I’ve had my Ezee Forza for close to two years now and I’ve been using it for my daily commute for the past 11 months so I thought that now would be a good time to write a review of the bike. I've seen the bike that I have - which comes with mudguards and rack - referred to in some places as the 'Forza City Edition' as I believe Ezee produce another version of the Forza which is more of an off road variant.
http://ezeebike.com/bikes-and-options/forza/
http://cyclezee.com/ezee-bikes.html
Why I chose the Ezee Forza
I did a lot of research and I visited quite a few ebike shops and had test rides on sixteen different bikes before I settled on the Forza. The thread that I created on pedelecs can be found here http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/mtb-or-hybrid-with-full-throttle-up-to-£1500-ish-for-short-commute.20296/
I think all that research was worth it because I feel confident that I selected the right bike. I decided quite early on that I wanted a powerful (but legal) hub motor bike with pedal assist and a twist and go throttle. Initially I thought I wanted something quite stealthy and for that reason I was attracted to some of the MTB style bikes but I eventually came around to the idea that - as I would be using the bike primarily for commuting - I needed something more practical with full mudguards and a pannier rack. In the end I narrowed the choice down to the Volt Pulse X – which is a bike that I still really like btw – and the Ezee Forza. I chose the Forza for a few reasons, firstly I live very near to CycleZee which is perfect for after sales support and servicing etc., secondly the Ezee Forza has integrated lights and the Volt Pulse X doesn’t, a small thing but important to me nonetheless, and lastly because the Ezee motor felt more powerful than the BPM powered Pulse X.
How has the bike performed?
The bike has performed really well and has been everything that I expected and more. My commute is a 7 mile round trip on shared use cycle paths in Milton Keynes. I wanted a bike that required minimal effort and the Forza with its powerful motor is perfectly suited to the task. I do pedal but I’m really not putting much effort in at all, the bike takes all the strain and it easily powers my 14 stone frame up inclines and hills. I average around 13mph up hills and even on quite steep hills my speed doesn't drop much below 10 mph. The bike really does feel like riding a low power scooter, which is exactly what I wanted, the riding position is very comfortable and the motor is relatively quiet. It is quite a heavy bike though which is to be expected given the extra weight of the battery and motor and has the benefit of making the bike feel very sturdy and sure-footed. Ezee offer a range of battery sizes, from 11.5ah right up to a huge 28ah pack and I decided on the mid sized 15.5ah battery. When I first got the bike I did a couple of range tests and while I never fully drained the battery I’m confident it would do at least 40 miles using a range of assistance levels from 2 to 5 (of 5) depending on the terrain. My daily commute is 7 miles and I have it on the highest assistance level all the way and I arrive home with 4 of the 5 power indicator lights still showing. In addition to the larger than standard battery I also chose two other upgrade options, namely Magura Hydraulic Disc Brakes instead of the standard cable disc brakes and a CREE Xml U2 1000 lumen front integrated light instead of the standard integrated front light. The brakes provide really good stoping power and have an integrated motor cutoff which works perfectly and and the light which comes with two power settings is super bright. The integrated lights were something that I was keen on and for commuting they’ve proved to be very useful – the front light is very bright and I never have to worry about charging batteries etc. Volt ebikes could learn a lesson here, they used to have integrated lights but I was told by one of their sales people that they had a tendency to develop faults so they decided to change to LED lights with their own internal battery instead. This was part of the reason I chose the Forza over the Volt Pulse X and when Volt asked me why I had not chosen their bike they were quite dismissive when I mentioned the integrated lights but I have to say I was absolutely right – when you’re carrying a 15.5ah battery having piddly little LED lights with their own batteries is ridiculous! One of my requirements was a bike with a twist and go throttle and while I almost always use pedal assist I'm still glad I have the throttle as I find it very useful at times for modulating my speed, and low speed manoeuvres where I just need a dab of throttle e.g., when crossing a road that intersects a cycle path, or for setting off from a standing start. I’m also glad that I purchased a commuter bike with fairly wide and forgiving tyres (Marathon Plus Tour) as the surface of the cycle paths I ride on are very rutted and bumpy in some places. It is for that reason that I run the tyres at relatively low pressure and I’ve swapped out the stock seat post for a Cane Creek Thudbuster LT. The downside to the Thudbuster is that you lose the flip up seat mechanism on the stock seat post but on the plus side it has completely transformed the ride quality and I can still remove the battery easily without having to fully remove the seat post. The rear pannier rack has also proved to be very useful, I have top trunk bag in which I keep my waterproof overtrousers, lock and sunglasses etc., it’s also useful if I pick up a few groceries on the way home from work. Between that and a small lightweight rucksack I have all the carrying capacity I need.
I’ve covered 1500 miles and I have had a couple of issues with the bike but nothing major. There was a fault with the electrical system / controller which happened a few months after purchase and that was fixed under warranty and I recently had an intermittent problem with power cutting out which turned out to be water ingress in the cable box by the back wheel (my fault for not taking enough care to protect the electrics when I was cleaning the bike). The metal bracket which holds the front light snapped which was easily replaced and thanks to the Marathon Plus tyres I’ve had only had one puncture which was pure bad luck (ran over an industrial staple). The bike has been serviced a couple times and has had one new set of brake pads. Otherwise I’ve had the occasional squeak / noise but nothing you wouldn’t expect from a bike that is in daily use. CycleZee has been fantastic and it’s really helpful having local after sales support and servicing etc. As I live very close he has even very kindly picked up the bike and delivered it back to me when I’ve needed repairs or servicing.
Areas for improvement
If I have a criticism of the bike it’s that the centrally mounted display and control panel cannot be reached without taking your hand off the handlebar and as such changing the PAS level is more awkward than it ought to be. And although it works perfectly well the control panel looks a bit clunky and is not very stealthy. A remote handlebar mounted control button pad and a removable LCD display would be a big improvement. My other criticism would be the speed cut off on the five assistance levels. When I’m commuting it's fine because I’m always giving it the full beans (not least because I’m usually running late!) but when I’m riding for leisure which is almost always on cycle paths or gravel paths then I usually like to cruise at around 12mph. The first level of assist seems almost pointless and may as well be a throttle only mode since I can never feel the motor kicking in, the second level of assist tops out at around 10mph, the third at around 14mph and there seems to be almost no difference between levels 4 and 5 which take you to the maximum 15.5mph cut off speed or in the case of level 4 very close to it. So with the battery fresh off the charger my sweet spot of 12mph is right in between level 2 and level 3. Thankfully as the battery depletes the top speed of level 3 begins to drop from 14mph to around 12mph but it’s still less than ideal. It would be nice to have more granularity in the PAS either through more levels of assist to choose from or a way to program the top speed of each assistance level.
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http://ezeebike.com/bikes-and-options/forza/
http://cyclezee.com/ezee-bikes.html
Why I chose the Ezee Forza
I did a lot of research and I visited quite a few ebike shops and had test rides on sixteen different bikes before I settled on the Forza. The thread that I created on pedelecs can be found here http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/mtb-or-hybrid-with-full-throttle-up-to-£1500-ish-for-short-commute.20296/
I think all that research was worth it because I feel confident that I selected the right bike. I decided quite early on that I wanted a powerful (but legal) hub motor bike with pedal assist and a twist and go throttle. Initially I thought I wanted something quite stealthy and for that reason I was attracted to some of the MTB style bikes but I eventually came around to the idea that - as I would be using the bike primarily for commuting - I needed something more practical with full mudguards and a pannier rack. In the end I narrowed the choice down to the Volt Pulse X – which is a bike that I still really like btw – and the Ezee Forza. I chose the Forza for a few reasons, firstly I live very near to CycleZee which is perfect for after sales support and servicing etc., secondly the Ezee Forza has integrated lights and the Volt Pulse X doesn’t, a small thing but important to me nonetheless, and lastly because the Ezee motor felt more powerful than the BPM powered Pulse X.
How has the bike performed?
The bike has performed really well and has been everything that I expected and more. My commute is a 7 mile round trip on shared use cycle paths in Milton Keynes. I wanted a bike that required minimal effort and the Forza with its powerful motor is perfectly suited to the task. I do pedal but I’m really not putting much effort in at all, the bike takes all the strain and it easily powers my 14 stone frame up inclines and hills. I average around 13mph up hills and even on quite steep hills my speed doesn't drop much below 10 mph. The bike really does feel like riding a low power scooter, which is exactly what I wanted, the riding position is very comfortable and the motor is relatively quiet. It is quite a heavy bike though which is to be expected given the extra weight of the battery and motor and has the benefit of making the bike feel very sturdy and sure-footed. Ezee offer a range of battery sizes, from 11.5ah right up to a huge 28ah pack and I decided on the mid sized 15.5ah battery. When I first got the bike I did a couple of range tests and while I never fully drained the battery I’m confident it would do at least 40 miles using a range of assistance levels from 2 to 5 (of 5) depending on the terrain. My daily commute is 7 miles and I have it on the highest assistance level all the way and I arrive home with 4 of the 5 power indicator lights still showing. In addition to the larger than standard battery I also chose two other upgrade options, namely Magura Hydraulic Disc Brakes instead of the standard cable disc brakes and a CREE Xml U2 1000 lumen front integrated light instead of the standard integrated front light. The brakes provide really good stoping power and have an integrated motor cutoff which works perfectly and and the light which comes with two power settings is super bright. The integrated lights were something that I was keen on and for commuting they’ve proved to be very useful – the front light is very bright and I never have to worry about charging batteries etc. Volt ebikes could learn a lesson here, they used to have integrated lights but I was told by one of their sales people that they had a tendency to develop faults so they decided to change to LED lights with their own internal battery instead. This was part of the reason I chose the Forza over the Volt Pulse X and when Volt asked me why I had not chosen their bike they were quite dismissive when I mentioned the integrated lights but I have to say I was absolutely right – when you’re carrying a 15.5ah battery having piddly little LED lights with their own batteries is ridiculous! One of my requirements was a bike with a twist and go throttle and while I almost always use pedal assist I'm still glad I have the throttle as I find it very useful at times for modulating my speed, and low speed manoeuvres where I just need a dab of throttle e.g., when crossing a road that intersects a cycle path, or for setting off from a standing start. I’m also glad that I purchased a commuter bike with fairly wide and forgiving tyres (Marathon Plus Tour) as the surface of the cycle paths I ride on are very rutted and bumpy in some places. It is for that reason that I run the tyres at relatively low pressure and I’ve swapped out the stock seat post for a Cane Creek Thudbuster LT. The downside to the Thudbuster is that you lose the flip up seat mechanism on the stock seat post but on the plus side it has completely transformed the ride quality and I can still remove the battery easily without having to fully remove the seat post. The rear pannier rack has also proved to be very useful, I have top trunk bag in which I keep my waterproof overtrousers, lock and sunglasses etc., it’s also useful if I pick up a few groceries on the way home from work. Between that and a small lightweight rucksack I have all the carrying capacity I need.
I’ve covered 1500 miles and I have had a couple of issues with the bike but nothing major. There was a fault with the electrical system / controller which happened a few months after purchase and that was fixed under warranty and I recently had an intermittent problem with power cutting out which turned out to be water ingress in the cable box by the back wheel (my fault for not taking enough care to protect the electrics when I was cleaning the bike). The metal bracket which holds the front light snapped which was easily replaced and thanks to the Marathon Plus tyres I’ve had only had one puncture which was pure bad luck (ran over an industrial staple). The bike has been serviced a couple times and has had one new set of brake pads. Otherwise I’ve had the occasional squeak / noise but nothing you wouldn’t expect from a bike that is in daily use. CycleZee has been fantastic and it’s really helpful having local after sales support and servicing etc. As I live very close he has even very kindly picked up the bike and delivered it back to me when I’ve needed repairs or servicing.
Areas for improvement
If I have a criticism of the bike it’s that the centrally mounted display and control panel cannot be reached without taking your hand off the handlebar and as such changing the PAS level is more awkward than it ought to be. And although it works perfectly well the control panel looks a bit clunky and is not very stealthy. A remote handlebar mounted control button pad and a removable LCD display would be a big improvement. My other criticism would be the speed cut off on the five assistance levels. When I’m commuting it's fine because I’m always giving it the full beans (not least because I’m usually running late!) but when I’m riding for leisure which is almost always on cycle paths or gravel paths then I usually like to cruise at around 12mph. The first level of assist seems almost pointless and may as well be a throttle only mode since I can never feel the motor kicking in, the second level of assist tops out at around 10mph, the third at around 14mph and there seems to be almost no difference between levels 4 and 5 which take you to the maximum 15.5mph cut off speed or in the case of level 4 very close to it. So with the battery fresh off the charger my sweet spot of 12mph is right in between level 2 and level 3. Thankfully as the battery depletes the top speed of level 3 begins to drop from 14mph to around 12mph but it’s still less than ideal. It would be nice to have more granularity in the PAS either through more levels of assist to choose from or a way to program the top speed of each assistance level.
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