KBO Breeze Review

CharleyD

10 µW
Joined
Aug 26, 2021
Messages
5
I've posted this review on a couple of other sites as well...just getting the word out there for those who may be considering purchasing a KBO bike. Just my opinion!

I received the Breeze a couple of weeks ago and have generally enjoyed my experiences so far. I mostly use the bike to commute to work 10 miles one-way on a combination of bike trails and public roadways here in Boulder, CO. I've put a little over 200 miles on the bike in that time and here are my experiences.
The bike was very easy to assemble and fits me well- I'm about 5'8" and it works well for me. The components are pretty good, running gear and brakes are similar to KBO's competitors- Shimano and 180mm Tektro respectively. The inclusion of aluminum fenders and a good rear rack were part of what helped me to decide to go with the KBO, in addition to the higher capacity of the battery (48V 16 Ah) as compared to competitors. It's been reliable and capable from my experiences. So far so good.
However, the motor controller (made by JYTcon) definitely needs work to be on par with KBO's competitors and the general state of the art in terms of most mid-range ebikes on the road today. The basic functionality is very limited for the Breeze's controller, I am only able to change the units of display (KM or MPH) and reset the trip meter, nothing else. The reason this is an important note is because the overrun time (the time the motor provides assist after pedaling is stopped) is 1 second for the Breeze, which I feel is too long. Of course applying the brakes immediately stops the assist but there is a potential safety concern that with such a long overrun could surprise some less savvy riders and potentially result in a bad situation- like unexpectedly still providing assist while cornering or on loose surfaces. Having the ability to simply change the overrun setting seems like an important function for the motor control system. This is not available for the Breeze today.
Being able to adjust the assist levels for the various settings (1-5) would be valuable as well, as I think there are some unnatural jumps in assist levels by default- going from 2 to 3 for example.
This is an important consideration when buying an ebike- the main components that differentiate an ebike from a regular bike are the motor, the motor controller and the battery. The controller is the key component to controlling the system, so some focus here by KBO would take a an ok bike to the next level. Simply using a Lishui or Kunteng controller (like Ride1up and Rad Power use) would be easy and eliminate the issues I describe above. Plus with those controllers there is tons of support, experience and advice available. Not so with the JYTcon...in fact I haven't been able to find much of anything online about that brand of controller nor the manufacturer, Yuecheng, located in Wuxi China.
I have contacted KBO technical support as well as directly contacting the motor controller manufacturer (JYTcon, made by Yuecheng in Wuxi, China) and both have stated directly that any further capability of this controller is not possible and no improvements are planned. So unless the controller is changed (by yourself), what you get is what you will have. KBO support was ok, but the replies to my emails were from a different person each time and were very terse in nature.
My father in law has a Ride1up 500, and my dad has a RadPower ebike, so I have some direct comparison available to me for competitors to KBO in this space. I would rank KBO 3rd of 3 in this comparison, only due to the motor controller.
All that being said, I think this will be a good platform for a strong commuter ebike, even though I may end up replacing the controller myself.

bike.jpg
Controller.JPG
 
clean, unclutter look , very stealthy , no many people would say is ebike.
what motor does it use, what does it say on motor, BAFANG of course, right?
 
Nice looking bike; excellent review. Maybe come back in six months or so with an update (and comparison to I-up & Rad).
 
miro13car said:
clean, unclutter look , very stealthy , no many people would say is ebike.
what motor does it use, what does it say on motor, BAFANG of course, right?

Nope...motor is an Aikema (AKM).
 
Some improvements:

First & foremost, after much back-and-forth with KBO, they shared a procedure with me to unlock the speed limit, to open it up to full Class III speed, 28 mph. That is a welcome improvement, help a lot on the street sections of my commute. However, the 7 speed cassette and 46 tooth front sprocket meant I was spinning and effectively idle above about 22-23 mph...so I increased it from 46t to 52t, about the biggest I could fit without hitting the chainstay. Huge improvement, now the gearing seems to match an assisted bike, not just top speed (now around 30 mph with pedaling) but also throughout the gear range. Before, I basically never went below maybe 5th gear at the very lowest, most of the time in top gear and relying on the assist. Now it feels a little more like an unassisted bike in terms of riding and keeping a cadence that I like. Big improvement and was very easy...$24 sprocket from Amazon.
Also replaced the smooshy KBO seat with a favorite saddle from an old mountain bike, also an improvement in fit, feel and responsiveness.
Added some reflective tape to the front and rear to keep me visible. The yellow/orange piece on the front fender is so I can see if my front light is on from the saddle.
There isn't a head badge from the factory, so I used some of the tape to create my own logo. :)

275 miles and counting!

IMG_9566.jpg
IMG_9567.jpg
IMG_9569.jpg
IMG_9570.jpg
IMG_9572.jpg
 
Corkster52 said:
Cool saddle bags. Do you recall where you got them?

Don't remember where I got them but they are Timbuk2 brand. They are great and very tough- they are probably 7-8 years old at this point and have held up well. Totally waterproof.
I think these are pretty close.
https://www.timbuk2.com/collections/pannier-bike-bags
 
35 mile ride on Sunday, including some nice rocky singletrack. I'm learning how to ride this better, more like a motorcycle dirtbike on the rough stuff, standing, hovering above the saddle and all throttle, no pedaling. Really fun!
Not a bike on a bridge pic, but on top of a dam at least!

IMG_9616.jpgIMG_9617.jpg
 
How can you get the programming information to adjust the speed limiter
 
Back
Top