I hope this review helps give some anecdotal specs for people wondering if it is fast or if the battery will last or if it will go far enough. I purchased this bike with a wild hope that it might supplement a daily 12/mile commute (24 total). Short answer: Yes it absolutely did and it is fun while it does it.
To give some details, 1: My commute is most definitely not flat; there are some challenging hills with high grade, 2: I am 511 and with my backpack together are starting to edge towards 200lbs.
Having done my commute now four times and some grocery shopping, I can say a few things that may be helpful:
1. While I do charge my battery before the return leg of my commute (12 miles then 12 miles), I never seen the battery drop lower than 2 of 5 bars even while using the throttle at full for most of a 12 mile trip.
2. I have no problems to speak of with the hills; and I know for sure I would not be able to make this same trip on a regular bike without suffering the consequences during my work day.
Reasons I chose 4/5 stars for this bike:
1. If I ever get a flat tire it is practically impossible to change it myself. Essentially I am just waiting for that to happen and at that point I will be forced to rely on Lyft/Uber to save me. Thats something that can be designed better into the bike and should never require shipping the bike around.
2. I am struggling to get any kind of proof/of/life from support when I try to use email. However, I am extremely grateful that they were able to replace the bike when I opened an official repair order though it took a month.
Recommendations:
1. If you are expectation is a fun E/bike for short stints; I would buy this bike again. I still enjoy it after 100 miles.
2. If you expect this bike to be an awesome foldable bike and an awesome E/bike, I would look for something more expensive to span both expectations. This is bike is good enough in both categories and even seems to beat its own suggested specifications but it is not designed to be stellar.
3. Beware this bike is basically on or off and if you initiate the electric motor from a stand still you risk ending up in the dirt. I combat this by getting some momentum *before* I turn on the electric motor.
4. If you buy this bike, keep the box. This saved me later when I had to perform a replacement repair.
5. I havent tried this myself yet, but I suspect adding standard bike/store sealant into the tires may help add a little insurance into avoiding potential flats and could save you the headache of having to ship the bike just for a flat tire.
6. After 100 miles I am actually discovering how slow the top speed is and eventually it will push me to buy a real electric bike even so I still feel the power of the motor it does have.
100/mile review on the EB/5
I hope this review helps give some anecdotal specs for people wondering if it is fast or if the battery will last or if it will go far enough. I purchased this bike with a wild hope that it might supplement a daily 12/mile commute (24 total). Short answer: Yes it absolutely did and it is fun while it does it. To give some details, 1: My commute is most definitely not flat; there are some challenging hills with high grade, 2: I am 511 and with my backpack together are starting to edge towards 200lbs. Having done my commute now four times and some grocery shopping, I can say a few things that may be helpful: 1. While I do charge my battery before the return leg of my commute (12 miles then 12 miles), I never seen the battery drop lower than 2 of 5 bars even while using the throttle at full for most of a 12 mile trip. 2. I have no problems to speak of with the hills; and I know for sure I would not be able to make this same trip on a regular bike without suffering the consequences during my work day. Reasons I chose 4/5 stars for this bike: 1. If I ever get a flat tire it is practically impossible to change it myself. Essentially I am just waiting for that to happen and at that point I will be forced to rely on Lyft/Uber to save me. Thats something that can be designed better into the bike and should never require shipping the bike around. 2. I am struggling to get any kind of proof/of/life from support when I try to use email. However, I am extremely grateful that they were able to replace the bike when I opened an official repair order though it took a month. Recommendations: 1. If you are expectation is a fun E/bike for short stints; I would buy this bike again. I still enjoy it after 100 miles. 2. If you expect this bike to be an awesome foldable bike and an awesome E/bike, I would look for something more expensive to span both expectations. This is bike is good enough in both categories and even seems to beat its own suggested specifications but it is not designed to be stellar. 3. Beware this bike is basically on or off and if you initiate the electric motor from a stand still you risk ending up in the dirt. I combat this by getting some momentum *before* I turn on the electric motor. 4. If you buy this bike, keep the box. This saved me later when I had to perform a replacement repair. 5. I havent tried this myself yet, but I suspect adding standard bike/store sealant into the tires may help add a little insurance into avoiding potential flats and could save you the headache of having to ship the bike just for a flat tire. 6. After 100 miles I am actually discovering how slow the top speed is and eventually it will push me to buy a real electric bike even so I still feel the power of the motor it does have.