OHM Urban XU700 LS 15 Review

OHM is a Canadian electric bike company that started out around 2005. They’ve got two lines emphasizing Urban and Sport or “off road” riding. The XU700 LS is an urban series model that’s perfect for neighborhood or city riding. It’s extremely quiet, easy to operate and efficient. Compared with some of the other urban models this one has a shorter frame and comes in smaller sizes ranging from 15″ to 19″ and a sturdy mid-step design. OHM also offers a true step-thru model with the same motor but the battery mount is higher back and further up… which isn’t as good for balance and handling. While this mid-step frame isn’t as low cut (and you might have to step higher to get on) it’s still very easy to approach. The combination of top tube and downtube create a small triangle at the middle of the bike which improves strength. With this ebike you get a lot of higher end accessories and drivetrain components (outboard bearings on the bottom bracket, 180 mm hydraulic disc brakes from Magura, SRAM Via Centro derailleur with 10 speed cassette, locking grips, integrated fenders with extra support struts, carry rack with 30 kg max weight limit and Schwalbe Big Ben Kevlar lined tires) and that raises the price but the warranty is one of the best in the industry, 3 years on the electronics and five years on frame.

Driving this electric bike is a time-tested gearless, direct drive hub motor produced by BionX. It’s a P-Series “power series” 350 watt design with extra copper winding inside for improved climbing power. Over the past couple of years 2013/2014 BionX launched the S-Series which was a bit lighter but for the extra pound or two I think I prefer the increased power demonstrated here. This thing is not light, at ~10 lbs it’s heavier than an internally geared motor because it uses large magnets to produce power instead of gears. The end result is a product that’s more durable and capable of regenerative braking but also not as efficient for coasting. This motor (as with most of the gearless hubs I test) doesn’t freewheel and you experience a tiny bit of drag due to cogging (the magnets repel the stater inside the casing). In practice, it’s not something I notice much but I feel compelled to highlight the differences. Ultimately, I like how sturdy the aluminum casing is and the silver color matches the spokes and reflects sunlight (possibly keeping it cooler). The torque sensor for pedal assist is built right in which keeps it protected and might also make maintenance easier. The rear end of the bike is fairly standard with 135 mm drop out width and a cassette that slides onto a spline.

Powering the motor, display and optional lighting system is a powerful Lithium-ion battery with quality Samsung cells. This pack slides fits neatly and securely onto the downtube which keeps weight low and centered on the frame. Unlike most aftermarket conversions with BionX (or other) e-bike kits, the mounting rail on the OHM Urban XU700 LS uses three bolds for added durability. It might be overkill on an urban electric bike (just like the oversized tapered head tube and 15 mm thru-axle on the front wheel) but I’ll take it! The pack locks to the mount securely and has a flip-up lever on top making it easy to carry around. I like the design and matching black color with OHM decals, this is a purpose built electric bike and even though it’s using a third party battery and motor system they look great and I appreciate the internally routed power cables because they don’t get snagged as easily. The XU700 LS only comes in one size, a sort of charcoal with white accents, but it’s a unisex design that looks professional. One potential negative to this battery pack (especially in combination with a hub motor) is decreased range. There are 6.6 amp hours of capacity in the pack and depending on the terrain, your speed and the weight of your person and cargo you might only get 25 miles per charge. OHM estimates up to 50 and regeneration does help to reach these higher numbers. If you want to maximize range, I suggest using one of the two lower levels of assist.

One of my favorite parts about the BionX electric bike system is the user interface. Once the battery pack is charged and seated properly you can activate the bike by pressing the top left or right button on the display pad. You’ll see a speed and battery level readout but most of the screen is used for assist levels. There are four bars on the left (denoting regeneration level) and four bars on the right (denoting assist level). It’s super intuitive and easy to read… the remote button pad near the right grip makes changing levels easy and safe. You don’t have to take your hand off the grip to interact with the drive system and you can override assist with the variable speed throttle at any time. I tend to ride in lower levels of assist for exercise and efficiency then jump in with the throttle to scale hills or pass people. The only caveat to the throttle system is that the bike must be rolling ~2 mph before it can activate, this is a safety feature designed to reduce accidents. On that note, I recommend always turning the system off (by pressing the power button) before removing the battery or loading the bike onto a car/bus/train. To really extend the life of this pack it’s best to store inside in a cool dry place and maintain between 20% and 80% charge. BionX has developed a deep sleep system that automatically stops power draw from the cells when it’s not being used and there’s also a 10 minute timer built into the bicycle controller so you hear a “beep” when you’ve parked the bike but forgot to turn it off. I love that the display panel is removable, the mount for it swivels to reduce glare and that there’s an integrated brake lever motor cutoff + regen! Many ebikes with pedelec sensors have two motor inhibitors but that’s partially because they aren’t as responsive as torque sensors (like the system on this bike). At any time, when you tap the right brake lever (even partially) the motor will act as a generator and recapture energy at ~15% efficiency. It’s kind of neat and it will help reduce wear on your brake pads while extending range.

The XU700 LS is really well designed and outfitted, it’s a solid electric bike that’s clean, quiet and durable. It costs more than some of the other city bikes I’ve seen with similar motor and battery power specs but most of them lack the fenders, racks, optional lights, nicer saddle, 10 speed cassette etc. etc. Not everyone cares about these upgrades but they aren’t trivial, you can add a rack after-market many times but finding one that matches perfectly and won’t collide with your fenders can be difficult. I love that OHM offers a line of accessories guaranteed to work with their bikes (namely lights) and I’m a fan of the optional Suntour NCX seat post suspension post. This thing adds ~$130 to the price but definitely smooths out the ride and compliments the suspension fork nicely. If you live somewhere with smooth roads you can always lock out the front fork (which is a lightweight air design) to reduce bobbing and increase efficiency but I usually leave it open. OHM designs their own frames and works closely with BionX to choose drive systems that will match the type of riding for each bike. They offer larger motors and batteries but for this type of bike I think they chose really well and I enjoyed riding it around. In the video review above I was on the 17″ size Medium frame and I’m 5’9″ tall.

Pros:

• Amazing wheels and tires, you get kevlar lined Schwalbe Big Ben’s with reflective sidewalls (extra large for improved comfort and durability) in 27.5″ size which is a nice happy medium that works well with suspension but is also efficient and steady over bumps
• The battery pack and display panel are both removable which makes the bike lighter during transport and also deters wear and theft when parked outside or in public spaces
• The display panel is backlit for use in limited light and symmetrical so people who are left or right handed can interact with it more comfortably, it also swivels front to back to reduce glare
• I really like how intuitive the display panel is on the BionX system, you’ve got four regen modes, four assist modes and a throttle that works at all times and offers variable speed output, it’s clean and intuitive
• Great accessories here including full length plastic fenders (with mudflaps and extra struts for strength), a rear rack, nice adjustable kickstand, bell, locking grips and integrated lights
• Available in three frame sizes for improved fit, the mid-step top tube is nice when standing over the frame but is still very strong and stiff compared with a true low step
• Decent suspension fork with lockout, great hydraulic disc brakes which are easy to actuate using just two fingers (they include motor inhibitors as well)
• The motor is quite powerful considering it’s 350 watts (I’d consider that average sized in the US) there is extra copper wiring inside which adds weight but also makes it more powerful for climbing and lets you ride longer before overheating the system
• Quality drivetrain, SRAM Via Centro with 10 cogs, shifts quickly and smoothly, offers a good range for climbing or riding at higher speeds
• The hollow spindle saves weight, outboard bearings create stiffness in power transfer while pedaling and the chainring has a plastic guide to keep the chain on track and an aluminum bash guard to protect teeth from impact and your pants from getting greasy :)
• Pedal assist is activated through a torque sensor which means it is very smooth and responsive, this also means you need to push a bit more and pedal actively to get it working in lower assist levels

Cons:

• Smaller 6.6 amp hour battery doesn’t offer as much range as some of the larger 11.6 amp hour batteries from BionX but the regeneration modes help, this ebike isn’t lighter than some of the other OHM models that can go further
• The gearless motor is heavier than a geared equivalent and makes the bike more back-heavy (especially with the rack), the mid-mount battery helps even it out
• The motor casing is fairly large and obvious, it doesn’t hide behind the cassette and disc brake rotor as well as some of the smaller geared designs
• Because the motor is gearless and direct drive there is some cogging drag that reduces coasting efficiency, thankfully regen helps to recapture some of this energy at ~15% efficiency
• For safety, the BionX kit is designed to limit throttle use until the bike is moving ~2 mph, this isn’t exactly a con but I wanted to mention it
• The fenders are very useful but if you are pedaling and making a tight turn it’s possible to kick the front fender because of the larger wheel size at 27.5″ also the bolt-on rack might need to be checked and tightened occasionally to make sure it isn’t rattling loose vs. a welded-on rack

Resources:

• Official Site: https://ohmcycles.com/
• More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/pvQyZFdD4JL2qkLA7