Well i took the plunge - finally!!

[Jon]

Ok so after many test rides and driving around the Middlands I need a ebike to offset my carbon print on top of planting a forest I have bought my first electric bike.

My final two choices were

Juicy Sport
Oxygen Race

I was looking at getting the CTWS and if that was the case i would be going for the Juicy. I sorted the paper work out etc only to be informed by HR that during the time of public sector cuts it would be insensitive to buy such an expensive bike, and, i could lease one of the bikes they had back from someone that got made redundant or use a pool bike. Hugghhh!!!

So i scrapped that idea and then thought about my specific needs plus wants and then looked at each bike (juicy or Oxygen) to see which would be best for me.

After many, many hours waying up pros and cons which were around the need to use the bike on and off the road as i live near to a country park i took a chance with the Oxygen Race. The Juicy was very close though but i felt the Oxygen would best fit my needs although it is a lot more expensive.

So, Im now a Oxygen Race owner and my very first impressions are wow absolutely wow. I took it for a scramble of the hills and it was absolutely amazing, the power is really good and it handles like a dream. Out of the bikes i finally tested this one is the best. I will post a review on it after a few weeks of use but i wanted to share my first impressions of it as i know its not a common bike on here.

• Comfortable ride (seat, handle bars riding position etc)
• Corners very well
• Handled a 200m elevated 45 deg angle (ish) grass (with tuffs and rabbit warrens) downhill with surprising ease. I think the battery and hub weight helps to keep the rear wheel down as normally i have to shift my ass really far back to do it on my old bike.
• On the flip side of this i climbed a 30-35 degree hill with relative ease and at good speed. The path was a mixture of loose stones and mud
• Throttle and pedals are very responsive and you can feel it gets you to 15mph quickly
• Good chunky tyres suitable for off road but can be used on road they will be slightly less efficient that slicks but i prefer the look
• The fram and overall style looks really nice, much better than the stock pic on the website. My 13 year brother and his mates were amazed and thought it was "sick" which is good lol
• Brakes are responsive and stop well
• Battery is a 15ah 37v
• Wires are hidden
• Wider handle bars feel great
• Controller is in a sensible place and well protected
• Generally quieter than most ebikes i have ridden

Some down sides are

• No holes for water bottle
• Seat post seems to be easily scratched as you have to take it off to take battery off
• No mud guard for battery but i knew this before i bought it
• Lack of speedo
• Im not a fan of this style of gear shifters, they seem to be the same on most ebikes my shimano rapid shifters were much better and easier to get to

At the moment thats all ive come across. I have put my own mudguards on which i did after the pictures below and tomorrow ill be off to get some bags for the bike to carry my work stuff.


Like i said ill post a more constructive review once ive spent a few days on it

See pics here

 

[kitchenman]

looks great Jon. You can now sell the punch bag! There are probably a few on this forum who have yet to take the plunge who'll be interested. Being caught in that ebike decision making limbo is very stressfull

 

[Scottyf]

just took a look at the website and they do seem to show alot of info and seem to know there stuff. Bikes look good too! Hope you enjoy it and its fits your purpose!

Its definetly got a sizable battery to keep you going for miles! Wonder what amp controller they stuck with...

Hope you enjoy it as it looks a cracking bike.

 

[eddieo]

Nice loking bike...Enjoy it!

 

[dmcgoldrick]

enjoy.....looks a good one if you are doing a bit of off road.......
your hr people need a good talking to.........absolutely ridiculous 'blocking' by them !

look forward to your later review.

 

[JuicyBike]

Doh!
A fellow BEBA registered bike so I guess I should be happy... (but deep down inside...)
Great that you've finally got the bike you're most happy with Jon and it was a pleasure helping you decide.

 

[tillson]

I sorted the paper work out etc only to be informed by HR that during the time of public sector cuts it would be insensitive to buy such an expensive bike, and, i could lease one of the bikes they had back from someone that got made redundant or use a pool bike. Hugghhh!!!

When considering taking employment with any organisation, the first enquiry you should make is whether they have a Personnel Department or a Human Resources (HR) Department. If it is the latter, on no account must you work for them. The HR Department will be stuffed full of idiots who spend all day talking about their children and pretending to be Alan Sugar. During breaks from this core activity, they will invent pointless forms for you to fill in and mind numbingly boring course for you to attend, some of which will be an insult to your intellect. They will also create policy which is based on absolutely no understanding of the subject matter, such as the example you quote above.

If your employer had a Personnel Department, you might have been successful in you attempt at the CTWS.

Ps Enjoy the bike, it looks great.

 

[Jon]

When considering taking employment with any organisation, the first enquiry you should make is whether they have a Personnel Department or a Human Resources (HR) Department. If it is the latter, on no account must you work for them. .

I dont really have an option Im a youth worker well was untill two weeks ago im part of management now, this means i have to work for a local authority, i understand you concerns though i have witnessed some of them

Doh!
A fellow BEBA registered bike so I guess I should be happy... (but deep down inside...)
Great that you've finally got the bike you're most happy with Jon and it was a pleasure helping you decide.

Bob, it only came down to been able to use the Race off road etc, i think you have a great product and ill certianly be directing people your way

just took a look at the website and they do seem to show alot of info and seem to know there stuff. Bikes look good too! Hope you enjoy it and its fits your purpose!

Its definetly got a sizable battery to keep you going for miles! Wonder what amp controller they stuck with...

Hope you enjoy it as it looks a cracking bike.

Andrew from Oxygen has been patient with me asking lots of questions and ive just looked at the controller but i think its some generic one as it says "controller for a brushless motor" its rated at 15 amps



I have put some pics of some hills and terrains i have been over today my flickr account, im really impressed its so much fun and durable. Im very critical of stuff and im strugglign at the momnet. The crank seems a bit noisy as i peddle but ive either picked some crap up from going off road, it need wearing in or its faulty. Not sure which yet. The ability of this bike to go down steep hills is amazing, i cam back after a 3 hour off road session and i felt energised and thrilled it was ashame it was dark or i would have gone out again. I have gone over the bike and other than dirt everything is still strong and where it should be not rattles despite rattling my bones at some points lol.

Its easy to derestrict for off road use (pick up slightly better and it did about 19mph on throttle only but it will of course use the battery quicker) you just need to unplug 1 wire so you can reconnect once back on public roads.

I have bought some extras and started to customise it as you do with these things. Mudguards, water holder, tool bag etc and ive got some waterproofs today for my journey to work on Monday.

 

[Jon]

looks great Jon. You can now sell the punch bag! There are probably a few on this forum who have yet to take the plunge who'll be interested. Being caught in that ebike decision making limbo is very stressfull

That punch bag will never go lol i have fought to keep with witht he wife Its helped me with my Ju Jitsu training and great for stress relief. And yup i find it easier buying a car than an electric bike im glad ive bought one that i enjoy and not bought a lemon. An ebike that is not a car, a punch bag or a wife lol

 

[Scottyf]

sizeable controller if its rated at 15 amp. Peak is probably close to 30amp's. It would definetly be making full use of the extra amp's the battery has. Nice to see though that your enjoying it despite the crank noise.

My bottom bracket is on its way out if it makes you feel any better.

 

[Fordulike]

Jon, does anything rattle on this bike when riding on rough ground, such as the battery in it's mounting etc..?

 

[Scimitar]

Nice bike, Jon.
I find it utterly incredible that the HR dept would attempt to stick its nose into your purchase and actively dissuade you from your plan. How effing dare they?
They wouldn't have raised a peep if you'd spent the exact same money on a old car, would they? No, of course not.
I wonder if it was some sort of jealousy on the part of the chair-polishing HR bod.

 

[gerryscott]

hi jon, nice bike.just wondering, on the website it's got weight at 19.7kg, is that with battery or without.

 

[Fordulike]

Come on Jon, chop chop, you've got some questions to answer from the inquisitive pedelec community

 

[Jon]

sizeable controller if its rated at 15 amp. Peak is probably close to 30amp's. It would definetly be making full use of the extra amp's the battery has. Nice to see though that your enjoying it despite the crank noise.

My bottom bracket is on its way out if it makes you feel any better.

I can hear the noise but its not overly noisy if that makes sense, im not worried well not yet. I have very good hearing in fact freakishly good i can tell when bearings are starting to go or other small parts i can even hear some dog whistles lol.

Jon, does anything rattle on this bike when riding on rough ground, such as the battery in it's mounting etc..?

When i first rode it yes there were rattles, the security bar just needed a tightening tweak and that was it. Last night i went for a very hard ride as this bike is designed for tracks i punished it and other than my bones there were not rattles.

Nice bike, Jon.
I find it utterly incredible that the HR dept would attempt to stick its nose into your purchase and actively dissuade you from your plan. How effing dare they?
They wouldn't have raised a peep if you'd spent the exact same money on a old car, would they? No, of course not.
I wonder if it was some sort of jealousy on the part of the chair-polishing HR bod.

I agree but the way they see it is they own the bike which under the CTWS they do so if i were to be made redundant then i could just refuse to pay for it and in Stoke on Trent the public kick off on anything the Council buys its stupid so they thought it could in onsensitive. At least this way i own it out right and can do what ever i want to it.

hi jon, nice bike.just wondering, on the website it's got weight at 19.7kg, is that with battery or without.

I have been onto Andrew at Oxygen about updating the spec on there as there are some things that are different like it does have a rear mudguard. Which i changed anyway lol. The weight is more than 19kg i weighed mine with the front and rear plastic guards (prob about 200g ish) speedo a saddle bag etc and it came in at 22.2kg the battery weights 4.3kg My scales are not calibrated to any standards but they are normally quite good.

Come on Jon, chop chop, you've got some questions to answer from the inquisitive pedelec community

Apologies ive been ridding my lovely bike lol


Also if anyone is around the Stoke area and wants to come see it feel free to send me a PM i know how hard it is to decide which ebike is for you. Also look on my flickr which i linked in my previous post there are some hills its climbed on there as i wanted to show rather than just talk. There is also a distinct lack of videos on the Oxygen stuff so im going to create one. Nothing flash btw lol

 

[PennyFarthing]

Wow, 306 views since yesterday by the lurkers and only 14 replies. Be lovely if you all joined us.

Congratulations on your purchase!

 

[Jon]

Ive just whacked more pics on Flickr (see my first post) and i have done a quick video to give those "lurkers" something to lurk about lol

[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/novajon?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/WQh9rCZQ-Ug[/video]

Today i have covered 13.72 miles. 5.3 of which were public roads probably what you would call normal use nothing too steep. I covered 3.15 miles to my Dads in 13 minutes. It takes about 10 minutes to get there in the car but it is a longer route in the car. The the rest of the miles were having fun on the hills. Oh my, i could have just kept going it was so much fun. Plus it was raining and the only issue i had was having to stop to wipe my glasses lol I kept a consistent 12.2 mph average speed reaching a max speed of 30.6 mph down a very steep hill. So far i have down 31 miles on the Oxygen Race and the battery level is hovering around half. Im expecting it to lose its charge quicker now and i have noticed a drop in performance on the hills as the power went below half. So i went to try a 1 hill climb and i had to get to 2nd or 3rd gear to make the ride easy for me and then i was still hovering around the 10mph mark after the drop in performance but the 10mph was consistent over the mile and didnt drop. I wish our roads were gradient marked around here.

When i got in i washed the bike ready for my journey to work tomorrow as it was caked in sand and mud.

 

[steveindenmark]

I have stopped hovvering to come and and say thanks for this review. I watched the video and liked how you keep stroking the bike. You must be really pleased with it.

What is it like to ride without any power on?

Steve

 

[Jon]

Stoking ha ha ha

Its so so, not the easiest ride i have ridden with no power but its only a challenge going up a hill with no power. You can also feel a drag when you stop using the power and your moving.

Ive done 72 miles on it so far on all terrains well except a beach and a mountain

Its shaved 8 mins of my 4.5 mile commute and im not even tired when i get to work nor the ride t each meetings throughout the day. I seem to be getting about 36 miles per charge at the moment too

 

[kitchenman]

Hi Jon, At this stage can you answer these questions for me:
Score: e.g. 9 out of 10
Route: e.g. Moderate Hills, Very Hilly, One Hill, etc ...
Motor Noise: e.g. Almost Silent, Quite noisey, Very noisey
Battery Man. e.g. Panasonic, Toshiba, etc ..
Charger Full CUT-OFF?: Yes

Thanks - Alan