MOD BIKES Easy Review

To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This review was sponsored by MOD Bikes. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to be an endorsement of MOD Bikes products.

MOD Bikes is a new company to me, and I can’t help but admire their vision. EBR began in Austin, Texas out of a need to save the environment and money. To my surprise, that need has grown so much that Austin now is home to MOD Bikes, a company based here that sells locally as well as online. Their fonder tells me they plan to expand too. It is easy to see why they are doing well with a combinations of great bikes, commuter options, and a customer centric approach. Make sure to check out the video review to meet him and the team at their flagship store in Austin. Today we are checking out the Easy, a motorcycle-esque attention grabbing and utilitarian cruiser bike. The bike comes in just 1 69.8lb frame size, but they do have 3 colors to choose from and plenty of extra accessories to go around. Some of the better ones worth mentioning are the sidecar options. They have a cargo style sidecar basket for $399 which adds to the possibilities of what you could use the bike for. There is also an actual boat style sidecar for $599 that can fit a 120lb passenger. Super cool! Like I said, this really opens the door for what you might want to use this bike for, but I do have to say that it can effect the balancing a bit. With a sidecar attached, you will have to learn to take right turns a little slower to hold that stability. Anyways, the tires are a 24” x 3” wide Kenda setup. I think these are great for the city, neighborhood, or paved trails as they are like a more efficient almost fat-tire. There is a lot of creature comforts here, like the cozy ‘Drifter’ saddle with coil bumpers, swept back handlebars, ergonomic faux leather grips, and suspension seat post. The seat post does have preload adjust, but is a little basic since it offers just 40mm of travel, but I am still glad it is here, it makes the ride more comfortable regardless. I love the battery integrated lights here, they have them both in the front and the rear. The front is this really cool steel cased 6 LED light with a secret storage compartment hidden behind it, while the rear has 2 LED lights. Safety has always been a priority for myself and other cyclists, so it’s nice to see that more and more companies are including these on ebikes. You also get black steel fenders and a rear rack adding to the utility. The rear rack is rated for 55lbs of cargo and its positioned in a way to keep the weight steady while still letting you put the seat all the way down. Other features include bottle cage bosses, neoprene cable wraps, and a quick release on the front wheel.

Driving the bike is a Hengtai 500 watt nominal, 830 watt peak hub-drive motor. This fat-tire specific planetary geared hub motor has about 60nm of torque and you really can feel it kick in, it is rather satisfying. The bike is electrically moved by either the throttle or cadence based pedal assist via the sealed 12 magnet cadence sensor. It is almost a speed pedelec, since the top speed is 25mph and the whole experience is quite quiet, I was impressed. Mechanically, the bike has a 7 speed Shimano Altus, so a nice step up from entry level. It is using an 11-32 tooth cassette, and it is nickel plated, so it should hold up a bit better. In the front, you get a 52 teeth steel chain ring with a full chain guard. Everything works smoothly and I love the trigger shifters here too, makes for a much better commute if you ask me. Stopping the Easy is a set of 160mm rotor hydraulic disc brakes. These feature dual pistons and a motor inhibitors on each handle. Normally I would be looking for 180mm rotors, but with a smaller wheel size like this, I think it works perfectly.

Powering the bike is a 48v 13ah lithium ion battery pack that weighs about 8.3lbs. The battery is mounted inside the top tube. I have seen so many retro ebikes or motorcycle with batteries stuck in the frame that are either not removable or only removable with much effort. I am happy to report that for the MOD Bikes Easy, it is pretty simple to get in and out. Enough to certify this as a completely removable battery. The compartment locks and the battery is removed by undoing 2 velcro straps and then unplugging the battery from the system. Pretty easy! Charging here is done with a bit more basic 2amp charger, but at least it will maintain the battery cycles a little better than burning it out with a super fast 5amp charger. To really care for this and other lithium-ion packs, I have heard that storing in a cool dry location vs. extreme heat or cold will extend the life, and try to keep it about 50% full when not using for long periods so you won’t stress the cells. Try not to let it run down to zero, because that’s really hard on the cell chemistry.

Using the display is pretty straight forward. The display is grayscale, backlit, but I don’t think it is removable. Once the battery is in place, press ‘i’ on the controls to turn it on. You will notice the display come on and ask for a password. That’s right, this bike is password protected, meaning others can’t activate the system unless they know the code. A great feature and I wish they had it on more bikes. Once you see the main screen, it will show battery read out in 5 bar infographic, mode of assist you are in (0-5) wattage read out and speed. If you press ‘i’ it will cycle through readouts from trips, max speed, average speed, and ride time. To turn on the lights, hold +. Now if you turn those lights off and on 3 times in a row, it will active a flashing mode for the front headlight. Pretty cool! Holding + and – together will take you to a settings menu where you can change things like the max speed or even how many levels of assist you want (can go all the way up to 9). Once in this menu, hold the ‘i’ button to save the settings and exit. There is a walk mode too, with a button on the bottom, just underneath the main controls. Finally, I love that they put a 2v charging USB port on the display so you don’t have to charge off the battery down below. It is in a much better spot for charging a phone or GPS and has the right amount of juice to charge new devices like current generations iPhones.

When it is all said and done, this bike is fun, comfortable, utilitarian, and defiantly an attention getter. It seems to have all the boxes checked. At $3,290, it is not a bad price and local customers in Austin even get a government rebate on top of that as well as some free tune-ups. The 18 month comprehensive warranty is great too. But there are some tradeoffs to consider. For example, there is no slap guard, so that beautiful paint could get nicked. I recommend getting an aftermarket slap guard on Amazon or at least putting some clear box tape on that area. The 5 bar battery infographic is getting long in the tooth, now-a-days, a lot of displays have battery readouts in percentages so you don’t have to guess if you have 1% or 20% battery left at 1 bar. Probably the biggest trade off is getting used to having a sidecar if you choose that as an option. Turning left is easy, but turning right means you have to slow way down. It is not the end of the world, and experience comes with time and it becomes a non-issue. All in all, it is a great bike and they even have a ton of accessories available for it and even offer free shipping in the US. I want to thank MOD Bikes for inviting me out to Austin and letting me check out their shop and bikes!

As always, I welcome questions and feedback in the comment section below. Whether you own a previous version of the bike, have taken a test ride, or are brand new to the space, my goal is to provide an objective and honest resource. You can also join the MOD Bikes ebike forums and share your own photos, videos, and review updates to help others! Have fun out there, and ride safe :)

Pros:

• A speedy electric motorcycle-esque bike that is supported by a passionate company, comfortable, capable and very utilitarian with features like the rear rack or optional sidecars
• Uses a Hengtai 500 watt nominal, 830 watt peak hub-drive motor, this fat-tire specific planetary geared hub motor has about 60nm of torque
• Crusing ready with rear rack, fenders, lights, suspension seat post, adjustable kickstand, and comfort saddle with spring bumpers
• Mod bikes focuses on commuting so they have a lot of available accessories, they also have an 18 month comprehensive warranty and free shipping in the US
• The tires are a 24” x 3” wide Kenda setup, I think these are great for the city, neighborhood, or paved trails as they are like a more efficient almost fat-tire
• Mod Bikes makes a cargo style sidecar basket for $399 which adds to the possibilities of what you could use the bike for, there is also an actual boat style sidecar for $599 that can fit a 120lb passenger, super cool!
• An included suspension seat post with 40mm of travel and even preload adjust, a great addition to any bike
• I love that they included battery integrated lights in the front and rear for safety, the front is this really cool steel cased 6 LED light with a secret storage compartment hidden behind it, while the rear has 2 LED lights, this is something we are starting to see more often on bikes and I am glad it is here
• A nice 7 speed Shimano Altus system with trigger shifters, 11-32 tooth DNP nickel plated cassette, and a 52 tooth chain ring up front
• A utilitarian cruiser like this should be easy to stop for both safety and performance, luckily, they added a great set of 160mm rotor Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with motor inhibitors to handle the job
• The 48v 13ah battery is surprisingly removable, a big win since many bikes in this genera don’t allow you to remove the battery, or if you can, it is not an easy process and requires tools, luckily, Mod Bikes made this one pretty easy to get on and off
• The display is easy to read, backlit, can password locks the bike, adjust many settings, and even has a 2v USB for charging all sorts of devices
• Local customers in Austin get some free tune-ups as well as a government rebate just for buying an electric bike

Cons:

• There is no slap guard, so that paint could get nicked from the chain, I recommend getting an aftermarket slap guard on Amazon or at least putting some clear box tape on that chain area
• The 5 bar battery infographic is getting long in the tooth, now-a-days, a lot of displays have battery readouts in percentages so you don’t have to guess if you have 1% or 20% battery left at 1 bar, a minor gripe, but an electric upgrade some bikes are not picking up on
• Getting used to balancing a sidecar if you choose that as an option make take some time, turning left is easy, but turning right means you have to slow way down. It is not the end of the world, and experience comes with time and it can become a non-issue
• The center mounted kickstand can produce ‘pedal lock’, an annoying occurrence that happens when you reverse a bike with the kickstand down, the crank rotates back and strikes the kickstand, causing the bike to lock up

Resources:

• Official Site: https://www.mod-bikes.com/