The Daymak Paris 24V (and Vermont 24V) are the two most affordable products in Daymak’s electric bicycle lineup. Each model is about one thousand dollars and you get quite a few extras for this price… though many of the components are base level. Indeed, this is a cheaply made ebike but in my experience it performed well enough and included the necessary safety systems. You get both pedal assist (with three power levels) and a twist throttle mode (that can override assist at any time). Surprisingly, and thankfully, this bike includes brake levers with motor inhibitors that improve safety by cutting power to the motor when activated, something that the more expensive and more powerful 48 volt Vermont model seemed to be missing.
I focused this review on the Paris 24 volt model because it seemed to have a more refined battery and display panel but it’s very similar to the Vermont 24V, the primary difference being a step-thru frame vs. high-step. The big advantage of a lower step frame style is ease of mounting, you don’t have to swing your leg over the rear rack or lift it high over the top tube. There are trade-offs with this frame however and one is strength and stiffness. The Paris is a cool bike, though a bit on the smallish-medium and only available in one size. You get three color choices including red, white and black with sparkles… and in my opinion the sparkles aren’t so feminine as to not appeal to guys.
The drivetrain on the Paris electric bike offers six chainrings and a basic Shimano Tourney derailleur. On the electric side, you get a 250 watt motor running off of a 24 volt battery which is compared to most of the other electric bikes I’ve tested in North America. But don’t forget the low price and relatively low weight (considering all of the extras like fenders and a rack). In Europe the highest specced e-bikes are all limited to 250 watts and that’s about equivalent to what a professional distance cyclists puts out so you’re definitely better off than if there was no motor at all, but way worse off if your battery runs out of juice before you get home because it weighs ~50 lbs total. Note that the top speed of this electric bike is also 15.5 mph vs. 20 mph on most others in Canada and the US.
Depending on how you use the throttle and which level of assist you prefer this bike might only get 10 miles of range per charge but you can always bring along the portable charger and take the removable battery pack inside for a quick top-off. It only takes a couple hours to add ~5 miles and a full charge should complete in under four. The battery consists of Lithium-ion cells that should hold up over time but you’d do well to store them away from extreme heat or cold. I wasn’t told what brand the cells are but you do get a six month warranty and Daymak stocks lots of replacement parts so that’s reassuring. All things considered, this product is a step up from no-name electric bikes sold through Amazon and possibly even those available through Walmart, Sams and Costco. Daymak actually has dealers that will let you test ride the bike and they’ve been around as a company for many years. The big downside for most buyers who don’t live near one of these dealers is that shipping can be $200 in Canada and up to $400 in the USA which eats into the relatively low starting price. A couple of other gripes for me were the lack of bottle cage mounts (though the rack could be used with a bag to solve this) and the odd quick release lever on the seat tube that took more time to unscrew. There’s no suspension on this bike but it won’t feel so jarring at lower speeds anyway.
Pros:
- For ~$1k you get a lot of nice extras with this ebike including plastic fenders, chain guard, derailleur guard, side mirrors, a bell and adjustable kickstand
- Considering the low price it’s nice that the battery isn’t mounted to the rear rack, this is still a purpose built frame made specifically for electric bike applications
- I love that get both pedal assist and twist throttle mode and that the throttle overrides assist to add power and speed for passing or climbing AND that you can disable the throttle if you want
- Pedal assist is actually very responsive on the Paris ebike because it uses a 12 magnet pedelec disc vs. just 5 or 6 on a lot of other affordable electric bikes
- The low-step frame is easier to mount without having to swing your leg over the rack on the back but tends to be a bit less stiff than a traditional diamond frame and it might also not work on hanging style car racks or bus racks without a cross bar adapter
Cons:
- No suspension fork to add cushion but the medium-sized tires and oversized sprung saddle helps to smooth out the bumps
- The quick release lever for the seat tube is kind of old-school and wasn’t as easy to use as newer designs, also there’s no adjustability in the stem here as it’s all one piece
- Two steps to start the bike, first you turn on the battery pack using an on/off toggle switch down by the cranks and then you press on using the LED console up near the left grip, this takes extra time and either bending down or hopping off
- This is a much less powerful ebike than average with a 250 watt motor and 24 volt battery, it’s capable of reaching a top speed of 15.5 mph (25 kph) vs. 20 mph (35 kph) so it might not be ideal for larger riders or those hoping to ascending steeper terrain
- No bottle cage mounting points on the seat tube or downtube so you might have to wear a backpack or use a bag like this with a bottle slot on the rack
- This bike is only available in one standard “medium / small” frame size so it might not work for taller riders
- Unless you live close to a Daymak outlet (which are mostly located in Canada) there will be extra shipping charges ranging from $200 to $400 and you’ll have to tune up the bike on arrival
- Somewhat limited gear selection with just six speeds, it’s enough for neighborhood, urban riding and commute sorts of rides
Resources:
- Official Website: http://www.daymak.com/pages/classic/paris24v.php
- More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/4s44A6LnQ2VxynuN7
raymond major says
i have this bike and i love it, it goes really well
Court Rye says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your thoughts Raymond… the price is definitely right and I like that it comes with fenders and a rack, pretty useful design :)
Stephen Chin says
I am interested in a light weight electric bicycle
Court says
Hi Stephen, check out our lightweight electric bikes category here. I’ve listed all of the products that I consider to be lighter than average :)
You can look at the weight for each product by clicking and then reading the specs, or you can click the compare checkbox for all bikes you’re interested in, then scroll down to the weight row to see them compared back to back. Good luck!
Ken Thompson says
My Paris e-bike came with no on/off switch for the throttle, so it is dangerous if you hit the throttle by mistake. Also, the pedal assist only has one battery level which seems high, there is no going slow unless you keep hitting the brake. I wanted to be able to just ride slowly with a small amount of pedal assist but this is impossible. Can it be converted with a throttle on/off switch.
Court says
Hi Ken! Sorry to hear that the Paris hasn’t quite met your hopes. I haven’t reviewed this ebike for many years and am not familiar with their most recent designs. I think it tends to be difficult to retrofit some ebike parts, unless they are using very standard modular systems from Bafang or similar company. Maybe you can find a similar part on eBay or some other parts website. Perhaps you could ask Daymak directly, since I only review products and am not connected with the builders or parts. You could also ask for help in the Daymak forums that we setup here, but they aren’t super active. Good luck! Perhaps you could sell the bike and find a different company with the feature you want if the change is difficult, expensive, or just not possible.
John Chandra says
After 2 years barely used it as battery kept dying. And now battery does not work at all. It was stored inside a house. The $1,200 investment is total garbage now as cannot risk buying another battery as even the company will not provide more than 6 month warranty, no assurance that spending $450 on a replacement battery will resolve the issue either. I wish we had just spent money on a more expensive bike in the first place as we now have to fork out another $2,000 for a better brand. You GET what you PAID FOR.
Court says
Bummer, I’ve been in your shoes before… You could try FTH Power to have the battery repacked with high quality cells, but the older design and less well know brand may not recoup the value. I guess it’s not such a waste since it sounds like you barely used the bike. In my experience, these ebike batteries all have a set lifespan with full charge capacity, and it sounds like you did the right thing storing it in a cool dry location. The other thing is to make sure it stays 50% plus charged when not in use.