I purchased a shadow e-bike from Daymak in March 2010 (and pre-paid at $1500 rather than the current $2000), and I've been waiting for delivery ever since! Daymak finally came through earlier this month - the bike was delivered through the Daymak representative in Halifax. It arrived in very good condition - not the greatest month to take delivery in Nova Scotia ...... but still. 'Ive ridden a few times and overall am impressed. I am an e-bike newbie so have little to compare against. Despite the solid wheel covers, the bike actually performed very well in a stiff cross wind on my first ride. The front wheel (that contains the LI-ion battery, motor etc) is the heaviest part of the bike). There are 3 things to charge on the bike - 1) the Li-ion main battery, accessed through a port in the front wheel 2) the controller/throttle located on the handlebar 3) the pedal-assist sensor located between the pedals. This is a bit of a pain since only one charger (for the controller and pedal assist) is provided - plus you need all those electrical outlets!
But here's the scoop on the ride. Generally very good. Climbed a 1 in 8 hill at a good rate with pedaling assistance. The throttle (on the handlebar) controller works effortlessly and the bike responds quickly and smoothly. Braking, however, is jerky and difficult to use. The Shadow employs a regenerative braking system that re-charges the battery when a red button on the controller is depressed. You really feel the 'drag' and the bike will come to a complete stop unless you release the button. This means that you have to 'pulse' the brakes causing the bike to jerk (it takes some getting used to!). Meanwhile the coaster brakes (backup) are adequate and often more convenient to use.
On the flat the bike moves smoothly and rapidly - hills are a breeze with a little help from the pedals. I haven't figured out the 'pedal assist' system. With this turned on you are supposed to be providing extra power and extending battery life. But it still seems to require a lot of 'throttle' - perhaps I just haven't found the sweet spot!
A few negatives - first I had to take the cover off the throttle control to re-seat the female charger connector (shoddy) 2) when the seat post is fully lowered it contacts and abrades the suspension spring 3) there are a few quirky things e.g. the main 'on' switch has 3 positions, but it is simply on or off - the third position is redudant (they couldn't find a simple two-way toggle??); the cover over the charging port on the front wheel is just a flap of plastic and provides little if any protection from the environment. And speaking of the environment - its not clear how well this bike would respond to wet weather. Daymak says it is all protected by 'membranes' but there are all kinds of charging ports that would admit water (certainly want to keep it off salty, winter roads) Oh, and one other thing - the user manual is totally useless; evidently written in China (where the bike is made) it is nearly conmpletely unintelligible. It also refers to systems that the bike doesn't have (e.g 'squeeze the brake levers' - there are no levers!). Other essential information (such as the fact that you need to 'reset' the motor by pressing and holding the red brake button after the main switch is activated - for slightly better information go to the video on the Daymak.com site). Overall I am pleased with the bike - I will update on reliability and emerging impressions as I ride it more (probably in the Spring)!
But here's the scoop on the ride. Generally very good. Climbed a 1 in 8 hill at a good rate with pedaling assistance. The throttle (on the handlebar) controller works effortlessly and the bike responds quickly and smoothly. Braking, however, is jerky and difficult to use. The Shadow employs a regenerative braking system that re-charges the battery when a red button on the controller is depressed. You really feel the 'drag' and the bike will come to a complete stop unless you release the button. This means that you have to 'pulse' the brakes causing the bike to jerk (it takes some getting used to!). Meanwhile the coaster brakes (backup) are adequate and often more convenient to use.
On the flat the bike moves smoothly and rapidly - hills are a breeze with a little help from the pedals. I haven't figured out the 'pedal assist' system. With this turned on you are supposed to be providing extra power and extending battery life. But it still seems to require a lot of 'throttle' - perhaps I just haven't found the sweet spot!
A few negatives - first I had to take the cover off the throttle control to re-seat the female charger connector (shoddy) 2) when the seat post is fully lowered it contacts and abrades the suspension spring 3) there are a few quirky things e.g. the main 'on' switch has 3 positions, but it is simply on or off - the third position is redudant (they couldn't find a simple two-way toggle??); the cover over the charging port on the front wheel is just a flap of plastic and provides little if any protection from the environment. And speaking of the environment - its not clear how well this bike would respond to wet weather. Daymak says it is all protected by 'membranes' but there are all kinds of charging ports that would admit water (certainly want to keep it off salty, winter roads) Oh, and one other thing - the user manual is totally useless; evidently written in China (where the bike is made) it is nearly conmpletely unintelligible. It also refers to systems that the bike doesn't have (e.g 'squeeze the brake levers' - there are no levers!). Other essential information (such as the fact that you need to 'reset' the motor by pressing and holding the red brake button after the main switch is activated - for slightly better information go to the video on the Daymak.com site). Overall I am pleased with the bike - I will update on reliability and emerging impressions as I ride it more (probably in the Spring)!
