CurrieTech iZip Urban Cruiser Enlightened $549 - opinions?

[ebikefan]

It's on clearance at Best Buy, new in the box. I tried searching for review or feedback on the bike here already and have read up on older models running SLA, but none on this bike specifically or with the new enlightened running Li-ion. Just want to get feedback on this bike.

This would be my first e-bike (with pedals), although I do have an eGo Vehicles motor scooter which is great, but sometimes I'd like to be able to pedal too. And of course I ride a regular bike too, but sometimes I want some help on those hills we have around here.

I'm willing to bet that I'll want to upgrade it after I've outgrown it, so any feedback on how upgradeable the chassis is would be great. I think its Aluminum so perhaps I'll want to change to a steel fork, or do a rear wheel brushless?

Thanks!
Mike

Here's some copied specs
MOTOR
Exclusive Alloy Shell DC Brushless Geared Hub Motor

BATTERY
Lithium-ion, Down Tube Concealed, 24V / 10Ah Pack, (7) 3.7V Rechargeable Cells Advanced BMS, Extra Energy, UL + CE Safety Tested

CHARGE SYSTEM
UL Listed Currie Smart Charger with LED Status Display

CONTROLLER
Exclusive Currie Electro-Driveâ„¢, 24 Volt Fully Potted with Power Gauge Function

TOP SPEED
Up to 15 mph / 24 km (Rider Weight, Rider Input and Terrain Contingent)

RANGE
Up to 23 - 30 Miles / 38 - 48 km with Normal Pedaling (Rider Weight, Rider Input and Terrain Contingent)

DRIVE
Exclusive Currie Geared Hub Motor, SRAM RD-X.7, Sram X.5 Shifter, 8-Speed Drivetrain

BRAKES
Tektro IO Disc Front and Pro Max TX-218 Linear Pull Rear; Tektro EL-340 Levers

WHEELS
Alex DM18 26" Double Wall Alloy Rims with Stainless Steel Spokes

TIRES
Currie 26” x 2.0”, Slime Self-Sealing Flat Tire Prevention System

HANDLEBAR / STEM
Cruiser Bars with Dual Density Grips

FORKS
Alloy Suspension, Fender Eyelets

USER CONTROLS
Battery Gauge w/Adjustable Power Mode, Power On/Off Switch and Easy Access Charger Port

SADDLE
Velo Suspension Comfort and Micro-Adjust
Suspension Post

FRAME
Exclusive Currie Aluminum Design w/ TMM4 Sensor, Bottle Bosses (Mens Frame Only), Fender and Rack Mounts

CRANKS AND PEDALS
Alloy 44T Crankset w/Cartridge BB and Double Chainguard, Alloy Non-Slip Pedals

NET WEIGHT
51 lbs / 23 kg

RIDER AGE & WEIGHT LIMIT
Young Adult to Adult / Do Not Exceed 240 lbs / 109 kg

 

[neptronix]

It has as much upgrade potential as any other non-electric bicycle; in terms of an upgrade, consider all the electric parts useless.

Currie has the power controller locked down to 27-28v so forget upgrading the battery.
The motor cannot handle 36v for any extended period of time so forget adding more voltage.
It is slower than a lead acid eZip, so performance is kind of miserable from the get go.

A better choice would be finding a used eZip on craigslist and replacing the batteries.

And the bike itself is heavy/cheap so it is probably not a great conversion target either.

 

[ebikefan]

Neptronix, thanks for your opinion! I'm checking out your Trek build now

 

[ambroseliao]

I'd grab it quickly. That's quite a good deal. It may not perform up to your standards, but grab it anyway.

It reminds me of the A2B in terms of general style. All the electronics and battery are concealed so it's less of a target for theft, although I would double/triple lock it for ultimate peace-of-mind.

 

[Drunkskunk]

Thats a Helluva good price on a pretty fair bike.

But if you upgrade, it will have to be new motor, battery, and controller all at once.

Its peddal assist, not throttle opperated

 

[vanilla ice]

If 15mph is fast enough for you and you don't plan on modifying it.. seems like a good affordable choice. Unfortunately there are not many ready-to-go options in this price range.

 

[ebikefan]

I'd grab it quickly. That's quite a good deal. It may not perform up to your standards, but grab it anyway.

It reminds me of the A2B in terms of general style. All the electronics and battery are concealed so it's less of a target for theft, although I would double/triple lock it for ultimate peace-of-mind.

Thanks Ambrose. I haven't actually seen it in person, but apparently BestBuy is clearing them out nationwide, so you can search online for it and call around if you want to save on shipping. You could just google the name of the bike - I saw that it was available at a few locations in Los Angeles area last night.

 

[ebikefan]

Thats a Helluva good price on a pretty fair bike. But if you upgrade, it will have to be new motor, battery, and controller all at once.
Its peddal assist, not throttle opperated

So noted. I thought the price was really good (compared to the uber high MSRP), and its Lithium Ion too. Question though is if the frame is good enough for an upgrade to a 30mph e-bike?

 

[Drunkskunk]

Thats a Helluva good price on a pretty fair bike. But if you upgrade, it will have to be new motor, battery, and controller all at once.
Its peddal assist, not throttle opperated

So noted. I thought the price was really good (compared to the uber high MSRP), and its Lithium Ion too. Question though is if the frame is good enough for an upgrade to a 30mph e-bike?

It looks solid enough for 30. Disk front brake and a beefy frame.
I wonder how much Lipo can be stuffed up that frame.

 

[dogman dan]

Snap it up if 15 mph is ok. Forget the upgrade, keep it as a spare when you want more or sell it off. Then build a proper fast bike.

 

[gogo]

As for hills, based on a 15 amp battery current limit and 250 lbs. total I'd guess that for any hill you could pedal up unassisted at 7-8 MPH, this bike would cut your effort in half. Hills that are half that grade it could do at 7-8 MPH unassisted and as the grade diminished your unassisted speed would approach the 15 MPH advertised.

For hills steeper than you can pedal up unassisted at 7-8 MPH, the assist would be less than your pedalling input and the ratio would get worse as the grade increased.

 

[ebikefan]

Well, I was hoping to give you guys a report today on it for hills and such, but it was dead out of the box.

From the box, it requires some assembly - attach front wheel, attach seat, attach handlebars. I gave it a good 6 hour charge, and tried to turn it on. Nothing. No response or lights on the controls indicating battery level, or power assist setting. I'll contact CurrieTech tomorrow (3/25) and see what can be done. I've already done all the troubleshooting steps as mentioned the 139 page manual - no fuses gone bad.

On the plus side, the bike (minus anything electrical / motor) is comfortable, shifts and brakes well. The pedals are junk and by itself add a lot of friction that even some squirts of oil don't help. The medium frame would fit me just fine 5'7" if only the suspension seat would go a little bit lower, but I can easily swap in a regular seat and stem.