Hey All,

It's been a couple of weeks since I installed a Bionx motor kit on my old Trek 800 mountain bike (which has been upgraded over the years). I bought my kit from an electric bike store in Derry, NH. The owner was really helpful and let me ride a bunch of e-bikes. I really liked the Bionx and got one on a 26" wheel. I got the 350W, 48V system since I haul a bunch of stuff around to and from work on a regular basis. I installed everything myself, with some tips and pointers from the E Bikes store owner before I left the shop.

It was pretty easy to install. My only complaint is that the spokes on the rim of the conversion wheel weren't evenly tensioned and the wheel wasn't true. I did some minor adjustments, but at some point will have to adjust the spokes on the wheel to keep the rim nice and straight for my cantilever brakes.

Anyway, I've been using the bike for commuting regularly and love it. I got the battery pack/rear rack combo. I was worried at first that the weight on the back would mess up the balance of the bike, but I haven't had any issues. The weight of the system is significant (I think it adds 16 or 17 pounds) , but you don't notice it when riding.

I like have the battery in the rack - it's a nice clean package. I put my saddle bags on the rack and I'm all set for my commute.

My commute is about 8 to 8.5 miles each way, depending on which route I take. On the way there it is mostly downhill. On the way back it is mostly uphill, with some fairly steep and long hills.

The Bionx system is great. It lets me work hard if I want to, but if I'm in a rush or don't want to sweat, it can really make climbing those hills easy. I haul a heavy laptop in a pelican laptop hard case, plus additional equipment (sometimes a second laptop or tablet, wireless routers, and various other work-related items) plus extra clothes, emergency repair tools, etc.. If I use my non-electric bike (Trek 520 touring bike) the weight is manageable, but it's slow going up the hills. The Bionx makes that a non-issue. I can use the assist if I need it.

On my first ride home, I put the assist in max assist mode and rode as fast as I could to see how fast I could get home. It was quick, but towards the end on one of the long hills, the bicycle assist temporarily disabled itself to prevent over heating of the motor. The computer can be programmed to run in "Mountain" mode if you plan on riding up long mountain inclines. This will prevent the system from shutting the assist down and uses some alogorithm to avoid overheating the motor.

This is not an issue for me because I was really pushing the motor hard to see how fast I could get home (with loaded saddle bags). I've found that if I run the motor in level 2 or 3 (level 4 is the highest) mode and use mode 4 if I need assistance on the steep peaks, everything runs fine.

Overall I'm really happy with my system. I've ridden about 200 miles with it in 2 weeks. It's a blast. Having the electric assist helps me overcome that mental block of bike commuting regularly. If there is a morning where I'm not in the mood to ride, I just crank up the level of assist and the riding is easy.

I only use about 1/2 to less than 1/2 of the battery on my round trip (about 16 to 17 miles). I try and manage battery life carefully and ride in level 1 or 2 on the way to work, and 2 on the way home (with level 3 and 4 assist on the few big, long hills).

I love my Bionx electric assist conversion bike and hope to get many miles out of it. I'm a little worried if something breaks down, but the manufacturer has a 2 year warranty and the local dealer was very helpful and seems like he be able to support me if I encounter issues.