Electric Bike Action Magazine

BATTERIES,PEDALS &THROTTLES: All the Latest in E-Bike Technology

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On Road: Specialized Turbo

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EBACONTENTS: VOLUME 1 - NUMBER 1 - FALL 2013

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BIKE TESTS 4

Easy Motion Neo Cross Light & efficient power assist

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Specialized Turbo No shortage of style or substance

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EBA Gear Guide A selection of products to consider

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Zero S A commuter bike for long distances

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Tuesday-Night Gamble Bringing power assist to the group

Easy Motion Neo Jumper Lessons in civility are key

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FEATURES

28 Zero FX An expensive way to dabble off-road www.electricbikeaction.com

Inside The Euro Bike Show The most e-bikes in one place E-Bike Market At A Glance A small selection to choose from

ON THE COVER: The Specialized Turbo and Easy Motion Neo Jumper vie for your attention. Photo by John Ker. ON THIS PAGE: The KTM scooter that never was, a dropped-bar project bike, a Eurobike entry and Lindsay Moulton in action. Photo by Pat Carrigan.

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Editorial Director Zapata Espinoza Assistant Editors Karel Kramer, Ron Lawson, Mike Wirth Contributor: Spencer Rathkamp

Designers Alma Martínez de Dicsö, Tim La Paglia Photography Pat Carrigan, John Ker Online Editor: Tom Hinz

Copy Editors Stephanie Sun, Cassandra Mittelberg Prelim Coordinator William Hawley IV Advertising Advertising Director: Robb Mesecher Account Executive: Derreck Bernard Account Executive: John Barila Ad Production Coordinator: Jennifer Edmonston Account Administrator: Lisa Beckwith Hi-Torque Publications, Inc. President and Publisher Roland Hinz Associate Publisher Lila Hinz Assistant To The President Cassandra Mittelberg Assistant To The President Katharine McCoy Assistant To The President Tom Hinz Circulation Director Jeff Shoop

elcome to the inaugural issue of Electric Bike Action. If you are reading this, I will take it as proof that you, like all of us here, are both curious and excited about the burgeoning world of two-wheeled electric vehicles. Ah, yes, the world of two-wheeled electric bikes, where so far there are no limits as to how a bike should look or how it should be powered. In fact, I think the most accurate way to describe all that’s currently going on in the fast-growing industry is the “wild frontier” metaphor, as used by an e-bike builder as he described the current state of the e-bike nation. And as you can see from our photo gallery of e-bikes seen at the 2013 Eurobike show (page 24), there is no shortage of unique interpretations as to what the most practical e-bike design is.

This issue of EBA is brought to you by the editors of Road Bike Action, Mountain Bike Action and Dirt Bike magazines, who collectively have more first- hand knowledge of the sports of cycling and motorcycling than any other combined group of journalists. Although we’ve had e-bikes on our radar for quite some time, the sudden growth and popularity of these unique bikes convinced us that the time is right to produce a magazine dedicated to all the latest trends in both the electric bicycle and motorcycle fields.

Inside this issue (the first complete issue will hit the newsstands in December) you will find a collection of tests and feature stories that only just begin to scratch the surface of the exciting and burgeoning world of e-bikes. Whether you are looking at e-bikes for recreational fun, weekday commuting, or just the technological and environmental solutions they offer, we think you’ll find something here that will no doubt act as a catalyst to draw you deeper into the world of e-bikes. Dare we say it, but it truly is an electric time to discover the wild frontier of e-bikes.

We look forward to hearing from you. letters@electricbikeaction.com

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Promotions Director Tim La Paglia Editorial and Advertising Offices 25233 Anza Drive Valencia, CA 91355 (661) 295-1910 Fax: (661) 295-1278 www.hi-torque.com Subscription Information To subscribe to Electric Bike Action please visit us at www.electricbikeaction.com Or call, (800) 767-0345 (8am-5pm PST, M-F)

WARNING: Much of the action depicted in this magazine is potentially dangerous. Virtually all of the riders seen in our photos are experienced experts or professionals.

Do not attempt to duplicate any stunts that are beyond your own capabilities. Always use discretion and wear the appropriate safety gear.

For any change of address or subscription problems please contact us by e-mail: michelle@hi-torque.com or call (800) 767-0345.

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A BATTERY OF NEW EXPERIENCES

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Day by day, mile by mile, a two-wheeled vet learns anew ne thing that separates Easy Motion bikes (10 models in all) from many other e-bikes is that, in addition to the pedals, they also have a twist throttle to assist in forward motion. Along with its 36-volt Samsung lithium-ion battery placed in the downtube, the Easy Motion Neo Cross (www.emotionbikesusa.com) is powered by a 350-watt planetary-geardriven motor located in the rear hub.

You can easily choose between four separate power modes—Eco, Standard, Sport and Boost—while riding via a handlebar-mounted LCD display. The throttle will only work in the no-assist mode, and on flat ground at full throttle, the Neo cruised along gingerly at close to 20 mph (with a 145pound rider). The $2699 Neo Cross is available in (medium and large) sizes and is outfitted with Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, a Micro-Shift/Shimano eight-speed drivetrain, and a SunTour suspension fork with lockout.

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Within the palatial confines of the Hi-Torque Publications headquarters, there are cyclists of every shape and level of experience. Most come from a career of twisting throttles, while some know only the benefits of “turning circles.” To get the best range of opinion in evaluating our stable of e-bikes, we called upon a range of editors to try out the different bikes. One was Karel Kramer, a dyed-in-the-wool throttle twister with over three decades of experience testing every kind of motorcycle under the sun. Karel also has a penchant for recreational cycling, so for the week that he planned to stay home to work, we loaned him the Easy Motion Neo to see what his reaction would be to this latest melding of technology.

A LETTER FROM HOME Hey, Zap, Thanks for the time with the Neo. Like you, I found that it is a remarkably efficient bicycle when the motor is

Stealth black and super quiet, the Zero is the ultimate neighborhood assault weapon.

switched off. I only have a mountain bike for comparison, but the E-Motion is far easier to ride on pavement without power assist. I also found the disc brakes to be better than those on my bike by orders of magnitude. For a heavy commuter bike, they are a very good choice.

For my first ride, I went to bike lanes above the 118 freeway. This is a nice area to ride, but too steep to be enjoyable for me on my mountain bike. With the E-Motion, I found that I didn't have to spare any thought for headwinds or how steep the ride would be. The EM gives a nice push every time you shift up, and you spend the majority of the ride in the big ring. The assist is impressive, but I found it helps most up to about 13 or 14 mph. The assist tapers as the speed goes up, and there feels like very little advantage from 17 to 20 mph. Above 20 it feels like it almost fights you a little, and I ended up turning it off completely for descents. I'm guessing it regenerates, so that is what I was feeling. On the steepest and most miserable climb, the EM held steady at nearly 14 mph. I killed the assist and found that 4 mph was comfortable for me pedaling that climb. I did 10.5 miles, with 511 feet of climbing at an average speed of 15.1 miles per hour, and I had two bars of battery left. Later I added an additional 2.6 miles of flat neighborhood riding, and I still had battery.

The next day I set out to drain a full charge on Eco mode. I rode around the Chatsworth reservoir with some good headwinds but no big climbs. As night drew near and I headed home, I’d clocked just over 18 miles in distance, and there was one bar of charge left. I bet 20 miles is a number you could reliably count on. That last bar goes really fast.

I’m happy to say that the pedal assist was a huge mental comfort when riding in traffic, and I felt safer pulling from stoplights. At no time did I feel winded, but my legs still got a pretty good workwww.electricbikeaction.com

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BIKETEST

One of the best attributes of the Neo Cross was how effiecient it was to pedal without any battery power.

out. In this “commuter mode,” I didn't look for roads with good pavement, but rather just chose a destination. I got into some rough conditions, and the unsprung weight of the rear hub makes the ride choppy and a bit punishing. At one point, holding a steady 20 mph, I was congratulating the assist, but when I turned it off, I barely noticed the difference.

The next morning I set out to run a full charge dead with almost no pedaling. The hills were mild for the most part. It is more sluggish off the line without pedaling, but it runs a pretty easy 15 to 20 mph on semi-flat terrain. I turned into Northridge Mall, got an 18-mph run at a parking ramp, and tried to climb it on electric power alone. It barely eased over the top, and it dropped a full bar in battery level. I found another hill that I had to pedal to help get over the top.

Surprisingly, when all the bars were gone, the EM still had power, but the gauge showed nothing for over a mile before I parked it. When you are in assist mode, the bike is reasonably comfortable. When you ride it without pedaling, the riding position is less comfortable. Running errands on the bike is 6

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great. I didn't really notice that it took much longer to ride it to my wife's school than to drive.

I enjoyed the bike, but some of my serious cyclist buddies found it of little interest for themselves. However, they felt that the E-Motion would allow a casual rider to keep pace with a dedicated rider on a bicycle, and several were very interested in borrowing the bike for their wives to accompany them on rides.

I know that e-bikes have other hoops to jump through if they are

faster than 20 mph, but for riding in traffic, having a bike capable of another 10 mph would help my feeling of safety. Also, the bike is already heavy, so I would want more suspension than the Neo offered. I think the Neo is perfect for a short commute where you can easily ride a decent distance without getting embarrassingly gamey, then you could pedal harder on the way home and walk through the door a sweaty mess. I’m sure the wife will love that! Thanks again for the ride. ■

The LCD display was both easy to read and use while riding.

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ACCESSORIES THAT LEAD THE CHARGE FEATURE

Handy products for every e-bike rider

PERFECT VISION

THWART THIEVES Since the majority of e-bikes are used for urban commuting, you need a lock. Abus offers a line of locks that will drive a professional thief to look for an easier target and totally thwart an amateur. The locks come with mounting hardware or cases that stow the lock when not in use.

Your eyes need coverage from the wind, insects, road dirt and, yes, sunlight. Most sport glasses (available from bicycle shops) have easily interchangeable lenses, and if you purchase them as a system, the glasses will come with extra lenses. We highly recommend going the full-system route.

You need to have your eyes covered even on overcast days and the best sunglasses will allow you to swap out tinted lenses for clear lenses in less than a minute.

HEADS, YOU WIN While most states do not require an adult e-bike rider to wear a helmet, common sense dictates that you do. There is really no reason not to wear a helmet. Helmets are lightweight, comfortable, and for you fashion-conscious riders, they look pretty stylish these days.

Take advantage of helmets that come with a visor, because you are sitting in a more upright position than a conventional road cyclist and will need that UV protection. Don’t limit your search to the lightest and smallest helmet. The lids worn by mountain bikers offer more surface area than traditional road cyclist helmets, and they are not noticeably hotter. Go for more coverage. www.electricbikeaction.com

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ACCESSORIES

PHONE HOME A smartphone is a vital tool for your e-excursions. We use the Cyclemeter app for our riding. It is a simple app that keeps track of things like mileage, elevation climbed, average speed and top speed. If you have ever found yourself miles from home and out of juice, you already understand what a lifesaver using an app like Cyclemeter can be.

Although not yet available, companies like Easy Motion will have apps that tap into their bike’s electrical system for even more accurate reporting.

TAKE IT WITH YOU While there are hundreds of bike racks to choose from, we would steer you toward carrying your cargo on your person. Any weight you add to the bike’s frame is going to have a detrimental effect on your bike’s balance and handling. Fill a rear-mounted basket with 15 pounds of books, a computer and lunch and you will be facing a totally new experience once underway. The front end will feel too light, you will wobble more in corners, and shifts in cargo weight will be a challenge to your catlike reflexes.

ADD A LITTLE CUSHION FITS LIKE A GLOVE While your handlebar grips may be soft and comfy, you do not want your bare hands exposed to the wind and dirt from the road. Gloves will also give you a better feel of the controls, both brake levers and shifting triggers. Our advice is to choose a glove with a thin palm and full fingers. Nothing is more bothersome than a padded glove palm that bunches up between the handlebar grip and your palm. Remember, you are sitting more upright than on a conventional bicycle, so you won’t have as much pressure against the handlebar grips.

You shouldn’t need all that padding.

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On a 100-percent human-powered bicycle, your pedaling actually lifts your weight off the saddle slightly. The harder you push on the pedals, the more your weight is lifted. Now, enter the world of pedal assist. Since the motor is doing 70 percent or more of the work, you stay firmly planted in the saddle. On a short ride, that’s no big deal. After 25 minutes, you will begin to feel a bit of discomfort, as most of your weight is concentrated on the saddle.

A suspension seatpost will take a lot of this discomfort away and may even eliminate it. These products give suspension travel to your saddle. The Cane Creek Thudbuster seatpost has been around for a long time and works beautifully.

LUBE JOB Did you know that a dry chain could inflict damage on other components? It also robs your bike of power. You need a bottle of chain lube in the garage for periodically lubricating your bike’s chain.

The best time to apply the stuff is the night before your ride, and then wipe off the excess lube the morning before you ride. ■

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BIKETEST

As well it should for the $6000 asking price, the Specialized Turbo is a first-class affair when it comes to the construction and quality of components. The machined-aluminum headlight is a nice touch.

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SPECIALIZED

TURBO As the name implies, this one is all about speed...and style

t was a classic e-bike-versus-pedalbike moment. The guy on the road bike was ahead by a few blocks, but lo and behold, by the time he reached the next intersection, he had fallen behind our e-bike. As he stopped next to us at the red light, he not only looked exasperated but downright befuddled. If we could read his mind, he was probably asking himself, “How could some overweight, dorky-looking guy on that city bike catch and pass me on my carbon wonder bike?!”

Being the honest guys that we are, we couldn’t let the guy torture himself any longer. “You know that it’s a cheater, right?” When our admission didn’t seem to register, we went the extra distance, “It’s an electric bike.” Mystery solved.

Welcome to the Specialized Turbo— no doubt, one of the best-looking electric bikes on the market today.

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FROM THE BEGINNING As most people in the bike industry know, Specialized is not a company that does anything with less than a full-on effort. And yes, it’s definitely rare that they’re found sitting on the sidelines while any two-wheel trend emerges, but that’s just what they did with the e-bike market. Though e-bike sales in Europe had been in full swing for almost a decade, Specialized thought it best to wait and see what kind of consumer and technology trends emerged. Knowing that Europe was driving the direction of e-bike technology and usage, in 2010, Specialized sent one American engineer packing to join a Turbo-dedicated team in Switzerland. After two years spent penciling frame designs and studying battery technology, the first iteration of their fast-looking Turbo hit European shores last year.

In the spring of 2013, the Turbo finally arrived in America where it became an immediate talking point in the still-nascent domestic e-bike market. Available

in four sizes, the Turbo made waves as much for its styling as its $6000 asking price.

THE DETAILS For their entry into the market, Specialized sought to deliver a bike that was made up of as much proprietary design as possible. As lead engineer Amber Lucas commented, “We’re bike freaks at Specialized, and it was important that we created a bike that we would and could be passionate about.

When the first Turbo arrived and it ended up winning one of our lunch rides, well, we knew we had a bike worthy of being a Specialized.”

The Turbo begins life with a stout, curvaceous aluminum frame that rides on 700c wheels mounted with fat, 45c, slick tires. As is obvious from looking at all the bikes in this magazine, bike makers are choosing one of two places to mount their motor: in the rear hub or in the bottom bracket. Given the intended (road) use of the Turbo, Specialized opted for the former, because rear hub weight is not an issue on pavement and is also less impactful on the drivetrain.

The motor has a 250-watt nominal rating (the power that can be sustained), with an allowance for spikes of up to 700 watts. To maintain its legally recognized status as a bicycle, there is no throttle on the Turbo; all forward movement is a result of your legs turning circles. Aiding in this department is the SRAM XO rear derailleur and 11-speed gear cluster mated to a single 48 tooth chainring.

In their typical attention to detail, the Turbo has something “cool” to find at every turn. The carbon fork with a 15mm thru-axle was a nice touch, as is the high-end headlight, which is standard equipment. Giving some credence to the retail price would be the high-end Magura hydraulic disc brakes with nicely sculpted carbon brake levers. www.electricbikeaction.com

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BIKETEST

The Turbo relies on a direct-drive rear-hub motor that can swiftly deliver you to a top speed of 28 mph. Any speed needed above the Turbo-supplied 28 mph is entirely up to you.

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Not to minimize the Turbo’s performance, but the handy centerstand was definitely a standout feature.

THE RIDE The first thing we noticed about the Turbo is that, as the name implies, it is fast. Really fast. Okay, not freewayspeed fast, but fast enough that riding in the Turbo mode makes pedaling along at 28 mph relatively easy. The initial torque surge was actually enough to catch a few unsuspecting riders by surprise. What was also surprising was the level of physical workout we could get by trying to sustain that speed—don’t be fooled, there’s a reason these bikes are called “pedal assist.”

“For me,” the test rider said, “there is a pain scale when climbing. It starts with a little burn, elevates to my heart rate pounding, jumps to gasping for breath, and tops out at misery. The Turbo slices misery off the top, but leaves everything else.”

However, we also discovered a rather abrupt fall-off in the level of “assist” when we were in any mode other than Turbo. At full assist, the 50pound bike feels “light” underneath you, but decrease the assist by even

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just one level and it suddenly feels like you’re pedaling a pro-level downhill mountain bike. Our best test came with a 200-pound rider on board who rode an 11-mile loop with 3000 feet of climbing. The ride took him 36 minutes to complete, and in the process, the battery dropped from 90 percent capacity to 20 percent, whereby he also realized that in a power-saving move, the Turbo mode ceased to kick in anymore.

“It didn’t feel like pedal assist it felt like divine intervention!”

Underneath a more adept roadie, there was nothing but praise when it came to tackling a steep hill. “It didn’t feel like pedal assist,” he said. “It felt like divine intervention! I don’t know what I was expecting from this bike, but it wasn’t this. It was really fun to ride.”

THE VERDICT On more than one occasion we heard people who were looking at the

Turbo ask what type of person would spend $6000 for an electric assist bike.

The irony, of course, was that these same people were aboard $6000 (and up) carbon bikes with no power assist!

Specialized said they are selling well, and for 2014, there will be a blacked-out version joining the Ferrari Red model we tested.

Like all the pedal-assist e-bikes we tested, every regular, performance-oriented cyclist (whose daily commute was outside the range of the Turbo) who rode the Turbo came away impressed—and smiling from ear to ear. To a man, none felt there was a place for a $6000 e-bike in their own stable (they preferred to save the $6000 for their next pedal bike), but everyone knew who the bikes could be perfect for: the rider who just wanted to go somewhere, the rider who cares about the destination rather than the ride. For sure, e-bikes are perfect for commuters or anyone with a physical limitation. One test rider did make the smart observation: “I would rather they spent less on the bicycle parts and provided a second battery so I could ride to the coast, switch to the new battery and then ride home. ■ www.specialized.com www.electricbikeaction.com

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THE TUESDAYNIGHT GAMBLE

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Putting the “race” into the Easy Motion Neo Race

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FEATURE rom their mainstream acceptance in Europe to their growing popularity in Southern California, the electric bike has certainly been making its presence known. Funny thing, though; as we’ve seen them in every conceivable size and style, the one class of ebike that remained virtually untapped was one with dropped bars. As cyclists of the road-geek variety, we felt left out.

When we mentioned this to the guys at Easy Motion, they told us that they had built their own version of one to use as a fast commuter bike. We knew right then that we had to have a ride on it.

Like all Easy Motion bikes, the Neo Race was designed to “look the part” as much as possible. That is, they are designed to mimic the appearance of a standard bike more than stand out as an electric bike. And other than the oversized downtube that is home to the battery and the side-pull brakes, to the average eye, our Neo Race project bike was not easily distinguishable as anything other than a standard road bike.

Two versions of the Neo Race are available: the $2999 version we tested and the Race Carbon that runs with a carbon frame, hydraulic disc brakes and up-spec’d drivetrain for $4499.

Unfortunately, to make the transition to dropped bars and STI levers, the bike’s warranty gets voided, as you have to give up the engine cut-off switch, which kills the motor when either of the (stock) brake levers are compressed.

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THE GROM TO THE RESCUE Once the bike was delivered, it didn’t take long for us to realize that the best place to test it would be in the weekly Tuesday-night group ride. The only problem was that no one was volunteering. That is, until we got our young intern Spencer, aka “The Grom,” to volunteer for us. Here’s his report.

“When the idea got floated to ride the Neo Race in the notoriously tough Tuesday-night group ride, I rightly suspected almost immediately that I would be chosen to be the test dummy. And so as my Road Bike Action cohorts Michael and Neil kitted up and prepped their bikes, I followed along knowing full well that this group ride would be unlike any other.

“In fact, I wasn’t more than 100 feet from the office door when this reality hit me hard—as I was rolling out with the boys to the local Peet’s Coffee to pick up the ride, I hit a small bump in the 16

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Unlike most E-bikes the Easy Motion Race looks close to the part of a traditional road bike.

street, and the battery bounced out of the frame and skidded alongside the road. Luckily, the battery was fine, and I realized that in my haste to get ready, I had not properly secured and locked the battery into place.

“As we waited for the ride to get started, more than a few riders rolled up and immediately asked about the bike.

And after I explained, their next question was a bit more pointed: ‘You’re not really riding that with the group, are you?’ Moments later I was rolling out with them, and as we spent the first mile warming up, they realized that I hardly was putting any effort into pedaling. Pulling away from red lights was amusing, because as the bike accelerated, I never had to do any shifting, thanks to the power assist. And with just a few pedal strokes, I would be ahead of the group, a place I rarely ventured to on my own road bike!

THINGS TAKE A SERIOUS TURN “When the group turned onto the Old Road, which is the main stretch of the ride, the tempo picked up, and everyone hit 25 mph almost immediately.

Since this was about five miles an hour faster than what the electric motor was

designed for, the bike’s 50-pound weight suddenly became a real burden.

Although I was keeping up with the group, the motor and pedal assist did me no good. About a mile in, the stronger riders began to attack the field, and all I could do to stay with them was to keep pedaling. Now riding at an average of 29 mph, I struggled to hold a wheel and got gapped. After putting in a solid effort to pull the group, I dropped to the back of the group and fought to stay on.

“Eventually, we got to the section where the group prepares for the 1.9mile, 4.3-percent-gradient climb (with 9.4-percent spikes) that ends the ride.

As the group sprinted to the base of the climb and I was still in the rear of the pack, soon enough the stronger climbers began to separate off of the front, and just by placing a little more power on the pedals, the Neo Race took off. Sweet! On the steady grade of the climb, I could easily maintain 20 mph, the motor providing its full assist to my pedaling effort.

“The next thing I knew, I began flying by the main group and was rapidly closing in on the leaders. As we closed in to the top of the climb, I was riding circles around the fastest climbers in the area,

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Staying in with the group was easy at speeds up to 20 miles an hour. Anything faster required quite a bit of effort.

If ever you want to feel like the King of the Mountain, riding a power-assist bike is an easy way to make it happen.

and I raised my hands in the air as if I won the race. I may not have been making any friends, but I was certainly making a point—climbing was certainly made a breeze since you can steadily and effortlessly maintain a pace of 20 mph.

“Nearing the top of the climb, the incline flattens out, and RBA’s own Neil Shirley put an attack on the remaining three riders who could stay with him and soon dropped them all. Although I alone was able to stay hot on his tail, he continued to gain speed, and as he clocked in at around 25 mph, it became too much for me to handle. Even with the assist, my 50-pound bike and I were no match for him and his 15-pound carbon bike.

“Later in the week we found a new use for the Neo Race—it worked well for motor pacing and ended up giving two riders a good workout. Overall, I’d say the Easy Motion bike is an ideal ride for a commuter or someone who is interested in getting into riding. For a serious rider who frequently rides at speeds exceeding 22 mph, the e-bike is either the wrong bike or the perfect choice for a purposeful workout using a heavy training bike that also doubles as an excellent commuter bike.” ■

Doing intervals on a 50 lb bike is an easy way to build leg strength. www.electricbikeaction.com

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ZERO LESSONS LEARNED BIKETEST

Intelligence gathered from commuting on electricity

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here do you think you’re going?”

A raspy voice bellowed across the intersection of Van Nuys and Foothill.

“You’re no boyfriend of mine! You think you can get away?” I sat at the stoplight looking dumbly ahead. With warning lights flashing on my motorcycle’s dashboard and a good 15 miles to go to get to work, I was consumed with battery range anxiety at the time. “You can’t take what you want and leave!

You’re a thief!”

I looked around and saw the source.

A white-hair lady dressed in a dirty raincoat was standing at a bus stop, staring straight at me with gigantic red eyes, ranting. We made eye contact. That was a mistake. “You’re no boyfriend of mine! You think you can get away?”

She left her shopping cart and charged toward me. With open hands, she started slapping my helmet, screaming. I can’t remember the exact words, but she was adamant that I was no longer her boyfriend. The light turned green, and I made a legitimate burnout. As she got smaller in the rearview mirror, I heard faint chuckling. The man in the car next to me was laughing about the incident. I could hear him perfectly, smell his cigar smoke, and I could have reached in and thumped him on the skull—if I wanted. I didn’t.

That was an early lesson from my commuting career on the Zero S electric motorcycle. On the Zero, you’re very connected with your environment.

You’re not in a climate-controlled cockpit. The Zero is perfectly soundless at any speed, so you can hear the cellphone conversations in cars around you, listen to other people’s music and occasionally have a relationship with a crazy woman at an intersection.

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MORE LESSONS LEARNED I learned a few other lessons on the Zero. I have a long commute; almost 90 miles each way. Don’t ask me why, it just worked out that way. If I drive my pickup, getting to the office and back costs about 45 bucks a day. In my wife’s Honda Civic, it’s $25. On the Zero, it’s essentially nothing. I imagine there’s a slight increase in my electric bill, but it’s embedded with air conditioning and household appliances to the point where it can’t be quantified. At the other end, I plug into a socket at work, and if the boss has noticed, he hasn’t said anything. It takes almost a full office day to recharge the battery, so at least there’s no chance that I’ll go home early.

The fact that I can actually get to the office on a single charge is amazing, at least to me. In the modern history of electric motorcycles, that’s a very recent milestone. Several electric motorcycles have come and gone over the years. The early ones would go about 40 miles if you rode conservatively. I tried making a portion of the commute by parking my truck at a halfway point, unloading the e-bike, and then trying to ride the rest of the distance.

Sometimes I was successful, sometimes not.

According to the specs of the 2013 Zero S, its maximum range is 137 miles of surface streets or 85 miles of highway. That’s a fairly accurate claim (another recent milestone: realistic advertising), but you have to understand how to ride it. Unlike gasoline motors, e-bikes get their best mileage in stop-and-go conditions. Nothing sucks down the charge like top speed, and the S is very, very fast. It will accelerate hard all the way past 90 mph in “Sport” mode, but that kind of behavior

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The Zero S with the 11.4kw/h battery is good for over 100 miles. Recharging it costs about $1.20 in electricity from a 110-volt wall socket.

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BIKETEST cuts your range in half. There’s a little toggle that lets you switch to “Eco” mode, which is where you have to keep it if you want to go the distance. In Eco, the top speed is restricted to 71 mph, acceleration is limited, and the motor is programmed to reclaim energy when you coast to a stop. That brings up another lesson: no matter how hard the Zero accelerates, the term “sport” doesn’t seem appropriate. It’s not sporty at all. There’s very little cornering clearance, the suspension is primitive, and it’s not that much fun on a twisty road.

It’s called Sport mode because it wouldn’t sound as sexy to have a “Stranded” setting, which is what would happen if I allowed myself to use it.

I’m okay with that. I’m not chasing modern superbikes on Mulholland Drive, and the Eco setting is plenty fast for Southern California freeway traffic during the week. For those brief gaps where traffic is actually going faster than 71mph, it’s easy to flip the switch—just don’t get used to it. If I were really into it, I would reprogram the Zero’s engine controller to allow a higher top speed but keep the acceleration under control. You can do that with an iPhone app that links your phone with the Zero via Bluetooth.

INSIDE THE ZERO The technology is fairly impressive.

The Zero uses a lithium-cobalt-manganese battery, which is similar to that in a Tesla Roadster electric car, and somewhat rare in other applications. The

Power isn’t a problem; Zero claims an output of over 54 horsepower. The torque rating is 68 foot-pounds.

trickiest part in designing a high-drain battery like this is managing heat buildup, both while discharging and charging. Zero has accomplished this well, but it makes the battery the most expensive single component on the machine. At one time, the company had the notion that the battery should be removable so you could station spares along your route like fresh horses. This idea didn’t last long, and now the battery is fixed within the chassis. The motor itself is nothing unusual, but it’s capable of an output of 68 foot-pounds.

Most people think of electric motors as being on or off with an instant surge of torque. With the Zero, the throttle oper-

Zero has a division that sells its power components to other companies, so it’s possible that you might see a Zero-powered Ducati in the future.

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ates pretty much like a normal motorcycle throttle with an easily controlled output—the more you twist, the more power you get. As for the other controls, there aren’t any. There’s no clutch and no shifter. You get used to it.

About the only aspect of riding the Zero that I haven’t become accustomed to is e-hate. For some reason, most of the motorcycle community resists and resents the idea of electric bikes. I know there are limitations. When you run out of juice, it’s not like you can bring back a Clorox bottle of electrons. But that’s not the real reason for the resentment.

There’s a suspicion that the coming of electric motorcycles is a prelude to a massive conspiracy to take away our gasoline motors. Many people see electric motorcycles as an eventual replacement for the machines they love.

I don’t know if that’s true. For now, I only see products like the Zero S as a way to save money—in the future, if not now. The price for the Zero S ZF11.4 is $15,995. The ZF8.5 has a smaller battery and sells for $2000 less, but it’s still far more expensive than a gasoline-powered motorcycle of similar performance. A Kawasaki KLR650 sells for $6400 and gets 50 mph. With those numbers, it would take 640 trips to the office before the Zero would pay off. I understand the price gap; Zero is actually inventing something new, whereas Kawasaki is regurgitating technology from the ’70s with tooling from the ’80s. For now, though, you have to want to be a part of the electric movement in order for it to make sense. The Zero S is simply a preview of what the future can be. ■ www.zeromotorcycles.com

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EASY MOTION NEO JUMPER BIKETEST

Getting Charged Up For Off-Road Use

he electric-powered mountain bike is not a totally new phenomenon.

Mountain Bike Action reviewed the Denali electric bike back in 1999. Many riders pointed out, correctly, that with footpegs instead of pedals, the Denali was really a motorcycle that used mountain bike components. True electric mountain bikes have used “pedal-assist” designs, but have been so pricey, poorly executed and clunky-looking that riders didn’t take them seriously.

However, just as early mountain bikes eventually evolved from poorly executed and clunky designs into hightech and sophisticated designs, so, too, is the off-road e-bike market enjoying a similar maturation. In just the last year, many European brands have jumped into the long-travel e-bike market with some serious-looking and expensive canyon-huckers. Brands like Hai-Bike, Cube, KTM and Ghost have 2014 catalogs stuffed with photos of their bikes being ridden in places no one would’ve dared taken an electric bike just a few years ago. And still, there are others brands who are entering the off-road fray with more modest ambitions. That’s where the Easy Motion Neo Jumper comes in.

The market has changed with the introduction of the $3999 Neo Jumper, a model from Easy Motion, which is a division of Spain’s BH Cycles. This is the first pedal-assisted mountain bike that really looks the part.

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WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? If one thing has rung true in all of our inquiries with various e-bike companies, it’s that no one seems to be reading from the same playbook when it comes to reciting the rules and limitations that impact e-bike use. While the myriad of federal, state and city laws seem to be the basis for much of the confusion, it’s the off-road side of the e-bike market that, for good reason, is far more sensitive to the popularity of power-assisted mountain bikes.

The Neo Jumper adheres to some interpretations of the rules in that it does not exceed 20 mph with the power assist. But, the fact that the bike is spec’d with a handy twist throttle seems to also cast it into a prohibited category. We asked some park rangers their thoughts on the bikes, and they replied in no uncertain terms that when it comes to riding e-bikes in wilderness areas, “No motorized vehicles means no motorized vehicles.” In California, the Neo Jumper would be welcome on any Off-Highway-Vehicle-designated www.electricbikeaction.com

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Easy Motion offers both hardtail and full suspension versions of the Neo Jumper.

trail or road where a licensed car or motorcycle is allowed.

Although it’s not legally binding, the International Mountain Biking Association board’s consensus decision on e-bikes is that, “Mountain biking is human-powered, and using any power source to assist or replace muscle power means that the activity isn’t mountain biking and requires different management strategies. Therefore, trails that are not managed for motorized use should not be open for bikes that feature any kind of non-human power source.”

WHAT ABOUT THE TECH SIDE? Our 18-inch bike (measured from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube) tipped the scales at 50.7 pounds, with the weight being biased toward the rear of the bike. The 6-pound lithium-ion battery that snaps seamlessly into the downtube takes about six hours to fully charge. The other weighty component on the bike is the 350-watt, planetary-gear-driven motor, or RDS (Rear Drive System), housed in the rear hub. While not as easy to remove as a conventional 22

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quick-release rear axle, it is not a big hassle to stow the 19mm wrench necessary to do the job. The RDS unplugs to slip it out of the dropouts. The power output depends on the POD (Power On Demand) setting.

Enabling the RDS is the POD settings that are selected on the LCD display mounted on the handlebar. There are five POD settings. “ECO,” the lowest setting, gives the rider a claimed 70 percent more power, and three additional settings—“Standard,” “Sport” and “Boost”—increase the power assist up to three times the rider’s power with every crank rotation. The fifth setting allows you to dole out the RDS’ power by twisting a throttle so that you don’t need to pedal at all.

As for the bike itself, the Jump starts with an aluminum frame and runs with Rock Shox suspension that provides 4 inches of front- and rear-wheel travel.

Tektro hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rotors are there to slow the 26inch wheels down. A hardtail version is also available for $2699.

WHAT ABOUT THE RIDE? The Neo Jumper elicits a universal reaction from every first-time rider:

laughter. In the easiest setting, a slight push to the pedals results in immediate and exhilarating acceleration. It feels identical to riding with a tailwind and a riding partner pushing you along. You still pedal, and spin and torque the pedals, but every effort is supplemented by a noticeable boost from the RDS. It is a blast.

As far as how long the battery will last, we found that on a pavement ride with 751 feet of climbing and a 15-mph average, we got 35 miles and still had one bar showing on the battery indicator, which would be good for another 8–10 miles for that ride. On a far more challenging route where we climbed 2559 feet and averaged 12.75 miles per hour, we got 17.6 miles before the battery was empty. That ride was about 50 percent climbing (the RDS working hard) and 50 percent descending (no input from the RDS).

Most riders found that they rode at the same speed as on their regular bike—they just did it with less effort and a lot more acceleration. The biggest surprise is that a rider can still get a serious workout. If you push it, you will sweat, elevate your heart rate and open up your lungs. Of course, you can

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BIKETEST always choose to ride without any battery assist, and good luck to you. Getting a 50-pound, dual-suspension bike up to speed (any speed) requires a Herculean effort.

With just 4 inches of travel, the 50pound bike definitely has inherent limitations. And just as any mountain bike can be pushed beyond its original design limits, the Neo Jumper is not meant to be a serious freeride machine intended for extreme hucking. This is a (heavy) fullsuspension bike designed to add extra comfort and peace of mind in lightweight off-road conditions. In essence, the Neo Jumper is in its element when ridden on dirt and paved roads. It is ideal for running errands. With an extra battery charger at work, it would be a great commuter. And since the bike looks like a normal mountain bike and makes almost no noise, it is a blast to use to torment roadies.

IN THE END We can’t say with certainty how long the battery will last, but the company claims their lithium-ion battery will last between 700 and 1000 charges. And no, the Neo Jumper does not have a battery harvester that would allow the battery to recharge while pedaling. Regardless, it would create a noticeable amount of drag, and it wouldn’t produce enough usable electricity to be of any value to the bike’s battery. That day will come when it’ll overcome those negatives, and then, friend, everyone will be commuting on an e-bike.

Is the Neo Jumper a mountain bike?

Yes, but it is a cheater bike that could cause you problems depending on where—and how—you ride it. No doubt the thought of power-assisted dirt bikers zooming through the outback is something that any concerned cyclist ought to be worried about. Still, the irony of hearing opposition to off-road e-bikes from those in the knee-pad and full-face-helmet camp is pretty rich, as it has been these same types of riders who themselves have caused so much havoc with hikers and equestrians over the years.

As it is with the road e-bikes, the purists will balk at the Neo Jumper for not being a “real” or “authentic” experience.

But, real or authentic according to whom?

If just one person can get off the couch and find themselves pedaling outdoors— yes, even with a little assistance—that is a good thing that should be encouraged.

Despite its off-road guise, like every power-assisted bicycle, the Neo Jumper could play a big part in the future of commuting. ■

Easy Motion purposely designs their bikes so that the battery mimics the shape of the downtube. The battery snaps easily into place with a key lock to secure it.

Recharging the battery is as easy as finding a nearby wall socket. www.electricbikeaction.com

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PLUGGED INTO EUROBIKE

The Annual German Bike Show Remains The Biggest One-Stop Shop For The E-Bike Market

Ha i bi k e X du r o: The Xduro AMT Pro from Haibike features a 36 Volt Litium Ion battery, 27.5 inch wheels, Fox suspension, and a host of other offroad specfic parts. The bike retails for roughly $7800.

Un de r T h e Bi g Top : Not only is the Eurobike show the world’s largest industry trade show but on day four it also becomes the world’s largest consumer trade show. Over 2000 cycling fans paid $40 each for the opportunity to see the lastest in new bike technology.

It’s a shame nothing like this exists in America.

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Ne e d A Li f t ? European work codes dictate that a single employee isn’t allowed to lift something as heavy as an e-bike by itself.

As a result, bike shops have implemented these hydraulic and electric lifts for service on the bikes. Call us crazy, but we would love one of these in our garage for any variety of bike.

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F e l t E -Ni n e 2 0 : This Felt hardtail features a Bosch motor and Felt’s proven geometry from their successful line of 29er hardtails, with the geometry tweaked to fit the motor of course.

Sh u t t l e Bu ddy: Add-on motors are one option for the E-bike rider. They provide the advantage of using a current model bike, but add the complexity of a motor on a frame that wasn’t designed to be used this way.

K r e i d l e r Ve ga s : The Vegas is powered by a 350 watt Bosch motor that’s capable of speeds up to 45 kilometers per hour. The 27.5 inch wheels and Magura suspension components make it totally trail worthy.

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Do e s I t Ha ve L a r g e Ta l on s? The Giant Talon uses a rear hub driver rather than a Bosch crank style motor. The Talon is made from aluminum and is designed around a 3 to 4 inch travel fork and 29er wheels.

Tr a d e s h o w Wi n n e r : This Samidi 27.9 took home honors in the mountain bike category for innovative design. This bike looks like a serious off road bike with clean lines and a solid looking suspension platform reminiscent of an FSR or Horst Link design.

Wh a t T h e ? Biketronic is taking the Ebike craze to the next level by incorporating every technology they can find. This bike uses fat 4-inch wide tires, long travel suspension and body work that look like they belong on a motocross bike. We saw this thing go whipping by us in the test area and swore it sounded more like a supercross bike than a bicycle.

E s pi r e Tr a i l 2 5 : This full suspension frame blends the ease of an electric motor with the infinately adjustable and internally geared Nuvinci hub.

Co n w a y E -Ri d e r : This bike is equipped with some serious battery power to drive the 26-inch diameter wheels. The bike is heavy enough to put it close to a motocross bike’s weight. www.electricbikeaction.com

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PLUGGED INTO EUROBIKE

Wh e r e t o Be g i n ? We have no idea what the design impetus for this mad creation possibly could have been, but you’d have to imagine it wasn’t meant to be like anything else.

Re i s s e & Mu l l e r : Our vote for the cleanest lines on an E-mountain bike has to go to the Reisse and Muller Delite. This 29er sports a clean and simple single-pivot design and a Bosch mid-drive motor.

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I t Ta k e s Al l K i n ds : Not every electric bike was actully a bike–in fact, we’re not even sure what this thing is supposed to be.

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Co n t r o l De c k : The integrated computer system on the Conway looks well thought out and less of an afterthought than most traditional bar-mounted head units. The clip-on handlebars are a nice touch.

AVE X H5 f s: With it’s unconventional chanstays, AVE designers rely on this inventive chainguide pully to keep the chain in check. We’d have to see it in action, but this isn’t a design we would bet the farm on until it’s proven in the long term.

F or T h e L a di e s : The Ghost EHybride would make it easier for any novice rider to get into the sport. With its increased standover height and women’s friendly geometry though, this one seems to be geared toward the lady who wants to give ebiking a chance. If, or when, it

does come. ■ www.electricbikeaction.com

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E-BIKES AT A GLANCE FEATURE

The burgeoning market of electric bikes is making the move to American shores here are two “secrets” about electric bikes that have never really been all that secret. The first is that the e-bike market, especially in Europe, continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In Germany alone, the industry estimates that for 2013 unit sales in the domestic market to near the half-million mark, up 70,000 over 2012. The second secret is simply this: e-bikes are fun to ride. Not a single person who rode a bike in the EBA stable came back frowning or dismissing the concept of a battery-assisted ride. In short, e-bikes are not just here to stay, they are here to grow.

Despite rosy e-bike sales figures in Europe, the e-bike revolution that continues to roll in Europe remains slowgoing in America. One good example?

Despite offering 11 models for sale in Europe, Cannondale is still on the sidelines when it comes to selling e-bikes in America. No doubt, everything from fashion to geography to fuel prices is part of the disparity between e-bike enthusiasm “over there” and “over here.”

But as slow as America has been to embrace e-bikes (both bicycle and motorcycle versions), it’s the promising talk of all the future innovations that seems to captivate most people’s imagination of what the e-bike market could be in just a few short years.

Battery cell technology continues to run apace with the potential of smaller batteries providing longer run-times. As one product manager told us, “It’s all about the cells and how much energy they can hold.”

While there are three subsets to the e-bike market—sport bicycle, performance bicycle and motorcycle—it appears, not surprisingly, that in the long tradition of America’s penchant for speed that more powerful bikes will become the norm in the bicycle market. The battle between hub and bottom bracket (“mid-drive”) motors remains heated. With all that said, here’s a quick glance at the e-bike market. Expect more—much more—in the near future.

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CANNONDALE Though Cannondale has been a player in the Euro e-bike market since 2009, there’s still no word when bikes like their 29er Tramount mountain bike will hit U.S. shores. However, as you’re sitting there reading this caption, somewhere in the world there is a group of Cannondale executives figuring out how to do just that. www.cannondale.com

HAIBIKE Haibike’s four-model mountain bike line starts with the $4000 29er hardtail and moves up to the 5-inch-travel, all-mountain, 27.5-inch-wheeled AMT Pro (pictured) for $7800. All the bikes feature Bosch’s Intuvia center-mounted display that shows current, average and maximum speed; day trip and total distance; clock and timer; and remaining battery range displayed in miles, allowing the rider to easily choose the level of assist to go the needed distance.

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ELECTROLYTE Although there are a variety of bikes using front-hub motors, no one does it as elegantly or with as much style as Electrolyte. The German company offers a variety of bikes in various styles, none which look as exciting as the Strabenfeger.

Custom colors and geometries are available. $5300. www.electrolyte.cc

OPTIBIKE R8 If there was one man on a quest to get America to embrace electric bikes, it would be Optibike founder Jim Turner. Jim comes from a family of cycling entrepreneurs (his brother Paul co-founded RockShox suspension forks), and his Optibike is an American-made model that uses a proprietary, 700-watt, mid-mount motor housed in a monocoque aluminum frame. The $11,990 R8 model has a top speed of 28 mph and a range of 55 miles. www.optibike.com www.electricbikeaction.com

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FEATURE

HAIBIKE SUPERRACE In Europe, Haibike offers 37 different off- and on-road e-bikes, but for their introductory launch in America, they will only be bringing in five Xduro models, one of which will be the $7800 Superrace road bike. As with their mountain bikes, the Superrace uses a mid-mount, 350-watt Bosch motor wrapped in an aluminum frame to give the bike one of the raciest looks of any e-bike on the market. The Euro version gets dropped bars. www.haibike.de 30

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BRD What do you get when three forward-thinking motocross enthusiasts get together and start thinking about building their own dream bikes? That was the seed behind the highly evolved BRD Red Shift motocross and SuperMoto bikes. No, they aren’t cheap, but they sure look cool with their monocoque aluminum frames with polymer-built sub-frame and 40-horsepower motors capable of 65–90-mph speeds. www.faster-faster.com

EFLOW E3FIT Eflow bikes are powered by 500-watt hub motors with their Samsung lithium-ion battery pack integrated into the seat tube, which can be removed for easy charging. Forward motion is achieved by your choice of (four-mode) pedal-assist power or a handy throttle override. Eflow bikes are available in three models that include the $3500 E3Fit folding bike. www.eflowbikes.com ■ www.electricbikeaction.com

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ZERO FX

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BIKETEST

Urban assault at its stealthiest

We tested the ZF5.7, which has a double dose of battery power. The ZF2.8 has less power, a shorter range and sells for $2500 less.

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t’s the dawning of a new era in motorcycles. Electric off-road bikes have finally graduated from the novelty category, and the Zero FX is proof that they are ready to go mainstream. For years electric motorcycles were mocked and jeered at.

They didn’t have the power or range to be taken seriously, so it was pointless to evaluate their ergonomics, suspension and handling. But times have changed. The Zero FX is faster than a 250cc, gasoline-powered dirt bike—either four-stroke or twostroke—and is encroaching on 450 territory. The range is about the same as that of a motorcycle with a small MX tank.

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ZERO TOLERANCE Zero is a Silicon Valley company that started making dirt bikes about six years ago. At first its bikes were slow, expensive and fragile, and early on, most of the company’s research and development dollars were devoted to their street model. That’s where the demand was, so that’s where the money was. As Zero grew, however, the dirt models slowly began to benefit from the street bikes’ advancements in performance and range.

Now, the FX dual sport is finally worthy of a serious evaluation.

You need to understand that the DS model is actually a pure street bike, while the FX is an off-road bike that just happens to be street-legal.

After all, with electric power, there are no emission requirements to meet for EPA approval. A dual-sport bike just has to have DOT lights, mirrors and safety equipment, which makes compliance much easier. Zero does offer a pure dirt model as well, but it sells for the same price. The FX is an urban assault vehicle designed for peeling out of the driveway and riding in your neighborhood’s dirt sections, which would normally raise the ire of the noise-hating ladies’ bridge club, but the Zero makes no noise at all— aside from the crunching of leaves.

We tested the ZF5.7, which is the most powerful model, with two modular batteries. The Zero is also available in a ZF2.8 configuration with one battery for $2495 less. In our tests of the ZF5.7, the charge lasted about 30 minutes of hard riding or over an hour if we were just putting around. It’s all about how hard you twist it. There are two modes—Sport and Economy—in case you can’t trust yourself to stay at half throttle in Sport mode. Once you suck the battery dry, it takes about www.electricbikeaction.com

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TEST

Stealth black and super quiet, the Zero is the ultimate neighborhood assault weapon.

eight hours to charge via a standard 110-volt outlet. You don’t need an external charger, but one is available for $799.99 that cuts the charge time in half.

WHAT ABOUT POWER?

The FX is basically a bundle of batteries and electrical components with two wheels hastily attached. The suspension and drivetrain are crude. To avoid making noise, it uses a belt instead of a drive chain. That’s fine for the street, but not for jumps or mud. It skips when it gets dirty and falls off if it takes a sudden hit, which is why the MX version has a chain. The FX’s suspension is much better than it was on earlier models, but it’s still pretty bad.

The rear shock, in particular, is little more than a spring with 9 inches of wheel travel. Zero offers an optional Fox shock, but don’t expect miracles. The FX is also a very heavy motorcycle, weighing 275 pounds with a full tank of electricity.

You would think that with the power deficit overcome, resolving any remaining issues would be a piece of cake. After all, there are plenty of people who know how to make a bike handle well. But, it might not be so easy. Just as two-stroke and fourstroke engines have very different feelings, electric motors have their own feel characteristics. Even though Zero has figured out how to make the throttle work somewhat like it should, the rear wheel still breaks loose as if the bike were an overpowered RC car.

There is hope, though. Traction control isn’t that far off, even for gasolinepowered motorcycles, and it might be even easier to adapt to a machine like the Zero.

For now, the FX is a fun addition to a garage full of gasoline-powered motorcycles, provided you’re wealthy enough to spend $11,990 on something that you previously didn’t know you needed.

It’s not a replacement for the smoking, noisy machines that we love. Not yet.

That day still hasn’t come. The Zero simply shows us that it won’t be so bad if—or when—it does come. ■

We mean it when we say the FX is faster than a 250. It flies. There are no gears to slow down the acceleration process, either. We drag-raced it against everything we could find. It doesn’t launch as well as something with a manual clutch, but it pulls really hard all the way up to a top speed of almost 90 mph. A 450cc motocrosser will get the jump on it, but the FX will stay within two bike lengths. On top, the Zero might regain it all, depending on the 450’s gearing.

After we realized how much power the Zero had, we switched to Economy mode and never went back to Sport. We didn’t want any more power. Zero has cleared the biggest hurdle that electric motorcycles face. The FX has all the power it needs, and even the range is acceptable for neighborhood trail missions. Now, Zero just needs to refine the chassis, suspension and handling— all the things we never got around to testing on previous Zero bikes because we didn’t get that far into The Zero FX proves that an electric future is at least possible for dirt bike riders. the evaluation process.

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