FreeGo Eagle
- Thread starter IOM
- Start date
Some pictures of my new purchase:
http://i41.tinypic.com/290v9mu.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2eg8y9y.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/spf0cx.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/2s864vd.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/357kj9v.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/2d91h1w.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/wmk09z.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/2wp3whg.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/290v9mu.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2eg8y9y.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/spf0cx.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/2s864vd.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/357kj9v.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/2d91h1w.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/wmk09z.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/2wp3whg.jpg
Back from China and back on the Eagle. Since I got back a few days ago, I have been out at every opportunity. The more I ride this bike, the more impressed I am with it.
The power is very good, in fact for me it is too good. After 18 months on the Powacycle Salisbury, I am now a reasonable cyclist and find the high power mode on this bike requires very little rider input even on many of the climbs. I did 30 miles today mainly on the middle power mode and still hardly broke sweat. Obviously the motor was kicking in on the climbs and keeping me easily around the 15mph mark, allowing me to do the rest.
You engage mode 3 and the power increase is very noticeable.
The bike also freewheels very well, as good as a none motor bike in my opinion.
Build quality is also very good.
Not been able to test the range yet, but after 30miles all lights are still lit. Isle of Man TT next week, so will be using it to visit different parts of the course and also check the range.
At a price of just under a grand, this bike is well worth checking out.
The power is very good, in fact for me it is too good. After 18 months on the Powacycle Salisbury, I am now a reasonable cyclist and find the high power mode on this bike requires very little rider input even on many of the climbs. I did 30 miles today mainly on the middle power mode and still hardly broke sweat. Obviously the motor was kicking in on the climbs and keeping me easily around the 15mph mark, allowing me to do the rest.
You engage mode 3 and the power increase is very noticeable.
The bike also freewheels very well, as good as a none motor bike in my opinion.
Build quality is also very good.
Not been able to test the range yet, but after 30miles all lights are still lit. Isle of Man TT next week, so will be using it to visit different parts of the course and also check the range.
At a price of just under a grand, this bike is well worth checking out.
I have to agree on the battery life I have had easily 60 miles off assist without flattening the battery.
Have had my Eagle for 8 days now. Done a few miles but not as many as I would have liked due to the cold North East wind we have all the time in the South East.
The bike is great with a 36v 16a battery. Hills are nothing to it. The battery indicator on the handlebars has four lights for power left. After a good few miles up and down hills etc it still has three lights on. Trying to flatten it a few time as you are supposed to with a new Lithium Battery but its going to take a while.
The bike is great with a 36v 16a battery. Hills are nothing to it. The battery indicator on the handlebars has four lights for power left. After a good few miles up and down hills etc it still has three lights on. Trying to flatten it a few time as you are supposed to with a new Lithium Battery but its going to take a while.
Me again.
Having read a lot about the cost of replacement batteries (My last bike a IZIP Trailz battery was £90) but the Eagles 36v 16a will cost a lot more in a couple of years. Therefore I have started a new savings account at my Building Society. Only £10 a month but it should take the sting out of the tail of the cost of a new Battery.
Having read a lot about the cost of replacement batteries (My last bike a IZIP Trailz battery was £90) but the Eagles 36v 16a will cost a lot more in a couple of years. Therefore I have started a new savings account at my Building Society. Only £10 a month but it should take the sting out of the tail of the cost of a new Battery.
I think the cost of a replacement battery for your bike is very reasonable when you compare it to the cost of a replacement for a Panasonic motored bike. With the Panasonic motor, you can end up with the ridiculous situation whereby the new battery will set you back nearly 50% of the cost of a complete new bike with battery.
I hope that Freego Eagle & battery prove to be reliable, because with the comparatively low battery replacement cost, it moves ebikes a step closer to being an economically viable option.
I hope that Freego Eagle & battery prove to be reliable, because with the comparatively low battery replacement cost, it moves ebikes a step closer to being an economically viable option.
C
Cyclezee
Guest
I took delivery of one on Friday and so far have been amazed at the battery performance. On a 30 mile ride today with a group of non electric cyclists, only one of the 4 battery meter lights had gone out
I had to practice considerable restraint in not using the highest power setting as the other riders would not have been able to keep up, but I feel sure the range would match the claims made for the FreeGo and back up IOM's figures.
J hn
I had to practice considerable restraint in not using the highest power setting as the other riders would not have been able to keep up, but I feel sure the range would match the claims made for the FreeGo and back up IOM's figures.
J
hn1 month in to my Eagle ownership and I am delighted with my purchase (£1000), took a bit of time to get the brakes adjusted the way I like but that may just be me being fussy. I bought it as a 2nd car alternative mainly for a very hilly 2 mile each way commute, as I run a milkshake bar I cannot afford to turn up as a sweating heap and after a day on my feet knew I would not fancy the ride home. Most of what I do I want to do as fast as possible as it is purely to commute or to play cricket etc. so I tend to use high assist.
The power has been excellent ( I am around 13 stone) and every hill I have come across so far I can climb in 6th gear without any difficulty and the battery life superb (26 miles on high assist uses under half the battery).
My only concern has been,like IOM, that if left in the rain without battery in the contacts are completely open, to counter this I have made a small plastic "hat" for the connector that I stuff with kitchen roll and so far that has kept the contacts dry.
All in all at this point I would recommend the Freego to anyone looking for a mid range bike.
The power has been excellent ( I am around 13 stone) and every hill I have come across so far I can climb in 6th gear without any difficulty and the battery life superb (26 miles on high assist uses under half the battery).
My only concern has been,like IOM, that if left in the rain without battery in the contacts are completely open, to counter this I have made a small plastic "hat" for the connector that I stuff with kitchen roll and so far that has kept the contacts dry.
All in all at this point I would recommend the Freego to anyone looking for a mid range bike.
Your views on this will interest many as you've had so many comparables. But a month ago you were selling to downsize your stable and not tempted by anything elseI took delivery of one on Friday and so far have been amazed at the battery performance. On a 30 mile ride today with a group of non electric cyclists, only one of the 4 battery meter lights had gone out
I had to practice considerable restraint in not using the highest power setting as the other riders would not have been able to keep up, but I feel sure the range would match the claims made for the FreeGo and back up IOM's figures.
J
C
Cyclezee
Guest
Hi Simon,Your views on this will interest many as you've had so many comparables. But a month ago you were selling to downsize your stable and not tempted by anything else
In my defence, I have downsized by selling two bikes, only replacing one of them
J
hnI am happy to see that other forum members also share my enthusiasm for this bike.
Another plus for the Eagle, is there appears to be little or no drag from the motor. During TT week, I used the bike most days to visit different parts of the course. On one particular day, I was late starting out and the race had started. To keep up with what was happening, I rode the bike whilst listening to the radio commentary. But every time the motor kicked in, the interference rendered the radio useless.
So I switched the battery off and rode the 10 miles into Ramsey unpowered. The bike was easy to ride, and although a few miles per hour slower than powered, there appeared to be little to no resistance from the motor.
The last mile is an energy sapping uphill slope, and I must admit that half way up, I switched the power back on. That was confirmation for me on how practical Ebiking is, compared to unpowered cycling.
Another plus for the Eagle, is there appears to be little or no drag from the motor. During TT week, I used the bike most days to visit different parts of the course. On one particular day, I was late starting out and the race had started. To keep up with what was happening, I rode the bike whilst listening to the radio commentary. But every time the motor kicked in, the interference rendered the radio useless.
So I switched the battery off and rode the 10 miles into Ramsey unpowered. The bike was easy to ride, and although a few miles per hour slower than powered, there appeared to be little to no resistance from the motor.
The last mile is an energy sapping uphill slope, and I must admit that half way up, I switched the power back on. That was confirmation for me on how practical Ebiking is, compared to unpowered cycling.
so far- plus your proposed marin kitHi Simon,
In my defence, I have downsized by selling two bikes, only replacing one of them
J
How does it compare power wise to your previous hub motor bikes.Hi Simon,
In my defence, I have downsized by selling two bikes, only replacing one of them
J
C
Cyclezee
Guest
Hi Paul,
It is not as powerful as my Bionx, but that is 350w, so I wouldn't expect it to be. I would say it has slightly less torque than my 250w Ezee Forza, but that is not a scientific comparison.
It has the same motor as the Wisper 905se, so powerwise that would be the closest match.
With this bike it is all about the battery and the range, with 17.5 Ah, it just seems to go on for ever.
J
hnthanks for that john.Hi Paul,
It is not as powerful as my Bionx, but that is 350w, so I wouldn't expect it to be. I would say it has slightly less torque than my 250w Ezee Forza, but that is not a scientific comparison.
It has the same motor as the Wisper 905se, so powerwise that would be the closest match.
With this bike it is all about the battery and the range, with 17.5 Ah, it just seems to go on for ever.
J
C
Cyclezee
Guest
One Week On Or, The Good The Bad And The Ugly
Having had an Eagle for just over a week now, I am able give some more information about my purchase.
As 2 Electric Wheels had only 2 of the 2009 Eagle models left in stock, I opted for their lightly used demo model for which I paid £900, the other bike had an upgrade of stainless spokes, but was being sold for £1050, so I went for the cheaper option as it still came with the 2 year battery warranty.
I was sent photos of the actual bike which had a couple of chips on the paintwork that did not bother me too much. When I received the bike I was disappointed to see the non standard handlebar stem shown in the photos I received had been replaced with the standard non adjustable type. The rear mudguard had a sizeable dent in it and the battery mounting baseplate was damaged. To be fair this could have occured in transit. I contacted 2EW about these issues and the adjustable stem, a new rear mudguard and battery baseplate were quickly sent out to me.
When I tried to fit the handlebar stem I discovered that some of the threads on the handlebar clamp were stripped and it could not be tightened safely. The battery mounting plate was a slightly different design and thicker than the original, so I could not use it as the eletrodes would not have been secured and the hole in the battery rail for the locking bolt would have been too low, so I bodged the original. The new mudguard was fine.
The latest 2010 model has some upgrades such as stainless steel spokes and nuts and bolts, adjustable front forks and an adjustable stem as standard. Apart from that it would appear pretty much unchanged The price is now £1499 from 2EW, quite a jump. In my opinion, the components used and the build quality of the Eagle fall short of the best Chinese bikes such as Ezee or Wisper by quite a margin and it is now more expensive than equivalent models from those manufacturers.
Back to my bike. On the road the ride is harsh and the non-adjustable front suspension doesn't cope very well. The saddle is unforgiving and I have replaced it and the seat post which has improved comfort considerably. The controlls take a little getting used to, 3 power settings and a throttle on/off switch. On mine it is not possible to switch off the pedelec mode and have just the throttle which seems a bit odd. I will probably disconnect the pedelec fuction as I find rather slow to react when starting and stopping pedaling.
Another thing I need to change is the chainring, 38 teeth are not enough for the 6 Speed Shimano Derailleur, the smallest sprocket has me spinning the pedals like crazy over 17 mph. This will mean disposing of the rather tacky chainguard to accomodate.
To continue with the rather negative tone, although the Zoom discs brakes work reasonably well, the noise they make is quite horrendous, so they need attention. The front light powered by the battery is quite poor, something else to replace.
Enough of the negatives I hear you cry!
Now for some positives, the popular 8fun motor performs well if somewhat nosier than I am used to and the motor shaft has a slight wobble although the wheel runs fairly true, Sorry a couple of negatives crept in again.
The battery, what can I say about the battery, it's brilliant and goes on for ever. One day I will run it flat just to see how far it will go. My problem is, I so used to recharging batteries after every ride that I do it with this one just out of habit.
My intention is to gradually upgrade the bike myself using the £99 saving from the list price. Not sure if that will be enough though as a pair M+s will use up a fair chunk of that.
Now some pretty photos
J hn
Having had an Eagle for just over a week now, I am able give some more information about my purchase.
As 2 Electric Wheels had only 2 of the 2009 Eagle models left in stock, I opted for their lightly used demo model for which I paid £900, the other bike had an upgrade of stainless spokes, but was being sold for £1050, so I went for the cheaper option as it still came with the 2 year battery warranty.
I was sent photos of the actual bike which had a couple of chips on the paintwork that did not bother me too much. When I received the bike I was disappointed to see the non standard handlebar stem shown in the photos I received had been replaced with the standard non adjustable type. The rear mudguard had a sizeable dent in it and the battery mounting baseplate was damaged. To be fair this could have occured in transit. I contacted 2EW about these issues and the adjustable stem, a new rear mudguard and battery baseplate were quickly sent out to me.
When I tried to fit the handlebar stem I discovered that some of the threads on the handlebar clamp were stripped and it could not be tightened safely. The battery mounting plate was a slightly different design and thicker than the original, so I could not use it as the eletrodes would not have been secured and the hole in the battery rail for the locking bolt would have been too low, so I bodged the original. The new mudguard was fine.
The latest 2010 model has some upgrades such as stainless steel spokes and nuts and bolts, adjustable front forks and an adjustable stem as standard. Apart from that it would appear pretty much unchanged The price is now £1499 from 2EW, quite a jump. In my opinion, the components used and the build quality of the Eagle fall short of the best Chinese bikes such as Ezee or Wisper by quite a margin and it is now more expensive than equivalent models from those manufacturers.
Back to my bike. On the road the ride is harsh and the non-adjustable front suspension doesn't cope very well. The saddle is unforgiving and I have replaced it and the seat post which has improved comfort considerably. The controlls take a little getting used to, 3 power settings and a throttle on/off switch. On mine it is not possible to switch off the pedelec mode and have just the throttle which seems a bit odd. I will probably disconnect the pedelec fuction as I find rather slow to react when starting and stopping pedaling.
Another thing I need to change is the chainring, 38 teeth are not enough for the 6 Speed Shimano Derailleur, the smallest sprocket has me spinning the pedals like crazy over 17 mph. This will mean disposing of the rather tacky chainguard to accomodate.
To continue with the rather negative tone, although the Zoom discs brakes work reasonably well, the noise they make is quite horrendous, so they need attention. The front light powered by the battery is quite poor, something else to replace.
Enough of the negatives I hear you cry!
Now for some positives, the popular 8fun motor performs well if somewhat nosier than I am used to and the motor shaft has a slight wobble although the wheel runs fairly true, Sorry a couple of negatives crept in again.
The battery, what can I say about the battery, it's brilliant and goes on for ever. One day I will run it flat just to see how far it will go. My problem is, I so used to recharging batteries after every ride that I do it with this one just out of habit.
My intention is to gradually upgrade the bike myself using the £99 saving from the list price. Not sure if that will be enough though as a pair M+s will use up a fair chunk of that.
Now some pretty photos
J
hn
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