2019 Propella 3.0 7-Speed Review

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

Propella is a brand and a bike that has been around for a while now and continuously makes upgrades and improvement each year. They do this through the crowd funding route and this helps them keep the cost down each year. The one we are reviewing today is the 3.0 version with an optional 7 speed drivetrain. Most of the upgrades seen here on the 3.0 are the battery housing and mounting. But there is also an upgraded wider fork (used to be more narrow) that has rack mounts as well as an upgraded headtube with sealed cartridge bearings. As hinted earlier, the cost is low ($1,299) and you can get it for even cheaper if you go for the single speed variant. When looking at the bike, you will probably notice the color matched accents and the lightweight frame (38.2lbs with battery). The wheels match here too with an anodized deep section rim. Surrounding the rims are a set of 700c x 32 tires. This is on the wider side for a road tire, but I found it did well and I love that they also have reflective sidewall stripping. I should also make note of the quick release in the front, something I appreciate a lot. Other features include bottle cage bosses, flat locking grips, and a kickstand in the rear. It is nice to have it back there since having it near the crank arm can produce ‘pedal lock’; an annoying occurrence that locks the pedals when you reverse a bike with the kickstand down. Luckily, this bike eliminates that by having it positioned further back.

Driving the bike is a 250 watt Bafang rear hub-motor. The motor is engaged via the 12 magnet cadence sensor mounted near the crank arm of the bike. This uses magnets to sense pedal rotation and the motor kicks in accordingly. I love the the cadence sensor is sealed, this keeps gunk and debris from getting in, something that you’re starting to see some bike companies like Propella do and I appreciate it. Mechanically, the bike is operated by a 7 speed Shimano Altus system with 14-28 tooth cassette, 46 tooth chain ring up front, and a set of trigger shifters on the handlebar. For stopping power, the bike features a set of Shimano Tourney TX mechanical disc brakes with 160mm rotor in both the front and the rear. Mechanical disc brakes are easy to maintain as well as adjust, however, they lack the immediate stopping power that hydraulic brakes offer. Mechanical brakes are still quite capable, but they take a little bit more hand actuation compared to hydraulic brakes.

Powering the bike is a 36v 7ah lithium ion battery with Samsung cells. The battery is another point of upgrade this year. The casing is much better and even has this little touch screen type setup that will show you the battery level in an LED readout when you touch it. Pretty neat little feature if you get a chance to check it out in the video. The mounting system is also upgraded, now you snug it into the top of the rail first, then sink it and click it into the bottom part of the mount. Charging is done with the 2amp portable charger, but the charging port is near the crank arm, so do be careful when charging on the bike so you don’t snag that cord with rotating pedals. 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.

The control center on the Propella 3.0 is basic but efficient. It’s a fixed, backlit LCD display with a four-bar battery indicator, pedal assist level (0-5), clock, speedometer and the ability to toggle between a tripometer and odometer with the quick press of the M power button. There’s also a walk mode that can be accessed by holding the down arrow for a second or so. The walk mode felt a little fast for me, around 4 mph, but when going uphill the speed slowed to a reasonable 1 or 2 mph. As far as I know, there’s no way to adjust the walk speed in the settings menu. Since this display is fixed, leaving the Propella 3.0 at a public bike rack might result in the display getting scratched up by another bike, or getting worn down by the sun and rain over time. Although the display itself isn’t particularly unique, I think this bike would likely attract a lot of attention, especially with the anodized blue wheels. And, much like the battery pack not having a USB charging port, the display lacks this also, so you cannot charge your phone, lights, or other portable electronics while riding. It’s not such a big deal here however, given the lower capacity battery pack. I really appreciate that the display panel is separate from the control pad, which is positioned super close to the left grip. This allows for easier interactions while riding, without having to take your hand off or even look down to change levels of assist.

So my thoughts on the Propella 3.0 are as follows… I found it to be a lot of fun to ride. After riding so many heavy ebikes, it was nice to be on a lightweight purpose built machine. It felt agile and nimble right from the get go, and I love how quick it seemed to pick up when I engaged the pedal assist. But the bike may not be for everyone. One of the big tradeoffs I think some might notice are the lack of comfort. With a rigid fork, flat grips, and active saddle, you can tell this isn’t a cruiser bike and may not be comfortable for long distances. I also noticed that coating on the chain was flaking off like paint, so it is likely not a real rust resistant coating. The battery capacity is on the smaller side too, but given the bikes active purpose, I don’t think it is that big of a deal. Propella has been at it for a while now, and it is always nice to see them perfect this bike. I think the 3.0’s $1,299 price-point is great too and I want to tank Propella for letting me check it out.

As always, I welcome questions and feedback in the comment section below. Whether you own 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 Propella ebike forums and share your own photos, videos, and review updates to help others! Have fun out there, and ride safe :)

Pros:

• Quite a looker, there as a lot of attention to detail aesthetically and it pays off, I love the blue matching accents and even the anodized coating on the rims and grips uses that same blue to keep it looking sharp
• I found it to be a lot of fun to ride, it felt agile and nimble right from the get go, and I love how quick it seemed to pick up when I engaged the pedal assist
• Continually upgraded, for the 3.0 you get a better battery casing with a little touch screen readout, more secure battery mounting system, a wider front fork, and even an upgraded head-tube
• Very lightweight and affordable, the smaller battery, efficient road tires, and frame keep the weight down to just 38.2lbs, not bad for an ebike at all, and the cost is $1,299

Cons:

• Since it has a rigid fork, flat grips, and active saddle, you can tell this isn’t a cruiser bike and may not be comfortable for long distances, those looking for a lot of comfort may want to add a suspension seat post or look at other offerings
• I noticed that coating on the chain was flaking off like paint, so it is likely not a real rust resistant coating but rather painted for looks
• The overall battery capacity is on the smaller side, but given the bikes active purpose, I don’t think it is that big of a deal, the smaller battery helps keep the overall weight down as well, so it has that going for it as well