igo e-bike

Any body know anything about these guys? I was told of a mid drive today from a bike shop that one of there customers was using but not sure if it was the "ego" or the "igo". I noticed the ego unit from there web site is a bit noisy so I guess it is an rc style of motor. Leaning toward a mac mid drive for the next build but want to explore all avenues. Must be light and quiet for me to consider. The igo unit would only be of interest if it was available as a drive kit with out the bike.

the prices for IGO bikes seems not so awful, although I wouldn't buy one (only ride tricycles LOL)
I thought it inconvenient that they provide no pictures of the left-hand bottom bracket so I might be able to determine whether the worm drive was internal or external to the bottom bracket shell
oh those marketeers! they so silly

Those bikes have the Tonaro motor in them. So if you do a search for "Tonaro review", you should find quite a lot about them. They climb quite well because the motor drives through the gears, but it'll only be about 4 mph up a very steep hill. Top speed will be about 20mph as long as you're not too heavy and the wind isn't blowing. If it's European spec, there's a magnet speed sensor in the back wheel that you have to disconnect (or move the magnet) to get more than 15mph. I've never heard of any problems with either the battery or the motor, so I guess they're pretty sorted.

So, in summary: great for the European market; probably too slow and heavy if you want to cruise round at 20mph; good climber.

This thread has a good review by Kiwi and details his upgrades for a client: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=32375

Also has a pic of the left hand side of the bottom bracket ddk.

Looks similar to the R martin bikes as far as the bb drive goes. Designed 20 mph legal, it will be wimpy to many of us in the 2-3000w club.

Better than a hubmotor though, if you have steep hills and want to climb them on 700w.

Tom L said:

...Also has a pic of the left hand side of the bottom bracket ddk.

Click to expand...

ok...
Thanks!
motor/gearing looks pretty integrated into the BB to me :lol:
I would consider purchasing one if I rode and needed a bicycle... which I don't do either of (it's hilly here)
...I did catch on that this bike is marketed by several different firms.
The review indicated a PAS system requiring multiple crank turns, which would be awful to use. (for me, at least)
The PAS on my EMoto trike requires about a 1/4 revolution on the pedal crank to start the motor, and is what I use (It also has an instant-start throttle that I rarely use)

I purchased an IGO URBAN from a dealer on Sept. 30, 2012 and received it on Oct. 16, 2012. On Oct. 25 the engine stopped delivering power to the back wheel and I took the bike back to the shop where I bought it. Two weeks later, it was repaired and I took it home. After one week, the same thing happened again and this time I only had to wait one week for it to be fixed. On Dec. 31, 2012 the same thing happened for the third time and as of today it is still sitting in the shop and has not been fixed. The dealer I purchased it from is getting no response from IGO. I have owned this bike for 5 months and it has been sitting in the shop for 3 months. I have no bike and my money is gone. I affirm that these are the legal facts.

Interesting, but unless we know what the problem is it's impossible to do more than speculate on the quality of other bikes than the one you have.

Battery problem would have nothing to do with the motor itself, for example. If you are cooking off motors, that is the main pitfall of shiftable chain drive bikes. Riders can select too high gears, and fry the motors. Just like a hubmotor, too slow up a hill in a gear turning the motor at slow rpm just makes heat.

dogman said:

Interesting, but unless we know what the problem is it's impossible to do more than speculate on the quality of other bikes than the one you have.

Battery problem would have nothing to do with the motor itself, for example. If you are cooking off motors, that is the main pitfall of shiftable chain drive bikes. Riders can select too high gears, and fry the motors. Just like a hubmotor, too slow up a hill in a gear turning the motor at slow rpm just makes heat.

Click to expand...

The actual problem is the lack of response from IGO. The dealer is a very good person but does not have the parts and IGO is not responding. This dealer has actually ordered IGO bikes for other customers and IGO has failed to deliver them. The owner of IGO told me a month ago that Canada Customs had delayed their container shipment for inspection but Customs Inspection does not take over one month. People should avoid doing business with IGO because there is something fishy going on.

Meanwhile, the problem seems to be the gearbox bearings. They have been replaced twice but they keep wearing out. IGO told me they have had an entirely new gearbox engineered in Italy which will completely eliminate the problem. They told me January 3 that the shipment would arrive in 4-7 days and that they would authorize the dealer to let me have a loaner while I was waiting. I opted not to take a loaner because it would only be for one week max. Almost two months has gone by and still no news. Yesterday, I asked the dealer for a loaner but he does not have any inventory left.