2015 Easy Motion Evo City Wave Review

This review is for the 2015 model Evo City Wave from Emotion, you can see the latest version on this page which costs slightly more and has a larger battery and more powerful motor.

The Easy Motion Evo City Wave is a well balanced, feature-packed electric bike that delivers pedal assist and throttle on demand power. With this ebike you get fenders, a chain guard, a rear rack with bungee cords, a dynamo powered set of LED lights, a removable battery pack and a two year warranty for ~$3k and you get a two year warranty! It’s an excellent platform but the downsides are that it only comes in one color and one size (a step-thru medium) and you cannot use the throttle to override pedal assist. You might notice that the Evo City Wave resembles the Evo Eco Lite and Evo Street but includes suspension (whereas the lite does not) and uses a slightly larger frame and larger wheels as compared with the Street. While this still is not a large bicycle, it’s basically the best bet for taller riders. The step-thru frame makes it very easy to stand over and mount and the low-rise swept back handlebars offer a “heads up” riding position so you can spot traffic and avoid bending forward (which might cause back and neck pain over time). It’s not the lightest weight e-bike I’ve tested but given the nice accessories and larger battery capacity, it’s a solid offering.

The motor powering the Evo City Wave is a 350 watt geared hub mounted in the rear wheel. Being geared, it’s relatively small and light weight but still peppy. The drawback is a bit more noise (that comes from the plastic planetary gears inside). The brand that Easy Motion uses for their Evo line is Dapu and these are some of the most powerful geared motors I’ve tested (for their rating). You get 350 watts nominal but the motor actually peaks above 500. One of the big improvements for these 2015 models is the power cable being moved from the right side of the right side of the hub to the left, this reduces clutter near the derailleur and also protects the power cable more if the bicycle tips over. Also worth highlighting a unique quick release system that has been added to all Evo models. There are two plastic levers that can be used tool-free to remove your rear wheel and this is handy for trail maintenance (fixing a flat for example).

Powering the bike is a beautiful custom-designed Lithium-ion battery pack that mounts right into the downtube. It’s seamless, the pack is painted to match the rest of the frame and in my opinion it’s one of the most beautiful battery solutions in the ebike space (as of the time of this writeup). This pack can be charged on or off the bike which makes it convenient (for transporting or for when you’re storing the bike at a rack or in a garage). I recommend storing batteries in cool dry environments because extreme heat and cold can harm the chemistry and reduce the number of charge cycles you get. Withe the Evo series, Easy Motion has increased the battery capacity from 36 volt 9 amp hours to 11.6 amp hours which is ~30% more capacity and that means more range. Thankfully, the battery hasn’t changed much in terms of weight at ~5.5 lbs. Other new features include a built in LED power indicator right on the battery and a charging interface that lets you plug into the bike whereas before you always had to take the battery off in order to charge it and that meant increased potential for drops and scrapes.

Operating this bike simple and intuitive. Once the battery is charged (again, on or off the bike) and locked into the frame you simply press the middle button on the display panel for a few seconds and the bike powers on. From here, you are shown speed, charge level, trip distance and assist level by default. You can activate backlighting on the LCD display by holding the up arrow for a couple of seconds and you can alternate menu readouts by pressing that middle button again (for timer and odometer). I love that the LCD unit is removable because that might decrease weathering and vandalism and it’s neat that they color match the bezel with the rest of the bike (it’s white in this case). The cockpit stays relatively clean thanks to the combined display + buttons but you also have a basic bell, trigger shifters to operate the 24 speeds and hydraulic brake levers. The stem (that connects the headset to the handlebars) is adjustable and tool-free meaning you can improve ergonomics on the fly if you want to be more forward or upright. A couple downsides to consider are non-locking grips that can heat up and twist if you’re really bearing down and the limited throttle activation (mentioned earlier). Basically, you can only use the throttle in “no assist” mode and once you begin using pedal assist the throttle shuts off. I wish this wasn’t the case because I like to ride in lower assist levels (for exercise and to extend range) and then having to interact with the display to get the throttle active when climbing a hill can be distracting.

In closing, the Easy Motion Evo City is a beautiful and well built bike. It’s priced very well and really delivers at a high level in the marketplace today. In the future, I would love to see the throttle override pedal assist and a larger size might also be nice (and also another color perhaps). This would be the “city style” electric bike that I’d select from the Evo lineup because of the larger frame and wheels (I’m ~5’9″) and I love the suspension, gel saddle and comfortable grips because my back and neck can otherwise become sore navigating urban environments with curbs and cracks. The dynamo powered lights are really neat and add a level of safety that’s more commonly seen in Europe but it would be great if the front wheel could somehow include quick release like the rear wheel. Honestly, it almost seems like 24 speeds is overkill and if this was just 16 and could reduce the price or weight I’d happily make the trade. If you’re looking for an excellent urban ebike then the City could be a great option… be sure to explore the other Easy Motion bikes however becasue they have one of the most complete lineups of any company I’m aware of right now :)

Pros:

• Dynamo powered lights will operate independently from the rest of the bike, this means if you run out of battery power and have to pedal manually you will still have safety
• Great safety, utility and cleanliness thanks to the full length fenders with mud flaps, large plastic chain guard, rear carry rack with pannier blockers and extra reflectors and reflective sidewall stripes on the tires
• Decent “creature comforts” to make riding more comfortable including and adjustable suspension fork and rubber ergonomic grips
• The stem features an adjustable angle feature that doesn’t require tools and the fenders can also be adjusted tool-free which is handy if they get bumped and need to be straightened
• The Evo City Wave uses 700c 28″ wheels vs. 26″ tires on the Evo Street and Evo Eco Lite and that allows them to roll more efficiently once up to speed while also spanning cracks and bumps more easily
• The battery pack can be charged on or off the bike, is integrated into the downtube for a clean “stealthy” aesthetic and features a lock for security
• Offers both throttle mode and pedal assist with four levels to emphasize range or speed, zippy powerful feel from the efficient 350 watt geared motor (548 watt peak output)
• The LCD display is removable, easy to reach and activate from the left grip, backlit for use in low lighting conditions (just hold the down arrow for two seconds)
• Tektro Auriga E-Comp levers have motor cutoff switches built in and are easy to activate with just a finger or two, the large 180 mm front rotor and standard 160 mm rear rotor offer great stopping power for trail and mountain terrain
• New tool-free quick release system on the rear wheel makes changing flats and doing service much easier, the motor power cable also has a quick disconnect built in
• The motor power cable location has been updated, now entering the hub on the left side of the bike vs. the right side where the derailleur and cassette are, this helps to reduce complexity, clutter and damage if the bike tips
• TMM4 torque sensor activates the motor smoothly and the control system reduces surge when pedaling but the motor does run a bit longer when you stop pedaling
• When using Eco mode (the lowest level of pedal assist) power is now gentler and smoother which provides better range, this was a request from many customers of the older Easy Motion Neo electric bikes
• The battery uses high end 18650 Lithium Manganese cells from Samsung that are light weight and long lasting, excellent energy density here (lower weight, more power)
• Comes with one of the best warranties in the electric bike industry from a major company that I know of right now, two years comprehensive

Cons:

• The headlight is mounted to the lower portion of the suspension fork which increases unsprung weight and may cause the light beam to bounce around more than if it were mounted to the head tube or handle bars
• No bottle cage mounting points on the downtube or seat tube which means you’ll need to add one to the seat post or saddle rails, wear a CamelBak or add a bag to the rear rack
• The charging port for the battery is positioned near the left crank arm and you can break it if you forget to unplug before wheeling the bike around
• Throttle cannot be used at all when riding in pedal assist mode, you have to arrow down to “No Assist” and then activate using the half grip twist
• Tektro hydraulic disc brakes provide decent stopping power but aren’t as smooth as Avid and may rattle or squeak with use
• The rear wheel offers a unique quick release lever system but the front does not, this is odd to me because usually the front wheel offers it and is much easier to take off during transport, this may have been excluded due to the dynamo hub with wire for the lights
• The controller on this bike lets the motor run a second or two long after you’ve stopped pedaling, this reduces “surge” (the jerky feeling of power going up and down with each pedal stroke) but makes the bike feel unresponsive at times, thankfully the motor inhibitors in the brake levers are instant
• Just one frame size, style and color to choose from here (medium 19, step-thru, white) which works alright given the adjustable seat post and stem angle, consider the Evo Street if you’re shorter

Resources:

• Official Site: http://www.emotionbikesusa.com/ebikes/EV414
• More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/1SiBZivjkK8Sweet7