Following about 3 years of researching and testing a vast variety of e-bikes (well, about four), I've finally taken the plunge and got myself a Cytronex Cannondale Quick CX-3.
As this forum has been so useful in making my decision, I felt somewhat obliged to provide some detailed feedback on this bike for the benefit of others.
Firstly, this wasn't a standard bike in the Cytronex range, but Mark Searles agreed a price for me as the bike is a Cannondale and their current kit would fit it. Mark is now using the new black Tongxin motors with disc mounts, and the CX-3 has disc brakes front and back. It also has front suspension, useful as I have a trail section on my way to work.
Here is the new sexy bike:
I'll start from the beginning a little. My journey to work is 12 miles round trip, 50% road, 40% paved cycle path and 10% semi-paved cycle path. I have tried many times but failed to take up cycling 5 days a week, finding it challenging to get beyond day 3. I have managed 4 days a week with a day by car. Also I avoided cycling on windy days, as it required twice as much effort and again make to too tired to continue the next day.
Enjoying the cycling and wishing to do it 5 days a week, I decided that an e-bike would be ideal.
I tried a number of them, including Wisper, E-motion, Ezee Torq and Cytronex. Many bikes I found too slow to steer in, and sluggish due to weight. The Panasonic E-motion was good, but I just didn't like the way your cadence worked against you i.e. you get to a hill, knock down a few cogs but then the motor reduces it's output - you cannot on the e-motion combine peak rider power output and peak motor output (and I didn't want to get into making illegal motor sprocket mods).
I tested a Cytronex (a Quick 8 a year ago) and was very impressed with the natural feel and handling, and the way the motor assists you in a sensible way i.e. not cadence related. Also stealthy as it doesn't sound like a milkfloat and the battery disguise is very clever.
So I was sold on the Cytronex concept, but was not in a position to buy a year ago. I since looked into various options to help decide on my ideal 'donor bike'. I decided that I would have front suspension, as some of my route is a bit bumpy, and being motorised the efficiency loss when pedalling hard was less of a concern. Also a useful article by Flecc suggests that front hub motor bikes may benefit from suspension due to the otherwise high unsprung weight.
Disc brakes were a preference but not a requirement, basically for the longer pad life and desire to not wear down nice rims.
Mark only stocks certain Cannondale bikes, but I examined the other Cannondale bikes in the range, to see what was available. I quickly came across the CX-3 which fits the bill and, to me at least, was one of the nicest looking bikes I had ever seen.
I emailed to discuss the possiblity, and then phoned Mark Searles to get a price on a Cytronex CX3 (£1595), which I then ordered, and added a rack (Blackburn EX+) and mudguards. I was told 4-6 weeks, but was contacted to say the bike was ready after 2 1/2 wks, which was super.
Handover was good, given a thorough briefing on how to use the bike, charge the battery, remove the wheel, diagnose faults, told not ride on rough terrain under power, and so on.
I asked about battery lifetime, Mark said that while the theoretical life was 250 charges according to manufactuer, in practice doing a conditioning cycle on the battery keeps it running well. He has sold a lot of these bikes since 2008, and nobody has purchased more than one battery nor come back to buy another one.
I have now ridden the bike for two weeks, and can report on my findings so far.
In order to get the battery fully operational, it is recommended to do a conditioning cycle. This involves running the bike until assistance is exhausted, then leaving the battery trickle charging for a few more hours once the basic 2 hour fast charge is complete. This is repeated 3 times.
My range, as measured by the supplied computer, was:
<from battery in supplied state> : 2 miles.
<condition charge 1>
12.5 miles
<condition charge 2>
16.5 miles
< condition charge 3>
17.5 miles
This 17.5 miles is therefore the maximum range from a fully conditioned battery. That is on a flat route, with power on about 75% of the time, riding at an average speed of 12 mph, and a cruising speed of 15 mph with the power on with what I would consider a 'normal' amount of additional rider effort. I noted that after about 15 miles, the battery started to get noticibly weaker.
This is sufficient range for my needs (12 mile round trip).
On power usage, the power control system has been improved and simplified since my test ride. No longer is there a 'hi/lo' speed button. There is also a pedal sensor, which applies the power above a pedalling rate of about 1 revolution every 2 seconds when the power is on.
The amount of motor pull is ideal. It can quite quickly get you up to speed, allow you to climb hills at 15 mph. I do like the way to can be riding at peak output at high cadence on a hill, and turn the motor on and woosh! Great fun.
The way the power is delivered is very natural and useful. Cadence is your friend with this system. At 15mph, the 'cruise control' algorithm adjusts the motor power continually to hold at 15 mph. This means if you feel the need, you can drop a cog, and get in your power band, and provide the power yourself, or you can stay in a higher gear and pedal slower providing less assistance, and the motor will provide more. Also since the requirement is the crack should be rotating to get power, you can be really lazy and pick a low gear, and spin the pedals on the freewheel providing no effort at all.
I have found, with a strong battery, the bike will do 13-14 mph on the flat, even with no rider torque. It will do 10-12 mph up a moderate incline with no rider effort, or 15 mph with moderate rider effort.
The left brake lever acts as a power cutoff. It took a few days to get into the habit of feathering the left brake when I was coasting to a stop and wanted to spin the pedals to drop gears as I was stopping.
I was recommended to feather the left brake when pulling away, and it is good advise. The surge of thrust can catch you by surprise when doing low speed manoeuvres, as the power kicks in when your pedalling reaches the threshold crank speed. It's almost diesel turbocharged like, get to a certain rpm and woosh!
I can confirm the power button and light button are easy to operate even with thick gloves on. The lights are powered off the main battery and are very bright indeed. I blinded a pedestrain once already this week, because I hadn't aligned the light correctly.
Handling wise, the bike handles well, even when the rack is fully loaded, a very nice ride. Feels marginally heavier than a normal bike, but half of the extra weight comes from the stuff I am carting around in the panniers!
I can confirm by locking out my suspension, that it does help. It is indeed more harsh over bumps compared to a normal wheel due to the motor - but not massively so.
Now I am not allowed under warranty to use the motor on unpaved surfaces. Mark has said that he himself has given the motors plenty of abuse without fault, and he inspects the motors and adjusts them before handover, he said it is just they are not meant for repeated and prolonged bumpy ground.
This has made me a little bit paranoid, I am now always looking ahead for bumpy bits of road and cutting the power before I get there!
My bike was not supplied with a bell. I am convinced that these bikes are just not supplied with bells at all. I asked Mark about this, and he sent me a bell in the post. The strap on this bell had been forcibly cut, and was snapped and not usable. I can only assume the Cytronex team removes the bells with no intent to refit them. I found a suitable space on the crowded handlebars for the bell from my old bike, but not easy to operate.
The Tektro disc brakes brakes are powerful stoppers, but very squeally. Maybe they will bed in. A useful feature to alert pedestrians, saves me hunting for the bell. I suggest a 6V e-horn.
A bit of a saga over finding a suitable bag for the rack, not really e-bike related. Firstly I tried two from Halfords, these did not fit this rack due to design, and due to the fact that Cytronex had sawn off a part of the rack without telling me, in order to make it fit the bike. The bit removed would have been required to fit these bags.
I bought a Blackburn EX bag, assuming it would be a perfect fit. Again, didn't attach as standard due to missing bit sawn off the rack, so bungee corded it. Also, found length of bag meant my heels catch it on pedalling.
Eventually, bought a Raleigh Triple Pannier for £19.99, worked a treat. Recommended.
What else can I mention, well I found that the flex on the rear light cable had been cut open during cable assembly by one of the cable ties. I used some insulation tape and replaced the cable tie. Also the cable to the rear LED light was not secured correctly and came out, I put it in securely.
These are minor things, overall I am very impressed with this bike and with the Cytronex product. I aim to provide another review as time goes on, on the reliability of the bike and so on.
I look forward to having the experience of blasting past some unsuspecting pro racing cyclists up a hill..now to find some hills...this is Oxfordshire, we have no proper hills...
As this forum has been so useful in making my decision, I felt somewhat obliged to provide some detailed feedback on this bike for the benefit of others.
Firstly, this wasn't a standard bike in the Cytronex range, but Mark Searles agreed a price for me as the bike is a Cannondale and their current kit would fit it. Mark is now using the new black Tongxin motors with disc mounts, and the CX-3 has disc brakes front and back. It also has front suspension, useful as I have a trail section on my way to work.
Here is the new sexy bike:
I'll start from the beginning a little. My journey to work is 12 miles round trip, 50% road, 40% paved cycle path and 10% semi-paved cycle path. I have tried many times but failed to take up cycling 5 days a week, finding it challenging to get beyond day 3. I have managed 4 days a week with a day by car. Also I avoided cycling on windy days, as it required twice as much effort and again make to too tired to continue the next day.
Enjoying the cycling and wishing to do it 5 days a week, I decided that an e-bike would be ideal.
I tried a number of them, including Wisper, E-motion, Ezee Torq and Cytronex. Many bikes I found too slow to steer in, and sluggish due to weight. The Panasonic E-motion was good, but I just didn't like the way your cadence worked against you i.e. you get to a hill, knock down a few cogs but then the motor reduces it's output - you cannot on the e-motion combine peak rider power output and peak motor output (and I didn't want to get into making illegal motor sprocket mods).
I tested a Cytronex (a Quick 8 a year ago) and was very impressed with the natural feel and handling, and the way the motor assists you in a sensible way i.e. not cadence related. Also stealthy as it doesn't sound like a milkfloat and the battery disguise is very clever.
So I was sold on the Cytronex concept, but was not in a position to buy a year ago. I since looked into various options to help decide on my ideal 'donor bike'. I decided that I would have front suspension, as some of my route is a bit bumpy, and being motorised the efficiency loss when pedalling hard was less of a concern. Also a useful article by Flecc suggests that front hub motor bikes may benefit from suspension due to the otherwise high unsprung weight.
Disc brakes were a preference but not a requirement, basically for the longer pad life and desire to not wear down nice rims.
Mark only stocks certain Cannondale bikes, but I examined the other Cannondale bikes in the range, to see what was available. I quickly came across the CX-3 which fits the bill and, to me at least, was one of the nicest looking bikes I had ever seen.
I emailed to discuss the possiblity, and then phoned Mark Searles to get a price on a Cytronex CX3 (£1595), which I then ordered, and added a rack (Blackburn EX+) and mudguards. I was told 4-6 weeks, but was contacted to say the bike was ready after 2 1/2 wks, which was super.
Handover was good, given a thorough briefing on how to use the bike, charge the battery, remove the wheel, diagnose faults, told not ride on rough terrain under power, and so on.
I asked about battery lifetime, Mark said that while the theoretical life was 250 charges according to manufactuer, in practice doing a conditioning cycle on the battery keeps it running well. He has sold a lot of these bikes since 2008, and nobody has purchased more than one battery nor come back to buy another one.
I have now ridden the bike for two weeks, and can report on my findings so far.
In order to get the battery fully operational, it is recommended to do a conditioning cycle. This involves running the bike until assistance is exhausted, then leaving the battery trickle charging for a few more hours once the basic 2 hour fast charge is complete. This is repeated 3 times.
My range, as measured by the supplied computer, was:
<from battery in supplied state> : 2 miles.
<condition charge 1>
12.5 miles
<condition charge 2>
16.5 miles
< condition charge 3>
17.5 miles
This 17.5 miles is therefore the maximum range from a fully conditioned battery. That is on a flat route, with power on about 75% of the time, riding at an average speed of 12 mph, and a cruising speed of 15 mph with the power on with what I would consider a 'normal' amount of additional rider effort. I noted that after about 15 miles, the battery started to get noticibly weaker.
This is sufficient range for my needs (12 mile round trip).
On power usage, the power control system has been improved and simplified since my test ride. No longer is there a 'hi/lo' speed button. There is also a pedal sensor, which applies the power above a pedalling rate of about 1 revolution every 2 seconds when the power is on.
The amount of motor pull is ideal. It can quite quickly get you up to speed, allow you to climb hills at 15 mph. I do like the way to can be riding at peak output at high cadence on a hill, and turn the motor on and woosh! Great fun.
The way the power is delivered is very natural and useful. Cadence is your friend with this system. At 15mph, the 'cruise control' algorithm adjusts the motor power continually to hold at 15 mph. This means if you feel the need, you can drop a cog, and get in your power band, and provide the power yourself, or you can stay in a higher gear and pedal slower providing less assistance, and the motor will provide more. Also since the requirement is the crack should be rotating to get power, you can be really lazy and pick a low gear, and spin the pedals on the freewheel providing no effort at all.
I have found, with a strong battery, the bike will do 13-14 mph on the flat, even with no rider torque. It will do 10-12 mph up a moderate incline with no rider effort, or 15 mph with moderate rider effort.
The left brake lever acts as a power cutoff. It took a few days to get into the habit of feathering the left brake when I was coasting to a stop and wanted to spin the pedals to drop gears as I was stopping.
I was recommended to feather the left brake when pulling away, and it is good advise. The surge of thrust can catch you by surprise when doing low speed manoeuvres, as the power kicks in when your pedalling reaches the threshold crank speed. It's almost diesel turbocharged like, get to a certain rpm and woosh!
I can confirm the power button and light button are easy to operate even with thick gloves on. The lights are powered off the main battery and are very bright indeed. I blinded a pedestrain once already this week, because I hadn't aligned the light correctly.
Handling wise, the bike handles well, even when the rack is fully loaded, a very nice ride. Feels marginally heavier than a normal bike, but half of the extra weight comes from the stuff I am carting around in the panniers!
I can confirm by locking out my suspension, that it does help. It is indeed more harsh over bumps compared to a normal wheel due to the motor - but not massively so.
Now I am not allowed under warranty to use the motor on unpaved surfaces. Mark has said that he himself has given the motors plenty of abuse without fault, and he inspects the motors and adjusts them before handover, he said it is just they are not meant for repeated and prolonged bumpy ground.
This has made me a little bit paranoid, I am now always looking ahead for bumpy bits of road and cutting the power before I get there!
My bike was not supplied with a bell. I am convinced that these bikes are just not supplied with bells at all. I asked Mark about this, and he sent me a bell in the post. The strap on this bell had been forcibly cut, and was snapped and not usable. I can only assume the Cytronex team removes the bells with no intent to refit them. I found a suitable space on the crowded handlebars for the bell from my old bike, but not easy to operate.
The Tektro disc brakes brakes are powerful stoppers, but very squeally. Maybe they will bed in. A useful feature to alert pedestrians, saves me hunting for the bell. I suggest a 6V e-horn.
A bit of a saga over finding a suitable bag for the rack, not really e-bike related. Firstly I tried two from Halfords, these did not fit this rack due to design, and due to the fact that Cytronex had sawn off a part of the rack without telling me, in order to make it fit the bike. The bit removed would have been required to fit these bags.
I bought a Blackburn EX bag, assuming it would be a perfect fit. Again, didn't attach as standard due to missing bit sawn off the rack, so bungee corded it. Also, found length of bag meant my heels catch it on pedalling.
Eventually, bought a Raleigh Triple Pannier for £19.99, worked a treat. Recommended.
What else can I mention, well I found that the flex on the rear light cable had been cut open during cable assembly by one of the cable ties. I used some insulation tape and replaced the cable tie. Also the cable to the rear LED light was not secured correctly and came out, I put it in securely.
These are minor things, overall I am very impressed with this bike and with the Cytronex product. I aim to provide another review as time goes on, on the reliability of the bike and so on.
I look forward to having the experience of blasting past some unsuspecting pro racing cyclists up a hill..now to find some hills...this is Oxfordshire, we have no proper hills...
