A couple of years ago I stumbled upon the Emazing Bike electric bicycle brand and while I hadn’t heard of the company prior to seeing it at a shop in San Francisco, I found their products to be unique and quite enjoyable. I haven’t seen them at many other shops across the US but they do appear to sell online. In short, they offer ebikes that are light weight, well balanced, quiet to operate and very smooth. The Artemis is one of the higher-end offerings for urban riding and compared to its cousin the Daedalus 72pd, it offers a larger more powerful motor, throttle mode in addition to assist and front and rear disc brakes. There are integrated attachment points for fenders and a rear rack if you’d like to use it for commuting purposes and at ~38 pounds (depending on the frame size you choose) it’s lighter than most other electric bikes I’ve tested. If you take the battery off, it gets even lighter and could easily be lifted and mounted to car, bus or train racks. Since the hub motor is a geared freewheeling design, the bike operates very well even when it’s not powered on. While the Artemis 73hd does not include a suspension fork or seat post shock, you could add a Thudbuster for ~$160 after market to smooth things out.
At 350 watts, the geared hub motor used on the Artemis is about average in terms of strength but actually quite satisfying to ride. As mentioned previously, it freewheels so you aren’t fighting any resistance and the unit is fairly light weight. It’s almost hidden behind the rear disc brake and seven speed Shimano cassette. If you watch the video review above, you’ll notice that the motor is almost inaudible for the handheld shots. Only when I mounted the camera to the frame could you hear the whirring sound of it activating when climbing or going through the rocks. There’s not quick release for the rear wheel on this bike so changing flats or doing service might involve more effort. While many entry-level electric bikes only include a cadence sensor, the Artemis 73hd includes this as well as a TMM4 torque or “strain” sensor that measures how hard you push. The combination of these two sensors (and the 12 magnet design of the cadence disc) is easy to appreciate when you’ve ridden other bikes. This bike doesn’t feel jerky at all and I’d guess that the impressive range is due in part to these sensors working to activate the motor without wasting energy. Note that range will surely suffer the more that you use throttle mode.
The battery pack driving the motor and display system on the Artemis offers 36 volts of power with almost 9 amp hours of capacity. That’s pretty solid, about medium in terms of capacity compared with other bikes I’ve tested. The battery chemistry is Lithium Nickel Oxide, similar to what’s used in laptops and cell phones. Characteristics include high energy density (making it light weight) and good life (meaning it can endure many charge cycles before degrading). In an ideal world the battery would be integrated directly into the tubing on the bicycle creating space for a bottle cage and just cleaning it up a bit (the battery pack did rattle a bit during my test rides). Ultimately, the canister design they chose offers the same low and balanced weight but is easier to remove and more affordable than an integrated design. It stays out of the way when pedaling and can be charged on or off the frame which is great for commuting if you want to keep people from tampering with the system.
Operating the bike requires two steps. Once the battery is charged and secure on the frame, you press an on/off toggle switch there and then hold the mode button on the button pad mounted to the left bar. The display and button pad are fairly generic but they work well and are easy to access when riding. The display shows battery level, speed, range and pedal assist mode 1 through 5. The higher assist you choose, the more power the motor will receive and the easier it will be to accelerate, climb or maintain high speeds. The rest of the handle bar cockpit area is clean and familiar to anyone who has ridden a traditional bicycle. The grips are flat rubber and on the right side there’s a half-twist shifter which controls the Shimano Tourney TX derailleur. The stem is a riser style and the handlebar itself is also a riser so this brings the grips up and back creating a more comfortable ride. The brake levers are from Tektro and operate the front and rear mechanical disc brakes (some models may include hydraulic disc brakes) which should offer some stopping advantage in wet conditions as compared with rim brakes.
My favorite aspect of this bike is how light and balanced it is… It would be an excellent commuter because it’s fun to ride but doesn’t look too fancy or cost too much. Yeah, it’s still not “cheap” by any means but the upgraded assist and balanced battery design comes at a bargain here. The drivetrain is generic along with the pedals, grips and other hardware but the four frame sizes and the frame itself is very nice. The Emazing Bike Artemis 73hd is not available in a step-thru configuration at this time but the top tube does cut away which makes standing over the bike a bit easier. I like the fender and mounting bosses and grew to appreciate the hardware that was installed on the demo bike reviewed here but that will cost extra. I think this ebike is priced about right but it doesn’t feel like a bargain compared to some of the other Emazing Bike models I’ve tried. If you’re a heavier rider who thinks the extra power is worth it or if you want that twist throttle, this might be a good choice.
An approachable city style electric bike with sturdy paint-matched fenders, a nice chain guide and retention system, and adjustable handlebars with ergonomic grips. Upgraded tires provide puncture protection and reflectivity, the rear rack increases utility for commuting or…...
A lightweight cruiser style e-bike with classic cantilever frame style, reinforced top tube, good weight distribution, available in two sizes and two colors. Beautiful tubular alloy fenders with matching paint, sturdy chainring guard and plastic guide to keep…...
An efficient electric-assist city bike with sturdy tubular fenders, a rear cargo rack, puncture-resistant tires with reflective paint and a removable battery pack. Large 180 mm mechanical disc brakes provide smooth controlled stops and stay cleaner in wet…...
A lightweight, hardtail, 29er trail style electric bike with efficient motor and battery pack, it offers smooth, dynamic pedal assist and twist throttle. Nice 100 mm suspension fork with lots of adjustability (compression, preload, rebound, and lockout), durable…...
Well priced, very light weight for a hardtail mountain-style ebike, great 5 year warranty. Drive system uses a combination of cadence sensing and torque sensing for responsiveness...
An affordable, light weight active commuter style electric bike with excellent range. Lithium battery is mounted low and center on the frame for balance, removable for easy…...
Be the First to Post a Comment