest in the premium model (with the Rohloff E-14 and dual battery), much more than what we anticipated.
  Given the supply chain constraints, the Samurai-premium ordered in February will have a delivery date of August 2022. Rohloff is also affected by the component shortages and their lead times are very long right now.
• We have lots of activity in the background and looking forward to delivering the bikes to all this summer.

 

[coldriderwi]

the Samurai-premium ordered in February will have a delivery date of August 2022.

Will orders placed now for one be impacted or still enough for first batch?

 

[onlineaddy]

Will orders placed now for one be impacted or still enough for first batch?

Same question as I'm awaiting more details (like geometry #s) before committing to a pre-order.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Will orders placed now for one be impacted or still enough for first batch?

The Enviolo option will have no issues, it's just the Rohloff orders would be a bottle-neck. I am waiting for confirmation from Rohloff on the updated order we placed last week.
@onlineaddy
We are not asking for full payment until the bike is ready to ship. So, the customers are not under pressure to pay upfront.
We are only getting 350 Bosch frames this year. So, early deliveries are reserved for those who are on the list. To assess people's commitment, we do require a $200 deposit, and knowing who's ordering what helps in optimizing the production schedule.
We have done negligible marketing so far and as we ramp up our activities in the coming weeks, we hope to keep everyone updated so they are fully aware of the developments.

 

[onlineaddy]

@Ravi Kempaiah Understood. I’d still like as much information as possible to help me make the best decision regarding a pre-order.

BTW is the $200 deposit refundable? If so, up to what point: all the way to just prior to shipment?

 

[AdilDesai]

Hi Adil,
We will be testing the Automatiq version extensively to ensure the riding dynamic is very positive.
We could offer it but we will make a decision in about a month. Of course, this upgrade costs extra.
Regarding the battery, yes, we could offer two internal batteries and you will have to carry the 2nd one in a pannier. There are panniers that have a dedicated compartment for batteries.
Let us know if we can help you with additional information.

View attachment 111804

For what it's worth, I test rode a bike with the Automatiq this past weekend. I wasn't a fan.

Crowdsourcing information: I also test rode bikes with the Enviolo and Rohloff E-14. Both are really super and I'm torn as to which might be the best way to go. City riding with hills is making me lean towards the Enviolo, and the Rohloff hub might be overkill for what I need. But it's a Rohloff, and the E-14 is just really a slick set up.

Thoughts?

 

[onlineaddy]

I'm not a fan of twist shifters. So, it'll have to be Rohloff for me. Plus, electronic shifting is the icing on top. But, of course you're paying for it.

 

[onlineaddy]

Question: on the home page, is the top bike also a Samurai? It looks different from the 3rd bike, which is labeled a Samurai. One noticeable difference is the angle the motor is mounted on the frame.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Question: on the home page, is the top bike also a Samurai? It looks different from the 3rd bike, which is labeled a Samurai. One noticeable difference is the angle the motor is mounted on the frame.

The production bike will be similar to the top bike in the homepage but a bit more refined.
Been busy dealing with investors and Government grants but will upload lot more data/videos/photos in the coming days.

 

[onlineaddy]

The production bike will be similar to the top bike in the homepage but a bit more refined.
Been busy dealing with investors and Government grants but will upload lot more data/videos/photos in the coming days.

Hmm, I see. I quite like the tilted motor mount of the bottom bike. Any reason for the move away from that?

 

[coldriderwi]

For what it's worth, I test rode a bike with the Automatiq this past weekend. I wasn't a fan.

Crowdsourcing information: I also test rode bikes with the Enviolo and Rohloff E-14. Both are really super and I'm torn as to which might be the best way to go. City riding with hills is making me lean towards the Enviolo, and the Rohloff hub might be overkill for what I need. But it's a Rohloff, and the E-14 is just really a slick set up.

Thoughts?

I was able to test ride a founders' samurai with a configuration equivalent to the base. I was very impressed! Smooth, quiet, and comfortable. I was expecting a lot more noise from the motor but it wasn't bad. I was able to hit and maintain 20 VERY easily with the enviolo. Shifting took some wrist effort so that would be an issue for some bit fine for me.

I wish I tried to hit and maintain max speed but my test trail didn't have a long straight away. This would be my only concern with the enviolo as the rohlhoff has more gear range.

I think there is incredible value in the base config, especially with the early bird pricing. However, after adding a second battery you might be tantalizingly close to the premium model with E14 and a range of other upgrades. @Ravi Kempaiah didn't make it easy to choose!