In 2016, I purchase my first electric bicycle, an Espin Sport, because I liked the way all of the electrical components were integrated into the bike – yet it still looked and functioned like a regular bicycle, with traditional gears, brakes and other “normal” equipment. But tucked in the back wheel was a small electric motor that really flattened the hills on my 8-mile commute to and from work, and sped up my average riding speed – by a big margin. Riding the Espin Sport made me fall in love with bicycles all over again. I had reviewed it for another publication before buying it, and during the review process, I got to know some of the folks over at California-based Espin a bit as well.
Recently, Espin co-founder Josh Lam contacted me to see if I’d like to review their first mid-drive bike, called the Reine, for Forbes.com and a few days later, a large bike box arrived at my door.
Tech and Design
The $1,999 Reine comes pretty complete right out of the box, and my test bike was a light blue hue. It included plastic fenders that do a great job of keeping your back and pant legs dry, a very bright LED headlight that runs off the main battery, and a bag-ready rear rack that also houses the removeable 14.5 amp-hour/522 watt-hour battery that locks in place with a key. The battery features a somewhat hidden master power switch, LED battery level meter, and a built-in LED taillight with a light sensor so it automatically shuts off during sunlight rides (you can force it on).
A spiffy 3.5-inch color LCD panel on the pull-back style handlebars keeps you apprised of battery level, speed, assist level and other parameters, and it’s controlled by a four-button thumb pad off the left bar. Brakes are Zoom hydraulic discs front and rear. The Reine is a focused commuting rig, but it also has a SR Suntour NEX Coil Suspension fork with preload adjustment (using a tool) under the caps, a nice perk. The included seat, grips and basic pedals were all comfortable bits, and the Kenda Komfort tires are well-siped for wet weather riding. There’s a single small sprocket up front on the TTIUM Discovery motor pod and nine cogs out back controlled by a Shimano Acera derailleur that never missed a shift.
Riding Experience
After piecing together the Reine, which came mostly assembled in a standard bike box, I aired up the tires and took it for a spin. The Reine is a step-through “mid-drive” pedal-assist Class II electric bicycle, which means the motor is mounted where the pedals are and it will add assist while you are cranking away, all the way up to 20 miles an hour. It also has a little thumb throttle that lets the 250-watt motor do all the work for you if you choose. In days gone by, this would have been called a “ladies bike” since it has no top frame tube, but I found riding it to be a fairly gender-non-specific activity and since I’m not as flexible as I used to be, the step-through frame was pretty convenient. However, that lack of a top tube also resulted in a bit of frame flex under hard cranking, which is to be expected from this type of layout, but it was never a problem.
Over the next several weeks, I both commuted to work on the Reine and also just traipsed around Portland, where city planners have been converting many primary roadways into more bike-friendly thoroughfares while also plotting out bikeways through less-busy neighborhood streets. Portland has one of the highest percentages of bike commuters in the U.S. (and riders in general), so the bikeways can get pretty crowded, especially at peak commute hours. The Reine had no trouble keeping up, and I found it both easy to ride and a cohesive, seamless riding experience as the bike switches in and out of assist modes, of which there are five, including Eco, Tour, Sport, Turbo (maximum power) and i-Sport, which is a “smart” setting that reads from a spread of three sensors to give the right amount of push in relation to your effort and speed. I found i-Sport to be the best mode for most all-around riding and used it most of the time.
The hydraulic brakes have good bite and the motor is nearly silent, with just a slight whir and gear noise that is inaudible above about 10mph. With just 250 watts of power, it doesn’t jet up and down the hills like some more powerful bikes, but it gets the job done. And I’ll confess to hitting pause on the pedals a few times and thumbing my way down the road with the throttle. The rear-mounted battery sits right under the seat so there’s a bit of top-heaviness to the bike when parked, but again, it’s a minor issue you don’t feel while riding. The wide 27.5-inch Kenda Komfort tires felt neutral in the corners and had solid traction in the rain, where they were tested often.
I also loaded up the Reine with pannier bags that quickly attached to the included rear rack for some longer jaunts around town – you gotta have some snacks and space to haul your groceries. Even with the added weight, the Reine was easy to ride and the i-Sport mode adapted and made the weight disappear on all but the steepest hills, where it was still a big help. Even without any pedal assist, which can be set to “off” but the tech still tracks miles and so on, it was still easy to pedal the 53-pound Reine along in the flat. It was just like riding a regular bicycle, except there is a small amount of drag from the gearing mechanism in the motor. Still, in the rare instance of a dead battery, huffing it home old school style is no problem.
Conclusion
It’s hard to find any complaints about Espin’s newest addition. The Reine was easy and fun to ride, easy to assemble, reliable and highly configurable, as well as including niceties like full fenders, decent lights and the rear rack. The included multi-tool allowed quick adjustment of the handlebar mount and along with the quick-release seat adjuster, everyone in my family (and a few friends) were able to quickly get comfortable on the bike. The updated tech suite, new LCD panel, handlebar controller and highly progressive i-Sport mode made riding under power easy to get used to, even for first-time ebike riders who tried the bike out.
If there was anything to grouse about, it might be the motor’s 250-watt power output, but for riders lighter than myself (which is most people), it is certainly sufficient for this kind of dedicated commuter and casual riding platform. One nit is that the bike always starts with assist in “Off” mode, which took a bit of getting used to but I understand the reasoning in not wanting to surprise riders with an unexpected boost of power at the wrong time.
Otherwise, it could be argued the $1,999 price is a bit premium, but the Reine has a premium feel, quality parts and solid construction. In my opinion and in light of the competition, such as the many bikes using Bosch’s similar but more expensive mid-motor, the price is below average for this level of performance and refinement. Overall, the Espin Reine is a great choice for pretty much any rider ready to move into the realm of electrified bicycling.
Throttle:
• Good quality all around and easy to ride
• i-Sport mode does the thinking for you
• Can be ridden just like a regular bike with no assist
Brakes:
• Assist always starts off in Off position
• Navigating LCD menus takes practice
• A bit of frame flex under hard pedaling
