Customer Reviews

2008 eZip Trailz Men's Electric Comfort Bike (26-Inch Wheels)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have had this bike for about a couple weeks and I am quite happy with it, especially considering that all other electric bikes I've seen were over $1000. I live 13.5 miles from work, and it is hilly. I am in decent shape, but on a regular bike, the trip exhausts me, I'm slow due to the hills, and I would need a shower upon getting to work. With the ebike, I still get some exercise, but I can keep my speed on the uphills over 14 or 15 mph and I don't get totally burnt out. I weigh 127 pounds, and the battery lasts 14 miles to work, with me putting in a decent effort - I am helping the motor by pedaling on the uphills enough to get tired, but not so tired that I can't bike home again. I take the battery off and charge it at work. A few times, it does seem like the battery is petering out right at the end, so based on how hilly my commute is (significantly), how much I weigh, and how much I'm willing to help the motor by pedaling (a decent amount), 14 or 15 miles is about the limit of the battery. So, in short, this is what I wanted it to do - allow me to ride to work in less than an hour (about 15 mph average), without getting totally exhausted.

My only complaints so far is that the bike is heavy (but then I knew it would be when I ordered), and also I don't find the handlebar grips to be very comfortable. They seem rough (including the shifter on the left) and not very padded. I wouldn't mind if it had one more higher gear - when I'm going downhill and the speed gets much over 20 mph, I can't really add any more speed by pedaling because the highest gear isn't high enough.

One important note - the battery charger says the charge time is 6-8 hrs, but it also says red light = charging, green light = done charging. I unplugged it when it was green, and then had the battery die on me on my commute. Turn out you need to leave it plugged in longer even after the light is green.

So, for the price, as an entry-level electric bike, I'm quite happy with it. It's a win win situation - I save gas, save the planet, get some exercise, and have fun.

I received the bike with all the parts, but the charger is broken (ironically it has several "Quality Control" seals). The manufacturer is difficult to reach, only accepts calls in working days and Pacific time and wanted to charge shipping and handling to replace the charger. Even after my insistence in refusing to pay twice for a problem completely out of my control, the supervisor finally extended a "courtesy" waiver, but I needed to pay the warehouse handling fee. A whole mess for $2.50 and created a bad feeling about the customer behaviour of the manufacturer.

I've been driving this bike almost daily for about 8 months. It gets me where I need to go and back and hasn't let me down. This is by far the lowest price electric bike. You can spend thousands of dollars and get no more bike or range for your money. I haven't even had a flat tire. I weigh 200 lbs. The bike averages 15mph on flats. Range is about 10 miles on one battery. In the future when lithium batteries come down in price, you can use them instead of the lead acid batteries and save weight and have a lot more recharges and battery life.

Great value! Solid product! Some flaws w/ lock alignment for battery. Loads of fun. I'm sure to ride and enjoy for several years then upgrade to higher end similar product. Currie has several but nothing near this price. With free shipping and no tax beat Wal-Mart and other major retailers price. A bit dissatisfied with condition of package at arrival. Don't know if damaged in delivery or original shipment. Battery packaging was damaged resulting in cracked battery case. Amazon was of NO help. Currie warranty service was responsive. Had to pay for one way shipment ( they paid for damaged part return ). Purchase second battery at the same time. A bit steep on price however no other source located. Overall happy. Send an email to Amazon for battery shipping reimbursement ( $ 22.00 ) however don't expect a reply.

Unless you use the motor constantly, it will shut off after only a couple of minutes with its built in battery saving device. To turn it back on you must stop and get off the bike as the switch is on the very back of the bike under the battery rack and you cannot reach it while riding or sitting on the seat. I only ride this around the neighborhood and don't use the motor constantly, only up hills or crossing at a busy intersection, so when I really needed the boost the motor was off. This has taken me about two weeks to figure out, I thought I had some kind of short or the battery was not good. After talking to the manufacturer, they say they have gotten many complaints about this but there is nothing they can do, there is no way to adjust the amount of time it takes to shut off. They suggested hiring someone to relocate the switch (which is built in) to the handlebar so it is more accessible. On the positive side, the bike is easy to ride without using the motor, but if I had just wanted a manual bike, there are much cheaper models.

Bike came with bent front rim. They replaced it. Be sure to place battery on left side to keep weight on kickstand when parked. Otherwise bike will fallover very easily. I've had this bike 2 months, ride it almost every day. Keep tire pressure up,battery charged right after use and bike oiled. Enjoy this bike and have fun like i do.

I was looking for a way to use less gas and, at the same time, get to work without getting sweaty (about a 3.5 mile commute). This bike is just what I was looking for. A fully charged battery will take you between 8 to 15 miles (depending on the weight of the rider, road conditions, etc) and costs pennies to charge (in my area its costs about .04 cents to fully charge). I encourage everyone who lives within about a 5 miles commute of their jobs to give it a try. The price is right. Collectively we can tell the gas company executives to get a real job.

My Trailz arrived with the box torn apart, and on inspection the rear derailler (sp?) tab was bent and twisted, a victim of poor shipping procedures. Further, at the time I was looking into getting a replacement, I discovered that this item is actually illegal to use in New York State. See electric bicycle laws on wikipedia, or type in "new york state moped laws" in google for the references. It may be legal by the end of the summer due to new legislation, but if you live in New York, do not buy this, you are risking a confrontation with law enforcement!

I bought this bike at Amazon last month in April for $349.00 plus free shipping, which is a great price. I'm a student at a large university, and bought the bike mainly for traveling to and from class. I've used the bike every day since, and truly don't know how I got along without it. Still, I have a few concerns worth noting:

1. The bike works at advertised, though the 15-mile range stated is clearly only for ideal conditions. I haven't tried to run down the battery fully since SLA batteries can degrade quickly if allowed to discharge below a certain threshold, but I'd say I can get about 4 or 5 miles out of the bike without pedaling before a major drop in performance. According to a tiny sticker by the throttle, battery life is drastically reduced by going fast.

2. I wouldn't dream of trying to use this bike without the motor. I'm in pretty good physical shape, but the bike is too heavy for practical use without the motor assist. Going up a steep hill without the motor is agonizing; going with the motor drains the battery quickly, so if you live in a place like San Francisco you may want to upgrade to the next model up.

3. Keep the screws tight! Within two days of installing this I noticed the rack was rattling, and two of the screws holding it in place had shaken loose. The same is true for the lock that holds the battery in place. I replaced the lost screws for only a few dollars at a local bike shop and tightened the rest as much as I could. The rattling is gone for now, though I may buy epoxy to keep the screws from shaking loose again. If you don't mind quickly checking over the bike every week or so with an allen wrench, this shouldn't bother you too much.

4. This isn't really a problem, but the 220 pound weight limit may be overcautious. I rode home with a passenger on the back for a total weight of 290 pounds without a noticeable loss in speed or performance.

So the bottom line? This bike offers great value for those who aren't afraid to give the bike a little TLC and plan on fully using the motor. Jetting around town is fun and easy, and I get compliments from passersby daily on how cool my bike is!

I have a 6 mile commute one-way to work, with some small hills here and there. I figured I'd try this bike to get myself to ride in more consistently. The bike makes a big difference and is extremely easy to use.

I weigh about 180 lbs. During my first couple rides, I've been intentionally using the electric motor as much as possible (It wants 3 complete discharges as a break-in for the battery). Riding back from work, I used electric power only and had no difficulty making the entire 6 miles on the battery. This is a helpful metric to me because it's usually unclear how a company determines the range of an electric bike (electric only or assist). Given my experience, I could easily see this bike having the stated 12-15 mile range while providing a generous amount of assistance to the rider.

This really seems like a great bike, and should really help me commute by bike on a regular basis.

Some small nits: In cooler weather (50F or so) the range gets diminished somewhat, but that's also expected and listed in the manual. Also, the chain the motor drives to the rear wheel becomes a little noisier than I would expect when the battery starts to die. Lastly, the bike seems to have the twist grip installed backwards for shifting. I've always known gear '1' to mean the easiest gear, and gear '7' to be the hardest. The grip shows the opposite, with '7' corresponding to the bike being in the easiest gear.

It's recommended to always immediately recharge the battery, so I bring the small charger to work with me and charge it there before my return. The battery also has a lock on it to prevent theft, but more importantly to prevent it from coming loose during a ride.

All in all, the bike works great, and I'm looking forward to using it all summer long. Will try to post a subsequent review once I've had more use on it. Highly recommend this bike for anyone who feels commuting on a bicycle is a little more than they could handle; this would easily change your mind.