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.
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ebiker
9 years agoCourt’s review says that the Coda has a torque sensor, but the specs says that it has a cadence sensor. Which is correct?
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoGreat question! I’ve updated the written portion to say torque sensor as e-Joe has updated their systems post-Interbike and it no longer measures torque. This change means you will be required to expend more energy when starting from rest but will not have to work as hard to maintain speed once the drive system is active. If you choose to pedal more gently and rely on the motor however, you may also experience decreased range :)
Replypaul roscelli
9 years agoThe weight here says 43 lbs–that’s pretty light and a selling point if true. I have seen other reviews that place the weight at closer to 55 lbs with the thought being that the 43 lbs was an transpositional error from one of their other bikes. Can you confirm that the weight is closer to 43 lbs? thanks
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Paul! This seems really light to me as well, especially for having fenders and a rack like that. Still… with the integrated battery and smaller hub motor it might be possible. The bike I actually weighed and test rode at Interbike 2014 was a pre-production model so my weights could either be off based on the final model weighing more or I could have made a mistake when recording this. I cannot say for sure but I will check the next time I see this bike in person and if you find out, please let me know as well!
ReplyManuel Silveira
9 years agoCourt, Your review was great but it failed to mention one thing that may turn buyers off from this bike. Your video review is of a prototype bike and the one they are actually shipping has a big ugly controller box mounted on the seat tube post which will make placing a water bottle cage in that location impossible. The e-Joe web site also shows pictures of a prototype bike without the controller box causing some confusion. I had ordered this bike after watching your review, but after speaking with someone at e-Joe and finding out that what they are shipping is different I had to cancel my order.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoThanks Manuel! I noticed that as well and recently changed the main photo (on the white background at the top) to show the controller box. I agree that it’s ugly and inconvenient… thanks for pointing it out and I hope you find the perfect bike for your needs, I’m sure e-Joe appreciated your feedback too, they keep improving their products but are definitely more value oriented which means some trade offs in quality and aesthetics ;)
ReplyD
9 years agoHello, Just wanted to let you know – I confirmed with the company (Ejoe) over the phone that the weight of this bike is 49 lbs, not 43 – apparently 43 was a the weight of the prototype before they went to production. They have updated the weight specs on their website as well: http://ejoebike.com/2015-koda
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoThank you! I’ll update this in my specs as well, really appreciate you going out of your way to check with them and report back :D
ReplyLeroy Keim
4 years agoHello, just to let people know to be a little careful when buying from this company. I tried to be a dealer for this company and the service is not good. I have been waiting 6 month for a motor to be repaired or a new one and every time I call they say, yea they ordered it last week.
Not sure what to think. The bike seems to work decent for the price that you pay but lookout once you need parts!
ReplyCourt
4 years agoThanks for the feedback, Leroy. I’m sorry that your experience has been mixed and I appreciate you sharing here with us.
Reply