My Estarli step through in the ‘midnight’ colour scheme was acquired through the Blike subscription option, because although the bike sounded great I wanted to assess it in the real world for myself before committing to a purchase.
On the day it finally arrived (a whole other story) it was raining solidly for the first time in weeks. At least this gave me time to fully charge the battery.
I had already watched Estarli’s helpful unboxing video on YouTube – having nothing else to do while waiting, I had watched and read anything I could find mentioning the bikes – so setting it up was straightforward.
As an aside, the frame has torque settings helpfully printed on it alongside key bolts; Estarli did not provide a torque wrench – but Trek had sent one recently with the equally simple assembly instructions for the Verve+ Lowstep that my wife had chosen to buy. I actually thought that was excessive on Trek’s part rather than remiss on Estarli’s, but it was interesting to see how different manufacturers handled this.
My e28.X was delivered with minor damage to the tail light thanks to the way FedEx had bashed its box but I was able to push it into place, and Estarli have assured us this does not appear to be a problem.
Another minor point was that the battery did not fit neatly flush with the frame at its top end, which I thought might possibly lead to moisture ingress, but Estarli reckon it is within tolerance and also not an issue, and I have simply noted the various niggles with Blike in case they throw up problems down the road.
Later in the afternoon the sun burst through and I went out for a first ride. Wow. Compared with the handful of other e-bikes I had tried it felt remarkably light, and fast with minimal effort on my part.
FAT THUMBED
After riding around to get the feel of it, I ventured down one of the steeper local gradients then turned around to come back up it. At this point my only real criticism of the bike so far emerged.
I was wearing lightweight summer gloves. (An e-bike advocate friend is also a doctor and has seen the harm that bike accidents can do to people’s hands so he advises always wearing gloves, and in colder weather I would probably wear thicker ones.) I had already found that the relative lack of sensation at the end of my gloved left thumb, combined with a lack of familiarity, was making it difficult to be precise when jabbing the surprisingly small + and – power level control buttons.
Instead my gloved hand fat-thumbed the buttons … and I turned off the power completely.
A few things strike me about this. One is that the buttons are on the small side compared with the other e-bikes I’d used. Another is that their position on the inner side of the control box means you cannot see them from a riding position. I have now swivelled it round a bit so they are more clear, though the downside is there’s now more sky reflection on the display itself. And another thing is that other bikes have the on/off button completely separate on the top of the unit or elsewhere – and not right next to the power level buttons.
The good news however was that even with a sudden total loss of power when I least expected it, I was still able to pull in gracefully and didn’t just shudder to a stop. It also meant I could try a hill start from a completely stationary position.
Whoosh. You’d have thought the hill just wasn’t there. I’m speaking as a let’s say handsomely proportioned 60-something guy, so probably towards the upper end of the e28’s rider design specifications. But it’s like riding on air.
GEAR RATIOS
As the road levelled out and my pedalling cadence increased, the automatic gear shifted smoothly into the higher ratio.
On a mostly flat section of road I made a point of accelerating through the legally mandated power assistance cutoff speed of 15.5 mph (25 kph) to see how it felt, and I simply couldn’t tell it had happened. For much of the ride I deliberately had the power assist at 0 and found the bike really easy to pedal like a normal bicycle. In fact on slight declines I found myself ghost pedalling, almost as if the Estarli was quite happy rolling along on its own, with negligible resistance in the drive train.
I am not someone who likes going at any great speed on what is after all a bicycle. For me, the low to high shift to the more relaxed gear could happen a bit sooner – say, 10 mph rather than what seems to be 12+ mph. I suppose the downside of having any automatic setup is that you’re never going to please everyone, wherever you pitch this ratio. I wonder though if it’s possible to tweak it in the control software?
Since then I have had a few more relatively short outings and my enthusiasm for the bike has only grown. I have tweaked the seat height and the position of the brake levers to my liking, and fitted my old mirror to the handlebar end. Incidentally the Ergotec Active Flex handlebar grips are excellent: the bike comes with the ‘soft’ wedges fitted and the hard ones attached, should you wish to change them. They are a quality detail, as are the concealed wiring, solid kickstand and SP Connect mount.
HANDLEBARS AND PANNIERS
My sense is that I would prefer the ‘Dutch style’ curved and raised handlebars that Estarli also offer, but that was not an option in the Blike subscription. One oddity it seems to me is that there doesn’t appear to be any way to adjust the handlebar stem. Instead of a tube it comprises, at least to outside appearances, a series of what look like spacer plates topped by a fixed head angle. I have not yet tried undoing the torque bolts to see what happens but the minimalist manual makes no mention of it.
I have not been out at night: being early July it doesn’t get dark here until very late (if at all, an astronomer adds). But in the dusk the integrated front light seems bright and is neatly divided by its lens, with one portion shining on the ground immediately in front and the other further ahead. The integrated rear light sits vertically in a slot in the metal rear mudguard: I do wonder at the potential vulnerability of its wiring on the inside, but time (and any bad weather) will tell.
I had opted to have the Estarli rear rack and it came already installed, an unusual fitting that in part uses the solid mudguard for support. It is rated for 15kgs. It is also on the small side. I tried to adjust my old but still very good Ortlieb clip-on panniers to fit. Unfortunately the weld points and curve of the rack’s rear rail make this only barely possible if I twist one of the attachment clips – and if I move them further forward, my heels can catch the front of the bags, even when empty.
I might end up getting Estarli’s own rather neat-looking ‘trunk pannier’ bag which sits on top of the rack and has optional drop down sides, or ‘backpack pannier’, which clips on like the Ortliebs but is designed to fit.
What’s the best e-bike? Well it’s like the best telescope or the best camera: the one you actually use. And for me the e28.X does seem to be a keeper. I look forward to riding it.
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