iZip Mountain Trailz

bdann · Oct 30, 2009

I just picked up my first e-bike today, a Currie iZip Mountain Trailz AL. I know many here probably look down on this bike a bit, but honestly, it was a bit of an impulse buy. So, I'd like to use this space to give my impressions and real world experience riding this inexpensive bike.

First thing - this bike was cheap. $299 at Wal-Mart with free shipping to my local store. It is different than the "eZip Trailz" version, in that it has an aluminum frame, front disc brake, front suspension fork, knobby tires, and an adjustable seat spring thing (not sure what to call that). I think this model has been discontinued.

First impression of the bike itself: HEAVY. Even without the battery pack, it is heavy as hell.

The bike comes reasonably well packed and partially disassembled. The instruction manual is poor, as it is the manual for several different models and can be confusing. Assembly was easy though. Regarding build quality, I would say overall build quality (not having ridden it yet) is equal to or better than most mountain bikes found at a store like Wal-Mart or Academy.

Tomorrow I'll update with initial ride impressions and some photos.

Russell · Oct 30, 2009

That's a lot of ebike for the money. I look forward to your review.

-R

bdann · Oct 31, 2009

First ride (~ 4 miles):

With the motor on the left and the battery pack on the right, the bike actually balances pretty good. The manual says the top speed is 15mph and indeed on a flat road, no pedaling, it cruises right at 15mph. With a little pedal it cruises at about 17mph. It operates in two modes, TAG (twist-and-go) and PAS (pedal assist). TAG requires no pedal, it just takes off. With PAS the motor kicks in after about two seconds of pedal. Going up the steepest hill near my house (which isn't that steep), no pedal, the motor pushed me up the hill at just above 13mph.

It shifts very smoothly and easy.

The brakes work well.

The motor isn't that noisy, I was expecting much worse.

The battery pack rattles around a lot on bumpy roads, this needs to be remedied. Nothing really holds the battery down. It has a locking mechanism, but it just prevents the pack from being removed, doesn't hold it down.

That little boost going up a hill is awesome!

I'll probably ditch the knobby tires soon. Anyone have a recommendation on a tire that is good for about 80% road (sometimes rough), 20% dirt?

...all for now, I hope to be able to test the range later this weekend.

bdann · Oct 31, 2009

Photos.

The bike:

Front brake:

Motor (24v 450w)

Battery contact points:

Throttle, battery indicator, PAS/TAG switch:

davespicer · Oct 31, 2009

bdann said:
The battery pack rattles around a lot on bumpy roads...

My eZip has the same motor and battery arrangement, and I found that the battery-rack hardware wasn't very tight as delivered. Go around to all the fasteners, including the ones near the battery contacts, and make sure they're not loose. Check the battery locks themselves too. Doing this on mine helped hold the battery pack in more solidly.

Drunkskunk · Oct 31, 2009

bdann said:
I know many here probably look down on this bike a bit...

Good to see a review on this bike!

Might find its just the oppisite is true here. The Currie Motor on that thing has earned the respect it gets.

Maxxis, Specalized Armidillos are good for mostly road riding with some light trail, but either brand would cost you $100 a set. Bell makes a fairly diecent hybrid Kevlar lined tire that might run you $50 a set. I would stay away from Kendas.

I'm curious how this bike preforms on things like unpaved hiking trails.

torker · Oct 31, 2009

Great pics. If that left side freewheel is pretty solid it would just beg for a motor upgrade later.

I notice 2 sets of battery contacts. Can you buy a second battery and just pop it on there doubling your range?

dumbass · Oct 31, 2009

bdann said:
First ride (~ 4 miles):

The battery pack rattles around a lot on bumpy roads, this needs to be remedied. Nothing really holds the battery down. It has a locking mechanism, but it just prevents the pack from being removed, doesn't hold it down.

That little boost going up a hill is awesome!

I'll probably ditch the knobby tires soon. Anyone have a recommendation on a tire that is good for about 80% road (sometimes rough), 20% dirt?

...all for now, I hope to be able to test the range later this weekend.

to hold the battery in tighter I use 4 valcro straps wrapped around the Alm. box. THe fussy side is contacting the back of the battery when the battery in installed in the rack. This seems to be just enough to quiet most of the noise. I bought the straps at Best Buy and they are about 3/4" wide and can be cut to size as needed.

Be careful with the locks. I have 2 Ezip bike (wife and mine) and the locks on mine would not open. I needed to mount the bike on the car rack and could not leave the battery in the rack and had to pry the battery out of the lock with a very large screw driver. Ezip replaced them and several other parts free of charge (except for shipping).

For the most part you can not up the voltage on the new model I or Ezip bikes because they have installed an "over voltage" cut off in the controller. But here's a link to a guy that changed the freewheel from a 20t to a 16t and increased the speed from 15mph to 20mph. http://www.ecoforumz.com/electric-bicycle-scooter/80982-20mph-ezip-24-volt-oem-pack.html

dumbass · Oct 31, 2009

torker said:
Great pics. If that left side freewheel is pretty solid it would just beg for a motor upgrade later. I notice 2 sets of battery contacts. Can you buy a second battery and just pop it on there doubling your range?

Yes yo can or you can simply upgrade to lipo4 packs and treally increase your reange. I get 25 to 30 miles out of a single 24v 20ah lipo4 pack. I just bought a second pack this week. So I should get 40 to 50 miles range. A lot longer then my butts going to last. LOL ...............

bdann · Oct 31, 2009

Drunkskunk said:
bdann said:

I know many here probably look down on this bike a bit...

Click to expand...

Good to see a review on this bike!

Might find its just the oppisite is true here. The Currie Motor on that thing has earned the respect it gets.

Maxxis, Specalized Armidillos are good for mostly road riding with some light trail, but either brand would cost you $100 a set. Bell makes a fairly diecent hybrid Kevlar lined tire that might run you $50 a set. I would stay away from Kendas.

I'm curious how this bike preforms on things like unpaved hiking trails.

Thanks for the tip on the tires.

I had seen some references here as this bike being something of a last resort for those wanting to get into e-bikes. I for one have been impressed with it thus far. I mean, for $299, it seems to be a decent bike. The only thing I don't like so far is the weight, it is friggin heavy, almost unwieldy when you're not actually riding it.

This bike will get a workout on some unpaved trails later in November.

bdann · Oct 31, 2009

torker said:
Great pics. If that left side freewheel is pretty solid it would just beg for a motor upgrade later. I notice 2 sets of battery contacts. Can you buy a second battery and just pop it on there doubling your range?

Yes, you can get a second battery pack from Currie, but it is an additional $129. There is a switch on the back of the controller casing that allows switching between the two packs. Adding another battery pack would really put a lot of weight on that back tire. I'm thinking of building my own pack and mounting it further forward.

Russell · Oct 31, 2009

bdann said:
I had seen some references here as this bike being something of a last resort for those wanting to get into e-bikes. I for one have been impressed with it thus far. I mean, for $299, it seems to be a decent bike. The only thing I don't like so far is the weight, it is friggin heavy, almost unwieldy when you're not actually riding it.

You're just not used to it but at 63 lbs (per Walmart) it's not really all that heavy for an E-bike.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11176&start=0

-R

mwkeefer · Nov 1, 2009

Nice review - maybe I will order one of these to play with... the SLA will have to go and is this a brushless or brushed motor? I'm thinking what everyone else is probably thinking - replace the controller to overvolt... run lipos on the bad boy and off you go.

If it's cruising nicely around 15mph in stock (limited I assume for european market?) form then with just a new controller you should be able to overvolt a bit and see 25-30mph minimum. (if you don't smoke the motor).

-Mike

dogman dan · Nov 1, 2009

In a way, it's perfect for a first ebike. A bit noisy like all geared motors, but at that price including the bike, what a deal. A 36v version would be nice , but then the battery weight just goes up. Not so heavy, my ebkie with all tools weighs at least 85 pounds. I wish they'd make a 48v version of the bike with a ventilated motor, for serious hill riding.

Usually tires on such bikes wear out in about 500 miles. Get what you can out of the knobbies while they last. I have been getting 2500 + miles out of some Bell brand tires from Wallmart or such. Sold as a comfort bike tire, they have nice tread for the occasional dirt, or sandy street. But they have a center rib that makes em roll easy on pavement. Kevlar tire, so they are sturdy too.

Crash Machine · Nov 1, 2009

Or maybe these Kenda Kross. They're cheap at biketiresdirect.com $16.95 a piece. Roll like crazy on roads. At 50 psi the knobbies just about touch the road so if things get soft they help alot. No good in wet grass and not Kevlar lined either but cheap. I saw a 2 or three mph gain when used.
Sounds like you got the Ebike grin for cheap. I love the review.

davespicer · Nov 1, 2009

Drunkskunk said:
I'm curious how this bike preforms on things like unpaved hiking trails.

Had my (even heavier!) eZip on forest roads a while back. The weight wasn't a big issue, although I've had motorcycles over the years so even the eZip was light in comparison. I was surprised at how little throttle I was using because of the abundant low-speed grunt this thing has. There are so many variables in this kind of riding that it's hard to characterize the performance; the most useful thing I can say is "it did a lot better than I expected". I don't recall the motor getting especially hot, although I sure wasn't trying to do anything spectacular. There were some hills but I was going pretty slowly.

By comparison, my wife had her iZip Trailz Enlightened, with its geared rear hub and (24V) NiMH batteries in the frame tube. This was a good bit lighter and also easier to manage since the pedal-assist is so well integrated. But it also cost five times what the eZip does, and had less low-end power.

Writing this, I can practically hear the eZip crying out for a 36vNiCd pack mounted in the frame triangle

It's an older model so the controller would still work. In my setting, rides are quite short (under 3 mi one-way) so the motor shouldn't be too unhappy.... and I wonder how that would work on the trails?

Seems I get the most enjoyment from situations where I have modest expectations and they are exceeded. There's probably a lesson for me in that somewhere...

dumbass · Nov 1, 2009

Here's a motor that is sold as a 24v/36v motor. Of course to run it on 36v you have to change the controler and throttle. At 36v it's pushing 900w but the motor is $120 and I would guess the throttle and controler go for another $50 to $75. But if it's your thing......... The 2 bad things I see is the fact that the motor is still brushed and unvented and they don't say the RPM or torque when running 36v ether. Hell maybe it's a stock Currie motor in disguise....... http://www.evparts.com/prod-MT5125.htm

TylerDurden · Nov 1, 2009

dumbass said:
Here's a motor that is sold as a 24v/36v motor. Of course to run it on 36v you have to change the controler and throttle. At 36v it's pushing 900w but the motor is $120 and I would guess the throttle and controler go for another $50 to $75. But if it's your thing......... The 2 bad things I see is the fact that the motor is still brushed and unvented and they don't say the RPM or torque when running 36v ether. Hell maybe it's a stock Currie motor in disguise....... http://www.evparts.com/prod-MT5125.htm

Same motor for ~70 bucks at monster:
http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/...otor-9-tooth-8mm-05t-chain-sprocket-1018.html

dumbass · Nov 1, 2009

TylerDurden said:
dumbass said:

Here's a motor that is sold as a 24v/36v motor. Of course to run it on 36v you have to change the controler and throttle. At 36v it's pushing 900w but the motor is $120 and I would guess the throttle and controler go for another $50 to $75. But if it's your thing......... The 2 bad things I see is the fact that the motor is still brushed and unvented and they don't say the RPM or torque when running 36v ether. Hell maybe it's a stock Currie motor in disguise....... http://www.evparts.com/prod-MT5125.htm

Click to expand...

Same motor for ~70 bucks at monster:
http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/...otor-9-tooth-8mm-05t-chain-sprocket-1018.html

I sure wouldn't argue with you that is the same motor or not. It just doesn't say anything about being good for 36v. But as I said before is it really a 36v motor or a standaed motor being over volted?

Russell · Nov 1, 2009

From what I've read you can overvolt the motor and get pretty good results as long as you take it easy. I'd probably replace the controller with one with a slightly lower max current (I think stock is 35A) to keep peak power reasonable when going to 36V.

You do have to be careful if you replace the motor since throwing on a 36V motor and running it at 36V may achieve exactly the same speed as the 24V motor, just on less amps. Somebody on this board did just that and if you read the spec's for the 24V/450W and 36V/450W motors here you'll see why that is so.

http://www.electricscooterparts.com/motors.html

hint: the 24V runs at 550rpm at 24V and the 36V/450W motor runs at....wait for it.....550rpm at 36V :wink:

dumbass · Nov 1, 2009

Russell said:
From what I've read you can overvolt the motor and get pretty good results as long as you take it easy. I'd probably replace the controller with one with a slightly lower max current (I think stock is 35A) to keep peak power reasonable when going to 36V.

You do have to be careful if you replace the motor since throwing on a 36V motor and running it at 36V may achieve exactly the same speed as the 24V motor, just on less amps. Somebody on this board did just that and if you read the spec's for the 24V/450W and 36V/450W motors here you'll see why that is so.

http://www.electricscooterparts.com/motors.html

hint: the 24V runs at 550rpm at 24V and the 36V/450W motor runs at....wait for it.....550rpm at 36V :wink:

To a very high degree your correct. But if you notice there is always one very important number missing (torque). Are we assume that when they rate the motor at 450w on 24v and 900w on 36v (which to me does not calculate) does that mean the torque also doubled? For me I'll stay with the 24v and spend my money on modifing the gear drive system.

bdann · Nov 1, 2009

Didn't have much of a chance to do any distance tests this weekend. Next week I'll be able to ride it all weekend. I just went out for a short ride though, I have to say that I am really pleased with this purchase. That smooth acceleration up a hill is just fantastic.

I'm in no hurry to upgrade the battery pack or motor. A little extra speed with 36v may be nice, but I'll wait until the stock batteries bite the dust.

Speaking of the weight of this bike, once I'm riding, I don't notice it at all. Compared to other setups, I see now that it is not that heavy.

Thanks for all the feedback and comments.

dumbass · Nov 1, 2009

bdann said:
Didn't have much of a chance to do any distance tests this weekend. Next week I'll be able to ride it all weekend. I just went out for a short ride though, I have to say that I am really pleased with this purchase. That smooth acceleration up a hill is just fantastic.

I'm in no hurry to upgrade the battery pack or motor. A little extra speed with 36v may be nice, but I'll wait until the stock batteries bite the dust.

Speaking of the weight of this bike, once I'm riding, I don't notice it at all. Compared to other setups, I see now that it is not that heavy.

Thanks for all the feedback and comments.

One thing i will caution on is the distrbution of the weight. In an emergency be careful of the light front wheel. If can slip out from under you real easy sometimes. It happened to me once and I went rolling down the highway. $305 damages to a $240 bike. Credit card forgavethe charges and it cost me $40 to make my own repairs. So I guess the good thing is I got an almost free Ezip but the bruises took a while to mend.

Russell · Nov 1, 2009

Hey forget 36V and go right to 48V like this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2rjiX5ev2E&feature=related

-R

dumbass · Nov 1, 2009

Russell said:
Hey forget 36V and go right to 48V like this guy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2rjiX5ev2E&feature=related

-R

He only says he installed a new controler but noting about the throttle or motor and he has a switch for 24v to 48v. So I wonder how he can pull this off with only one throttle. Is it 24v or 48v and is it still the original Izip 24v motor? Would be cool if the original motor could actually hold up under 48v. But I can't believe it could last very long.

iZip Mountain Trailz

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