PowaCycle Lynx LPX Owner Reviews.
Reviewer: TerryTraveller
Purchased From: Mitchell Cycles of Swindon
Purchase Price: £599
Time Owned: One month
Local Terrain: Flat to Moderate Hills
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Strengths:
My first ebike experience and I am very pleased with its performance, its more comfortable and easier to ride even without battery power, than my other 20” 3 gear Sturmey Archer non electric bike. Its easy to fold but does not clip together once folded. The saddle height is easily adjusted but the quick clamp is not easy to lock. Normal v-brakes stop the ebike quickly without locking up, however there is slight hammering from the front due to slackness in the suspension.
Rear hub motor and pedelec are smooth in operation. I like the red mode button momentary switch which starts or stops the power assist mode incorporated into the twist grip assembly. The twist grip is more log than linear and very slight movement near the beginning of the rotation controls the hub motor speed, enabling you to ride very slowly without pedalling, otherwise you are up to 15 mph, bumping off pedestrians like a ball in a pinball machine. The motor takes two seconds to stop once you have ceased pedalling, but operating the brakes or red mode button will switch the power off immediately.
I have only travelled on one longish journey of 16 miles and the LiPol battery still had 4 LEDs showing. Although I have exhausted the battery twice, I didn’t have an odometer then, so can only guess I clocked up around 25 – 30 each time, but I pedal a lot ! recharging the battery took about 5 hrs for each charge.
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Weaknesses:
Check for excessive movement in the front suspension before buying new or second-hand, this is causing some slight hammering when braking the front wheel. Wiring and Bowden cables are routed through aperture in front light bracket which has not been deburred , the wiring cable is protected by a curly outer sleeving but the Bowden cable is not, consequently this will eventually wear through if not modified. There is no bracket to protect the Derailleur mechanism as there is on some bikes, so you need to be careful when you lay it down once folded. Front light works off of the main battery, there is no rear light. The rear aluminium mudguard, hits the rear luggage carrier and gets dented.
Service and Spares
My PowaCycle Lynx LPX expired after one months use and under 100 miles, with a suspected controller gone bad. Obtaining spare parts from the distributor can be a problem, although initially they sent a replacement controller within a few days, it was the wrong one, and they have run out of stock of the controller for the Lynx. They will cannibalise an ebike at the distribution centre and forward another controller to my cycle repair shop for fitting. I hope I can edit this review once submitted, I can then unfold the continuing story of the folding ebike!
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Summary:
I would buy from Powacycle again (for the moment) not just because of the price. PowaCycle have been going for a few years and must have imported and sold 1000’s of the seven models of ebikes, either directly or Ebay type retailers and of course your local shop, without too many problems. I would not buy via the internet, as returning the ebike for warranty repairs if needed, would cost around £50 in postage for each free warranty repair.
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Overall Rating (out of 10) :
For the moment it gets a 4, only because of reliability problems which may or may not be inherent. I did ask the distributors for a comment on mortality rates, no reply was received. Asking the same questions of Mitchell’s Cycle Shop, they have sold around 40 units with no electrical component failure.
Re-appraisal after 6 months hopefully will give it more, depends on repair time, uptime and reliability afterwards.
Reviewer: TerryTraveller
Purchased From: Mitchell Cycles of Swindon
Purchase Price: £599
Time Owned: One month
Local Terrain: Flat to Moderate Hills
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Strengths:
My first ebike experience and I am very pleased with its performance, its more comfortable and easier to ride even without battery power, than my other 20” 3 gear Sturmey Archer non electric bike. Its easy to fold but does not clip together once folded. The saddle height is easily adjusted but the quick clamp is not easy to lock. Normal v-brakes stop the ebike quickly without locking up, however there is slight hammering from the front due to slackness in the suspension.
Rear hub motor and pedelec are smooth in operation. I like the red mode button momentary switch which starts or stops the power assist mode incorporated into the twist grip assembly. The twist grip is more log than linear and very slight movement near the beginning of the rotation controls the hub motor speed, enabling you to ride very slowly without pedalling, otherwise you are up to 15 mph, bumping off pedestrians like a ball in a pinball machine. The motor takes two seconds to stop once you have ceased pedalling, but operating the brakes or red mode button will switch the power off immediately.
I have only travelled on one longish journey of 16 miles and the LiPol battery still had 4 LEDs showing. Although I have exhausted the battery twice, I didn’t have an odometer then, so can only guess I clocked up around 25 – 30 each time, but I pedal a lot ! recharging the battery took about 5 hrs for each charge.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Weaknesses:
Check for excessive movement in the front suspension before buying new or second-hand, this is causing some slight hammering when braking the front wheel. Wiring and Bowden cables are routed through aperture in front light bracket which has not been deburred , the wiring cable is protected by a curly outer sleeving but the Bowden cable is not, consequently this will eventually wear through if not modified. There is no bracket to protect the Derailleur mechanism as there is on some bikes, so you need to be careful when you lay it down once folded. Front light works off of the main battery, there is no rear light. The rear aluminium mudguard, hits the rear luggage carrier and gets dented.
Service and Spares
My PowaCycle Lynx LPX expired after one months use and under 100 miles, with a suspected controller gone bad. Obtaining spare parts from the distributor can be a problem, although initially they sent a replacement controller within a few days, it was the wrong one, and they have run out of stock of the controller for the Lynx. They will cannibalise an ebike at the distribution centre and forward another controller to my cycle repair shop for fitting. I hope I can edit this review once submitted, I can then unfold the continuing story of the folding ebike!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary:
I would buy from Powacycle again (for the moment) not just because of the price. PowaCycle have been going for a few years and must have imported and sold 1000’s of the seven models of ebikes, either directly or Ebay type retailers and of course your local shop, without too many problems. I would not buy via the internet, as returning the ebike for warranty repairs if needed, would cost around £50 in postage for each free warranty repair.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Rating (out of 10) :
For the moment it gets a 4, only because of reliability problems which may or may not be inherent. I did ask the distributors for a comment on mortality rates, no reply was received. Asking the same questions of Mitchell’s Cycle Shop, they have sold around 40 units with no electrical component failure.
Re-appraisal after 6 months hopefully will give it more, depends on repair time, uptime and reliability afterwards.
