Epik Whistler

Hi ! Here's a quick summary of my first summer with my eProdigy Whistler :).

I got my eProgidy bike at the beginning of May and I did more than 3000 km (May to November, minus September). I don't know if I will still be able to ride in the upcoming days as it's really cold now here (it was snowing today!!!) in Ottawa (Can). The first motor was faulty after 800km but eProdigy was really quick to send me a new one by express mail and the motor was really easy to install/replace (big advantage for mid-drive motor).

The good points about the bike:
- Style (I have the white edition - people didn't know if it was an electric bike or a regular bike)
- Battery (enough strong to make 35 km at 30km/h)
- Riding position (for my size, 5'11, it's just perfect)
- Energy meter on the battery (practical and more precise than the king meter)

Things to improve:
- Weight of the bike (it's really heavy but comparable to other electric bikes in the same price range)
- Quality of the cassette/chain (I had to replace it recently as the 6-7-8th gears were totally worn after 3000km and the chain was sometimes skipping, mostly under rain)
- King master meter (could have more info, like your electric consumption, predicted range and battery charge in percentage)
- More powerful motor ? 450w ?

Annoying things to replace/change
- Quality of the brake pads/pistons (I had to fix them 3 times during summer and they were hard to adjust - I might change them next year)
- Location of the speed sensor (the rear wheel is a "normal" wheel but the sensor needs to be so close to the disk that it's really difficult to adjust so I had to buy a separate speed meter as the built-in "regular" speed meter was on and off)
- Quality of the wheels (I broke 2 spoke nipples, one at the beginning of the summer after a week of use and one last week, but the bike shop was able to "save" them, wheels are heavy/steel and not really strong, spoke are painted white so you won't find them in bike shops)

I usually use my bike all week (Monday to Friday) for commuting and I ride on bike lanes (15 km trip X 2 so I recharge the battery in my office during the day - takes 3 hours to recharge). I often use it for small trips (grocery, library, bank). The aspect I like the most about this bike (and probably about electric bikes) is the fact that you can do good distances (15-25 km) without sweating (or just a little). At first, I was mostly using the throttle but then, I found it more fun to pedale. With saddles, it was perfect to go to work !

I plan to use this bike for 5 years (first year done) so we'll see how tough/good it's build !
 
My wife rented an eProdigy Jasper today, and I took it for a spin as well. She liked it a lot, but for me the fatal flaw was the low speed of the BB motor. I found that, while pedalling normally (a cadence of around 90 rpm I guess) the motor would give me only about 50 W of assistance, no matter what. (Level 5, throttle on full, etc.) So much for a 450W motor.

When returning it to the store, the guy there said the motor is designed for a pedal cadence of 40-65 rpm, and so a rider who pedals faster will just leave the motor behind. :cry:
 
I agree! I calculated the cadence depending of the speed and the level of assistance and the motor (I have the 350w) is confortable as long as you don't overpass those "limits" :
Level 3: 60rpm
Level 4: 65rpm
Level 5: 70rpm

I would say that for a "regular" cyclist, this is the main disadvantage of the mid-drive motor as it should help you to go faster and not "holding" your cadence/speed...
 
Hi ! It's been a long time but just wanted to give you an update... I'm still running my 2014 eProdigy Whistler !!! A little bit less though because now, I also have a folding bike and a fixie bike... so I'm shuffling between the 3 !!! I'm probably around 8200km (some km were "lost" the first year as I didn't know how to adjust the sensor on the rear wheel).

I had to change the battery last year (May 2016) as the original one had one (or few) defective cell so suddenly, the battery would go dead. I got a really good service from eProdigy and they offered me a newer improved battery for a reasonable price ($200 CAD). Since that time, I didn't notice any loss of power from the battery.

I will be honest, the mid-drive motor is tough for the chain and the cassette. It's my 3rd chain and I will probably need a new cassette/chain at the end of summer. I try to use the 5-6-7-8th gear but the 8th is the most used/worn (and when it rains, the chain sometimes skips)... I grease the chain every week ! Tires are also close to the end of their life.

Overall, I'm really satisfaied, it's my 4th summer with it and looking forward for 3-4 additional years before thinking changing/upgrading it !
 
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