![]() ![]() The tire tubes come with Slime inside designed to plug holes and stop leaks, you could bring along a mini-pump in a bag or mount one like this to the bottle cage bosses along the downtube.The rear rack functions as a fender to keep your back dry and there are mounting points on the front fork for adding a 26″ fender.I love that you can purchase the “boost button” and turn this into a Class 2 electric bike for $50 and that it’s pre-wired with 6 volt leads for adding lights.The rear rack is setup with a “cage” that protects the battery but can also work with a trunk bag or side mounted panniers, it uses standard gauge tubing that should be compatible with the widest range of accessories including clip-on panniers.One of the smallest and easiest to mount electric bikes I’ve tested, the single-tube low-step frame offers a 16.5″ stand over height and the seat can go down to ~28″ off ground level.There’s no shift-sensing feature on this drive system so keep that in mind but given the gentler pedaling for around-town use that shouldn’t be a huge issue here :) Pros: The motor responds mostly to pedal cadence verses torque and I prefer this for more relaxed riding because my knees get sensitive if I push too hard. You can arrow up or down between four levels of assist with increasing speed and power as you get up to four (topping out at 20 mph). It’s more involved than I’d like but once it’s online the button pad makes changing modes or screen readouts very easy. Once you’ve charged the battery (on or off the frame!) and mounted it, you press the power button towards the left side of the pack then press another power button near the display console to get the systems all booted up. My favorite parts about this model are the powerful motor, easy to read display panel and optional boost button (which costs $50 extra) that turns this into a Class 2 electric bike offering throttle on demand. Frankly, it works fine for basic city riding. The rear-mounted battery doubles as a cargo rack and fender but positions the weight of the battery high and towards the rear compromising frame stiffness and handling to a limited extent. This ebike uses more basic components but not quite bottom of the line… You get Tektro linear pull brakes, a seven speed Shimano Altus derailleur, a decent kickstand and a nice chain guard to keep your pants or dress clean. It’s a good looking ebike but one that also feels sturdy, I love that the tire tubes come with Slime installed to help resist flats and appreciate the front and rear quick release skewers that come in handy if you do have to perform maintenance or transport the bike. The electronic wires are also black but seamlessly pass through the downtube so you don’t notice them as much. While it only comes in one color scheme (metallic red with black accents) I noticed that the spokes, chain guard, saddle and grips all tied in. This is an electric bike that would do well in neighborhoods or around town, perhaps running short errands and loading food or school supplies. ![]() I spent a bunch of time riding in pedal assist level one because it’s the smoothest and slowest mode (topping out around 11 mph). This thing is easy to mount, relatively stable and at ~54 pounds it’s not super heavy considering the sturdy rear rack, oversized handle bars and comfort accessories. For this review I was on the extra small frame… and it worked quite well once I raised the seat post a bit :) With three frame sizes to choose from, the Vibe+ can be the most compact and easiest to mount electric bicycle in the IZIP family. You get a more powerful and more efficient mid drive motor and a larger battery capacity but the price has risen a bit to compensate. The suspension fork is gone but the bike weighs nearly 10 pounds less and has a more streamlined battery pack. The original IZIP E3 Vibe has been completely remodeled for 2016 and is now called the Vibe Plus. ![]()
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