I bought an eZee Liv a few weeks ago. Here are my experiences.
50cycles in Loughborough are close to me and seemed respected on this forum, so I arranged to visit them late one Saturday. They are in a quiet area close to the edge of town (at least, it was quiet then). There was no company sign up, so you need to know the building number to find them.
I had in mind the foldable Quando, or else the high-end Forte. As it happened they didn't have the Forte in stock, and I'm not good at delayed gratification so I forgot about it. They did have lots of Torqs, but I didn't like the look of them. I know everyone else thinks they are cool, but they weren't for me. They had a Forza, but with that one you have to pedal, which for me kinda defeats the object. (I've since learned the benefit is that you don't need to keep the throttle twisted with your hand, which must indeed be nice, but personally I'd rather not have to pedal.) I didn't test-ride any bike that I wasn't potentially going to buy, so I didn't try any of the high-end bikes. Hopefully I won't miss what I've never experienced.
The first bike I tried was the Quando. I very much like the idea of a folding bike, but didn't like the idea of only one gear. It turned out not to matter because the bike felt wrong. I was too big, or the wrong shape, or something; it just didn't fit. I hated it. It was definitely worth a test ride to find that out.
I then tried a Sprint. This was fine. Then I tried the Liv, and that was fine too. I couldn't really see what extra the Sprint would bring me; it has 7 gears rather than the Liv's 3, but the top gear didn't seem very different. So I bought the Liv for £700 rather than the Quando for £1000. I took it with me by loading it into my convertible with the roof down (which proved a slightly more tense drive home than I'd anticipated).
My first act on getting it home was to put the battery on charge. The charger is beefy and has its own fan. It switched itself off after about 4 hours; I don't think it does any kind of trickle-charge. You have to fully charge the battery (which is also beefy) before first use.
The bike came with 3 Alan keys for adjusting various bits and bobs. However, none of the 3 fitted the saddle, which did need adjusting. I presume this was an oversight. Not a big deal because I had my own Alan keys which fitted. It did not come with a tyre pump and the tyres are only partially inflated, so you need to use your own pump before you can ride the bike. To actually go anywhere you also need a bike lock, so that you can secure it at your destination. I had the sense to buy one of these at the same time as the bike. If you are under-age or think its suicide to ride without a helmet, you'll need one of those too. I'm not and don't so I didn't bother. (I gather this is a controversial area.)
The Liv did not come with a trip-computer, but that's OK because I have a GPS which does the job. It does come with front and rear lights. These run off the main battery (ie not a dynamo). I'd describe them as adequate. The front one isn't especially bright, especially when you keep getting dazzled by on-coming car headlights, but it's enough to cycle by and keeps the bike legal at night. I was able to properly ride my bike the same evening, at around 11:30pm (did I mention I'm not into delayed gratification?)
Basically, it works as advertised. My daily commute is about 5 miles in total. With my old push-bike I averaged about 10mph; with the Liv I average about 15mph and I am not knackered and sweaty when I arrive. I have used it for every commute since getting it, where-as with my old bike I really couldn't be bothered. Admittedly it's been nice weather - I don't know how I'll be when the clocks go back and the rain starts. The brakes work smoothly without any judder or squealing.
If you are not familiar with eBikes at all, it is a bit like a motorbike in that you get a throttle on the left handle which you twist to make it go, and you don't have to peddle. It is unlike a motorbike in that if you don't pedal it only goes at about 16mph on the flat, and the range for the first charge was about 18 miles in total. (I'm told that will improve as the battery matures.) It is legally classed as a bicycle so you don't need tax, licence or helmet (if you're under 18) and you get to use cycle paths.
You go faster if you peddle. This is where the gears come in - they apply to your pedalling not the motor. 16mph is just slow enough to encourage you to put some effort in, which is a good thing for health reasons. Although an eBike isn't as healthy as a push-bike, it's more healthy than a car and the more you pedal the better it is. The Liv has 3 gears. In practice I found peddling furiously in top gear got it up to around 20mph. I would have preferred top gear to be a bit higher. I find that fit athletes with sports bikes can overtake unfit me with a motor.
I gather the lower gears are useful for hill starts. I don't do any of those. There are some slopes in my commute, fairly gentle (but they killed my on my push-bike), and they slow the Liv down a bit but that's just more reason to pedal. I can keep the bike in top gear all the time, using the motor to help get me started. Similarly I usually have the throttle either full on or full off. I am gradually learning to control it at slower speeds, when necessary (eg when negotiating past queuing cars).
There is a switch which changes from "eBike" to "pedelec" mode, meaning whether the throttle alone starts the engine or whether you also need to pedal. The latter seems to be mostly a safety feature. I had planned to leave it in "eBike", until I accidentally twisted the throttle while man-handling the bike in my kitchen. Now I keep it in "pedelec" unless I am actually riding it. The throttle is on a spring so you have to keep it held even when peddling (unlike the Forza).
There is a key for the ignition; you can't start the motor without it in place. I presume this is another safety feature. I find it a bit annoying as you need to keep clipping and unclipping it from your keyring (and it doesn't immobilise the bike, so you still need a separate lock and key). The key also locks the battery into place. When you remove the key from the ignition, you need to do so in the "off" position not the "open" position if you want to keep your battery safe in the bike. It took me a little while to twig that. The battery is too heavy to carry around casually so I keep it in the bike except when charging.
Um, that's about it. I've no experience with other eBikes so I can't really compare it. Overall I am pleased with my purchase as it does the job.
50cycles in Loughborough are close to me and seemed respected on this forum, so I arranged to visit them late one Saturday. They are in a quiet area close to the edge of town (at least, it was quiet then). There was no company sign up, so you need to know the building number to find them.
I had in mind the foldable Quando, or else the high-end Forte. As it happened they didn't have the Forte in stock, and I'm not good at delayed gratification so I forgot about it. They did have lots of Torqs, but I didn't like the look of them. I know everyone else thinks they are cool, but they weren't for me. They had a Forza, but with that one you have to pedal, which for me kinda defeats the object. (I've since learned the benefit is that you don't need to keep the throttle twisted with your hand, which must indeed be nice, but personally I'd rather not have to pedal.) I didn't test-ride any bike that I wasn't potentially going to buy, so I didn't try any of the high-end bikes. Hopefully I won't miss what I've never experienced.
The first bike I tried was the Quando. I very much like the idea of a folding bike, but didn't like the idea of only one gear. It turned out not to matter because the bike felt wrong. I was too big, or the wrong shape, or something; it just didn't fit. I hated it. It was definitely worth a test ride to find that out.
I then tried a Sprint. This was fine. Then I tried the Liv, and that was fine too. I couldn't really see what extra the Sprint would bring me; it has 7 gears rather than the Liv's 3, but the top gear didn't seem very different. So I bought the Liv for £700 rather than the Quando for £1000. I took it with me by loading it into my convertible with the roof down (which proved a slightly more tense drive home than I'd anticipated).
My first act on getting it home was to put the battery on charge. The charger is beefy and has its own fan. It switched itself off after about 4 hours; I don't think it does any kind of trickle-charge. You have to fully charge the battery (which is also beefy) before first use.
The bike came with 3 Alan keys for adjusting various bits and bobs. However, none of the 3 fitted the saddle, which did need adjusting. I presume this was an oversight. Not a big deal because I had my own Alan keys which fitted. It did not come with a tyre pump and the tyres are only partially inflated, so you need to use your own pump before you can ride the bike. To actually go anywhere you also need a bike lock, so that you can secure it at your destination. I had the sense to buy one of these at the same time as the bike. If you are under-age or think its suicide to ride without a helmet, you'll need one of those too. I'm not and don't so I didn't bother. (I gather this is a controversial area.)
The Liv did not come with a trip-computer, but that's OK because I have a GPS which does the job. It does come with front and rear lights. These run off the main battery (ie not a dynamo). I'd describe them as adequate. The front one isn't especially bright, especially when you keep getting dazzled by on-coming car headlights, but it's enough to cycle by and keeps the bike legal at night. I was able to properly ride my bike the same evening, at around 11:30pm (did I mention I'm not into delayed gratification?)
Basically, it works as advertised. My daily commute is about 5 miles in total. With my old push-bike I averaged about 10mph; with the Liv I average about 15mph and I am not knackered and sweaty when I arrive. I have used it for every commute since getting it, where-as with my old bike I really couldn't be bothered. Admittedly it's been nice weather - I don't know how I'll be when the clocks go back and the rain starts. The brakes work smoothly without any judder or squealing.
If you are not familiar with eBikes at all, it is a bit like a motorbike in that you get a throttle on the left handle which you twist to make it go, and you don't have to peddle. It is unlike a motorbike in that if you don't pedal it only goes at about 16mph on the flat, and the range for the first charge was about 18 miles in total. (I'm told that will improve as the battery matures.) It is legally classed as a bicycle so you don't need tax, licence or helmet (if you're under 18) and you get to use cycle paths.
You go faster if you peddle. This is where the gears come in - they apply to your pedalling not the motor. 16mph is just slow enough to encourage you to put some effort in, which is a good thing for health reasons. Although an eBike isn't as healthy as a push-bike, it's more healthy than a car and the more you pedal the better it is. The Liv has 3 gears. In practice I found peddling furiously in top gear got it up to around 20mph. I would have preferred top gear to be a bit higher. I find that fit athletes with sports bikes can overtake unfit me with a motor.
I gather the lower gears are useful for hill starts. I don't do any of those. There are some slopes in my commute, fairly gentle (but they killed my on my push-bike), and they slow the Liv down a bit but that's just more reason to pedal. I can keep the bike in top gear all the time, using the motor to help get me started. Similarly I usually have the throttle either full on or full off. I am gradually learning to control it at slower speeds, when necessary (eg when negotiating past queuing cars).
There is a switch which changes from "eBike" to "pedelec" mode, meaning whether the throttle alone starts the engine or whether you also need to pedal. The latter seems to be mostly a safety feature. I had planned to leave it in "eBike", until I accidentally twisted the throttle while man-handling the bike in my kitchen. Now I keep it in "pedelec" unless I am actually riding it. The throttle is on a spring so you have to keep it held even when peddling (unlike the Forza).
There is a key for the ignition; you can't start the motor without it in place. I presume this is another safety feature. I find it a bit annoying as you need to keep clipping and unclipping it from your keyring (and it doesn't immobilise the bike, so you still need a separate lock and key). The key also locks the battery into place. When you remove the key from the ignition, you need to do so in the "off" position not the "open" position if you want to keep your battery safe in the bike. It took me a little while to twig that. The battery is too heavy to carry around casually so I keep it in the bike except when charging.
Um, that's about it. I've no experience with other eBikes so I can't really compare it. Overall I am pleased with my purchase as it does the job.
