I use it to commute to work and to go to the store for quick pick-ups. I've put 61 miles on in total - and I think it's rad. I do worry that it will be stolen quite a bit so I have a pretty heavy duty chain in my cargo bag. In a nutshell, I'm very happy with it on base line performance. The overall design is nice, it looks like a complete product, not a regular bike with an engine and a battery strapped on. It's just a beautifully designed package. That said, there are a few missed opportunities, and the designers are way ahead of the engineers.
Here are the good points:
Speed & Battery Range:
It's fast, especially when unlocked. I've got it to go up to 32 miles an hour with pedal assist, and I can get about 18 miles of distance with minimal pedal assist. I use the pedal assist to get it rolling and going as fast as possible as soon as possible, then let the motor sustain the higher speed on its own.
Safety Features:
The disc brakes are great, allowing you to stop at the rate of a motorcycle, and the front fork has a shock system that adds to the braking power and makes the road a lot more comfortable. The 4" tires give you a lot of road to stick to, and absorb a lot more impact than typical 2.25" tires. The headlight is very powerful, nearly motorcycle level bright, so you can see just about everything at night with no problems.
Gearing:
The pedal system is pretty good, with a singular front cog and a mountain bike worthy rear hub so you're not checking through a bunch of gears and over-operating having to be too concerned with tuning on a daily basis.
Other Features:
It has a nice build-in kickstand and an almost silly bell, and thoughtful wheel splash guards to keep you and the bike generally clean and safe from debris you might kick up. The app allows you to keep track of your mileage, change lighting options and somehow lock the bike, though I haven't quite figured out how this might work.
I hope to see improvements on the next generation .
Speed and Range:
It would be nice to have the capacity to add a second battery and double your range. No complaints about the standard battery - it's right in line with everything else the market offers. To get 45 miles of range, you will need to pedal quite a lot.
Safety Features:
It does seem odd that there isn't a brake light, considering the motor does has a sensor somehow related to the brakes. Hitting the brakes stops the motor, so there is an electrical response system built into the brakes, therefore a point of interaction that should be able to operate a brake light. All in all, the body lights make you so visible that it's not a real safety concern, and brake lights are not standard feature on a bicycle, but they are on a moped, and this is about as fast as a moped.
Gearing:
From an engineering perspective, I do think it's geared a little low for the ideal scenario, which is as a commuter bike. I am considering replacing the front cog with something a little higher so I can get more out of my pedaling at higher speeds and potentially increase my distance. In low gear I can't imagine I'll ever be in a position to need that much power. It might make sense for some off-road terrain, but for the most part I just can't see this making sense as a mountain bike with steep inclines - it just doesn't seem like a suitable application, and the gearing is just kind of an after-thought.
Other Features:
The app does not seem complete - it's fairly cumbersome and appears to be made for scooters more than the bike. I'm not 100% sure what some of the features actually do, and some of the lighting features and security features don't seem to work at all. It seems like it's still under development, but on the whole, the app is not needed to operate the bike so it doesn't really impede performance in any way. Missed opportunity in terms of built on cargo rack, but there are options out there. You wll need to look for cargo racks designed to fit a frame that will house a 4" wheel. The frame is substantially thicker than most bikes as well, therefore it will most likely require some level of adaptation if you want a sturdy cargo rack that can transfer load back down to the frame rather than just cantilevering off of the seat-post. Because the frame is sturdy and ideal for carrying cargo, a built in cargo rack, or just one designed specifically for the bike seems kind of ideal. I managed to find one that allowed me to make use of the mounting points for the wheel guard anchors.
Pedal Assist Operation:
If there's anything negative I have to say about bike it's with regard to the pedal assist operation.
The way it works is that it kicks on when the front crank is rotating. You don't necessarily have to be engaging the rear hub and delivering power, you can just cycle real slow and pedal assist will engage at the same speed it would if you were cycling fast. At the end of the day, what's really happening is that turning the front crank is operating an on/off switch that...