Yes I do know the Sparta Ion Rod, it's got a direct drive motor that's very weak on hills. Originally designed in Holland for their flat home market, it didn't even have any gears. When it was first sent here it was ridiculed for having no gears plus a weak motor so they quickly added a derailleur and named it the Sparta Ion M-gear, but that still left it a very poor climber. A Velovision review said it has just enough power to pull itself up a hill, leaving the rider to do as much as if riding a normal bike. One big disadvantage is that it has to go back to a dealer for the software to be reset if the back wheel is removed for a tube or tyre change.
On the plus side, it's beautifully styled and manufactured, quality throughout, so in a flatter area it can be a good buy if close to a reliable agent. The same company make the Koga Miyata with the same motor and equally poor climb ability.
On the brakes, the pad quality is as you say, and I've always found Shimano's pads good from a low rim wear point of view, coupled with good braking force. Setting new pads up is the obvious procedure of aligning them with the rim so they do not overlap top or bottom of the riim edge and don't contact the tyre wall. It's good practice to have them contacting at the front fractionally early by about a millimetre so the contact pressure builds up as the brake is applied, avoiding judder.
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