EOVolt "Afternoon" 20in folding e-bike - First impressions
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- čas přidán 2. 03. 2024
- Our first impressions, and why we bought this after comparing it with alternatives like the eStarli, the Tern Vektron, and the MiRIDER.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
Thank you for your video Quentin, its very much appreciated.
We are sure you will enjoy many miles together on your afternoon bikes.
Also worth mentioning we go that extra mile, hand polishing the welds for a premium look of the frame, internally routed cables and we have developed our own premium motor over many years which is why it is branded Eovolt rather than use a generic chinese motor like many cheaper brands.
Thanks again..😃
I've had mine now for over two years, I have the model with the shock absorber, have cycled over 1800km mainly to work, and am overall quite satisfied with the bike, have raised the speed limit from 25km to 50km. The range of my bike is between 50-60 km, for one charge.
Gr8 video review! I chose this bike over all the others including the £5k Gocycle - simply because this bike works. The battery pak is the most important thing in an e bike that needs to work and because the of this bike's design, with a 'plug in' when you go over a bump the connection remains stable, unlike other brands where batteries lose their connection at the contact points. Because I do a lot of hill riding in rural Perthshire, the only aspect I would modify would be to put more powerful brakes on the front as on steep hills I need to hit the brakes multiple times to stop in time at junctions. Another minor issue with the Eovolt is the paintwork. I already have chips of paint missing and can't understand why, as I've not dropped the bike or been careless, the paint seems to suffer every time I fold the bike up and put in the car - the bike is actually protected by the official bike bag so not sure how this is happening. I bought some touch up paint online and while 'Dessert Dust' is nowhere near the bike's 'Dessert Sand' color - as long as the frame is protected from moisture that's all that matters. Also I still haven't put the bike through it's first service yet - the thumb gear leaver has too much play so that's a minor adjustment I need to get sorted. Saying all that, out of all the e bikes and petrol motorcycles I've owned, the Eovolt is ultimately the best bike I've ever had as it will open up a whole new world of adventure for me. I can fit it and another fold up bike in my wee Mini and go camping and cycling so am looking forward to shooting some travelog Eovolt videos this year (British weather permitting of course :)
Also been mulling over the various options. The Eovolt 2024 Pro models look like they will be amazing.
In the meantime I'm tempting the eStarli 20.8 which whilst similar to the Eovolt Afternoon 2023, does appear to have more torque at 50nm 8 gear Shimano Altus, internally routed cables and it's slightly cheaper (around £1900 for the pro version). Anyway enjoy your bikes they will be great fun and thanks for the useful video.
Hi Q. I bought an eStarli in 2019 (via the Cycle to work gov.uk scheme) and I've done > 4000 miles on it, from Cherry Hinton to the science park most days. The great thing about an eBike is that you're far more likely to use it in winter, when the wind is against you, and if it's slightly rainy, than use a car.
The eStarli is almost identical to your bike - the folding mechanism is pretty much the same, built in front-light the same, and small light under the seat, with the seat post housing the battery, although it doesn't have the lock. I bought one with Schwalbe Marathon tyres and a rear rack already fitted. I use it every time I drop my car in for servicing, I just drop it into the boot.
However, I'm cycling less on it now, as I'm only commuting from one side of Cherry Hinton to the other in the morning - it's just quicker, so I can leave my desk at 15.08, and be at the school gate at 15.15 to collect children. I've also "hacked" mine, so it continues to apply power over 15mph. But you're right, it really hard to go much faster than 18mph, as your legs have to pedal so fast. The top speed I've gone is about 22mph down Mill Road Bridge, and I couldn't keep it up for long. I have half-wondered about getting a new front gearset to improve the top-speed, but actually, I'm usually not in that much of a hurry.
Thanks Jonathan - good to hear your experiences!
The eStarli's a great bike and has a lot of fans online - we were quite taken with it too, and I like the idea of the manufacturer being within driving distance of home! The current one folds very slightly smaller than ours - I think it saves about 6cm in one dimension - and is a bit lighter. But yes, as you say, they are otherwise very similar!
Q
Very good review thanks, I bought one today!
Great! We've used ours a lot since this video and have been very pleased with them.
Thank you for the review! We ordered our Afternoon Pro's early 2024, and are very much looking forward to receiving them in June. We were equally impressed by the build quality. 2024's will have a belt instead of a chain. Enjoy the ride!
Ah, a belt would be nice. And hub gears, then, I guess?
Yes, 2 hub gears...@@quentinsf
@@geertvanpeteghem Sounds good. I only use about two gears on mine even though it has seven!
@@quentinsf In fact they change the motor and will use a Bafang motor with integrated two gear automatic transmission. All components will be upgraded and it is a significant change. Downside is that the price will increase significantly to approx €3000
@@roterpilot Interesting. The big price increase makes me feel better about getting an earlier one!
I was actually wondering if it would be possible to put two of them in a Tesla M3, I'm happy to hear that it's doable! Thanks a lot for this review.
Yes... I can't say I'd want to heave them in and out every day, but it's certainly doable! One challenge is that they need to lie on their side, and I haven't worked out which way up: whether it's better to have them resting on the brake levers on the handlebars, or the derailleur. I'm thinking about getting something like a big garden foam kneeler and cutting a derailleur shaped hole in it and resting the bike on that...
This is very similar to the ADO Air 20 (which has a single speed carbon belt drive). Just as with the MiRider and Onebot and many others e-bike clones are everywhere. Looking closely at the specs and quality of the components before purchase is necessary but not easy in the myriad of information and wide number of unfamiliar brands churning out near identical products.
Thank you for the thorough review! I noticed you had to fiddle with the battery connector under the bike - has that gotten easier or more difficult with time?
Probably a bit easier, just through practice, but I've never tried lubricating it, for example. It's certainly easier when it's on the bike rack on the back of my campervan, rather than at ground level 🙂
Hallo from Germany .
TY and Like
Mr Posh normally gets his footman to fold & lift into his Tesla or camper.
Hi I’m looking at getting the afternoon . I’m in Yorkshire at the edge of the Peak District so have you been up any decent hills and how did it handle them. Thanks
Not proper hills, I'm afraid - we're in East Anglia! But such hills as I've tried seem fine. Most similar bikes have a 250W motor these days, I think, so I'm guessing will have similar performance, though I guess the torque curve will be different on some, and on those with a bottom bracket motor, the gearing could make quite a difference.
I've certainly felt very safe on it coming *down* hills. It inspires confidence, given the wheel size.
Hi, saw your review and bought 2 after trying out others as you did. Noticed on ours that the label on the frame states “2022” …just wondering if yours says the same ?
Hi Matt - sorry for the delay; I've been away. (Using my bike in the Netherlands!) But yes, mine also says 2022. Quentin
I have a 12.8 volt 50amh LifePo4 and its going to be connected to a 1500 inverter.
The ebike charger is 54.7 volt ,will the ebike charger damage the LifePo4 battery?
Hi Bruce - it seems a slightly strange place to ask this - I presume neither the charger nor the battery are made by Eovolt? :-)
But connecting the two together sounds like a very bad idea to me! A 12V LiFePo4 battery should be charged at about 14.5V. A 54v charger is almost certainly going to damage it, and probably worse, unless it's a very smart one. But it sounds as if you suspected that already!
@@quentinsf Hello Quen , The charger I'm using a genuine ebike charger .Im charging the ebike by hooking up 12.8 volt battery to a 1500 watt inverter , the ebike charger will be plug into the inverter for a 110 volt output.
Thanks for the reply.
Im going for the newer estrali one they look great. Eovolt are expensive
Yes, the estarli's a very nice bike. Trying them side by side, we liked the ride on these a bit more, and the eovolts also have a larger battery and more range. The eStarli's a little bit smaller when folded, though, which is nice. And, as you say, it is cheaper. Have fun!
Hallo ich habe mir das Bike geleistet und bin sehr zufrieden,ich wohne im Lahn Dill-Kreis und dort es es sehr hügelig und ich komme ohne Probleme die Hügel hoch ..
Was für mich wichtig war, ist das ich das Fahrrad auch ohne Anhängerkupplung mit an die Ostsee nehmen kann und dort alles mit diesem zu erkunden,da freue ich mich sehr darauf .
Einfach in den Kofferraum und los geht's.
Meine Schwester und meine Freundin leben an der Weser und dort gibt es den wunderbaren Weser Fahrradweg,das ist dort auch sehr idyllisch....
Hallo - ich bin froh, dass du damit zufrieden bist. Ich habe meine kürzlich in meinem Wohnmobil in die Niederlande gebracht. Ich habe die meiste Zeit einen Fahrrad-Rack benutzt, aber es war sehr nützlich, das Fahrrad in den Van auf die Fähre zu legen. Es machte den Campervan kürzer und spart Geld auf dem Ticket!
Very estarli esk
Yes - not sure which came first! I think eovolt have been making 20in folding bikes for longer, but perhaps not this particular model.