eVox City Review

The eVox City is an approachable city style electric bike… Approachable because the frame is lower and the seat post can slide way down to accommodate petite riders. The bike appeared to be very sturdily built but did rattle a bit during my urban test ride. I think the primary culprit was a plastic handle connected to the battery pack. It could have been partially due to the fenders as well. I was confidently told by the rep, who I randomly encountered at a bike shop, that the eVox City is the most popular electric bicycle in Canada! That surprised me because I’ve visited Toronto and Vancouver but had not seen it before. Perhaps it’s used as a bike share platform or I just missed it on prior visits? In any case, I can see why it would be popular given the utilitarian extras and range of battery choices. This is a bike that just feels like it will hold up. It has mechanical disc brakes which are harder to pull but won’t get stuck in sub freezing temperatures. It has an RFID control panel that’s built right into the stem and a four LED headlight that isn’t especially bright or adjustable (thought it does flash) that is also built into the stem. And while it comes in several color options, I’m not sure it would win a beauty contest. It’s strong, offers enough gears to climb or pedal comfortably at speed and is driven by one of the most unique motor systems I’ve ever seen on a mainstream bike.

Unlike most of the mid-drive motors I see and test ride, this one pulls a belt on the left side of the frame while your pedaling pulls a chain on the right. Your person-power functions completely separate from the motor and this has some benefits and drawbacks worth considering. The main strength is that your chain and sprockets aren’t undergoing any additional force and thus, won’t mash and wear prematurely as they often do on Bosch, Yamaha and even Impulse centerdrives. Some of those systems have fancy shift sensing software built in to reduce wear but even then, it just happens. So why aren’t all mid-drives like the eVox City? Well, you don’t get the primary advantage of leverage control. Instead of empowering the motor by shifting to a lower gear as you climb, it only has one cog to turn. Sure, the belt is quiet and clean, the cog has grooves to keep the belt on track and the motor itself is low and centered… right where you’d like it to be for balance and handling. But the motor just isn’t getting the same advantages as most other systems and thus your range might not be as good and you end up with additional weight and a wider rear dropout to accommodate the added cog. Ultimately, I feel it worked alright and appreciated how zippy and quiet it was.

Powering the battery is a high voltage pack that sets vertically into the central area of the frame, the same area you’d stand over when mounting the bike. Perhaps the zippy feeling I described earlier is due to the 96 volts here vs. a more standard 36v or 48v. The pack comes in several sizes with more amp hours raising the price and offering longer rides. Each pack fits into the same physical space and locks in at the base near the left side of the bottom bracket. In the video review above I talk about how the key seems a bit vulnerable here but show that it doesn’t actually snag or bend on the left crank arm. The battery box has a built in LED indicator showing how charged up the cells are which is handy if you’re storing and charging it separately from the bike frame. At the very top is a large plastic handle that folds down when riding… and rattles. This could be solved with a bit of tap perhaps? I guess it’s a good sign that one of my major gripes is a bit of rattling but it was very noticeable on the bumpy city streets.

Operating the bike is very quick and easy but different from most other e-bikes. It’s more secure because you first press the button ring to tell the display that you’re ready to go then swipe an RFID keyfob over the screen to “unlock” it. That’s a neat feature but it can become annoying if you accidentally switch the screen off or misplace the fob. So think about that, you’ve got a key and a fob to keep track of. I’m not sure how many fobs you get with the bike but the one I tested was small and light weight. It’s probably what enables bike share programs and did add a sense of security like people at the rack wouldn’t be able to tamper with your bike and wear the battery down on accident by leaving it on or something. The display itself is simple but easy to read and understand. I was a bit concerned about brightness because it appears to be constantly backlit and there’s a large V logo at the base. Rather than impress and remind me of the brand to share with friends it caused annoyance and a strong desire for electrical tape to cover it up with. There are LED lights built into the front of the stem and they can set to constant on or flashing which is nice but they aren’t aimable or much help with spotting terrain, more about keeping you visible as a rider (along with the reflective sidewall stripes on the tires). The one glaring omission was a rear light… as it stands you’d have to add your own aftermarket solution which would require independent charging and be more prone to theft. My Mom recently lost her bike lights after what she says was a five minute restroom break when she had locked her bike at a city rack. To whomever stole her lights… please don’t put someone’s life at risk to save yourself a few bucks. She had to ride home in the dark after that (as it was dusk) and could have been killed. For that reason, I’m a huge fan of sturdy built-in lights and that’s one thing the eVox City falls short of.

One area the bike shines is utility however and the rear rack comes with a large trunk bag where you can store the quick 4 Amp charger and a light or two. The bike also has a bottle cage mount on the downtube so you can bring some hydration or add a lock or mini pump. I felt that the ride was efficient but slightly more comfortable on average thanks to a mono shock up front and an oversized saddle with rubber bumpers. The bike feels tough but handles well again… at just 52 lbs is amazingly light in my opinion. This is how much some simple hub motor powered electric bikes weigh. Many of them don’t have the fenders or rack and aren’t nearly as approachable. I suppose the Aluminum used by eVox was high quality or their frame was just engineered well. It only comes in one size from what I understand but that makes it easier to produce on bulk to keep that price down. I’m not sure this would be the pic for people who want to hang their bikes on the back of a car (you’d need a frame adapter bar) or those who want to ride a lot off-road or those who want the lightest city solutions but it hits the mark for a ready-for-anyone solution. It’s neat to see a unique approach in the market and whether the rep I met was just being confident or this really is a super star up North, I enjoyed using it and am excited to see what their other models offer in the future. Please chime in if you have experience with the bike or other insights to share :)

Pros:

• Apparently this is a very popular electric bicycle in Canada and is even used for some bike share programs! To me, that signals durability and I did appreciate the fenders and rear rack (with included bag for the powerful 4 Amp charger)
• Step-thru bikes tend to be easier to mount and this one also has a very low seat tube which means the seat post can slide way down to accommodate shorter riders
• Reflective sidewall tape on the tires significantly increases your visual footprint making it safer to ride at night around automobiles
• I love that the frame is purpose built with internal cable routing and extra strong tubing, the bottle cage bosses, quality kickstand and multiple frame color options are icing on the cake
• Comfort becomes a big deal when you ride at higher speeds and over longer distances (which tends to be very common for people with electric bikes) so I love that they chose a more plush saddle and added a head post shock on the eVox City
• The battery pack is very custom and works surprisingly well! It comes in multiple sizes for those who either want to save money or go further and it has an integrated handle for easy removal and separate charging
• Mid drive motors bring weight towards the center of a bike frame which improves balance but most of the ones I’ve tested pull the chain and can prematurely wear on sprockets and derailleurs, in this case the motor pulls a completely separate belt and won’t interfere
• The bikes seemed average to me at first glance (mechanical disc with 160 mm rotors) but on second thought they would work well in cold environments compared with hydraulic that might start to freeze, the levers are very generic and cheap but have inhibitors to cut power to the motor when squeezed
• I was caught off guard by how light this bike is because it looks substantial and heavy (especially with the fenders, rack, double tubing design etc.) my guess was that it would be in the 70 lb range vs. the 52 lbs I weighed
• You get an eight speed mid-level derailleur and I love that the chainring has a guide (two plates keeping the chain on track) since this bike offers throttle on demand which seems to bounce chains a bit more than when you’re pedaling along
• The motor is fairly quiet, perhaps the belt drive system contributes to this but overall I just didn’t hear the same gear whining sound I do on Bosch, Yamaha and some others
• Lots of security with this bike, it cannot be operated without scanning an RFID chip (swiping it over the screen) which is handy if you park in a public spot

Cons:

• One of the big advantages of most mid-drive electric bikes is that they can leverage the same gears you’re pedaling with which improves efficiency and climbing power… in this case that strength is missed because the motor drivetrain only turns one cog in the rear that is a fixed size
• The single-cog belt drive motor design of this bike adds some complexity as well as weight, you end up with an e-bike that stands alone and might intimidate those who need to transport by car occasionally or bike shops that are standoffish when it comes to unique tech
• Throttle power and top speed are limited by the pedal assist level chosen even though you get a variable speed twist throttle… Also, you can’t use the throttle at all when operating in pedal assist. I prefer when you can override assist at full power any time to pass people or top a hill, the way it’s setup there’s just more screwing around to change modes and that’s distracting
• In order to get the battery pack off the bike you need a key and the keyhole is very close to the left crank arm so be careful not to pinch your fingers or get it snagged somehow
• While riding I noticed that the battery pack handle bounced around a bit and made some noise, a piece of electrical tape underneath might help it fit more snug or at least reduce the plastic rattling noise a bit
• The display panel is integrated so you can’t take it off… but it did seem tough! but the actual screen was small… but at least it had some LED lights on the front! but they weren’t especially bright :/ conversely, the display itself (and the big V logo) are bright and tend to shine right in your face when riding so I wish those could be turned down and I’d probably tape over part of the logo just to reduce distraction
• I really wish the bike had a rear light… especially if it’s being used for bike share programs, adding one after market diminishes the other security and integration features of the bike
• The lower assist levels (1-3) didn’t offer much power or speed, I really started to feel it around level 4 when climbing a small hill, I guess this isn’t terrible because some ebikes offer too much power at level 1 and that can be overwhelming for some

Resources:

• Official Site: http://www.evoxbikes.com/
• More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/qjZx5AjHpioYSieC8