tl;dr
The EcoMotion MINI Pro e-Fat tire e-bike is fun to ride, though a touch wobbly at speeds in excess of 25 mph. The throttle and pedal assist are responsive and powerful enough to not get bored, but rather have an enjoyable ride. 7 speeds does not make for a super fast ride, however it is likely sufficient for most rides. Hydraulic disk brakes are very nice, the seat is comfortable, as are the handle bars and pedals. I did press the button to turn off the manual throttle frequently when trying to shift gears, but got used to it.
The Review
The details in the image were recorded by the author, on a Samsung Galaxy S7, using the Altitude Android app, created by PyGDroid, which app I love, and which is tiny, yet awesome.
Jigawatt Cycles now sells EcoMotion brand e-bikes, in addition to Magnum brand, and our own kits which we can retrofit on most regular bikes.
We received the EcoMotion MINI Pro e-Fat Bike (specs) this morning. We assembled it tonight to try it out in Provo and so we could test it out in the sands of Arizona this weekend. It looks better than the pictures and is more pleasing in real life.
Folded up, the bike does not fit in a CNG Honda Civic trunk or cabin, if there happens to be three people in the car, so I rode it Springville.
The Ride
In numbers that make more sense to people in America, I rode 9.3 miles in 26 minutes, with a max speed of 30.78 mph, averaging 21.59 mph between elevations of 4519 feet and 4804 feet.
My path was from Jigawatt Cycles on University Avenue in Provo, up around BYU (the first and largest climb on the image), then down 9th East onto State Street over the hills into Springville, which, according to the top graph, is not as flat as I had convinced myself it was. The last low point is the intersection of 1400 N & State.
I rode at the max assist setting any time I was up to full speed in the highest gear. I used the throttle to start from the stop lights I encountered, which made getting up to speed super easy.
The Experience
Pedal assist did not use much power when I was cruising at 25-30 mph, as per law. It did use full power to help me keep my speed up on each uphill. It did seem to consistently counter the added weight of the electric system (battery, motor, controller, wiring, and connected headlight), which made riding that much more normal. It definitely helped going up the hills, as you can see that my speed did not decrease by much. The significant drops in speed were stoplights. You can see that I had great acceleration from complete and even partial stops.
20 inch wheels are a little squirly at 25-30 mph, but controllable. I was hoping and praying the whole way that I wouldn’t hit any gravel, and I am grateful I didn’t. I was not afraid that I would suddenly lose control at any time, if the road was clean, which it was. 7 speeds are not enough, even with the larger front sprocket, to go faster than I went on the downhill. I physically could not get my legs to spin any faster. All in all, if I was not in a hurry, it would have been sufficient. (It is very hard for me to not ride as fast as I can go.)
It is called pedal assist for a reason
Did I get exercise, even though I used the throttle and pedal assist? Absolutely! I was sweating by the time I made it home. Some of my shirt was soaked, though I confess I wore two light jackets so I wouldn’t freeze in the 50 degree evening with the 20+ mph wind chill that I anticipated feeling.
I sat upright the entire way, which was very pleasant on my back. I was not especially tired when I reached my destination. My legs did not burn, but they were a little wobbly for trying to keep up my pace going so fast on a seven speed.
Learnings
I need to adjust the brakes, as the front was rubbing the entire ride. The odometer on the bike said I only rode 8.6 miles instead of 9.3. I attribute that to the computer being calibrated for a 20 inch normal tire, instead of a 20 inch fat tire. The diameter is slightly different.
It was a good, fun ride. Come try it for yourself.
