Testimonials from some of our customers
BH Neo Xtrem
Why did I, after long long consideration (actually it took me a couple of years), decide to go with BH’s Xtrem? Well, BH (Beistegui Hermanos) is headquartered in Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque Country in Spain (o my travel list – one day) and began making bicycles back in the early 1920ies, and successfully builds bikes used in top competitions today. And, if that’s an indication of quality, they also produce parts for Mercedes and BMW (guess here comes me being German-American into the game). Okay, these are just theoretical reasons and what really grabbed me was the bike itself! Gary – thankfully! - gave me the opportunity to test ride a couple of e-bikes at home in the steep hills around Diamond Rock. And here the Xtrem beat them all! It was and is! so much fun riding this bike up and down these hills, it’s just incredible. And, it really is one cool looking bike!
The Xtrem is actually a Pedal Assist Mountain Bike with 4 assist levels to choose from on a handle bar control unit. The levels start with “eco”, which actually is sufficient most of the time, and go up to “boost”. The latter I tried only once because the “sport” level below provides already fantastic support especially uphill. Anyhow, you basically control the motor assistance with your legs, which is pretty nice and easy to get used to. One advantage, especially with the Xtrem, is the speedy start it gives you crossing roads. I feel a lot safer now! And, this bike really allows you to disable the Pedal Assist since you don’t feel any motor resistance when the system is off (while the control unit still counts your miles). It’s amazing though how quickly I got used to and how much I enjoy the ‘Extrem assistance’. It’s great to get to work without a sweat and then to look forward to the hill climbing at night.
The Xtrem comes with
- knobby tires which definitely make a difference off road and on not so well maintained ones,
- a shock absorbing fork that really helps with bumps and potholes,
- a beautiful but nevertheless functional integrated battery design (on top of the downtube), and
- hydraulic brakes, a great help especially when speeding downhill!
However, I added lights, fenders (SKS shockboard), a mirror (Third Eye Bar) and a rack (Delta Mega) which I attached to the seat post and added my old top case thereby transforming the Xtrem into an extremely functional commuter bike (okay, it doesn’t look that cool anymore, but everything can be removed easily).
One word on the battery, in this really hilly area it gets me about 15 miles. But, these miles include everything from steep hills to tricky paths through the woods and, lots and lots of fun! Should the battery shut down on you, there are still the 24 Shimano gears to choose from…
A helpful review for this bike can be found under http://electricbikereport.com/electric-bike-review-bh-emotion-neo-xtrem-electric-mountain-bike/.
BH
We Love Our EMotos
We love our E-Moto bikes! Our first bike was an Ecco 2.5 purchased in 2011 for use at Burning Man. Our second was a Liberty 1.5 and both have been great! Our third a Traveler 1.0. We take the Liberty and Traveler on our boat. I just ordered a fourth, another traveler 1.0, wanted another folding one for the boat. All bought from Gary @ Hybrid Cycles. Thanks, Gary! We have people stop us and ask about the bikes every time we take them out for a ride. We have a few photos to share of us with our E-Motos.
Jeannie and Wally
Ridge 2.0 - The Rock
Hi Gary and Jim,
I have been riding my Ridge 2.0 electric mountain bike for about 6 months now, and here are my impressions about it and about e-bikes in general.
First of all, the bike is a rock. I have used it a great deal in the last 6 months, on paved roads and on dirt roads, and on some very steep hills that are near my house, and the thing just thrives on abuse. I use it mostly for commuting, and I can ride it in my street clothes, which is a huge time saver. (I think the public appreciates this as well, because Spandex is not a good look for me. :))
It is also more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Because it is electric, I can choose to push hard or take a breather at any time. It is great that I can take a moment to rest without the bike coming to a stop!
The longer I use the Ridge 2.0, the more impressed I am with the thought that the engineers at E-Moto put into it. The only modification that I have made is to add front and rear lights (which I already owned so the cost was zero). I will admit that when I first laid my eyes on it, I thought that it was ugly as sin with its black paint job and its choppy silhouette. But the more I ride it, the more I realize that it is like a VW bug or a Jeep in that the ugliness is more appealing every day. I hope that you will not be offended by my frankness, I am just trying to give you my full impression, and you know I love you guys.
I am super-glad that I got the mountain bike configuration. With this bike I can handle normal paved roads (and paved roads with crud on them) just fine, but I have the added pleasure of being able to take it off-road. There are many scenic and car-free dirt roads in my area, and the Ridge 2.0 handles them with ease. It is such fun to zoom through these roads in a way that I never could before. It also is a great safety feature, because I can get off the paved road any time I want if the car traffic gets ugly. I use this feature all the time. If I only owned one bike for all purposes, this would be my choice.
The batteries have been through many charge cycles now, and there is no degradation of performance at all. They hold enough charge that I actually haven't run them down to empty on a ride yet. I also have also used the bike in damp conditions without any problem with the electricals. The motor is a high-tech brushless type, which means that it does not have those little carbon brushes that traditional motors use to do the commutation. The commutation is handled by angular encoders and software. This is a huge advantage because brushes are a source of friction and heat and wear. A brushless motor in principle should last forever.
I want to thank Jim for suggesting this model--it is the perfect bike for me. I think that it is a better bike than many competing models that cost twice as much. Thanks also to Gary for making the transaction a breeze. If any of your customers want to talk to somebody about riding impressions and so on, count me in.
All the Best, Peter (Embreeville, PA)
Come On Irene
Hi, Gary --
We thought that you might be amused to see how my new tricycle helped us with storm preparations. I used it to move our outdoor plants into a sheltered area down a long drive.
The plants aren't heavy (they're in plastic pots for exactly that reason), but it was a lot easier to transport them this way than by carrying them by hand - and a lot more fun.
Love the trike, and love that basket!
Parkesburg
Hi Jim, In this day and age of disposable goods, it sure is satisfying to purchase something that just oozes quality. My new Kettler bike is surpassing my expectations in all categories. I'm enjoying riding it tremendously, the many hills in my locale - while not exactly flattening out - are now manageable for me. It's put the fun back in biking for me.
Again, many thanks. Ron
Norristown
Have to say I'm very happy with my purchase of my e-moto ridge 2.0. I've been riding it to work a lot and have had no problems whatsoever, and LOVE being able to turn on the pedal assist on the hills that used to kill me last year on my uphill ride home. I did get a back-wheel flat (picked up a nail in my tire) but had no problem replacing the tube myself. My fears about dealing with all that mechanism back there proved to be unfounded.
I've recommended you guys to my friends and co-workers.. hopefully that will turn into more sales for you.
Thanks again...
J.F.
Ridley Creek Park
Hi Gary,
Thanks for your email. I went this morning to Ridley Creek State Park. I was quite proud of myself. I rode the bike [e-Moto 2.5] to the park, did the circle once, and took a different route back. I had no problems with the hills, but I did get a good workout. I went counter-clockwise, which means I didn’t do the big, monster hill … yet. When I got home I still had a full charge on the battery.
V.
Pittsburgh & Florida
"Dear Gary: It was thoughtful of you and your wife to drop off the bike...we got some good weather so I`ve been out on the bike several days now....didn`t think I`d use the peddle assist..but it is so well done..nice and gentle...I use it a lot...the bike is excellent...you can sell that bike to anyone ... I have two in Florida besides the e-moto...the e moto is the best one...thanks again for the thoughtful service...if anyone gets interested I`ll refer them to you...good luck in your business."
Dr. F.
Tullio - West Chester, PA
"My new Emoto bike is great, gets me around town much quicker."
Eric - West Chester, PA
Eric uses his ECCO 2.5 as his primary source of transportation, commuting four miles each way from his home to the West Chester Borough. "I recently took my longest trip from West Chester to Coatesville (34 miles) and was surprised to still have plenty of charge left in the battery".
Eric recently suffered a serious fracture in his ankle and is only able to exert about 50% pressure on his foot, but that's not stopping him from riding his e-bike. He says, "with this injury, there is no way I would be able to ride my conventional bike".
Commute By Bike.com Interviews Hybrid Cycles Customer (Doug - West Chester, PA)
How long is your one-way commute?
About 15 miles depending on which route I take. So, 30 or so round trip.
How many miles do you estimate you will commute by e-bike in 2011?
In the neighborhood of 3,000 - 4,500 is I assume 50 working weeks, two to three riding days a week with a round trip of 30 miles.
Did you commute by conventional bicycle before you obtained your electric bike?
Yes, but not as frequently.
What is your main reason for commuting by e-bike? Save money? Reduce emissions? Both.
Both of those reasons. It also gets me to work a little quicker as I have some pretty serious hills along the way. Less exertion on those hills means less sweat which means I can comfortably wear work clothes on my rides (with weather-appropriate gear on top when necessary).
What type of weather don't you ride in?
I have ridden in everything so far except extreme heat, but that's just because I bought my bike in October.
Has you e-bike been reliable?
I have had a few issues with the chain popping off due to the slack necessary for the torque sensor. Other than that, I've had no problems with the bike at all.
Does the the 250watt motor have adequate power for your commute?
A 350-watt motor probably would have been a better choice for me. I weigh in around 215, so the bike has to work pretty hard on some of the bigger hills. If I ride somewhere flatter, the 250-watt motor is fine and gets me where I need to go.
Is there something lacking on the bike that would make your commute easier?
In retrospect, I think the controls that allow you to select between various assistive and regenerative power levels would have been better for my commute. There are times where I really don't need the assist and a recharge would help. There are other times that I really wish I could kick it into max power and really fly up those hills (but that's what my legs are for!).
What is the advantage of the electric bike vs a conventional bike.
All of the reasons listed above: it's saves gas, it's fun, relaxing, good for commuting. I still love riding my "normal" bike, but I think of my ebike as more of a vehicle.
General comments about e-biking?
The same way the iPad hasn't taken away my love of books on paper, e-biking has not "replaced" conventional biking for me. On longer tours and recreational rides, I'll probably stick with a conventional bike. But when it comes to commuting to work, a quick run to the store, or just a leisurely ride along the trail on the weekends, my e-bike has made all of those things easier and made me think twice about hopping in the car when I can just ride instead.
Thanks Doug.
Fran - Chester Springs, PA
Dear Gary,:
I have enjoyed my bike very much and have told SO many people about it, and about your company. I do hope you had a successful year, and I am confident that you will have an even better year in 2011 as people get to know what a great product this is! My bike has so far performed wonderfully! It's too cold right now to ride, but I look forward to spring when I can get it out of storage and ride again!
Mary - Clifton Park, NY
Hi Jim:
Just want to tell you what a POSITIVE experience I had today with my new bike. We rode from our house to John and Amy's in Stillwater today in about an hour. That was a good ride - hills etc. I thought we were going to have them bring me back to get the car and go back over to get the bikes, since I've not ridden quite recent nor have I done that many miles. Instead, I decided not to mention that and to ride back.
WOW!! The ride back was all incline and a HUGE hill!! I said a prayer and gave the bike a lot of credit that I would make that hill. Tom told me if I could get to the top, don't stop - he would walk the hill. Well, I made the hill. The funny part was that I got within 1 mile of home, and the battery died. It maxed out at 29 miles. I didn't have to use the assist alot going over, but coming back it was very helpful. I was praising you and your bike all the way!! It sure made a good time for me. The wind was blowing and allergies bothering me, but without the assist, I could have never done it.
Nick - Media, PA
Gary:
I just got back from a 14 mile ride with my friends. It is really refreshing to purchase a product which exceeds your expectations vs. the usual let down. I am able to join in and have fun riding again and I really look forward to our next ride. It took the hills and pain out of bike riding for me. I would urge anyone to take a test ride and consider how small of an investment it is for your physical and mental health. As my friend Marty said “I know this bike has a place in my future” Come on Marty Just do It.
Thanks again for a good product and friendly service.