An approachable and easy to use value priced electric bike from a new company called ‘Buzz’ that is sold direct to consumer with a competitive MSRP of $1,499
Comes with battery integrated lights in the front and rear, metal fenders, a frame mounted basket in the front, rear mounted kickstand, locking grips, and rear rack bosses
Uses entry-level 7 Shimano Tourney system with an SIS index thumb shifter, 160mm mechanical disc brakes, and a smooth torque based Tong Sheng mid-drive motor
Company is new to ebikes, has some parts from non-established brands in the US, mechanical disc brakes have no motor inhibitors
Fixed, LCD Display, Buttons: +, -, i, Power (Hold + & - to Reset Trip)
Readouts:
Pedal Assist Level (Eco, Tour, Speed, Turbo), Current Speed, Battery Level (6 Bars), Light Indicator, Odometer, Trip, Average Speed, Ride Time
Display Accessories:
USB Charger on Unit, Remote Switch on Left
Drive Mode:
Torque Sensing Pedal Assist
Top Speed:
20 mph (32 kph)
Written Review
To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This review was sponsored by Buzz. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to be an endorsement of Buzz products.
I recently had some time in Manhattan to check out the Buzz ebike from a company called Buzz. Yes, that’s right, this is the Buzz Buzz. The bike comes in a few colors, but each with yellow accents and bee logos to keep everything uniform. Today, I appropriately got to try out the matte black version as black and yellow seemed like the style to go with. At first glance, the bike seems very approachable. I think whether you are tall or short, experienced or new, the Buzz fits nicely. That may be in part to the 18” stand-over height and smaller 24” x 3” wheel size. The tires themselves are pretty high volume with good tread, so they may add an overall inch or two to that wheel at around 26” total. The geometry is somewhat aggressive with the flat foam locking grips and stem with a bit of a rise to it, I would probably swap it out with an adjustable angle stem to match the feel a bit better. There are a lot of commuter friendly accessories included here too. I like the sturdy metal fenders, flick bell, comfort saddle with PU foam and rubber bumpers underneath, and rear rack bosses. I love the battery integrated lights here, they have them both in the front and the rear. Safety has always been a priority for myself and other cyclists, so it’s nice to see that more and more companies are including these on ebikes. The front has a frame mounted basket which I like, but it is on the smaller side so may not fit as much. The bike also includes a kickstand in the rear. It is nice to have it back there since having it near the crank arm can produce ‘pedal lock’; an annoying occurrence that locks the pedals when you reverse a bike with the kickstand down. Luckily, this bike eliminates that by having it positioned further back.
Driving the bike is a Tong Sheng mid-drive motor. Tong Sheng is a newer player here in the US, you may not have heard of them before. I did get a chance to experience one of their motors on a conversion once, and I was impressed. The mid-drive here has about 350 watt nominal, 500 watt peak performance with 80nm of torque. Not too shabby, and it does this with a torque based pedal assist. The torque feels smooth and natural and the entire system is rated for a 20mph top speed, making it a Class 1 ebike. There are 4 modes of pedal assist and I enjoyed the way they gave ample support. Mechanically, the bike has a 42 tooth chain ring up front connected to a 7 speed Shimano Tourney derailleur with a 14-28 tooth cassette. Not the largest range of gears, but it worked just fine for the city riding I experienced. Stopping the bike is a set of Yin Ing mechanical disc brakes with 160mm rotors. Mechanical disc brakes are easy to maintain as well as adjust, however, they lack the immediate stopping power that hydraulic brakes offer. Mechanical brakes are still quite capable, but they take a little bit more hand actuation compared to hydraulic brakes. Unfortunately, there are no motor inhibitors here, but this was probably chosen to keep cost down.
Powering the bike, large display, and integrated lights is this frame integrated battery. The battery itself is a 36v 10.4ah battery and I am told it is using Samsung cells. It is secured via lock and key and is simple to remove and plug in. It even has its own cover on the frame and handle on the battery for transporting around. I love that the charging port is near the top. Some other bikes put it at the bottom near the crank arm so the charging plug can get snagged if the cranks rotate. Luckily, that problem isn’t here. 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.
Operating the bike is simple thanks to this large grayscale display. I love how the readouts are big and bright, they look great and easy to read even in direct sunlight. The display shows the essential information like battery level, speed, odometer, etc. The battery infographic is in a 6 bar indicator so each mark represents 16.6%. Some of the newer displays show an actual battery percentage left indicator. I typically prefer this since the battery bars can leave guess work as to how much you really have left with 1 bar. Anyways, the controls are easy to reach on the left, or you can also use the mirrored controls on the display itself if that is more convent for you at the time of navigating. Up and Down with change the pedal assist, and holding the Power button will turn it on, while a light press will active the battery integrated lights in the front and rear.
The Buzz Buzz was a lot of fun and I loved playing with the Tong Sheng motor to see what it could handle. The bike passed a lot of my tests and I was impressed, but I do have to call out the tradeoffs here. For example, Tong Shen is a new company to the US, and it lacks the pedigree that some of the other brands like Bosch or Yamaha have. As a matter of fact, other than Shimano and Samsung, you don’t see a lot of brand names on the bike. Instead you see Tong Shen, Yin Ing, and Hongzhou… so if you are into big brand names, this may not be a good fit for you. However, when you look at all the money they save and pass onto you, it is not bad at all. The MSRP is $1,499 and Buzz will sell directly to the consumer, so the price is very competitive. I loved my time with the Buzz and I want to thank the company for inviting me out to review it.
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 Other Brands ebike forums and share your own photos, videos, and review updates to help others! Have fun out there, and ride safe :)
Pros:
The Buzz is very approachable, whether you are tall or short, experienced or new, the bike fits nicely, thanks to the 18” stand-over height and smaller 24” x 3” wheel size
There are a lot of commuter friendly accessories included here like the sturdy metal fenders, flick bell, comfort saddle with PU foam and rubber bumpers underneath, and rear rack bosses
I love the battery integrated lights here, they have them both in the front and the rear. Safety has always been a priority for myself and other cyclists, so it’s nice to see that more and more companies are including these on ebikes
Included on the Buzz is a frame mounted front basket, this points straight so it doesn’t tip with a load, really a nice addition
A rear mounted kickstand to eliminate ‘pedal lock’; an annoying occurrence that locks the pedals when you reverse a bike with the kickstand down
The Tong Sheng mid-drive here has about 350 watt nominal, 500 watt peak performance with 80nm of torque, not too shabby, and it does this with a torque based pedal assist
The torque feels smooth and natural and the entire system is rated for a 20mph top speed, making it a Class 1 ebike that can go on more trails
Shimano Tourney 7 speed derailleur and the combined system work well for both city and neighborhood riding
160mm rotor mechanical disc brakes mean easy adjustments as well as easy and low cost maintenance
Frame integrated 36v 10.4ah battery keeps the weight centered when combined with the rider and mid-drive motor
A nice, large display is crystal clear and easy to read, even in direct sunlight, I had no problems and the controls are mirrored on the handlebar as well as display so you can choose which is better to use in a given situation
Cons:
Tong Shen is a new company to the US, and it lacks the pedigree that some of the other brands like Bosch or Yamaha have
You don’t see a lot of brand names on the bike, instead you see Tong Shen, Yin Ing, and Hongzhou… so if you are into big brand names on each and every component, this may not be a good fit for you
The mechanical disc brakes are easy to adjust and maintain, but they lack the immediate stopping power that hydraulic brakes have, some companies make up for this by adding motor inhibitors that cut power to the motor when braking, unfortunately, they Buzz lacks this too
I love the battery integrated lights in the front and rear, but the front light is mounted on the fender, hopefully it doesn’t bounce a lot out on the tip there and give you varying visibility
This was a great review for a new company’s bike, which seems to be priced quiet well. The company’s web site indicated the motor was a 350 watt vs 250 which was listed in this report. I really enjoy EBR’s reviews.
Thanks Jeff! Mikey performed this review and I’m guessing that he got the 250 watt designation directly from them or that is its rated nominal output with 350 being more of a mid range or peak value? I cannot say for sure, but I’m glad the review was good for you otherwise and I’ll mention this to him :)
Update! I reached out to Mikey for more info on the motor and he said “The company rep told me it was a 250 nominal rating. Buzz didn’t specify what the peak rating was for the motor, so I dug around and saw the motor listed as a 500 peak on the Tong Sheng literature. I don’t know for certain what Buzz tuned the motor for as a peak rating, and neither did my company contact.” so I hope this helps you out a little more, Jeff :)
Hey Court, your explanation I think is right on. The bottom line to me about this bike is what Mikey indicated, its a good value for a mid drive.
Mike
5 years ago
That’s bizarre. Throwing an aftermarket motor kit on a bike frame. Frame looks bulky and heavy and welded together like it came out of someone’s garage. Given the Tongsheng motor can fit on a regular everyday bike, placed into the bottom bracket assembly, building a bike with the frame notched like that, seems like extra money that didn’t need to be spent. Someone who owns a regular bike, could easily install their more powerful 48volt, 500 watt motor, get a throttle, and save 50% of the price this sells for.
This specific motor on the Buzz Buzz from Tongsheng is made for production electric bicycles, the DIY motor system is in a very different chassis. To me, the two feel similar. Here are some links to see the difference in the systems. The motor itself, I would call compact, but I think the overall bulk look is due to the large battery downtube used on the bike. Link one, link two.
Jeff Sims
5 years agoThis was a great review for a new company’s bike, which seems to be priced quiet well. The company’s web site indicated the motor was a 350 watt vs 250 which was listed in this report. I really enjoy EBR’s reviews.
ReplyCourt
5 years agoThanks Jeff! Mikey performed this review and I’m guessing that he got the 250 watt designation directly from them or that is its rated nominal output with 350 being more of a mid range or peak value? I cannot say for sure, but I’m glad the review was good for you otherwise and I’ll mention this to him :)
ReplyCourt
5 years agoUpdate! I reached out to Mikey for more info on the motor and he said “The company rep told me it was a 250 nominal rating. Buzz didn’t specify what the peak rating was for the motor, so I dug around and saw the motor listed as a 500 peak on the Tong Sheng literature. I don’t know for certain what Buzz tuned the motor for as a peak rating, and neither did my company contact.” so I hope this helps you out a little more, Jeff :)
ReplyJeff Sims
5 years agoHey Court, your explanation I think is right on. The bottom line to me about this bike is what Mikey indicated, its a good value for a mid drive.
Mike
5 years agoThat’s bizarre. Throwing an aftermarket motor kit on a bike frame. Frame looks bulky and heavy and welded together like it came out of someone’s garage. Given the Tongsheng motor can fit on a regular everyday bike, placed into the bottom bracket assembly, building a bike with the frame notched like that, seems like extra money that didn’t need to be spent. Someone who owns a regular bike, could easily install their more powerful 48volt, 500 watt motor, get a throttle, and save 50% of the price this sells for.
ReplyMikey Geurts
5 years agoThis specific motor on the Buzz Buzz from Tongsheng is made for production electric bicycles, the DIY motor system is in a very different chassis. To me, the two feel similar. Here are some links to see the difference in the systems. The motor itself, I would call compact, but I think the overall bulk look is due to the large battery downtube used on the bike. Link one, link two.
Reply