2024 OHM Quest 3 Review

My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of OHM products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comments below, and the OHM electric bike forums.

Observations:

• The OHM Quest 3 builds on older Quest platforms with an upgraded EP801 Class 3 drive system from Shimano that offers more power and torque (up to 600 watts and up to 85 newton meters), as well as a higher top speed of 28 mph (45 km/h). It’s a unique commuter platform that blends many attributes of a hardtail cross country mountain bike with urban features such as fenders, lights, and a rear rack. All components and accessories are above average in terms of sturdiness and durability. OHM has been making ebikes since 2005, and is headquartered in North Vancouver British Columbia Canada!
• Many parts are shared across the Quest and Cruise line, including the perfectly positioned integrated lights, rear rack, fenders, thru-axles, and battery integration. The Quest 3 offers suspension, which improves ground contact for steering in bumpy terrain, while improving rider wrist, arm, shoulder, and back comfort. The geometry is more aggressive, positioning the rider more forward than the Cruise 3. If the Ergon saddle, grips, and 100 mm travel air suspension aren’t enough in terms of comfort, consider adding a suspension seatpost. OHM stocks and sells the adjustable high quality Kinekt suspension posts that are guaranteed to fit.
• I appreciate that OHM offers the Quest 3 in two colors to suit different styles and fit that partner setup so you don't both have to get the same color. The frame comes in three sizes to help optimize fit, and the glossy paint is easy to clean and highly visible.
• Consider the SUV and Pro versions of the Quest platform if you would like longer travel in the suspension fork, a higher battery capacity, and electronic shifting options.

Pros:

• The bike frame is purpose built, keeping battery weight low and center, routing cables internally, and supporting the custom fenders and rear rack beautifully. The front fender is especially long and provides great coverage but doesn't rattle. It’s available in three frame sizes, offering improved fit with scaled hardware, and two premium colors to suit your style preference. This is OHM's first Class 3 model, which means it goes 28 mph vs. 20 mph. it's a high speed commuter built around a cross country mountain bike.
• The rear rack offers 10% higher lateral strength than normal bolt-on racks and can support 55lbs (25kg) of weight. The integrated lights are brighter than average, and positioned very well. Notice the double LED rear light and stem mounted headlight that is below the stem so you have plenty of handlebar space for mounting a phone or other accessory. I love the locking Ergon grips, Ergon saddle, and quality magnesium pedals from Wellgo.
• While the bike is only available in high-step, it features a sloped top tube for lower stand over height. The diamond frame design is sturdier than a mid-step or step-thru, which makes this an SUV platform that can handle light trails, especially if you swap the city tires for treaded ones.
• In my experience, OHM provides excellent customer support, offers a solid warranty, and utilizes reliable components. They also size-match the handlebar, stem, and crank arms to fit the bike frame size. I also appreciate that the frame has two bottle cage mounting points, and the battery lock position is high on the frame vs. low and down where it could get dirty, wet, and require more effort to reach.
• The RST F1RST air suspension fork is way above average and feels very smooth. The air pressure is adjustable to suit your body weight and gear, there’s lockout adjust, and rebound. It uses a 15mm thru-axle vs. a standard 9mm axle with skewer, adding stiffness and durability. During my ride tests, I did not hear the fenders or rear rack rattling when I took it off-road.
• In addition to lights, the tires offer reflective sidewalls and puncture protection. The light color choice would further increase your visual footprint, both colors are glossy which should make them easier to clean and more visible.
• The brakes are above average with large 180 mm rotors front and rear. This larger rotor size provides a good mechanical advantage and additional surface area for cooling. OHM specced quad piston calipers with increased surface area and stronger grab. Both brake levers have adjustable reach to suit a range of hand sizes.
• I love the Ergon saddle, Ergon locking grips, and magnesium Wellgo pedals. I think they offer noticeable improvements in comfort and the 30.9mm rigid post is an excellent candidate for upgrading to a suspension post. Comfort is a big deal when riding for longer periods and over varied terrain. The combination of tough tires, nice suspension, and premium touch points make this a great choice for commuting and a bit of adventuring… but consider the SUV and Pro models for longer suspension travel, larger battery, and electronic shifting options.
• The cargo options that OHM offers are extensive and high quality. They sell a full range of Racktime baskets and buckets and trunk bags which we showcase in the video review. These click onto the rear rack very easily, and some can even lock! The sealed plastic box is almost like what you’d find on a motorcycle or moped and can fit a helmet inside!
• The Shimano motor controller measures pedal cadence, pedal torque, and rear wheel speed for a smooth natural feel. The rear wheel speed sensor is mounted to the hub vs. a spoke, making it more durable and balanced. It’s a small detail that I loved to see. The wheelset is very nice and features black hubs, spokes, rims, and reinforcement eyelets to reduce rim cracking on heavy hits and when truing the wheels.
• The Shimano EP801 motor is excellent. Not only does it offer more power and torque (85nm now, on par with Bosch and other leaders), but it’s very light, compact, and fairly quiet for a Class 3. It provides high RPM pedal support and I trust that it will be durable like previous Shimano hardware I’ve reviewed over the years.
• Powering the motor, display, and lights is a high capacity battery pack that can be charged on or off the frame. The battery charger is a bit large and heavy, but does offer above-average charging speed with 4 amp output vs. 2 amp on many competing electric bikes.
• To really care for this and other lithium-ion packs, I have heard that storing them in a cool dry location vs. extreme heat or cold will extend the number of charge cycles. Try to keep it about 50% full when not using for long periods so you won’t stress the cells, and try not to let it run down to zero. This is all easier to do with a removable pack.
• Since this is a more active mid-drive model, I’m glad that they chose a high-end drivetrain. The Shimano Deore 10-speed is well suited to off-road use, and even includes a clutch for keeping the chain tight. The trigger shifters offer two-way high lever (so you can use your right pointer finger or right thumb) and three-step low lever. It’s my favorite groupset, apart from the even fancier Deore XT, XTR and similar derivatives from Shimano.
• Protecting the chainring is a thick aluminum alloy bash guard that will help keep your pant leg from getting greasy or snagged on the chain. There’s no inner guard, but the narrow-wide tooth chainring helps to reduce drops and pairs nicely with the clutch I mentioned on the Shimano Deore derailleur.

Cons:

• The plastic battery cover is very well done, in my opinion. It’s stiffer than many others, has a nice rubber seal around the edge, and connects very securely below the downtube. However, it does not lock to the bike like the battery does, and could be removed if left at a bike rack. That said, replacement should be fairly easy given that this design is shared across many models in the OHM line.
• The charge port for the battery is located very low near the left crank arm, so you have to bend down to plug it in and the cord could be snagged more easily. To charge the battery off the bike, you need a dongle adapter piece that is easy to forget and misplace.
• I like the display panel, but it’s a bit more basic than the other Shimano offerings that have larger removable screens, independent button pads, and deep settings menus. There’s no USB charging port, and I’m not sure it’s compatible with the Bluetooth E-Tube apps from Shimano without additional hardware.
• When powering on the bike, you have to press the silver circular button on the side of the downtube vs. having one built into the display button pad itself. This requires some reaching down if you forget to turn it on before mounting the bike, but is fairly minor because OHM positioned it high within reach.
• The battery charger is very fast, but weighs a bit more and is physically larger than average. As mentioned before, it also has that dongle adapter that is easy to forget or lose but is necessary if you park the bike at a rack and bring the battery inside your house or place of work for charging and safe keeping.
• The locking core and keyset used for this electric bike appear to be the ABUS Amparo, which is their more basic set. There are no options for getting a lock that uses the same keyset like on the ABUS Plus Code models.
• The lights they chose are super bright, positioned well, and look nice, but the headlight does not have side cutouts for higher visibility from different angles. Thankfully the reflective tires and bright glossy paint helps a lot.
• The EP801 motor is very nice (reliable, lightweight, and fairly quiet). However, there is no shift detection built in. Be sure to ease off a bit when pedaling as you change gears, this way the chain and sprockets won’t mash and get prematurely worn. Also note that this Class 3 motor will use power faster than the Class 2 motors on many of the other OHM models, but the battery pack size here is fairly average at 504 watt hours. OHM does sell additional packs fairly affordably, and the fast 4 amp charger helps.
• I was told that the rear rack is setup to be sleek, but it’s still very sturdy! Please note that it’s not officially EN 14872 rated to handle a child seat. Consider the Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi that mounts to the seat tube instead.
• Minor consideration here, the battery pack is a little tight to get on and off the bike because the front wheel and fender get pretty close to the downtube, you can turn the front wheel to the left or right to create space and make mounting and dismounting it easier.
• I believe that the Shimano motor controller calibrates output each time the bike is turned on... so you need to make sure you aren’t riding the bike or putting pressure on the pedals when you power up. This is not something you have to worry about with most of the other ebike mid-drive systems I've tested from Bosch, Yamaha, and Brose, and it could throw an error on the display in which case you’ll have to power cycle the bike.