Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I’ve now had this bike for 6 months and have over 2,400 miles on the odometer. That said, considering what I know about this bike now, I’d buy it again today, in a heartbeat. It’s an excellent bike and suites my needs exactly. Before finding this bike on Amazon I tried several bikes in local shops to understand the fundamental features. I got this bike for exercise and for my short commute to work. I needed a bike that could accommodate my bad knees, ruined by athletics and years of running on hard pavement. I am unable to effectively ride a regular bike in the area where I live, which is very hilly (Seattle area). On a normal bike (my 15-year old mountain bike) I can’t transfer enough energy to the pedals to get up the final street to my house, my knees don’t allow it. This bike takes the edge off the hills but still allows me to minimize or turn off the assist when I don’t really need it. I don’t use this bike off-road as a mountain bike. I use it for riding on paved roads and urban biking/walking trails. There are two basic types of electric bikes, cadence sensor assist mechanisms and tension assist sensor mechanisms. The latter is the newer technology and tends to be much more expensive. However, a bike with cadence sensor technology and a throttle are much better suited for a person with bad knees like mine based on the test rides I did on various bikes. Now to the bike… The descriptions, stats and reviews in the listing are spot on. It’s a heavy bike, but electric bikes are heavy. That starts with a stout frame to take the additional stresses inherent in electric bikes. Take that heavy frame, and then add a ten pound motor and a nine pound battery and you come out at about the 57 pounds stated by the seller. My bike, now outfitted with a Topeak rack as recommended by the seller, a good tool kit/flat repair kit and a few extra additions to the handlebar area comes in at about 63 pounds. However, for riding, when I add a trunk bag to the rack (with an extra jacket, a stout lock, a small first aid kit and some extra cold weather gear), a single clip-on panier with my serious rain gear (and room for groceries), and a water bottle; my bike clocks in at about 78 pounds before I get on it. I weigh about 215 so the combined weight is starting to push three hundred pounds. My typical ride is about 20 miles. I regularly go on 30+ mile rides and have gone on rides of over 40 miles without exhausting the battery. As I previously mentioned, I live in a very hilly area. If you live in flatter areas your distances could presumably be further. It all depends on how you use the bike and how much of your own power you can contribute to the ride, and of course, your weight. I find on longer rides I tend to be more “battery aware” and take measures to preserve the battery so there’s enough charge left to make it up my street. I have exhausted the battery only once, fortunately that was about 50 feet from my driveway. I’m 6’1” and the frame fits me very well. I have very long legs so I have the seat post extended to its maximum height. I would expect that this bike would feel comfortable to some several inches taller than me. The suspension is good, in the seat and the front fork. This bike’s motor is powerful and, if you want to, you can easily speed up long hills at 20 mph. The initial setup of the computer allows you to set a maximum speed of higher than 20 mph (beyond street legal in most of the US) but there’s really no point to it since the gearing is not suited for speeds in excess of 22-23 mph. While I’m on the subject of speed, the limitation of 20 mph only applies to the motor, at 20 mph it stops its assist. On downhill coasts, because of the mass of the bike, it is easy to attain speeds of over 40 mph where the road and traffic conditions allow (be careful). As for traffic, this is where this bike shines compared to others. I live in a fully developed suburban area and am always sharing the road with cars. The real test of an electric bike is being stopped at a stop light, pointed up a steep hill, in the middle of a long line of cars in a left-hand turn lane. With the throttle I find that I move through the intersection just as if I’m another car, with no lag, and moving right with the traffic. The lithium battery at 48V and 13Ah holds more charge than batteries on most commercial electric bikes. That extra power translates to more responsiveness and longer ride times. As the battery discharges, the “intensity” of the assist will diminish somewhat. I typically sense this at about the ten-mile stage of any ride. The battery also has a USB port on which I’ve used a few times to charge my phone during a ride – a great bonus when you need it. I have kept detailed statistics about rides and the charging of the battery. After over 120 charge cycles I’ve found that the recharge process takes about 13 minutes per mile ridden or about 3.2 minutes of charge time for each minute ridden. I invested in a second battery which I found to be a good decision. With each battery currently at just over 60 charge cycles I’ve seen no degradation in performance. As for electricity cost – it’s about a penny for enough charge to travel 5 miles. So the charge cost for a forty mile ride would be 8 cents. The computer is mounted on the handlebars and provides feedback on assist level, speed, and odometer and information about the battery status. I use, and rely on, the first three items. As for the battery status information, it is pretty sketchy. I can get back from a 40-mile ride and still have 2 of 4 bars of battery capacity left according to the computer (I don’t). It also tries to tell you how much capacity remains at a given time at your current work load and assist level – but it really doesn’t. I’ve found that I can “feel” the status of the battery with greater accuracy than the information provided by the computer. Bars (out of 4) remaining should give me an idea of how much battery capacity I have left. Here’s what it’s told me (distance traveled): 4 bars remaining – up to 15 miles, 3 bars remaining – 12-17 miles, 2 bars remaining – 13-41 miles, 1 bar remaining – 23-41 miles. This means that at 14 miles traveled I might have 2, 3 or 4 bars of battery capacity left. This type of information is not useful. There must be a better computer out there. It would also be useful to show the current battery voltage and the amperage being drawn by the motor at any given time – that would be very meaningful so someone looking to conserve their battery usage. What I’ve added to the bike: The Topeak Super Tourist DX rack recommended by the seller was an excellent choice. I finally added a Topeak trunk bag and have clip-on panniers for when I need them. The existing headlight is fine but in dark and sometime rainy conditions I find I need more light. I’ve added a 1,000 lumen headlight for conditions that warrant it. I’ve added bar end mirrors, necessary for urban driving among cars. I’ve added a splash guard in front of the bottle cage (MudX) and an extended splash guard at the end of the back splash guard (home made). These have made a big difference. After my first flat at 400 miles I upgraded to Marathon Plus tires. Changing the rear tire on this bike is quite a task so I wanted to minimize the need for doing that again. I upgraded the rear disc brakes to Avid BB7 brakes (180mm rotor). I found that the constant braking needed in my neighborhood (hilly with most intersections uncontrolled) made me feel that the stock brakes were not suited for the stresses of my biking conditions and the mass they were stopping. I will eventually move these brakes to the front wheel and put Avid BB7 brakes with a 200mm rotor on the rear wheel, this will allow access to the inside caliper adjustment with a tool. Problems: The walk assist feature is set to about 8 mph, this is way too fast and cannot be changed. As assembled in the factory the left and right brake cabling was reversed. It was suited for locations where you drive on the left side of the road. This was easily fixed. At about 300 miles the controller failed. This is an electronics box that sits under the battery. It acts as the interface between the motor, the battery, the computer on the handlebars, the cadence sensors on the pedal assembly and the throttle. It was replaced under warranty at no cost to me. I have discussed this with owners and techs at electric bike shops and have learned that controllers occasionally fail early in their life (like many electronic items) and if replaced, the chances of another failure are slim. The failures tend to be a glitch in the manufacturing of the controller. No stars off for that. Service: The seller (Daniel of DJ Bikes) is very accessible when needed, helpful in providing information, and very responsive when problems arise. This bike can be serviced at virtually any bike shop that deals with electric bikes. Expectations: Unless you have assembled a bike before I would recommend that you have a bike shop do the initial assembly or check out your assembly. I found that I had incorrectly over-tightened the front fork assembly. A tech can also provide guidance on how to do “on-the-fly” disc brake adjustments which are occasionally necessary. If you buy this bike you should be prepared to learn about basic servicing and adjustments. Disc brakes need adjusting and tweaking from time to time and you should learn to do that on your own (or find a friend that will do it). Likewise, the derailleur will need occasional adjustments. What I Would Do Differently to the Fundamental Bike Design: 1. I would look for a computer that provides better feedback on the battery status. 2. I would consider a different gear cassette or a larger front gear to allow more power to the rear wheel at higher speeds. I did a lot of research before buying this bike, and as I said at the beginning of this review, I would buy this bike again knowing what I know now. It’s an excellent e-bike. The statement below the bike’s description on the Amazon page is absolutely correct in my opinion: “You will not find a better deal on a high-performance low-cost ebike anywhere.” I have not been compensated by the seller and have no affiliation with him except as a satisfied customer.