I have had my Oxygen E mate city just over a month now and have over 500 miles on it so it seems like a nice time to post a first review.I like the bike a lot, it is well finished and feels sturdy.
The long wheel base seems to suit my frame and I find it very comfortable to cycle. Claimed range is 70 miles from the 15.5 ah battery and at 105kgs I would agree with that. I regularly take it for 50 mile rides on moderately hilly terrain and my best so far being 58 miles with one bar (from 6) remaining
The Dapu motor feels plenty powerful and hustles the bike along very well. The lcd display has 6 settings and 2 is usually fine on the flat and 3 on undulating terrain. This keeps the bike chugging along at 15 mph with a moderate pedalling effort. The throttle (level 6) takes the bike up to an indicated 20 mph on the flat
I found the gearing too high for me and my cycling area. The bike comes with a 12/32 megarange cassette and a 52 chainwheel. I swopped the ring to 42 to give me a lower gear and it has worked out fine. The original gearing would probably be perfect for the city though. I like the 7 speed setup as it will be cheap to replace and easily obtainable. I like the twist grip gear change and it feels very intuitive to me. Twist away from you to go up a gear and towards you to come down, I have read some folk find the numbers confusing but I can,t see them without my glasses so not a problem for me.
The saddle that came with the bike was a Velo Plush and it is quite firm and comfortable, if I did,nt have a Brooks B17 I would have been happy to keep it.
The wheels are also holding up well, 26 inch no name rims on joytech hubs. I was concerned by some wheels being 32 spoke and 14g for my 105 kg but the E mate comes with 36 spoke 12g spokes so I think they will be fine. The Kenda tyres roll quite well and seem to be a good compromise for the rougher cycle tracks.
The brakes are Tektro Novela mech disc and although I was dissappointed not to receive the specced Avid BB7s, the Tektros work very well and have plenty of stopping power.
The stem is adjustable and the grips have a nice feel. There is plenty of room to mount extra stuff like gps/phones etc on the straight bars. The wiring is tidy and most of it along with the controller is concealed giving the bike a nice smart look
The mudguards and rear rack are very sturdy and well designed. I am off touring in the Lakes and have no qualms about mounting rear panniers. The stand I thought something of a gimmick but I have to admit it has turned out to be really useful, no more looking for walls/trees etc to lean the bike against.
The seatpost was guilty of creeping down with my weight,i did consider buying a higher spec one but solved the problem by fitting a collar just above the clamp. This has the benefit of always returning to the right saddle height when removing/inserting the battery, so every cloud and all that.
The bike has realised my aspirations completely. My pre pedelec range was 20 miles or so but this has more than doubled and given me the confidence to have a go at cycle touring again. Off to the Lakes next week for a few days to test the theory.
The long wheel base seems to suit my frame and I find it very comfortable to cycle. Claimed range is 70 miles from the 15.5 ah battery and at 105kgs I would agree with that. I regularly take it for 50 mile rides on moderately hilly terrain and my best so far being 58 miles with one bar (from 6) remaining
The Dapu motor feels plenty powerful and hustles the bike along very well. The lcd display has 6 settings and 2 is usually fine on the flat and 3 on undulating terrain. This keeps the bike chugging along at 15 mph with a moderate pedalling effort. The throttle (level 6) takes the bike up to an indicated 20 mph on the flat
I found the gearing too high for me and my cycling area. The bike comes with a 12/32 megarange cassette and a 52 chainwheel. I swopped the ring to 42 to give me a lower gear and it has worked out fine. The original gearing would probably be perfect for the city though. I like the 7 speed setup as it will be cheap to replace and easily obtainable. I like the twist grip gear change and it feels very intuitive to me. Twist away from you to go up a gear and towards you to come down, I have read some folk find the numbers confusing but I can,t see them without my glasses so not a problem for me.
The saddle that came with the bike was a Velo Plush and it is quite firm and comfortable, if I did,nt have a Brooks B17 I would have been happy to keep it.
The wheels are also holding up well, 26 inch no name rims on joytech hubs. I was concerned by some wheels being 32 spoke and 14g for my 105 kg but the E mate comes with 36 spoke 12g spokes so I think they will be fine. The Kenda tyres roll quite well and seem to be a good compromise for the rougher cycle tracks.
The brakes are Tektro Novela mech disc and although I was dissappointed not to receive the specced Avid BB7s, the Tektros work very well and have plenty of stopping power.
The stem is adjustable and the grips have a nice feel. There is plenty of room to mount extra stuff like gps/phones etc on the straight bars. The wiring is tidy and most of it along with the controller is concealed giving the bike a nice smart look
The mudguards and rear rack are very sturdy and well designed. I am off touring in the Lakes and have no qualms about mounting rear panniers. The stand I thought something of a gimmick but I have to admit it has turned out to be really useful, no more looking for walls/trees etc to lean the bike against.
The seatpost was guilty of creeping down with my weight,i did consider buying a higher spec one but solved the problem by fitting a collar just above the clamp. This has the benefit of always returning to the right saddle height when removing/inserting the battery, so every cloud and all that.
The bike has realised my aspirations completely. My pre pedelec range was 20 miles or so but this has more than doubled and given me the confidence to have a go at cycle touring again. Off to the Lakes next week for a few days to test the theory.
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