I’m finally in a position to give a full review of the BH Emotion Neo Cross; the bike seller and service provided.
I’ve completed over a 1000kms on this bike in the 4 months I’ve had it. I’ve done a variety of rides from tootling around on mainly flattish rides to thigh straining hill climb rides.
BH Emotion Neo Cross
See this thread for discussion of seat post. Suspension Seatpost
For peace of mind I decided to replace the tyres with slime filled Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and they roll along very nicely.
The thumb shifters work brilliantly and gear change is smooth. I’m prone to shifting 1 big ring and 2 cogs at the same time when the slope goes up and this works faultlessly.
The brakes are very good and seem to have improved as they have bedded in.
The Hub Motor is almost totally silent and never more than a mild whirr, indeed sometimes I have to listen to check it’s on.
When riding unassisted this bike is smooth and enjoyable to ride.
Cyclemeter - Cycle - May 26, 2013, 12:40 PM
Another of about 55 miles with 2800 ft of ascent but an almost empty battery on getting home, link here:
Cyclemeter - Cycle - May 19, 2013, 9:22 AM
And recently a very difficult ride in which the battery emptied itself. This included the Bwlch Penbarras Hill Climb - my thighs still ache! This ride was 38 miles with 3150 ft of ascent including the Penbarras climb averaging 11% with one section at 25%.
Cyclemeter - Cycle - Sep 2, 2013, 10:03 AM
So in my opinion the ange and climbing ability are excellent. Obviously it depends on what effort you can put in as well as how much ascent you do and the steepness of said ascent. I might add that the 2014 model has a larger capacity battery than mine; 36v 13Ah as opposed to 36v 9Ah.
The display is removable and gives you 5 power settings (Off and 4 others) along with various readings such as distance, time etc etc. There is a battery usage indicator and a nice speedo as well as a backlight. All looks good but some people don’t like the fact that’s in kms as opposed to miles. Picture here: Google Image Result for [url]http://www.frukesshop.com/11-thickbox_default/e-motion-neo-cross-electric-bike-new-11ah-2014-model-.jpg[/URL]
The only issue for me with this bike is that the power settings don’t work as I think they should. It seems to me that being in Eco (lowest power) should allow me to access higher power when needed. In practise this doesn’t appear to be so. (See Seller and Support below) I now ride the bike in Eco or No-power mode and in some ways it makes everything much easier - you don’t need to think about anything. If I can get up really steep bits in Eco, then Eco isn’t Eco, if you see what I mean. Where there is a difference in the settings is at power cut off, the higher setting seeming to give power for longer before cutting off.
I test rode a Neo City and was very impressed, later at the Manifold Trail I tested several bikes including GaRRy’s own Neo; you can see my report on the bikes tested here (Post #30): Kudos-KTM Roadshow,Manifold Trail,Derbyshire,April 13,12.00-17.00
Once I’d made my mind up I put in my order and from that moment to this Christine and Mark at All about the Bike (Buckley North Wales) have provided patient and excellent service. Mark has done a free first service and I have every confidence that any problems I might have will be dealt with by them. They are also on the list of charging points if you are up this way.
The problem I mentioned in the previous paragraph was checked and tested by Mark and we even had a side by side bike swapping ride (Neo City and Neo Cross) to see if he got the same response as me i.e. no change when upping power settings - he did. In summary they did as much as they could to solve this problem. As a consequence of this I contacted the people at Maxtrack who put me onto the online warranty form. The outcome of this was a phone call and visit from BH Emotion in Stoke to my house. Andy rode the bike and felt he could sense a difference - I couldn’t. To put my mind at rest he changed the controller. There was a definite but not massive change in the way the bike rode; for example whilst riding slowly and easily uphill, I felt very little push in Eco but more as I ramped up the setting, otherwise much the same.
I’ve completed over a 1000kms on this bike in the 4 months I’ve had it. I’ve done a variety of rides from tootling around on mainly flattish rides to thigh straining hill climb rides.
Looks
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course but I like the look of the bike very much. For me the the smallest available frame size of 50cm is slightly too big but fine when I’m actually sat on the bike. You can see the bike and specs here:BH Emotion Neo Cross
Equipment
I find the kick stand incredibly useful and I’m comforted by the 2 yrs warranty. I have a pingy bell and that does the job.Ride Quality
I have the front forks unlocked and that makes for a nicer ride. I’ve replaced the seat and installed a Suntour Suspension Post - this makes for a super ride. I would recommend lycra padded shorts for even more comfort - riding commando of course.See this thread for discussion of seat post. Suspension Seatpost
For peace of mind I decided to replace the tyres with slime filled Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and they roll along very nicely.
The thumb shifters work brilliantly and gear change is smooth. I’m prone to shifting 1 big ring and 2 cogs at the same time when the slope goes up and this works faultlessly.
The brakes are very good and seem to have improved as they have bedded in.
The Hub Motor is almost totally silent and never more than a mild whirr, indeed sometimes I have to listen to check it’s on.
When riding unassisted this bike is smooth and enjoyable to ride.
Range and Hill Climbing Abilities
I’ve done short, medium and longer rides; the maximum being 56 miles which included 2000ft of ascent, link here:Cyclemeter - Cycle - May 26, 2013, 12:40 PM
Another of about 55 miles with 2800 ft of ascent but an almost empty battery on getting home, link here:
Cyclemeter - Cycle - May 19, 2013, 9:22 AM
And recently a very difficult ride in which the battery emptied itself. This included the Bwlch Penbarras Hill Climb - my thighs still ache! This ride was 38 miles with 3150 ft of ascent including the Penbarras climb averaging 11% with one section at 25%.
Cyclemeter - Cycle - Sep 2, 2013, 10:03 AM
So in my opinion the ange and climbing ability are excellent. Obviously it depends on what effort you can put in as well as how much ascent you do and the steepness of said ascent. I might add that the 2014 model has a larger capacity battery than mine; 36v 13Ah as opposed to 36v 9Ah.
Torgue Sensor, Display and Power Settings
What sold me on this bike was the instant and smooth power pick up from the torque sensor. There is no delay in the power coming in and you can be confident that when the going gets tough the torque sensor will get you going. There is a real sense of safety when pulling away from lights or at a roundabout or junction.The display is removable and gives you 5 power settings (Off and 4 others) along with various readings such as distance, time etc etc. There is a battery usage indicator and a nice speedo as well as a backlight. All looks good but some people don’t like the fact that’s in kms as opposed to miles. Picture here: Google Image Result for [url]http://www.frukesshop.com/11-thickbox_default/e-motion-neo-cross-electric-bike-new-11ah-2014-model-.jpg[/URL]
The only issue for me with this bike is that the power settings don’t work as I think they should. It seems to me that being in Eco (lowest power) should allow me to access higher power when needed. In practise this doesn’t appear to be so. (See Seller and Support below) I now ride the bike in Eco or No-power mode and in some ways it makes everything much easier - you don’t need to think about anything. If I can get up really steep bits in Eco, then Eco isn’t Eco, if you see what I mean. Where there is a difference in the settings is at power cut off, the higher setting seeming to give power for longer before cutting off.
Seller and Support
When I first started to look at eBikes some years ago I was always consumed with what would I do if it broke down. As luck would have it, earlier this year I found a nearby bike outlet that offered eBikes as well. http://all-about-the-bike.co.ukI test rode a Neo City and was very impressed, later at the Manifold Trail I tested several bikes including GaRRy’s own Neo; you can see my report on the bikes tested here (Post #30): Kudos-KTM Roadshow,Manifold Trail,Derbyshire,April 13,12.00-17.00
Once I’d made my mind up I put in my order and from that moment to this Christine and Mark at All about the Bike (Buckley North Wales) have provided patient and excellent service. Mark has done a free first service and I have every confidence that any problems I might have will be dealt with by them. They are also on the list of charging points if you are up this way.
The problem I mentioned in the previous paragraph was checked and tested by Mark and we even had a side by side bike swapping ride (Neo City and Neo Cross) to see if he got the same response as me i.e. no change when upping power settings - he did. In summary they did as much as they could to solve this problem. As a consequence of this I contacted the people at Maxtrack who put me onto the online warranty form. The outcome of this was a phone call and visit from BH Emotion in Stoke to my house. Andy rode the bike and felt he could sense a difference - I couldn’t. To put my mind at rest he changed the controller. There was a definite but not massive change in the way the bike rode; for example whilst riding slowly and easily uphill, I felt very little push in Eco but more as I ramped up the setting, otherwise much the same.
Summary
Overall I am delighted with this bike. I love riding it and I’m glad I bought it. Would I recommend this bike to anyone - you bet I would. It’s great.
