The Neo Cross EN703 combines the performance of stiffer road style bikes with the comfort of a front shock. It’s made by Easy Motion which is a division of BH Bicycles, a company that has been around since 1909. The entire line of electric bikes from Easy Motion rely on the same battery, motor, controller and LCD computer which means that finding and replacing parts is easy and less expensive.
The 300 watt geared, rear hub motor that comes stock on the Neo Cross could be described as mid-level in terms of power but it really shines with this frame and controller setup, especially in pedal assist mode (the bike also offers throttle only mode). The Neo Cross uses a torque sensor to activate the motor when pedaling and this makes acceleration more natural, encouraging the rider to keep going. The ergonomic positioning is also setup much more like any regular road or mountain bike making pedaling comfortable when compared to cruiser style soft seated electric bikes. It’s smooth, quiet and easy to handle, even going up hills.
Since the tires on this bike are mid-sized-slicks there is less resistance slowing things but that also makes the bike a little less comfortable when going over cracks and bumps. This is not a cruiser bike, the riding position is more aggressive and when all things are considered, it’s more of a “rider’s” bike than a moped. If you’re fit and enjoy riding normal bikes around, this bike is going to feel awesome, especially with the added electric boost! If you’re less active and not able to bend forward very well this bike might not be for you.
I love the battery position and design on the full range of Easy Motion’s electric bikes. They’ve used the same battery setup and replacements are only ~$500. It keeps the weight low and spread out on the bike frame vs. rear mounted packs but the one downside is that it has to be removed for charging. It’s not very hard to remove or anything, but as someone who is used to other designs, this bugged me at first.
While the Neo Cross lacks lights, fenders, a chain guard and regenerative braking options. It does it’s own thing very well and comes at a very reasonable price for a higher end electric bike. Don’t let the mid-sized motor fool you, this thing is very efficient. The computer is easy to use and the bike works very well as a bike, electric aside. The pedals are nice and grip well, the paint looks fantastic and the wheels and brakes are very high quality. I’m a fan of the Easy Motion lineup of ebikes and this one is great for sportier riders who want the comfort of a shock and may do occasional light trail riding.
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Steve Corbett
11 years agoI have had the neo cross bike for over a year and found it very reliable and fantastic on hills, however my bike has regenerative braking but no throttle, the bike types must vary between countries.
ReplyThe only problems I have had is with the torque sensor, I think the problem is when you bounce around (jumping of kerbs etc.) it slackens the Allan screws on the sensor.
To repair just tighten the screw usually only 1/8 turn, it you go to far it turns the bike into full throttle bike, which only stops when you brake, then when you release the brakes the bike takes off at full throttle.
This was the only problem I’ve had in over a years use.
dan
10 years agoAs always, very much enjoy your review!
Hoping to get my first ebike for an 8 mile commute with hills. Wanting to get to work without sweating and maybe use for fun on occasion as well. Interested and test rode the izip dash and path which get great reviews. Just tried out a neo cross and really liked the in-frame battery (balance); look and the torque sensor they have plus the feel of the bike. Leaning towards the neo for those reasons with after market fenders and rack…
Though there are several currie dealers, There is only one dealer in Seattle working with Easy motion and though the warrranty looks great, I wonder about service if there were problems. Curious as to why only one dealer as well. Would very much appreciate your input as to whether this should be a concern. Any other thoughts that may help me choose would be gratefully received!
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoHey Dan, these are all great bikes in my opinion and actually fairly similar. The Dash and Cross are both sportier more active bikes with that nice suspension fork but no fenders, lights or racks (though you could add them yourself). If you are mostly looking for a commuter and want to spend less the Path+ is a solid bike and uses the same motor and battery as the Dash, just in a different style pack. Regarding Easy Motion, they have a solid two year warranty with five for the frame and motor if your register it. Maybe their is only one dealer nearby due to territories? I know this is how Specialized works. There are lots of discussions going on about the Dash and Path+ in the forums here and you can also read more about Easy Motion in these forums.
ReplyTom P
10 years agoThe Neo Cross is the third e-bike I’ve owned and by far the best. Had it now for a month and 250 miles. I bought an extra battery because the range is a bit low. Now I can throw the extra battery in the pannier and go.
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoAwesome! So glad it’s working out for you Tom. In 2014 many of the Easy Motion Neo bikes started to upgrade to 12 amp hour packs, sounds like your first pack might be the standard 9 ah. Love the idea about using panniers to carry a spare along. For longer scheduled commutes that would work well for leaving one pack at home and one at the office or wherever :)
ReplyMorgan
10 years agoGreat review! I ride over a bridge everyday and frankly am getting a little sick of it on my Cannondale Quick II. I’m thinking either this bike or the Stromer ST1 Elite. I’m not light (250) but I do bike a lot. I plan on using electronic assist mainly on the bridge and occasionally pulling a 45 lb dog in a trailer over said bridge. Would the 350W motor here be too weak? Should I go for the 500W on the Stromer? Thanks Court!
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoHi Morgan! Interesting question… Both of these bikes are fun and capable, the Stromer is heavier but the motor is noticeably more powerful. Given your stature and the extra weight of the dog I think I’d lean towards more power :)
ReplyMichel Clairoux
10 years agoHow to choose a bike frame without trying the bike? I am 5 foot 8 inches and a half. I own two bikes, one is CycloCross Kona Jake the Snake (all alluminum) and the other is Trek Madone 5.2 (all carbon) and both are on 54 cm frame (21 inches). I feel very good with the size of these bikes. My feet touch the ground easily at a stop. There is a Easy Motion Neo Cross 2014 for sale that I am looking at. It is a large frame, 21 inches, do you think the size of this bike could fit me?
ReplyCourt Rye
10 years agoHi Michel, great question here… I think you could manage with the large Neo Cross (especially given your success with the 21″ Trek and and Kona) some people prefer larger frames and some smaller. I think I’m the latter because the medium 19″ Neo Cross frame feels the best to me. We’re not talking about a huge difference between the two sizes and you can always adjust the seat hight, saddle position, bars, risers, stem etc. like a normal bike. If you’re looking for some savings on the 2014 Neo and are used to 21″ frames this sounds like a fit. I’d love to hear how it works out for you!
ReplyAlan huber
9 years agoI have had a bh emotion neo carbon bike for 2 years and absolutely love it. No problems at all. Got an extra battery for more range… am disabled so it’s saved my life!! Looking at buying a neo xtreme second hand for trails. Good condition but 2 issues….has an intermittent error 13 which is a connection issue. Strangely it goes away when ridden! The other issue is that the battery is loose at the bottom, has 4-5 mm of play and the key locking mechanism feels soft when locking the battery. Are these serious issues or just one that need a bit of adjusting, cleaning and tightening?
ReplyThxs Al
Court Rye
9 years agoHi Alan! Sounds like you’re enjoying the BH Easy Motion products, thanks for sharing your experiences with them! I’ve noticed that the plastic downtube batteries can rattle a bit and feel loose when ridden consistently on bumpy terrain. You might be able to add a bit of masking tape or thin foam tape below and under the battery to create a snug fit that will reduce the jitter. This is just my opinion, it’s untested and while I doubt it would impact warranty I just want to be clear that I’m not an expert on the matter and don’t want to be held accountable if you put too much tape on and the battery comes dislodged while riding or something ;)
ReplyNathan Jarrett
9 years agoHey everyone, I’m posting to see if anyone has any suggestions or has had this same problem before. I posted this comment on “reddit.com/r/ebikes/” but I thought I might be able to get some help here as well since I see that Alan Huber has commented about this same problem in the comments above. I have an Easy Motion Neo Cross and I have had this bike since April of 2014. I love this bike it gets me 60 km round trip to work everyday from April to November and sometimes December (I live in Ottawa, Canada so snow limits my use). Since owning this bike I have had issues with it randomly shutting down both while biking or when trying to start it up with a fresh battery. To elaborate, when I’m biking, usually on eco or in the assist off position, the screen will randomly just shut off and if I was in eco the motor stops assisting. Sometimes the screen fades to a very dim error 13 or nothing at all. If I try to unplugging and re-plugging in the display or battery when this happens it doesn’t help, the screen flickers on then promptly off again. Usually I bike a bit with the bike off and then stop and try turning the bike on again. I remove the display, put it back on then turn on the bike and it works again. Every time this happens it seems that the bike just needs a little time to sort itself out. It’s really frustrating and annoying when this happens. I’ve taken the bike in to my authorized dealer and they can’t reproduce the error and therefore have not been able to fix it. I’ll give them credit since they have replaced my motor, display and display holder but the problem has persisted. I’ve contacted Easy Motion but they don’t know what it is either. If anyone has any thoughts or advice I’d appreciate it, thanks.
ReplyCourt Rye
9 years agoHi Nathan, I love Reddit :D sorry to hear about your issues with the Neo Cross, it’s a beautiful ebike but I have heard about similar issues and have even experienced some bad batteries and displays while reviewing at the headquarters (like today… I’m there right now!) I cannot say for sure what the issue is as my time is usually spent on near-new models and if there are problems the company just swaps stuff out to get me going but there has been some chatter about this in the EBR forums. I performed a search here on the forums for “easy motion error 13” that brought up several results. I hope this helps you, I don’t have time to dig in deeper right now but I would love to get you back out there and keep the bike going! Sounds like you’re getting excellent range and taking care of the bike :)
ReplyNathan
9 years agoJust wanted to provide some closure for anyone wondering. I contacted Easy Motion and they were amazing. Even though my battery is outside of warranty by a few moths they sent me a new battery (a like-new returned battery apparently) in exchange for my old one for free. It seems that was the problem as it has been several weeks with no other issues. It’s customer service like this that will keep me coming back and I can’t stress enough how much of a difference this makes for big purchases like an ebike. In case you were wondering I dealt with John P at Easy Motion, great guy.