e-Joe Koda Review

The e-Joe Koda originated from the e-Joe One prototype in 2013 and I was given a chance to test ride it in 2014. Thankfully, a lot has changed since then! Almost everything is better with this finalized design and I was really impressed with the power, feature set and relative low price point being offered. At just ~43 lbs the Koda is fairly light compared with a lot of the bikes I test. The added weight that is present is well distributed across the frame, the battery pack itself is partially integrated into the downtube creating a stealthy appearance. It’s not as stealth as a Specialized or a Stromer but it also costs a lot less. Even the motor, which is sandwitched between a 160 mm Tektro mechanical disc brake and 7 speed Shimano Acera cassette, is well hidden. The Koda isn’t a perfect bike, and some of the components are low/mid end, but it delivers tremendous value. It could be improved in a few ways: integrated lights, single power switch, more frame sizes and a step-thru option and bottle cage mounts but if it fits your body, budget and style preferences it could make for an excellent urban or commuter style ebike.

The motor driving the ejoe Koda offers an impressive 500 watts of nominal power output with up to 750 peak! That’s definitely at the higher end of the spectrum. Initially, the Koda was going to come in either 350 or 500 watt versions but I think they found that people wanted more power (for better climbing and more weight capacity) and they just simplified and went with 500. Note that this e-bike can handle loads up to 350 lbs which is quite impressive. The motor is geared which means that it doesn’t have to be as large or heavy as a gearless equivalent and it feels more peppy. A trade off to this design is that the gears inside will rub and wear out slightly faster and you don’t get regenerative braking or the leverage that a mid-drive motor might offer. Still, for what it is, this thing does a great job and e-Joe has included a quick-disconnect point for the motor power which runs along the right chain stay. This makes changing flats and doing maintenance a bit easier but you’ll still need tools to get the rear wheel off. Thankfully, the front wheel ships with a standard quick release :)

Powering the bike is a unique mid-frame battery which protrudes from the downtube slightly but otherwise blends in nicely. The pack offers 36 volts of power which is about average with 15 amp hours of capacity which is about 50% larger than average. I think the bike could feel even more powerful if e-Joe had gone with a 48 volt pack but I like that they at least made this one larger in terms of capacity and that they went with Samsung Lithium Polymer cells. The pack should offer 25+ miles per charge (even if you just use the throttle) and up to 45 if you pedal along in the lowest level of assist. One of the neat parts about this battery is that it includes a little USB port for charging portable electronics. The port is located at the base of the pack (this is also where the standard battery charger plugs in) and is covered by a rubber shield to keep water and debris out. The pack itself is removable for safe storage inside (do this if the temperatures are getting high or low because that’s hard on the battery cells) and being able to take the pack off also makes transporting the bike even easier because it reduces the weight by 6+ pounds.

Operating the e-Joe Koda is mostly great but I do have one gripe. To power the bike on you first have to press a rubberized “on” button which is located at the top of the battery pack and then you have to press a second “on” button using the control pad near the left grip. Several other electric bikes do this, even from the biggest brands such as the IZIP E3 Peak, but it still annoys me. It takes extra time and might even cause confusion if you haven’t ridden for a while and simply forget the two step process. Okay, once the ebike is on things are all good! The display (which is fairly large, grayscale and backlit) comes to life and shows your speed, battery level, odometer, trip distance, timer and assist level. You can ride the Koda using throttle-only in assist level 0 and from there you can use the cadence sensing pedal assist in 1, 2, 3 or 4 for increasing power output. This is a more active electric bike, even the frame design, saddle and bar style (flat vs. swept back) help to position your body for pedaling and that’s a good thing for some people. If you’re less inclined to pedal and just want to relax, check out the e-Joe Anggun which offers a more upright ride and also has a throttle. If you aren’t sure but are leaning towards the Koda, rest assured that the trigger throttle can be used at any time to override assist and get you going. I’m very impressed with the design to be honest, it’s nice to have full control.

I scored this electric bicycle very well because it’s priced so low, not because it’s perfect. There are nicer looking models, more powerful options and bikes that come in a full range of sizes from other companies but all are significantly more expensive. That said, e-Joe is a company I have learned to trust over the years and one that takes feedback into consideration and continues to iterate. The Koda would be an excellent college ebike or a commuting platform for a professional. It looks handsome, comes with all of the features you need to go from day one and it’s relatively comfortable thanks to the suspension fork, hybrid tires and ergonomic grips. The battery is high quality and well integrated here and while I do wish they had squeezed in a bottle cage somewhere on the frame, you can always buy an accessory or use a saddle bag like this to add one. Considering the one year comprehensive warranty on this bike, it’s a solid choice in my opinion.

Pros:

• Excellent price point ~$2k given the large name-brand battery pack, powerful 500 watt geared motor and purpose-built frame design
• Comes standard with lots of useful accessories for commuting including quality fenders with mud flaps, an upgraded carry rack that uses standard sized tubing, LED lights and Tektro mechanical disc brakes
• Good ride comfort thanks to upgraded ergonomic grips and the adjustable (rebound) suspension fork with lockout, I believe the saddle was also upgraded after I shot this review and is now more comfortable
• Excellent weight distribution, even considering the rear hub motor, the battery keeps most of the weight low and centered across the frame
• The battery pack can be charged on or off the bike and includes a USB charging port outlet (to power your phone or portable electronics while riding)
• The trigger throttle can be used alone or anytime pedal assist is active, it overrides assist for an instant blast of energy to help overcome hills or get you started from rest, I like how large and easy to reach the throttle is but also that it stays out of the way (it mirrors the trigger throttles and looks nice)
• Front wheel offers quick release which is convenient for maintenance or transporting the bike inside of a car, the rear wheel requires tools but does have a nice quick-disconnect point in the power cable

Cons:

• Only available in one frame size (Medium 17″) with a high-step design which might be difficult for shorter riders to mount and stand over
• No bottle cage mounts on the downtube due to the integrated battery pack design, it seems like there could have been room on the seat tube but this may have impacted how low the seat post could go? Consider a saddle-rail bottle cage
• The LCD display panel is not removable which means it could take more wear over time if parked outside
• The headlight and tail light require their own batteries and do not run off the main pack, this can be annoying as it’s easier to accidentally leave a light on and have the batteries wear out
• The bike has two power buttons (one on the battery pack and one for the display) which means there is an extra step to get going and that some riders might get confused or wonder if there is a problem when they only try the display panel power button
• The controller requires an extra box which is attached to the seat tube, this adds extra wires and diminishes the clean aesthetic of the integrated battery pack

Resources:

• Official Site: http://ejoebike.com/2015-koda
• More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/pXyibf93jiK2ktBCA