The Espin Sport is a stylish electric commuter that’s low cost and boasts some cool features for an e-bike that’s definitely on the cheaper end of the spectrum.
For starters I’m a big fan of it’s looks, which are definitely a little more resemblant to an eMTB versus a pavement-only commuter. It’s got a frame-integrated battery — another feature we don’t always see on a bike priced this low — and the frame design is notably unique. It’s got a kinked tob tube and ovalized downtube that blend nicely into the rear end of the bike. Often we see affordable e-bikes that have frame elements that either are identical or are partially identical to their competitors, but the Espin Sport looks notably unique — it’s a nice change from the norm.
The motor is a Class 2 500W rear hub unit that makes 65Nm of torque and is powered by a 48V, 13.6Ah (652.8Wh) battery nested inside the downtube. That motor is actuated either via a rider’s pedaling and a cadence sensor or a thumb throttle, and there are five levels of pedal assist to choose from.
Shifting is handled by a S-Ride 8-speed groupset, a drivetrain made by a lesser-known company but one that I’ve been pleasantly surprised with. It’s good to have a healthy bit of skepticism of groupsets made by companies other than SRAM or Shimano, but the S-Ride kit has performed well for us. The shifting is good, and handles gear changes under load better than I expected.
The hydraulic disk brakes are made by Zoom, which is a relatively new brake maker we’ve seen pop up over the past year. Their products have performed well for us in the past, but we always look skeptically at new and affordable components; especially ones as important as brakes.
Softening bumps in the front is a 100mm suspension fork and at the rear of the bike is a direct-mounted rear rack rated for 55 lbs of cargo. Lastly, the Espin has a notably low weight of 55 lbs.
It’s overall a very nice riding e-bike, and compared to some of the other more affordable e-bikes in its category, I feel Espin did a nice job of selecting cost effective components that balance performance with dollars. Everything pieced together nicely on this model.
But not everything with the Espin was roses.
We had four flats during the long range test, which is a notable number. This could be bad luck, or maybe Josh, our long-range test rider, did something to irk the bike gods. Or, it could be an indication that those WTB tires, which we really like for the tread and grip, might not have the best flat protection. It’s not at all uncommon for us to get a flat or two over the course of reviewing an e-bike — we’re based in the desert after all, where all the plants are angry and pokey — but four in one sitting got our attention. Either way, it may be beneficial to proactively put some sort of sealant like Slime, a thicker tube or some other sort of flat protection on this bike.
The bike’s range, which we’ll dive into later in this review, also left something to be desired. It’s passable, but was less than we’d typically expect from a bike with a 652Wh battery.
Finally, we also had issues with the rear hydraulic brake from the get-go. The rear brake was squishy as soon as we unpacked the bike, and eventually, near the end of our testing, it nearly ceased to work at all. We’ve had good luck with Zoom brakes thus far, but we have had some concerns of how long they may last, how often they have issues and how serviceable they are if they do develop problems. I haven’t attempted to service them yet, and there are some how-to videos out there that indicate they are indeed serviceable, but fixing cheap components can be tricky. It’s not uncommon that a bike shop (yes, hydraulic brake fixes typically require the help of a professional bike mechanic) might suggest you replace rather than repair a brakeset this cheap.
None of these issues are deal breakers for me, especially considering the Espin Sport’s very affordable price of less than $1,700 MSRP. But these are all things we feel are worth noting, especially considering some are problems that would likely result in a trip to your local bike shop and some extra money shelled out in repairs.
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