Currie Technologies eZip Skyline Men's Electric Bicycle
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By erica
Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought the Currie EZip Skyline as a commuter bike to try and minimize my carbon footprint. I wanted a bike I'd have fun riding and that I could use to get some exercise , but not arrive at work or home completely worn out from the journey. I researched a bunch of bikes and decided on this one based on the battery type, shape, water 'resistance' and price. I received the bike last weekend, and after making my way through a slightly annoying set of assembly instructions, I can review it's performance based on my first 15 mile roundtrip commute.
- Overall performance - The bike is a lot of fun to ride and it seems pretty sturdy so far. I really liked the variable modes of travel, PAS (pedal assisted) or TAG (full scooter mode). I was able to 'zip' past quite a few different bikers on the hills, which made the overall distance seem less. In fact, with this bike, my 15 mile commute felt completely doable. There's a little bit of a whine when the electronic motor is assisting you, which may bother some. The amount of force that the electric assist produces seems well balanced to the type of bike. It's not so much that you feel like you're speeding out of control, but it's enough to get a good boost.
- Functionality - I found the controls fairly intuitive, once I figured out what mode I was in. It pays to have some practice time on the bike to figure out what's happening before you get into traffic. The gears are enough for my plans (no big long hills, mostly bike paths all the way to work). I believe that the correct handlebar placement has eluded me thus far. It's important to figure that out, as your wrists are engaged in a different way if you're using the throttle a lot. It's heavy, so when the electric assist isn't on, it's not fun going up hills, though it's fine on the flats.
- Battery Life -
I fully charged the battery the day I assembled the bike, and it stayed full for the first leg of my trip (7.5 miles) after an hour charge at work, it stayed on full all the way home too. Seems to have long life on a charge.
- Assembly - It's not completely simple to assemble as the packaging is not customized to the bike, and so there's plastic parts that are there just to support the shipping that are hard to remove. Also, there are some places where the instructions point to the wrong location for a bolt, the Wedge bolt in particular, and so that gets frustrating. I did insist on doing it myself though, cause I wanted to be able to know how it was put together if I had any problems out on the road.
- Improvements -
I think this bike would be improved by adding an indicator to the PAS / TAG toggle that lets you know visually which mode you are in. A tilting seat would facilitate easier battery removal.
- Overall performance - The bike is a lot of fun to ride and it seems pretty sturdy so far. I really liked the variable modes of travel, PAS (pedal assisted) or TAG (full scooter mode). I was able to 'zip' past quite a few different bikers on the hills, which made the overall distance seem less. In fact, with this bike, my 15 mile commute felt completely doable. There's a little bit of a whine when the electronic motor is assisting you, which may bother some. The amount of force that the electric assist produces seems well balanced to the type of bike. It's not so much that you feel like you're speeding out of control, but it's enough to get a good boost.
- Functionality - I found the controls fairly intuitive, once I figured out what mode I was in. It pays to have some practice time on the bike to figure out what's happening before you get into traffic. The gears are enough for my plans (no big long hills, mostly bike paths all the way to work). I believe that the correct handlebar placement has eluded me thus far. It's important to figure that out, as your wrists are engaged in a different way if you're using the throttle a lot. It's heavy, so when the electric assist isn't on, it's not fun going up hills, though it's fine on the flats.
- Battery Life -
I fully charged the battery the day I assembled the bike, and it stayed full for the first leg of my trip (7.5 miles) after an hour charge at work, it stayed on full all the way home too. Seems to have long life on a charge.
- Assembly - It's not completely simple to assemble as the packaging is not customized to the bike, and so there's plastic parts that are there just to support the shipping that are hard to remove. Also, there are some places where the instructions point to the wrong location for a bolt, the Wedge bolt in particular, and so that gets frustrating. I did insist on doing it myself though, cause I wanted to be able to know how it was put together if I had any problems out on the road.
- Improvements -
I think this bike would be improved by adding an indicator to the PAS / TAG toggle that lets you know visually which mode you are in. A tilting seat would facilitate easier battery removal.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By davidl7953
Amazon Verified Purchase
I just received this last week to replace a stolen ezip trailz. I loved my trailz but as anyone who has had one knows, it has some downsides that you just have to accept for the price.
This bike does not.
With an aluminum frame and l-ion battery, it is MUCH lighter than the trailz. Whereas I was always tempted to leave my trailz outside rather than bring it up a flight of stairs (which is how it got stolen), this bike is easy to bring in and out.
The battery seems to run forever. I have gone 15+ miles on it driving around NYC a couple times, and am yet to see the yellow light on the battery meter that indicates I am down to a half charge. I would guess I can go at least the 22 listed, and I am a big guy riding with a good amount of stop and go for lights.
The wheels are narrower than those on the trailz, which makes it much easier to pedal without assist. I tend to use the throttle assist to get up to speed, but pedal a lot on my own on streets. Then on hills it really shines--flattening them out completely.
It has an auto-cutoff for the engine to protect against overheating. I hit that cutoff once, and was worried it would be a bit annoying. I haven't hit it since though, and I am glad I have it because I don't have to worry about it as much on my own. With the trailz I was always cutting power on my own on hills and the like out of fear that I was overheating it.
Anyway those are my initial thoughts. I didn't think I could get a good lithium ion electric for this price. It is a very good value I think. I'll try to update in a few months once I've put a coupla hundred miles on it.
This bike does not.
With an aluminum frame and l-ion battery, it is MUCH lighter than the trailz. Whereas I was always tempted to leave my trailz outside rather than bring it up a flight of stairs (which is how it got stolen), this bike is easy to bring in and out.
The battery seems to run forever. I have gone 15+ miles on it driving around NYC a couple times, and am yet to see the yellow light on the battery meter that indicates I am down to a half charge. I would guess I can go at least the 22 listed, and I am a big guy riding with a good amount of stop and go for lights.
The wheels are narrower than those on the trailz, which makes it much easier to pedal without assist. I tend to use the throttle assist to get up to speed, but pedal a lot on my own on streets. Then on hills it really shines--flattening them out completely.
It has an auto-cutoff for the engine to protect against overheating. I hit that cutoff once, and was worried it would be a bit annoying. I haven't hit it since though, and I am glad I have it because I don't have to worry about it as much on my own. With the trailz I was always cutting power on my own on hills and the like out of fear that I was overheating it.
Anyway those are my initial thoughts. I didn't think I could get a good lithium ion electric for this price. It is a very good value I think. I'll try to update in a few months once I've put a coupla hundred miles on it.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By F. Wise
Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm returning this for a couple of reasons, primarily the battery position and the lack of comfort. The battery is removable but you have to take the seat off to slide the battery out. I need to take it out at work to recharge it so that means taking the seat off everytime I commute - not a good design. Also this is touted as a "comfort" bike, yet the handlebars are fairly straight across, like on a trail bike, and the handlebars are too far forward so most of my weight is thrust onto my old wrists - not comfortable at all! Mine also came with a broken PAS system and the right pedal has fallen off after just a few miles of riding (I assume these can be fixed under warranty). On the good news front, the lithium battery gave me almost 14 miles on flat ground with little pedaling on my part - very impressive (FYI - I weigh about 240 lbs and it powers me around with ease). And the bike handles and generally works well. Currie needs to call this more of a "Trailz" type of bike (which I own and plan to get the new lithium battery that removes without needing to remove the seat). I wish Currie made a real comfort bike with swept-back handlebars, easily removable lithium battery, lightweight and affordable - that would be a big winner!
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