Zongshen e-bike

[Chinggis101]

After 2 years with a 64v e.bike I decided to get a replacement. One of my colleagues at work has a 72v e.bike which leaves the rest of us way behind so I knew there was only one way to go - get a new 72v. I was expecting the standard shape that all e-bikes in Chongqing seem to have, until I saw photos of some new models on offer. Best of all, the one I wanted was made by Zongshen, rather than the no-name brands that seem to proliferate here.

Was it worth the 5460 RMB? In my opinion, absolutely. Although heavier that the rest of the pack (it must be one of the 'big' e-bikes referred to in the Shanghai thread), and I'm heavier than the other riders, it still cleans up the other 72 as well as anything else on 2 wheels at work. Perhaps the best value aspect of this bike is the headlight/lamp. After nearly 3 years of e-bike riding I can now clearly see further than 5 meters ahead of me, and I have a 'bright' beam that is a real 'bright' beam. I can see it shining ahead of me when the street lights are out. Brilliant! It has disc brakes, front and back, so I feel safer at 50 kph and the fact that it can do a real 50 Kph is a pleasure. I'm not sure of the range but Chongqing is all hills so I'm not expecting to get the claimed 60km. However I live about 3.5 km from work so I only recharge every 4 days, although I could get at least another 2 days worth of commuting if I wanted to push it. It has a fairly wide seat but the two passengers I've carried both attest to it being more comfortable and spacious. I wouldn't mind a little more legroom up front, but that seems a problem with all e-bikes so I'm not complaining.

The best aspect of this bike is the ride. The sound, the feel and the riding position, in my e-bike world and experience there's nothing to compare. I've posted a pic below to give you an idea of what it looks like. There will be more to follow once we've had some warm dry weather so I can clean it.

[Chinggis101]

100_4747.jpg

My new dream machine.

I don't know why the photo is dated 2003, the bike is definitely not 8 or 9 years old. Someone didn't set the prefs on their camera.

[barnone]

I'm surprised that the speed is only 30MPH. Not enough speed for around here. When I worked only 2 miles from my home I just rode a bicycle. Why fool with a scooter for such a short distance?

[Chinggis101]

Ok, there's some history here - getting a car/bike licence legally in China is major, major adventure.
If I had one, which I don't, I'd like to get a JH 600, but as no one is clear about whether you can register a bike over 250ccs in Chongqing I wouldn't be able to have that anyway.
As I don't have a licence and walking the 3.5 kms to work and back everyday would be a drag and cycling in 40 degree temps before spending a day teaching is a non-starter, so the options are ... a taxi or a bus. These are not viable on a daily basis so an electric bike is the best solution. No licence needed and no sweat in summer.

This thread is really for people in China who use electric bikes but find them underpowered, inadequate and poorly built. 30 mph is not a bad speed for an electric bike. Faster downhill. Besides, e-bikes here cost less than many mountain bikes.

[euphonius]

Ok, there's some history here - getting a car/bike licence legally in China is major, major adventure.
If I had one, which I don't, I'd like to get a JH 600, but as no one is clear about whether you can register a bike over 250ccs in Chongqing I wouldn't be able to have that anyway.
As I don't have a licence and walking the 3.5 kms to work and back everyday would be a drag and cycling in 40 degree temps before spending a day teaching is a non-starter, so the options are ... a taxi or a bus. These are not viable on a daily basis so an electric bike is the best solution. No licence needed and no sweat in summer.

This thread is really for people in China who use electric bikes but find them underpowered, inadequate and poorly built. 30 mph is not a bad speed for an electric bike. Faster downhill. Besides, e-bikes here cost less than many mountain bikes.

Great post, and great find, Chinggis! Definitely looking forward to actual pix, and more details about its performance.

Barnone, you have to know a bit about Chongqing to appreciate this. It's a very hilly city, flat almost nowhere, and the "40 degrees" that Chinggis mentioned is Celsius, or 104F. And that does not account for the humidity. Walking a single block in those conditions in summer is brutal; you'll be soaked head to toe. Same for cycling, especially if there are hills involved. Imagine the summer heat of Miami or worse, and the topography of San Francisco. An ebike like this is a great solution!

cheers!

[Chinggis101]

Thanks euphonius, yes, the temperature and hills here make cycling a challenge. The Miami comparison is a good one but I don't know about the topography of San Francisco except for what I've seen in movies.

I've been pleasantly surprised at the number of threads on e-bikes and the range that are on the market. For example the bike in Felixs' review, which along with his panda is very good looking . I wonder if we aren't getting to a point where a separate forum on e.bikes would be justified, unless one exists that I haven't seen. There were two other good looking 72v e-bikes available when I bought mine and it was a hard choice. The headlight did it for me. I'll post a picture of those two a bit later.

[euphonius]

Thanks euphonius, yes, the temperature and hills here make cycling a challenge. The Miami comparison is a good one but I don't know about the topography of San Francisco except for what I've seen in movies.

This is a more humorous example....

Streets of San Francisco

lombard_street3.jpg

[zhu]

chinggis i hope you dont mind if i add a pic of the electric light combat vehicle
i,ve had this one for 3 years and must agree e-bikes are great for commuting
cheap as chips to run
and i wouldnt like to think about the air quality if the hundreds of bikes i ride with each morning where 50cc two strokes

electric light combat vehicle by johnnyfast, on Flickr

[Chinggis101]

zhu, that bike looks really good. Do you go off-road with it? I like the double shocks at the back. It must be very useful under a load. My first bike, a 48v, didn't like two western bodies aboard. I agree with you too about the add pollution if all the e-bike riders I've seen everywhere used petrol/gas bikes.

Hey euphonius, that's quite a road. Must visit SF sometime. We've got some here like that in CQ but where I live it's just long straight uphills.

[felix]

Good purchase chinggis. Maxi-ebikes are the most sensible option for having a bit of cheap fun on two wheels in big chinese cities.

RMB5500 sounds like a lot of money but if it's well built and proves to be reliable then it's worth it. My cost 3900 after conversion to 72v (originally was 48v) and i've only had a couple of small problems with it in a year.