The Neo Race is rare and wonderful creation. A high quality road bike with truly seamless electric assist and throttle built right in. What sets it apart are high quality build from a trusted name in bicycles (BH), low center of gravity with integrated lithium ion battery pack, overall light weight (for an ebike) and extensive warranty. If you’re into fast, high performance bicycle riding where you can literally beat cars off the line then this bike will have you floored! And if you’re willing to pay a little bit more to smooth out the ride, Easy Motion has a full carbon version called the Neo Carbon with disc brakes for $4,499… though surprisingly it weighs three pounds more.
I absolutely love road biking. The speed, minimalism and rush of cruising through the air makes me feel fit and untouchable. In the world of electric bikes, most hardware is heavy, clunky and unbalanced but not the Neo Race. It stays true to the road biking values because in essence, it is a road bike. The frame and tires are thin, rider positioning is very aggressive for improved aerodynamics and the light weight v-brakes are high quality from Shimano. The only thing that seems to be lacking is a drop bar vs. traditional flat handlebar.
On to the electric side of this bike… The motor is brushless and geared at 350 watts which puts it at mid-level in terms of power and torque but that keeps it light weight. The battery pack uses Samsung lithium cells which are known for reliability and that’s why BH offers a two year warranty with every bike (you can even upgrade to five by registering online but that won’t include the battery). At 24 volts the battery is on the lower side power wise but 9 amp hours is pretty standard.
In case you’ve been exploring multiple bikes and are concerned about the lower numbers here I want remind you of the light weight and overall quality build of this bike. It’s smooth, silent and very capable in therms of range, torque and speed. You’ll easy cruise past 20mph at which point the motor cuts out (due to legal regulations). This bike is meant for fit people who want to pedal, if you’re an over weight rider looking for a scooter, this bike will still move you but it will be uncomfortable both in terms of positioning and when going over bumps.
The LCD controller unit lets you choose from four modes of pedal assist, lists speed and distance and is removable. I’m a big fan of this unit because it’s small, intuitive to use with only three buttons and built to be weather proof. The main LCD unit sits on the left side of the handlebar and has an up and down button for choosing modes along with an on/off selector button in the middle. On the right handlebar the rider has a trigger button for driving the bike in throttle mode. It’s a great setup that works well and stays out of the way.
The best part of this bike is the acceleration. When using pedal assist, a torque sensor measures the pressure being applied to the pedals and scales electric input to boost you forward. It literally feels like flying and reminds me of being a little younger when I would ride every day and had extremely strong legs. A few downsides to the bike worth mentioning are the lack of a water bottle mount on the downtube, lack of ability to charge without removing battery pack, no integrated lights, no fenders and no drop bars. The price is reasonable and on par with non-electric road bikes.
For someone who loves speed, wants help with longer rides (staying up with faster friends) or a commuter who wants to slap some fenders on this bike works great. Easy Motion offers several great bikes and this is one of the stiffest and least forgiving over bumps. I recommend using it primarily on road. Battery replacements can be had for ~$500 but shouldn’t be required for at least a year and a half of steady riding.
Pros:
- Stiff, light weight and extremely fast
- Intuitive, weather proof LCD computer that’s removable
- Torque sensor for use in pedal assist mode, very responsive
- Integrated wires, very clean design
- Two year battery warranty from BH
- Aggressive rider positioning for aerodynamic cruising
- Built in braze ons for fenders, rear rack and disc brakes
Cons:
- No drop bars
- No water bottle mounts on downtube (get seat post cages)
- V-brakes vs. disc
- Battery must be removed to charge
- No shocks, much bumpier to ride than the Neo Cross or other partial suspension bikes but akin to a traditional road bike
Resources:
- Official Site: http://www.emotionbikesusa.com/ebikes/EN803
- More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/NFjYQktt99jQwLGi9
Brad says
If this is in the 28 MPH speed category does it mean that the throttle is limited to 20 MPH yet you can go up to 28 if you pedal, or 28 MPH on the highest level of pedal assist??
I’m addicted to your reviews by the way. You truly do an outstanding job.
Court Rye says
Hey, thanks Brad! Some speed pedelecs have a throttle and some do not but there are very few electric bikes that will go over 20mph in throttle mode alone. Even if you pedal and twist the throttle, most will cut out at 20mph to stay legal. Speed pedelec refers to those bikes that will assist you above 20mph (usually up to ~28) if you are in pedal assist mode and actively pedaling along :)
Ian says
Hi Court, Do you know which brand of motor is used on this bike? I looked on their site but there aren’t any details. I’m thinking I’d like to electrify my road bike in a similar fashion and it would be nice to use a high quality 350w motor rather than something cheap and unproven. Thanks!
Court Rye says
Great question Ian, I believe all of the 350 watt geared hub motors that Easy Motion uses are from a manufacturer called Dapu.
Mark S Tanner says
10 years ago, I owned a heavy, folding electric bike, then for the past 2 years a Neo City, and am now considering more of a road bike. What do you think of Easy Motion Easy Racer vs. Stommer? Dealer seems to favor the latter, – but it seems pretty heavy to me, as was Neo City. I live next to the beach in San Diego, so not lots of hills, – great bike riding weather year round. I really enjoy your reviews.
Court Rye says
Hi Mark! I like both the Race and Stromer ST1/ST2. Depending on the model you get, the Stromer may offer a higher top speed and more gadgets (especially the ST2) but it will cost a lot more as well. The Neo Race is last year’s model and it’s quite good but should be on sale now. If you want the latest version of this type of road bike from Easy Motion I recommend reading up on the Evo Race which has a larger battery and improved motor design here.
Ron A. says
Hi Court, sorry to resurrect this thread ;) I have been enjoying your reviews on ebikes a lot! A friend is selling his BH Easy Motion Neo Race to me for a bargain price. I was looking at replacing the battery for this bike and began scouring the web for replacement batteries. I learned from my reading that the batteries have improved significantly. So I was wondering if you can guide me to a particular BH battery that is currently used by the latest BH electric bikes that is compatible to the BH Easy Motion Racer. Hope to hear a feedback from you. More power! Ron from Sydney.
Court Rye says
Hi Ron! I think the only way to get a replacement pack for the Easy Motion ebikes (Neo and Evo lines) is to get it from a dealer or Easy Motion. Their design is proprietary… even color matched. I’m not sure where to refer you in Sydney but you could start with any local shops, sometimes they can make orders direct from the company :)
Sadek says
Hi, I really need to buy an Easy Motion Neo Race display console. Can you please help me? Thanks!
court says
Hi, Sadek! The good news about the Easy Motion Line is that they share the same display consoles… at least, I think the Neo and Evo do. You could probably find a brand new one by calling dealers who carry the brand, here’s their dealer map tool. The part is very small and lightweight, so it would be cheap to have mailed if there isn’t a dealer nearby. An alternative might be to search on eBay for the part… but I just tried that and nothing came up. Feel free to comment again, or email/call me for help if you can’t find a shop. I’ll try to help you out more in that case :)
Maggy says
Hello, may I ask if your display also came at 9999.9 km? So the display isn’t go any further? Is this the only solution therefore?