Review of Meerkat eMotion (Rebranded Currie Izip Trails AL)
Reviewer: HittheroadJ, June 2010
Purchased From: Amazon UK (Moore & Large)
Purchase Price: 374.66 (Free Delivery)
Time Owned: 2 Months
Local Terrain: Moderate Hills
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Strengths:
- My first electric bike brings a smile to my face when I ride it and I cycle a lot more than I used to.
- Value.
- Reasonable hill climber .
- Front Disc brake & suspension.
- Pedal Assist & Throttle mode + easy switching between them.
- I have used the bike to tow a children's bike (trailgator towbar) and to carry heavy bags of shopping. The heavy bike feels secure and solid with loads. Limit is 109 Kg's though.
- Limited purchase price means it can be added to home insurance (up to 600 per bike, in our case) the limited purchase price also means I can go into town and park it without being too concerned about it getting stolen.
- Throttle mode available.
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Weaknesses:
- Heavy.
- Old technology.
- No battery upgrade to LiFePo4, or any of the other modern batteries standard available. SLA capacity will go down in winter.
- Not fast.
- Limited range on standard SLA Battery.
- Noisy (personally, I do not mind).
- Cannot reach On/Off switch while riding (can set to throttle mode and not use throttle).
- Need to lock battery in rack, otherwise the battery can disconnect when going over bumps.
- The low steering means you have to lean on the steering, this can cause sore wrists.
- The standard pedal assist speed is just below my cadence and I compensate with the throttle, this continuous use of throttle would be sore over extended periods of time.
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Summary:
This is a review of the Meerkat eMotion as it can be bought at Argos, Tesco-Direct, or Amazon.
The bike is essentially a Currie Izip with RMB (rack mounted battery). Curry Izips are being sold at several ebike-shops and websites in the UK. In the USA they have been sold cheaply at Wallmart with a 450 Watt motor. There are many youtube videos and discussions on modifications etc..
At the price the quality of the components cannot be top-notch. On the other hand, there are people who have ridden the bike for a couple of years and hundreds or even thousands of miles.
I had my first puncture after a month of use (probably lucky) and replaced the rear tyre with a Schwalbe Big Apple 26 x 2.0. This seems to have improved the riding comfort a lot and reduced noise and rolling resistance.
General Points:
MTB-Style look with RMB. The rack can hold two batteries. The batteries are £130 each. You can save some money by replacing the SLA-batteries inside the case, with some DIY. On the pedelecs forum is an example of someone who did that for about £60.
The bike was delivered within days, the first one was sent back because of damage in transit. I hesitated about buying a second one. Did so after about a month. The second one had a brake-pad missing, but this was shipped out by Moore and Large (a bit slow, but OK).
The bike comes with a bell and can be assembled in a reasonable time.
Riding Experience:
The battery hangs on the side, but this does not affect the riding behaviour.
The bike feels heavy. You can ride the bike fine without the motor on the flat and descents, but climbing will be very heavy without the engine engaged. I would not take it for long rides.
The seven gears work fine.
I have had slightly sore wrists, from leaning on the steering, on long rides. I have also found that the constant use of the throttle can bring some discomfort to the right wrist. It would be nice if you could set the pedal assist to a slightly higher level, I have found myself giving some extra throttle for longer periods of time (in Pedal Assist mode you can increase the power with the throttle.).
I have not tried to use the bike as a moped. It could/should work for a couple of miles on the flat, but I like cycling and use throttle to be quick off the mark from standstill.
With engine the bike is a joy to ride.
I have used it for commuting 4 mile in and 4 out, with charging in between if possible. This worked very well.
With heavy loads or kids in tow the help of the motor really makes a lot of difference, particularly starting away from traffic lights going uphill has become a lot safer.
In most cases many cyclists will overtake you, but going uphill or into a strong headwind the extra power makes it hard for others to keep up.
Most ascents of hills and steep streets can be taken in 3d or 4th gears. I rarely get out of 7th gear. This also means that the fluctuations in travel time are greatly reduced.
I have done some "fun" rides of 14 miles and one of 17 miles. In those cases the power went down significantly towards the end. The engine still helped, but less help was given. The motor did not cut out completely, but I did get sweaty.
I have ridden in drizzle several times and in heavy rain twice. This did not cause any problems. I avoided deep puddles, though.
I will look into fitting a LiFePo4 battery. I will also look into fitting a "traditional stye" handlebar for a more upright riding position.
If the bike wears out I would like to try to replace the engine and rear wheel with a kit (rear wheel kit from eZee? or one of the others.).
In winter the battery could be taken indoors for charging and keeping warm. I think a commute of 6 or 7 miles (up to 14 miles a day) could be realistic, if charged in between rides. The occasional long ride is fun, but I'll see over time how comfortable it is.
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Overall Rating (out of 10) :
8
but have now learnt how to use it properly.
