OldCarGuy

I've been lurking here for a while. And want to thank the members for the knowledge that I obtained. This is my first post in this forum. But I felt compelled to share my experience with my latest purchase. I'm not a avid bike enthusiast. Rather as my handle may indicate, I'm into antique cars. Along with machinery and equipment that filled my working career in and around Tool and Diemaking. If you wish you can read about my retirement complex that I built on this forum... https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=2122


My Newest Ride,, EG Milan..





Did I fool you? Betcha thought I purchased another car.. My new ride is a 2010 EG Milan electric assist bicycle. Though I'm retired, I'm always doing and up to something. Simply put, my doctor recommend that I need to be more active. That's why I picked up a set of skies and took up Cross-country skiing this past winter. In the warm weather there's nothing like a refreshing bike ride. Unfortunately my knees literally lock up after three miles. Getting old sure has its' downside... My Son-in-Law, an avid cyclist, suggested that I consider an electric assist bike.

The good news about an electric bicycle is that they are classified as bicycles. You don't need any license registrations, special operator's license, and your home owner's policy will cover them for insurance. https://www.eco-wheelz.com/electric-bike-laws.php

After a month's research and deliberation. I made the purchase after talking with Craig at eCo Wheelz. It's a great bicycle and I believe that I made the ride decision. But what makes me feel even better than the bike are the two men (Craig and Jeremy) behind eCo Wheelz. They have a fantastic Website. https://www.eco-wheelz.com/ And know their products well. Talk about service, the bike showed up the day after ordered it. Carefully packaged and by and large, assembled in one large box. After assembling the bike, I found that the luggage rack was damaged. Even though the shipping carton didn't show any obvious damage. A call over to Craig, and two days later a new rack shows up.



The bike was shipped without any instructions or manuals. I understand this is the norm, and the shipping carton is marked, “recommended to be assembled by professions.” There are manuals that can be downloaded from eCo Wheelz; but are too generic to answer the questions that I had. Never fear Craig had the answers! From the simplest to the more complex... I have to say he knows ever nut, bolt, and thingy and where it belongs on this bike. Even though my Milan is a new model....

After researching electric assist bike, I made a wish list. That includes 36 Volt 10 AH Battery mounted in luggage carrier, rear wheel direct drive motor at least 250 Watts, pedal assist and or full power modes, aluminum frame, disc brakes (Milan has only front disc), as many gears as possible, Front suspension fork, fenders, and looking like a conventional bicycle as possible. Not something out of this world design. After all I'm an old timer with conventional viewpoints...

The EG Milan has most every thing that I felt was important. Brush-less 350 Watt direct rear-wheel hub drive. The motor has a planetary gears for better take off and hill climbing. Along with 21 Speed Shimano Acera Rear and SIS Front Derailleurs...



Easy access shifter controls, indicators, and thumb throttle control...



Control central on handle bars. With three pedal assist modes along with battery change meter..



Front disc brakes. Along with higher speeds more braking powered is required.



Rear V-brakes provide outstanding stopping power...



RST Gila front suspension fork..



26” all season mountain bike tires and Henli double wall aluminum rims, with fenders and mud flaps....




The EG Milan is one fine ride. She's smooth, whisper quiet, powerful, and easy to ride. With moderate peddling I've done 30 miles on a single charge. She'll go 20 miles only using the battery. The 60 pound curb weight is hardly noticeable on level ground. And not evident when using even the lowest motor assist mode...

ROJA

OldCarGuy, thanks for the review and the pictures. I'm glad you like your new bike and I wish you many happy adventures with it. I also like cars, but I end up spending more time on the bike than driving or working on my cars because cycling is great exercise and I feel more of a sense of accomplishment. What other brands of electric bikes did you look at and what made you choose the Milan?

OldCarGuy

I looked at many makes and models before making up this purchase. What comes to mind are Schwinn, Trek, Pedego, Giant, Izip Zuma, Ezip, Optibike (too costly and bizarre design), Ecobike, X-Treme, Liberty, and a used Greenline.... However I always came back to EG, and considered both the LeMans and the Milan. After Craig at eCo Wheelz took the time to fully answer all my questions on the phone. I called back ten minutes later and order the Milan... The Milan had almost everything that I thought was important to have on an electric bike. And at a fair price. So far I've been very happy with my decision.

Although I'm sure I'll enjoy many hours with my newest ride. I'm sure I'll be spending more time behind the wheel of one of my antique cars. This is one my favorite touring car. It's a 1914 Cadillac model Thirty Five passenger touring... I drive her about 2,000 miles a year



Here's a short video clip of crank starting her and a short test ride...

confounded

When you say "oldcarguy" you're not kidding. Wow. Very nice.