And so I finally got round to road testing the new iScooter U4 that arrived on Wednesday. Having spent a couple of hours setting it up with the various extra build that was required, I was a little unsure that my mechanical skills would allow me a safe passage.
It pissed it down in the Estuary Wilds yesterday. It wasn’t exactly great conditions for road testing a new electric bike. I had bright sunshine early in the evening on Friday. This was perfect to go rolling out. Chapeau!
First thoughts: Woh! This is a bloody heavy beast of a bike. I kinda knew that anyway. The specs say 26 kg. The Raleigh electrics with their big wheels are only slightly heavier at 27 kg. Side by side they look like a boxing mismatch between a heavyweight and a featherweight, except the featherweight is something of a lard arse.
I experimented with the various assist modes as I made my way out of town, past the university and down to the Hythe. My first thoughts are that assist mode 1 and 2 are pants. I couldn’t feel any extra boost. I’m not entirely convinced that there isn’t an issue with the bike.
But switch up to assist mode 3 and shit the bed! Here’s where the real pace kicks in. The only issue is that it’s a single-speed bike and it’s difficult to keep up with a pedalling pace when you reach the top speed, which is capped at 25 km/h.
I did fit the throttle to the bike. This opens up a whole new world. I climbed up Boundary Road without pedalling in throttle mode only.
It always takes a while to get used to any new bicycle set-up. The iScooter U4 may be something of a steep learning curve.
From the test ride my observations are that this is basically a slightly inferior moped. Once you get over the shame of using the throttle and not pedalling, it could actually be a very decent run around for trips in and out of town.
A pair of panniers also arrived this morning. They have been fitted and fit perfectly. I think I need to view this bike as purely an A to B for short distances with panniers packed up with cheapo Lidl booze.