e-Joe Epik Carbon Review

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e-Joe Epik Carbon Review

To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This in-depth review was sponsored by e-Joe Bikes. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of e-Joe products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comment section below and the e-Joe electric bike forums.

Observations:

Not actually carbon! I asked the founder of e-Joe Bikes what the name meant, and he said that the bike was a continuation of their standard Epik SE model and was similar to other products on the market… like a carbon copy, so that’s why he named it that way

Pros:

Some ebikes with internal batteries suffer from rattling because the pack is just surrounded by tubing, but the e-Joe Epik Carbon has a slide-track so the battery is very secure… just be sure to align it properly when inserting the battery
I like the wide 2.25″ tires because the additional air volume will improve stability and comfort (especially on smaller 20″ wheels), it’s a nice go-between from city tires that are 1.25″ and fat tires that are 3″+ that create drag and noise, you get stability and comfort on bumps and gravel here but it’s more compact, quiet, and efficient
Cast rims aren’t as comfortable or light as spokes, but they never go out of true which means they require less maintenance, given the suspension fork, wider tires, and soft saddle here, I feel like they’re a great choice… especially for larger riders
In the folded position, the bike was very stable and had a metal support arm, we wheeled it around forward and back because only the front wheel touches when you tip it… many competing products can only go forward because the rear wheel touches and that causes the cranks to rotate if you back it up, anyway, Sam also sat on the saddle while the bike was folded, so it could be used as a portable chair while waiting for public transportation at a bus or train station
Pretty good value at roughly $1.4k here considering that e-Joe sells through shops (50+ in the USA), offers a comprehensive one year warranty, and has been in business for many years, I trust them more than some of the brand new generic branded folding ebikes
The suspension fork that was chosen for this model offers multi-step compression lockout and preload adjust, this is great for heavier riders who don’t want to bottom out, lighter riders who don’t want a bouncy feeling, or those moments where terrain is really smooth and there’s no need for a shock
Plenty of saddle height adjustment (and they used a sturdy wide seat post) and handlebar stem adjustability so you can fit the bike to many body sizes, and I like the ergonomic grips that they chose
The hub motor felt zippy and could be activated through pedal assist or throttle on demand (even at zero! so you get full control starting or zipping up to speed beyond a lower assist level), I like how you get a mechanical advantage from the smaller wheel size on a hub motor powered ebike, it makes the bike feel zippier and climb better
The chainring has a double-sided guide to keep the chain on track, which is especially useful and relevant for folding electric bikes, they could have used metal but that would increase weight and I feel that the plastic is fairly protected by the metal bar stand just below
Twist shifters are very intuitive and less likely to get damaged on a folding bike than triggers, it’s unique to see a grip shifter like this and might be a selling point for certain riders, I like the window that shows your current gear
I believe that the bike comes in two colors, and the orange is especially beautiful and bright… which could improve safety given that there are no lights and no reflective accents on the tires
Sealed high-resolution 12-magnet cadence sensor is less likely to get bumped out of position, lose signal due to dirt or mud, and it is physically smaller than the older versions
The display is easy to read, includes backlighting, and offers a bunch more settings than some of the other compact LCD units I’ve seen (including password protection!), the smaller housing is probably going to be less vulnerable on a folding ebike
Even though I complained about the folding pedals being a bit tricky to fold and unfold in the video (because they were brand new), they are name-brand, offer some good surface area for your feet, and do have reflectors built-in so ultimately I do see them as an “upgrade” on the bike
Power deliver feels smooth and the lower levels of assist aren’t so overwhelming even though the motor is very capable if you press the throttle or arrow up to higher levels of assist
Some of the other e-Joe folding bikes have used integrated bells, but that’s only possible with specific brake levers, I like that e-Joe still specced this bike with an aftermarket bell for fun and safety, they looked at the details and didn’t just skip it
Both folding points (on the stem and the middle of the frame) have a plastic locking mechanism for safety, so you don’t have to worry so much about it when riding

Cons:

I’m mixed on the internal cable routing for this folding ebike because it seems like there’s some potential for the wires to get stretched and then pinched within the frame. We show and talk about this at 2:46 in the video
Weighing in at 58.8lbs, this is a heavier folding electric bike considering that it doesn’t ship with fenders, a rear rack, or lights like the comparable 51.5lb e-Joe Epik SE (the battery capacity is very similar, but the cast rims, bigger tires, and beefier frame add weight here)
Mechanical brakes can stretch over time and require more hand strength to actuate (especially the right lever for the rear brake) but they keep the price down, and at least e-Joe opted for larger 180mm brake rotors for better stopping power, and both brake levers have motor inhibitors for safety
Entry-level derailleur with limited 7-speed drivetrain having 14-28 tooth cassette, this means you trade some of the climbing and higher speed cadence options that an 11-32+ cassette would offer, I also would have liked to see a derailleur guard to protect the derailleur on this folding ebike
There’s no magnetic clasp or rubber strap to help keep the frame folded, that means it could rattle around and scratch itself if you don’t take care folding and maybe using a towel or shirt between the bike frame parts, consider a basic bungee cord to secure it during transport
The center-mounted kickstand is adjustable and works well for standing the bike, but is not far enough back to avoid pedal lock (which happens if you back the bike up while the kickstand is down)
The rear dropout area does have threaded eyelets for adding a rack, if you’d like, but I didn’t see additional bosses on the seat stays but there are seat clamps with eyelets that could be used here… I didn’t see any bottle cage bosses, but I understand why they skipped it due to the flat top tube
The extra-wide main tube that encloses the battery and adds strength here has one drawback, which is that the width of the folding joint makes it easier to bump on your knees, just be careful when mounting and pedaling
In its fully extended position, the kickstand would bump the large 180mm disc brake rotor in the back and kind of “ding” which was a bit annoying and also had me concerned about bending the rotor… this may be solvable by adjusting the kickstand mount and angling it out a bit
Unlike some of the other e-Joe electric bikes I’ve reviewed, this one didn’t have a USB charging port on the display or the battery pack, which is something I found convenient
Minor gripe here but the charger isn’t especially compact, lightweight, or fast, I would call it very average… and now with the larger battery capacity it can take longer to completely charge the bike if it is completely used
As with most internally geared hub motors, you can hear this thing a bit as you accelerate in the higher assist levels or use the trigger throttle at full power

Resources:

Official Site: http://ejoebike.net/

Observations:

Not actually carbon! I asked the founder of e-Joe Bikes what the name meant, and he said that the bike was a continuation of their standard Epik SE model and was similar to other products on the market… like a carbon copy, so that’s why he named it that way

Pros:

Some ebikes with internal batteries suffer from rattling because the pack is just surrounded by tubing, but the e-Joe Epik Carbon has a slide-track so the battery is very secure… just be sure to align it properly when inserting the battery
I like the wide 2.25″ tires because the additional air volume will improve stability and comfort (especially on smaller 20″ wheels), it’s a nice go-between from city tires that are 1.25″ and fat tires that are 3″+ that create drag and noise, you get stability and comfort on bumps and gravel here but it’s more compact, quiet, and efficient
Cast rims aren’t as comfortable or light as spokes, but they never go out of true which means they require less maintenance, given the suspension fork, wider tires, and soft saddle here, I feel like they’re a great choice… especially for larger riders
In the folded position, the bike was very stable and had a metal support arm, we wheeled it around forward and back because only the front wheel touches when you tip it… many competing products can only go forward because the rear wheel touches and that causes the cranks to rotate if you back it up, anyway, Sam also sat on the saddle while the bike was folded, so it could be used as a portable chair while waiting for public transportation at a bus or train station
Pretty good value at roughly $1.4k here considering that e-Joe sells through shops (50+ in the USA), offers a comprehensive one year warranty, and has been in business for many years, I trust them more than some of the brand new generic branded folding ebikes
The suspension fork that was chosen for this model offers multi-step compression lockout and preload adjust, this is great for heavier riders who don’t want to bottom out, lighter riders who don’t want a bouncy feeling, or those moments where terrain is really smooth and there’s no need for a shock
Plenty of saddle height adjustment (and they used a sturdy wide seat post) and handlebar stem adjustability so you can fit the bike to many body sizes, and I like the ergonomic grips that they chose
The hub motor felt zippy and could be activated through pedal assist or throttle on demand (even at zero! so you get full control starting or zipping up to speed beyond a lower assist level), I like how you get a mechanical advantage from the smaller wheel size on a hub motor powered ebike, it makes the bike feel zippier and climb better
The chainring has a double-sided guide to keep the chain on track, which is especially useful and relevant for folding electric bikes, they could have used metal but that would increase weight and I feel that the plastic is fairly protected by the metal bar stand just below
Twist shifters are very intuitive and less likely to get damaged on a folding bike than triggers, it’s unique to see a grip shifter like this and might be a selling point for certain riders, I like the window that shows your current gear
I believe that the bike comes in two colors, and the orange is especially beautiful and bright… which could improve safety given that there are no lights and no reflective accents on the tires
Sealed high-resolution 12-magnet cadence sensor is less likely to get bumped out of position, lose signal due to dirt or mud, and it is physically smaller than the older versions
The display is easy to read, includes backlighting, and offers a bunch more settings than some of the other compact LCD units I’ve seen (including password protection!), the smaller housing is probably going to be less vulnerable on a folding ebike
Even though I complained about the folding pedals being a bit tricky to fold and unfold in the video (because they were brand new), they are name-brand, offer some good surface area for your feet, and do have reflectors built-in so ultimately I do see them as an “upgrade” on the bike
Power deliver feels smooth and the lower levels of assist aren’t so overwhelming even though the motor is very capable if you press the throttle or arrow up to higher levels of assist
Some of the other e-Joe folding bikes have used integrated bells, but that’s only possible with specific brake levers, I like that e-Joe still specced this bike with an aftermarket bell for fun and safety, they looked at the details and didn’t just skip it
Both folding points (on the stem and the middle of the frame) have a plastic locking mechanism for safety, so you don’t have to worry so much about it when riding

Cons:

I’m mixed on the internal cable routing for this folding ebike because it seems like there’s some potential for the wires to get stretched and then pinched within the frame. We show and talk about this at 2:46 in the video
Weighing in at 58.8lbs, this is a heavier folding electric bike considering that it doesn’t ship with fenders, a rear rack, or lights like the comparable 51.5lb e-Joe Epik SE (the battery capacity is very similar, but the cast rims, bigger tires, and beefier frame add weight here)
Mechanical brakes can stretch over time and require more hand strength to actuate (especially the right lever for the rear brake) but they keep the price down, and at least e-Joe opted for larger 180mm brake rotors for better stopping power, and both brake levers have motor inhibitors for safety
Entry-level derailleur with limited 7-speed drivetrain having 14-28 tooth cassette, this means you trade some of the climbing and higher speed cadence options that an 11-32+ cassette would offer, I also would have liked to see a derailleur guard to protect the derailleur on this folding ebike
There’s no magnetic clasp or rubber strap to help keep the frame folded, that means it could rattle around and scratch itself if you don’t take care folding and maybe using a towel or shirt between the bike frame parts, consider a basic bungee cord to secure it during transport
The center-mounted kickstand is adjustable and works well for standing the bike, but is not far enough back to avoid pedal lock (which happens if you back the bike up while the kickstand is down)
The rear dropout area does have threaded eyelets for adding a rack, if you’d like, but I didn’t see additional bosses on the seat stays but there are seat clamps with eyelets that could be used here… I didn’t see any bottle cage bosses, but I understand why they skipped it due to the flat top tube
The extra-wide main tube that encloses the battery and adds strength here has one drawback, which is that the width of the folding joint makes it easier to bump on your knees, just be careful when mounting and pedaling
In its fully extended position, the kickstand would bump the large 180mm disc brake rotor in the back and kind of “ding” which was a bit annoying and also had me concerned about bending the rotor… this may be solvable by adjusting the kickstand mount and angling it out a bit
Unlike some of the other e-Joe electric bikes I’ve reviewed, this one didn’t have a USB charging port on the display or the battery pack, which is something I found convenient
Minor gripe here but the charger isn’t especially compact, lightweight, or fast, I would call it very average… and now with the larger battery capacity it can take longer to completely charge the bike if it is completely used
As with most internally geared hub motors, you can hear this thing a bit as you accelerate in the higher assist levels or use the trigger throttle at full power