To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This review was sponsored by Electric Bike Technologies. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to be an endorsement of Electric Bike Technologies products.
Electric Bike Technologies may sound like a new name in the ebike world, but the company is coming from a familiar place. Those of you who have heard of the popular ebike kit (a kit that allows you to convert any bike to electric) or the Liberty Trike understand that those products have been around for years and offered many people quality and reliability. The very same company behind those two breakthrough products is now making bikes under the Electric Bike Technologies banner. So today I had the opportunity to check out their commuter bike appropriately named the Electric City Bike. The bike we are testing today is a mid-drive with a step-through frame and tons of features, so let’s jump right in. There is a lot of comfort here from head to toe, starting off with the riding position. It sits a bit back and relaxed, almost like a cruiser, but not completely, since this is a commuter, there is a bit of upright for alertness. It is quite comfortable though thanks to these swept back handlebars with and adjustable angle stem. Stepping over the step-through frame is nice and easy since you don’t have to get your leg all the way around a large top tube. The comfort is continued through the faux leather ergonomic grips and front suspension fork. The front fork is a spring fork with 80mm of travel and includes lockout as well as preload adjust, so you can really dial it to your liking. Included with the bike are a set of fenders, although plastic, they feel quite sturdy and don’t rattle much, however, there is no mud flaps here, so you could potentially get toe strikes with the fender when turning the bike very tightly. The fenders wrap around these nice 700c tires that have not only puncture protection to help with flats, but also a reflective sidewall for safety, which I love since the majority of collisions on a bike happen from the side, so this makes you nice and visible. Also, for safety and convince here are a set of battery integrated lights. They are mounted both in the front as well as in the rear. The front one however is mounted on the suspension fork, so you could potentially get some bouncing if you are riding on rough terrain. Still, I love that they are here. Safety has always been a priority for myself and other cyclists, so it’s nice to see that more and more companies are ncluding these on ebikes. Also included is this rear cargo rack. This rack is bolt-on, so that means if the bike takes a spill or gets in a crash, the rack is easy to replace. It also uses standard gage tubing, so it is really great for panniers as it will fit most any out of the box. Other features include an integrated bell, adjustable kickstand, aluminum alloy Wellgo pedals, and a comfortable gel saddle. I feel like a lot of thought was put into this bike, even that saddle has a handle on the back, so it is easy to cart the bike around when moving it in a garage or parking spot. However, that kickstand I mentioned is mounted near the crank, so you could get pedal lock when reversing with the stand down, so do be aware of that.
Driving this electric bike is a Dapu MD250 mid-motor. It offers roughly 350 to 720 watts of power and up to 80 Newton meters of torque, according to the company website. As you pedal along, the motor controller listens for movement as well as pedal force to ramp up smoothly. This bike has 0-5 levels of pedal assists as well as a thumb throttle, so it is set up quite nicely. It’s a natural feeling, very quiet motor system that weighs a bit more than average at 11lbs. Mid-motors utilize the same drivetrain as the rider does when pedaling, so shifting gears lower or higher reduces work and makes it more effective and efficient. It’s still up to you to shift however, and this motor controller doesn’t come with shift detection. This means there can be strain on the chain, so make sure to let off the pedal or throttle when switching gears. Aside from efficiency, mid-motors also keep weight low and centered on the frame and free up the rear wheel for different drivetrain options, they tend to make wheel maintenance easier, and reduce frame flex. Mechanically, you get an 8 speed Shimano Acera system with a 44 tooth chain ring in the front and 11-30 tooth cassette in the rear. This system also includes trigger shifters and a windowed display to tell you what gear you are in. Stopping the bike are a set of 180mm mechanical disc brake rotors in the front and rear. These are nice since they both have dual pistons and are easy to adjust as well as maintain, however, they do lack the immediate stopping power that hydraulic brakes have. But this is not a big deal, especially since Electric Bike Technologies opted to put motor inhibitors on both breaks, meaning when you pull the rubberized brake levers, you not only activate the breaks, but cut power to the motor as well. Really a great safety feature for commuting and I am happy it is here.
Powering the bike is a 48v lithium ion battery pack. I would consider this a high capacity battery pack and really necessary for that super powerful motor. The battery has an easy to use handle and I love that it is even color matched to get the same carbon fiber we have on the frame! Anyway, the battery is mounted via lock and key, however, you don’t need the key to start the bike, it is just for battery security. The battery has a power button and I love the LED display read out on it so you can check to see round about how much juice is left. To really care for this and other lithium-ion packs, I have heard that storing in a cool dry location vs. extreme heat or cold will extend the life and try to keep it about 50% full when not using for long periods so you won’t stress the cells. Try not to let it run down to zero, because that’s really hard on the cell chemistry.
Another area worth mentioning here is the control center. I’m kind of a control center geek and I always love to see comprehensive stats while riding. The color control center on the bike does just that. It displays pretty much everything, including current speed, top speed, average speed, range, battery level, pedal assist mode, wattage output and more. More importantly, I could read it in direct sunlight! I love that it is color and uses an automotive motif. The only downside to this display was that it’s not removable, so I might worry about it getting dinged up when the bike is being parked or transported and just taking more sun and rain damage over time. On the plus side though, it does have the ability to enable a passcode, adding another layer of security to the bike which is a bigger deal if you have kids around or are just concerned about safety. It does however angle, and I love that the controls can be pressed easily by your left hand since they are positioned well as to keep your eyes on the road. The buttons on the left are +, -, i, power, and a light icon. Power turns it on while the ‘i’ button scrolls through information readouts like trip, odometer, speedometer, etc. The light button will initiate the backlight on the display as well as turn on the integrated lights on applicable bikes. Holding + and – will take you into settings, letting you change specifics on the bike, like top speed here.
Wrapping up my time with the Electric City Bike, I found that it was a very competent entry using proven technology and managing to keep cost down for the buyer. I really think everything comes together really well, however, no bike is perfect, so let’s mention some of the tradeoffs really quickly. I noticed there was no quick release in either the front or rear. A lot of times you will see these on mid-drive bikes like this for easy maintenance or loading to get the wheel on or off, but it looks like they skipped them, likely to keep that cost down. I also am not a fan of kickstands mounted near the crank as it can produce pedal lock when it strikes the kickstand while reversing. Probably the biggest tradeoff here though, is the motor missing shift detection. To really care for that chain, you want to make sure to let off the throttle or pedal assist when shifting gears. Some people wont mind at all, while others may be inconvenienced by it, so keep it in mind when considering this bike. I had a lot of fun spending time with Electric Bike Technologies as a company and as well as their bikes and trikes. I want to thank them for that opportunity and look forward to the new products they offer.
As always, I welcome questions and feedback in the comment section below. Whether you own a previous version of the bike, have taken a test ride, or are brand new to the space, my goal is to provide an objective and honest resource. You can also join the Electric Bike Technologies Ebike forums and share your own photos, videos, and review updates to help others! Have fun out there, and ride safe :)
Pros:
- Efficient and quiet tires for paved roads versus a more knobby tire, making this more of a commuter
- The front suspension fork is has 80mm of travel as well as preload adjust and lockout, a nice fork I really appreciate for soaking up the bumps on a commuter
- They have a lot of included accessories, such as a rear rack, adjustable angle stem, as well as some plastic fenders to keep you dry
- Comes standard with battery integrated headlight and rear light, something that more bikes are doing these days and I love since it adds visibility and safety
- I love that the tires not only have puncture protection, but they also have reflective sidewalls as well, a great safety feature
- The swept back handle bars, front fork, low step-through, gel saddle, and even full leather grips make for a very comfortable commute
- The Dapu mid-drive motor is responsive and I love that it has both pedal assist as well as a trigger throttle, overall a really capable electric setup
- The 48v battery is a solid choice here, it really can get up and go, having it be removable with a USB attachment to charge other devices just really opens up the capabilities a whole lot more
- Really a commuter ready setup, you don’t have to worry about the rain or puddles with the fenders, you also don’t have to worry about the dark with the integrated lights, and you get a rear rack too
- I love that you can deep dive the settings menu and change things like the top speed, really a bonus for commuters that I don’t see on all the bikes
Cons:
- Mechanical brakes are common on lower priced ebikes, they are easier to maintain and adjust but lack immediate stopping power, but I do appreciate the motor inhibitors here, they help make up for it a bit
- It is great that there are both an integrated headlight and rear light, however, the front light is fork mounted so it could bounce a bit when riding and the rear light is 1 LED and can feel a bit like just a really large reflector rather than a rear light
- The drivetrain is a bit basic with just a 14-30 tooth cassette so it would be nice to see a larger sprocket to help the more active pedaler have that range
- The kickstand here is mounted near the crank, so you could get pedal lock, a event where the pedals strike the kickstand and lock the bike preventing it from reversing with the kickstand down, so do be aware of that
- I love the included fenders, but I did notice there are no mud flaps here, so you could wind up with toe strikes when clipping the end during a very tight turn
- There is no shift detection here so to really care for that chain, you want to make sure to let off the throttle or pedal assist when shifting gears
- The front suspension is a spring suspension, rather than air, but I suppose you could switch that out with a fork of your choice since the head tube is tapered
Resources:
Dewey
5 years agoGood to see EBT launching a line of ebikes. I had good customer service from them when I bought then had to return a hub kit. I was thinking this City model compares against the Pedego City Commuter 28″ Step-thru mid-drive which uses the same motor, though I prefer the placement of the battery on the downtube here vs on the rack. Also the battery pack used here by EBT looks like a generic Reention Dorado design which ought to provide a wider choice of upgrades & vendors with which to compare price/capacity when it comes to replacing the battery. On a point of information you have listed this as a Class 2 20mph bike, but the website states up to 26mph, and Mike mentioned the speed can be increased in the display, making this is a Class 3 bike with a throttle.
ReplyKen
5 years agoThis is a nice looking ebike but similar to many others on the market. I’m confused about the tire size claimed because the Schwalbe Moto X 27.5 x 2.4s are used on some name brand commuter ebikes and they look much fatter than the 27.5 x 2.35s on this bike. My guess is there is no industry standard on how tire widths are specified so the specs on these are tweaked a bit. I would think any urban mobility ebike would benefit from having a top assist speed to 45kph as in reality this is allowed in the US.
ReplyNirmala
5 years agoThe specs say hydraulic brakes and the review text says mechanical brakes. Which one is correct ?
The specs also mention grips with horns, so my guess is the specs were copied and pasted and some corrections were overlooked :)
ReplyCourt
5 years agoYou’re correct, Nirmala! I can see the mechanical disc brakes and padded grips in the photos here. I’m going to bring this to Mikey’s attention, since he did the review, to make sure we get it right. Sorry for the misinformation!
Reply