The Bicycleman has been using electric kits from Electric Bike Outfitters for quite some time now.  When they came out with complete electric bikes it made perfect sense to bring one in to try and see how customers would respond to it.  Here’s my impressions after building it and taking my first ride.

We have a test track, Clark Hill Road, which is the perfect place to compare bikes and trikes with electric motors.  It starts out an easy incline, then abruptly pitches up to something I would struggle with without a motor.  It’s about a mile from the shop so I hopped on and headed to the hill.

  The bike handles very pleasantly, nice upright position and calm steering.  It’s not a racing machine, it’s more the perfect bike for backroads and rail-to-trail sightseeing rides.  It comes with Schwalbe Big Ben Plus tires in a 27.5” by 2.15” size.  They made for a comfortable ride on a rough road and are one of the most-flat resistant tires we know of.  The seat was on the narrow side for such an upright bike, I would trade it for something a little wider.  Remember though, this is coming from a recumbent guy.  Your experience may vary.

I was impressed with the smooth power coming from the EBO 48 volt/500-watt motor.  We carry trikes with Shimano STEPS and Bosch motors, and this handled the hill as well as any of them.  I was able to climb the steepest pitch at 9 MPH without gasping for breath.  On the trikes, I would be doing around 5 MPH at the same spot.

Coming down the hill, the handling of the bike felt very stable.  It has Tektro hydraulic brakes which slowed down and stopped on the hill with no problem. I’m glad to see a name brand brake that is easy to work on and easy to find pads for.  There are a lot of cheap e-bikes with no-name parts that are hard to keep running long-term.

Looks wise, this bike is an understated winner.  Nice gender neutral glossy white with a dipped down frame that helps old folks like me get on and off without screaming “girl bike”.  Rear rack, fenders, kick stand, lights front and rear, powered by the battery-everything you would want to add is stock.  Well, maybe a phone holder, mirror and water bottle cage…

I’m excited about this.  It’s not a cheap, disposable e-bike.  The NIK has a brand of motor we are familiar with and have parts in stock to maintain it over the long haul.  The NIK is also a nice handling bike that looks sharp and comes well-equipped.  While you are here checking out the recumbents or getting a repair gone, give it a try and let us know what you think.  I think there’s a good chance you will like it.