Easy Motion Evo Jet Review

The EVO Jet is Easy Motion’s active city oriented ebike for ladies, the equivalent to the EVO Cross for men… Now, if you’re a shorter guy or someone who just appreciates the step-thru design (which makes mounting and standing over bikes easier) then this could still work for you as it comes in two frame sizes (small and medium) and the white paint job with thin black and blue accent strips is fairly unisex. It’s an electric bicycle I’ve reviewed several times including 2015 and the major differences I noticed this time around are as follows: The motor is larger, now offering 500 watts of power vs. 350 watts. It’s still an internally geared Dapu hub that looks great in black (with black spokes and rims surrounding) but now it offers more zip and climbing power, great if you live in a hilly area or plan on carrying a child seat or pulling a trailer. In order to support the larger motor, the battery has also been upgraded to offer a higher capacity and higher voltage with more amp output from the controller. The pack is still beautifully designed, it fits into the downtube and has small rubber sticky feet on the bottom to reduce rattling and provide a tight fit. On the bottom of the battery there’s an LED readout showing how full it is along with a charging port but I usually leave it on the bike so it doesn’t get dropped or scratched. This is one area where the design is imperfect as the two charging ports require different plug interfaces so there’s an extra wire connector piece that you have to keep track of AND when you plug into the bike frame, the wire protrudes very close to the left crank arm and could get bumped or even broken off if you back the bike up while charging (because the crank arms automatically move backwards as the wheel pulls the sprockets and chain). The other big improvement for 2016 is larger tires! Instead of Kenda 700x38c which is roughly 28″ x 1.5″ Emotion has gone with 28″ x 2″ Schwalbe Big Ben. They offer more comfort, along with the basic SR Suntour suspension fork and still have a puncture protection layer and reflective sidewall stripes.

Operating this and other Easy Motion Neo and EVO series electric bikes is pretty intuitive. You charge the battery, make sure it’s mounted correctly (you should hear it click in to the frame) then hold the middle rubber button down on the display panel. It comes to life showing speed, odometer, assist level and some other readouts. If you hold the down arrow the display backlight will come on for use at night and if you hold up and down you can enter into the menu area and change settings (like mph to kph). I like how thin and small the display is, the fact that it’s removable and how easy it is to reach from the left hand grip. I don’t like that you have to be in assist level zero to use the twist throttle. I like to spend most of my time pedaling in a lower level of assist to maximize range then occasionally boost with throttle mode (for Class 2 e-bikes that have it like the Neo Jet) but the way the display is setup here, you have to arrow down out of assist then use the throttle temporarily then arrow back up to assist and it’s just distracting and annoying. Maybe they set it up this way to avoid accidental throttle operation? I have noticed that with some bikes where the throttle is always active it’s easy to twist and send the bike out of control when you forget to turn it off or are loading it or handing to a friend. The solution I think is a throttle on/off switch that overrides assist. In any case, it’s nice to at least have throttle mode for when you’re tired, trying not to get hot and sweaty and starting from rest so you don’t have to pedal hard. I like that Easy Motion uses torque sensors for many of their ebikes and the TMM4 model here is responsive and smooth but it does require a bit more effort when pedaling to activate. I also noticed that it lags to stop (to reduce uneven power output). All things considered, this is a beautiful, well made and easy to use electric bike that is well suited to people with shorter legs. It doesn’t sacrifice quality and comes with an industry leading warranty, it should also be available at more shops in the US and abroad so you can see and test ride before making a purchase decision :)

Pros:

• Great tire choice! Instead of using narrow, less comfortable city tires as they have with past iterations of the Jet, Easy Motion has upgraded to name brand Schwalbe Big ben tires that are 2″ wide adding vibration dampening quality to the ride, they also have a puncture protection layer and reflective sidewall stripe
• The bike is very visible with those reflective tire sidewalls and the white paint job, even the battery pack is painted white, everything matches and offers a large visual footprint that’s safer than black or gray etc. all wires including shifter, brake and electrical are internally routed through the frame to reduce snags and look nice
• The battery pack is awesome… has little rubber bumper pads to reduce vibration and provide a snug fit, it has an integrated LED charge indicator so you know how full it is even when it’s not mounted and it uses high quality Samsung cells and it can be charged on or off the frame for convenience
• This bike is decidedly short and easy to mount (but comes in two sizes!), it would be great fit for someone with short legs who feels unstable on taller bikes with high top tubes, it’s ideal for riding around the neighborhood, urban or city environments and would make a great commuting platform with the addition of a disc brake compatible rear rack, fenders and removable lights (I like these rechargeable ones)
• The rims, spokes and motor casing are all painted black to blend in, they look great and because the brakes are disc vs. caliper style the black paint on the rims won’t be marred over time
• The cockpit / handlebar area of the bike is very clean and organized despite having trigger shifters on the left and right sides, I think the thin Emotion display helps a lot (and I like that it’s removable to reduce sun damage or scratching at outdoor racks)
• Reinforced sloping top tube delivers strength and stiffness for responsive handling but lowers the stand over height making the bike easier to mount and control when stopped, especially good if you’ve got a rack with panniers or a child carrier added to the bike
• Unique ratcheting quick release systems on the rear wheel and torque arm (where the hub motor is), makes changing flats and doing maintenance easier… just be careful to align properly and not over-tighten since it uses a TMM4 torque sensor, you’ll still need tire levers, a spare 28″ tube with Schrader valve and a mini pump but just fewer tools
• The power cable running to the rear hub motor is well protected between the disc brake rotor and frame drop out where the quick release arm is, this is much better than coming out the end of the axle as many other ebikes do… and is important if the bike tips or is parked close to other bikes at a rack where the cable could get bent or broken
• The saddle is active so maybe not as squishy or large but it won’t chaff your thighs, for comfort the larger tires, suspension fork and ergonomic grips are great but consider a 31.6 mm Thudbuster or Body Float for even more comfort
• Hydraulic disc brakes offer smooth, powerful stopping performance and the 180 / 160 mm rotors and integrated motor inhibitors give you control over the drive system and mechanical systems of the bike
• With 24 gear combinations to choose from, this bike is easy to pedal at low speed when climbing or at higher speeds when traveling long distances, it easily reaches 20+ mph in pedal assist mode… I’ve taken it up to ~23 mph in testing
• 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)
• Solid warranty offering two years of comprehensive coverage and the option to upgrade to five if you simply register, good network of dealers and lots of compatible batteries out there if yours dies eventually (since most of the EVO models share the same design… but not necessarily the same color)

Cons:

• In order to use throttle mode on this e-bike you have to arrow down to level zero with the display panel… I wish you could simply twist and override pedal assist at any time (since there are four levels of assist and I like to pedal in a lower level but get an instant zip for passing, crossing a street or climbing a hill)
• Not super light weight… with the larger motor and battery pack in 2016 vs. older Jet models, the bike weighs about 53 lbs but thankfully the removable battery and quick release wheels help you lighten that load if you’re lifting the bike into the trunk of your car etc.
• I love that you can charge the battery pack on or off the bike with the EVO series but it requires a special dongle adapter (which could be easy to misplace) because the plugs are different, also the bike-frame plug is positioned very close to the left crank arm which can collide with it and break it off if you back the bike up while charging BE CAREFUL!
• If you purchase the optional Bluetooth module it completely replaces the LCD display but doesn’t have a display of its own so you have to use your phone… and that’s okay but there’s no charging port to keep your phone from draining rapidly as you use it for GPS etc.
• No bottle cage mounting points on the seat tube which means you’ll need to add one to the handlebar area (there’s a neat coffee cup sized holder you cold add here) or saddle rails, wear a CamelBak for more active riding
• 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 near-instant

Resources:

• Official Site: http://www.emotionbikesusa.com/en/bicycles/ebikes/evo-jet-uv516-us.html
• More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/7wvSUpH2bQPbzmgo6