e-Joe Epik: Any experiences?

[Joe Perez]

So, after three wonderful years of e-bike ownership in San Diego, I have recently taken a job in New York City (Manhattan), and gotten an apartment in Hoboken, NJ, just across the Hudson river. This presents me with a challenge.

My current bike is an absolutely fabulous performer, built with a cell-man 52v battery and a 10T MAC motor on a large MTB frame. Details in this thread: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=38688&start=50#p595736

Now, that bike was perfect for hilly southern California. Lots of torque, lots of speed. The downside is that it's rather large and quite heavy, and in this flat terrain, I really don't need 1,500 watts. In short- it's not a New York bike. Since you can't ride a bicycle through the Holland tunnel, my new daily commute involved riding the PATH train (a dedicated subway line which crosses under the river and joins Hoboken to Manhattan), and so I need something light enough to carry up and down stairs, and small enough to bring with me on a full, rush-hour train.

So I've been looking at folding bikes.

I visited a couple of local shops today, and one bike which caught my eye is the e-Joe Epik:

http://ejoebike.com/epik

Aside from being relatively inexpensive, I was really impressed by how light it is and how compactly it folds up. I tested out several bikes today, and this one was the clear winner on those criteria. I also like that the battery and controller are completely inside the frame, which makes it rather less conspicuous (e-bikes are illegal here in NYC.)

Riding something this small felt extremely awkward, I'm hoping I'll adjust to that in time. And while all of the hardware seemed to be of reasonable quality, I'm not an especially astute judge of these things.

Searching around the 'net hasn't turned up much in the way of reviews- I gather that this model is only a few months old. Reviews which I have found for their previous folder (the Transformer) seem mostly positive.

Any experience here on the forum with this one at all?



(moderator edit: moved out of E-Bike Reviews & Testing as it is not a review or a test)

 

[Madboy]

Hi Joe,

I'm at Interbike right now, and e-Joe has a booth here. If I get a chance to test ride it, I'd be happy to post my opinion on the Epik.

-Dan

 

[Joe Perez]

Hi Joe,

I'm at Interbike right now, and e-Joe has a booth here. If I get a chance to test ride it, I'd be happy to post my opinion on the Epik.

I'd love to hear your opinions. I did ride one briefly around the block at the shop here in Brooklyn, it felt reasonably well put together, though somewhat awkward due to the size and geometry. This, I expect, it probably the nature of the beast with all folding bikes in the 20" wheel class.

 

[melodious]

You'll be pleasantly surprised how nimble 20" bikes handle after riding 26" and above. Feels akin to being a kid on a BMX bike again weaving through lampposts and sign poles and things like that.

I'm guessing the models only come in 36V versions and not 48V? Reason why I'm asking is there is a big difference between riding at 15-18mph vs. 20mph. Then again, considering your pedigree with electric bikes that it should be easy to assess the frame's inside to accommodate a 48V battery

 

[Joe Perez]

You'll be pleasantly surprised how nimble 20" bikes handle after riding 26" and above. Feels akin to being a kid on a BMX bike again weaving through lampposts and sign poles and things like that.

Yeah, I rode one very briefly on the sidewalk in Brooklyn, and that's a good way of putting it- nimble. I'm accustomed to "Big, heavy and stable" when it comes to bicycles, which is weird in light of the fact that when it comes to cars I have always gone for "tiny and lightweight." (Two VW Beetles, a Geo Metro, two Miatas, an Integra, a Celica GT, etc.)

I'm slightly nervous about those tiny wheels getting swallowed up by the potholes here as well. Yeah, I know that 20" is only 6" smaller than 26", but if you consider the area inside the wheel, it's a full 40% smaller.

I'm guessing the models only come in 36V versions and not 48V? Reason why I'm asking is there is a big difference between riding at 15-18mph vs. 20mph. Then again, considering your pedigree with electric bikes that it should be easy to assess the frame's inside to accommodate a 48V battery

Yes, the electronics seem very rudimentary. 36v only, and rated for "250 watts" which suggests a fairly low current-limit.

On the other hand, I'm planning to ride this in midtown Manhattan. Around here, cars can't even travel at 20 MPH- it's literally impossible. Since I got here, I've been riding Citibikes every day (three-speed cruisers with MTB-style 26" wheels), and you can easily pass cars with those under pedal power alone.

When I built my last bike, I wanted a badass, high-speed hill-destroyer. This time, I just need something simple and light to do about 50% of the work on warm, muggy summer mornings so that I can arrive at work free of perspiration.


One of the things I'm really curious about is the fact that the motor appears to be sensorless. I didn't get a picture, but there's just a three-pin plug connecting it to the controller- no provision at all for halls. I know next to nothing about sensorless BLDC motors...



Oh, and sidebar: I got my very own parking spot in the garage at the building where I work, which is on east 42nd street! This will sound trivial and idiotic to the majority of people reading this, but those who work in Manhattan will realize what an amazingly huge deal this is. That parking spot would normally rent for a thousand bucks a year. Yes, a BICYCLE parking spot.

 

[Ykick]

Hoboken, eh? We're both a couple Joe's with ties to SD and NYC, LOL...

How far must you ride to your PATH station? Some guys at work use water taxi to cross the Hudson with their full size bikes?

If you have any time around upper midtown cup 'o Joe (or House of Brew's 51st St) is on me...

 

[Joe Perez]

Hoboken, eh? We're both a couple Joe's with ties to SD and NYC, LOL...

Ha. Small world, innit?

How far must you ride to your PATH station? Some guys at work use water taxi to cross the Hudson with their full size bikes?

About three blocks. I chose the apartment I'm in partly because of its proximity to the station, which I can see out my window. (Stupidly, I failed to consider the fact that since the NJTrans maintenance yard is adjacent to the PATH terminal, I'd get to enjoy the serenade of large diesel locomotive engines running 24/7 just outside my window as well.)

If you have any time around upper midtown cup 'o Joe (or House of Brew's 51st St) is on me...

I shall most certainly take you up on this offer. I'm busy tomorrow, and hadn't planned on going into the city this weekend, but sometime next week perhaps?

Actually, I think I've been to that exact bar (House of Brews) before, and rather liked it- I've worked in Manhattan on an occasional contract basis for a couple of years, and I've made it a point to seek out good beer. Stout on 33rd near Penn Station is another good one.

There's one place called The Beer Authority (right across from PABT at 40th & 8th) which I'm curious about as well.

(Translation for non-New-Yorkers: The Beer Authority is a play on words. It's located across the street from The Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT), which is one of the major transportation hubs in the city and the largest and busiest bus station in the entire world.)

 

[Ykick]

No rush, I'm headed back to SD this weekend but will be back for a couple week stretch midweek. You working a day gig? I'm on B'way show schedule but simple enough to meet in Manhattan during the day or ???

I've often pondered a folder and was looking at a KHS Mocha to kit? But the e-Joe looks pretty good for turnkey.

 

[Joe Perez]

No rush, I'm headed back to SD this weekend but will be back for a couple week stretch midweek. You working a day gig? I'm on B'way show schedule but simple enough to meet in Manhattan during the day or ???

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I find myself in the unusual position of having a 9-5 M-F office job. Basically I'm driving the engineering department at WPIX with regard to a multi-year project to rebuild the studio, the production spaces, the terminal rooms, etc. So there's obviously some occasional odd-hours stuff (TV is a 24/7 gig), but it's mostly daytime stuff. How about you? What specifically are you doing that takes you between SD and NYC and is somehow related to Broadway? I assume you're not working with a single theater or a single production company.

I've often pondered a folder and was looking at a KHS Mocha to kit? But the e-Joe looks pretty good for turnkey.

Yeah, this will be my third e-bike, and only my first turnkey. My natural instinct is to want to build, but looking at the E-joe, I know there's no possible way that I could create something that would even come close to matching it in terms of light weight, compactness, and simplicity.

For comparison, I visited a shop in the upper east (York at 84th) called NYCeWheels. Cool shop, knowledgeable people, but I was *seriously* un-impressed with the actual product offerings. Their e-folder is basically a stock Brompton onto which has been installed a conversion kit which looks far sloppier than I could do myself. The bike itself was of very high quality, but the electric conversion was amateurish at best. For $3,000, you get a folder which is noticeably heavier than the e-Joe, has a direct-drive (not geared) front wheel motor (yuck), and a huge battery bag stuck to the front of the bike which must be removed in order to fold it up!

This was the first folding e-bike I looked at, and I was so un-impressed by it that I almost gave up the search right then and there. I'm glad I pressed on and headed out to Brooklyn. Sure, the e-Joe has a much smaller battery and isn't quite as robust-looking (and is a single-speed), but the folks at NYCeWheels couldn't seem to grasp that this is exactly what I wanted. Small, light, simple.

 

[Ykick]

Many NYC eBike shoppers find NYCeWheels. $3k kit Brompton, really? I get what you're after and the e-Joe will possibly be a good start.

However, if you're only dealing with a few blocks in heavy pedestrian traffic, have you considered a standup e-scooter? GoPed ESR is popular around here but there's also small, cheap, simple and upgradeable (Razor, Schwinn) kick scooters which satisfy the "folding" requirements. Out of the box but something to consider….

I remember from previous threads you doing studio tech work. Good on you with the WPIX gig! Welcome to NYC and Hoboken!

My commute is the "other River" (which isn't really a River) from Queens. Cannondale SuperV running 2kW 9C but crossing a bridge and dealing with much more fierce traffic than than you'll likely see on the west side between PATH station and 42nd St.

I've been steady working muso on B'way going on 9 years. SD is mostly "retirement home" but I somehow manage enough west coast work to be worth the travel/trouble. I don't usually talk about or mention what I get to do for a living but it's definitely a "dream gig" situation.

We'll touch base next week or beyond and perhaps toast your new eRide and adventure!

 

[Joe Perez]

Many NYC eBike shoppers find NYCeWheels. $3k kit Brompton, really?

Yup, see for yourself: http://www.nycewheels.com/brompton-electric-bike.html

$2,795 for the basic bike with the electrical system, plus an additional $180 for the required battery bag. A few dollars shy of $3k even, and I'm not even all that impressed with it. Moreover, this is the only e-Folder which they offer.

I was really surprised at how few shops out here are selling these. And so far as I can tell, NYCeWheels is the only one actually on Manhattan. I'll bet a lot of people give up after they see that and don't bother pressing on across the east river.

However, if you're only dealing with a few blocks in heavy pedestrian traffic, have you considered a standup e-scooter?

No, I very specifically want a bicycle. I want something that I can hang pannier bags on, so that I can hit the supermarket and pick up groceries, and things like that. On my big bike, I have baskets on the back. For this one, I'm thinking about something like these: http://banjobrothers.com/products/current/panniers/market-pannier/ They are easily removable, and have a shoulder strap so you can lug 'em around. I saw a guy outside the Trader Joe's on 21st attaching them to his bike a few days ago, and they seem perfect (assuming they will fit on the smaller E-joe frame.)

I remember from previous threads you doing studio tech work. Good on you with the WPIX gig! Welcome to NYC and Hoboken!

Yeah, I've done a lot of work here in the city in the past- built WKCR up at Columbia U, did the whole CBS Radio consolidation on Hudson, a few other little jobs here and there, but in those situations I've always been living on Manhattan, in a hotel or corporate housing, and hot having to worry about things like commuting in from outside. I really wish I could ride the whole way in like you can, but alas, no bike lane in the Holland tunnel. So for me, it's bike to Hoboken Terminal, PATH to 33rd & 6th, and then bike again to east 42nd.

I must say one thing, I am really impressed by what they've done with the bike lane situation here in Midtown. 6th Ave is decent, Broadway is frocking fabulous.

I've been steady working muso on B'way going on 9 years. SD is mostly "retirement home" but I somehow manage enough west coast work to be worth the travel/trouble. I don't usually talk about or mention what I get to do for a living but it's definitely a "dream gig" situation.

Interesting- so you lived out here full time for a while, then decided to retire to SoCal but got pulled back in?

I've done time in radio, TV and live sound, but never in theater. It's something I was fascinated by as a kid, but life kind of put me on the broadcast track.

 

[LockH]

Helm of Sun Valley sports store in San Mateo, California just threw up a vid about the E-Joe Epik:
[youtube]yA1N0hp_J4U[/youtube]

Oddly maybe... not showing up on their website?
http://www.helm-sport.com/BIKES_c_109.html