iGo Discovery Rosemont LS Review, 2023 | Electric Bike Report

iGO’s claim that you can ride this bike longer distances between battery charges is a big deal, and something we were compelled to confirm in our two range tests. The first test, riding the whole time in Tour mode, tells us the maximum distance this bike can go when using the best low power pedal assist setting (Eco mode was could feel a bit limiting on hills, so we upped it to Tour).

In that first test, we managed to squeeze 105.8 miles out of the battery before it went kaput. Our average speed was 14.72 mph, and a ride time of 7 hours and 5 minutes. Over 100 miles out of a 15 amp hour battery? Yep, the Discovery Rosemont did it! This attests to iGO’s fine wise pairing of the 350W mid-drive motor and its 720 Wh battery. It’s both a lot of battery for that size of motor’s needs, but also it economizes the battery it’s given too for serious mileage off a single charge.

In the second range test we rode the whole time in the highest PAS level, Boost mode. This gave us an idea on how far we could expect to ride when needing maximum power output the whole time.

I managed to ride a total of 55.38 miles (average speed of 18.3 mph, ride time just over 3 hours) before the battery died. A 55-106 miles result is astounding! Especially since we didn’t even have it in the lowest PAS setting to start with.

On the max test there was a caveat. Riding the whole time in Boost mode made the battery get too hot, forcing the auto-shut off to postpone completion of my ride. I had used more than 70% of the battery at that point, and was at the 45.38 mile mark. After waiting about an hour for the battery to cool down, I was able to continue, riding an additional 10.45 miles before the battery ran out of juice. That’s not a knock on the motor at all – I’m glad the electronics know not to let themselves burn out (and it had 100+ temperatures it was riding in too).

All in all, we were super impressed with this bike’s performance in our range test. So if you’re looking for a commuter e-bike that can take you far – very far – then you should like this aspect of the Discovery Rosemont.

The hill test revealed a few interesting things about the Discovery Rosemont LS’ programming. In the first hill test, we used the throttle only to find how much raw power the motor could dish out, without any assistance from the rider’s pedaling.

The Discovery Rosemont can produce up to 100 Nm of torque, suggesting it’s a good bike for climbing hills. And we discovered this to be true on the throttle-only hill climb test. This bike stormed up the hill in a 1:33 with no pedaling. iGO refers to the Discovery Rosemont’s motor as being “city-tuned” and designed to tackle the demands of city riding, including hills.

In the second hill test is where the interesting part comes in. Using the Boost mode, with basic pedaling, the Discovery Rosemont turned out a time that was slower than its result in the throttle-only test, producing a time of 1:57, and an average speed of 9.3 mph. The vast majority of bikes we test on this hill go faster when they have pedaling working with the pedal assist, not when they’re using the throttle only. The reason for the slower-than-typical result? The motor has a noticeable pause when shifting. It’s something you notice on flats, but it doesn’t throw momentum off enough to be bothered with it. It does have a larger effect on hills though where that pause on a hill causes your speeds to drop.

When we spoke with iGO about this they mentioned this was done purposefully. The thought being to help preserve the drivetrain as a mid-drive motor will apply torque to the chain (plus the rider’s own natural torque) so if shifting under load this could wear down your cassette faster. A thoughtful bit of programming, but unless you start and finish a hill in the same gear, it can noticeably slow down your hill climb and make it feel sluggish while shifting.

Fortunately, iGO has a tool for adjusting this, so your nearest iGO dealer can tinker with the programming to eliminate the motor delay. We were able to get this adjusted on our test bike and felt it was a nicer result on the hill. We’d recommend adjusting it if you’re an active pedaling kind of person, or you can just anticipate relying on the throttle more when larger hills are ahead if you want to keep the programming as is.

The Discovery Rosemont LS features the Tektro HD E350 brakes. They are possibly the most used brakes of all the e-bikes that have come through EBR’s doors.

The average stopping distance for the Discovery Rosemont was 25 feet 1 inch. The Tektro HD E350s are entry level brakes so they sometimes yield a mix of brake results, and they happened to stop a bit slower on the Discovery Rosemont here. Most commuters stop within 22 – 23′.

If you watched the video review, the cones we use are spaced out at a max of 25′. That’s the limit of where we’d say good stopping distance is for our simulated ‘panic stop’ test. 1″ beyond that doesn’t meant they aren’t safe, and they performed great when helping modulate speed and slow down in real-world scenarios too.

There’s plenty going on here that add up to a nice ride. The RST Blaze fork soaked up the bumps pretty well, with 80mm wheel travel and control knob to adjust damping and for lockout. Since this bike is meant to be ridden on the streets there’s not a lot of demand on the suspension. But when I hit those occasional speed bumps and drop offs from the bike path back onto the street, these forks kept me stable and didn’t make my arms feel like they were going to detach from my shoulders.

WTB’s Groove-E tires stuck to the road on the turns and straightaways. The tires kept me in control. They provide good traction on road conditions, but aren’t an all-terrain tire like you find on iGO’s Outland Cabot. It’s commuter through and through.

The Selle Royal Rio saddle is fairly comfy, and the faux-leather grips feel soft on your hands.

The bike also has a lot of nice things for keeping you clean and dry. The fenders do their job well ads I found out while riding after some monsoon rains we had, and surprisingly, we don’t see a lot of chainguards come standard on commuters, so we appreciate the Discovery Rosemont LS keeping our pants grease-free.

You also get a handy rear rack for carrying your bags, and the integrated taillight is always a welcome touch. Along with the reflective tire stripping and reflectors on the spoke, it maximizes your visibility when the sun starts going down (or before it comes up).

Many commuter e-bikes on the market use heavier hub motors for comparable cruising speed but use battery power less efficiently than the Discovery Rosemont. iGo gives you a motor that has great power and doesn’t weigh as much. This bike doesn’t have an entry-level price, but it also gives you great value for your money – you’ll be getting what you pay for.

We’re yet to review the ‘perfect e-bike’ (if such a thing exists), and the motor engagement while shifting is something worth adjusting so you don’t encounter any disruptions on a hill. The good news is: it’s an adjustment that can be made so it make sure to note that when you go to pickup your own Discovery Rosemont LS.

With over 160 miles under our belts test reviewing the iGO Discovery Rosemont LS, we can affirm that the bikes has some great features and performed remarkably well. Paired with components that should offer good quality rides and longevity, this e-bike is sure to satisfy riders and help iGO gain more devotees.

To find out how to get your very own iGO Discovery Rosemont LS, click the button above.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the iGO Rosemont LS.