Hey, what's up? Sami here. I’ve reviewed all sorts of e-bikes,
from fancy and expensive e-bikes to bargain basement models.
The Eleglide M1 Series is very much the latter, thanks to its budget price of
just $775 (the plus is $954). You can find the link in the description!
Eleglide is a powerful new e-bike brand that’s debuting on Geekbuying globally so currently has the
best price ever. Definitely go and check it out. With that being said, how far can an
e-bike go with this budget price? Is it going to be mediocre or awesome? After actually
spending more than two weeks on its saddle, here is my real life user experience!
Let’s start with the Eleglide M1 Plus unboxing and assembly.
For what’s inside the box, it’s quite standard for an e-bike.
You get a power adapter, manual, pedal and some tools for installing etc,
and then of course the bike. For the assembly, I’ve actually shot
a tutorial of that when I visited the Eleglide factory.
You can check out the video from here if you are interested。
Seeing that engineer assembling the bike was so easy, but when it was my time
to assemble the bike, it was easy too. But I’ve got to admit the first time I accidently
installed the front fork reversed! I guess it’s the movie TENET’s fault, because
I watched it recently and it’s all in my head and I thought I’m in another reversing world,
so... All jokes aside, when I realized something was wrong it took me about 5 minutes
to rectify it. Yeah, just make sure this part is in front, otherwise it would be difficult
to install the light and front fender. Anyway, if I hadn’t made that mistake, then it would
only have taken me about 20 minutes from unboxing to get it ready. I would say quite easy and fast.
This part is somehow boring. But still I’d
like to talk about it a bit more. Because the M1 series does look minimalistic and sexy!
First Let’s check out the Eleglide M1. It features two CST 26 by 2.1 inch large pneumatic
tires, each with a mechanical disc brake. Compared to hydraulic disc brakes it’s a
lot easier to use and maintain, perfect for entry-level riders. The rear tire sports a
250w motor, which enables you to reach a max speed of 25km/h, we’ll get to that in a second.
Moving up is the 7.5AH capacity battery. From my test, I can easily reach
about 60km in moped mode on a single charge While it takes about 4 hours to fully charge.
Not bad for an e-bike in this price range. Finally let’s move to the handlebars. There
are two handbrakes on the front, that’s traditional. What’s new is the Eleglide
M1 sports two SHIMANO derailleurs. This is one of the few e-bikes I’ve tested that
has this feature and that gives it a whopping 21 speeds. Well to be honest I don’t think
most people really need this level of gradation in their e-bike drivetrain. Because with the
motor assistance, you can be a little less optimized with your gear ratios – you don’t
always need the exact perfect ratio for every single incline. But for those (who sometimes
don’t want assistance) that do want more choices, the Eleglide M1 certainly doesn’t hold back.
There is also a simple panel on the left handlebar
that houses the power key, light, and mode switch button. That’s all!
As for the Eleglide M1 Plus, it has the same design as the M1, the “plus” part is it has upgraded the
tires to 27.5inch and also a much bigger capacity battery. The one on the plus is 12.5AH compared
to the 7.5AH on the M1, that gives around 35km more range in moped mode. For others,
they stay almost the same. Oh, the color is different too if you have to ask more of the
differences. Which color do you like most? Let me know in the comments section!
In terms of the ride, I didn’t go in expecting
much but I was pleasantly surprised. Again, it doesn’t compare to the several thousand-dollar
e-bikes or some fat tire e-bikes I’ve reviewed before. But it also doesn’t have to! Standing
on its own it’s a fun bike to ride and tour around on. The suspension and 26inch tires
are enough to absorb some bumps in the road and make uneven surfaces doable without jarring
your wrist bones apart. I felt comfortable and stable on those well-maintained city roads.
But for cobblestones or other high-impact or rough terrain it felt a bit less enjoyable
but acceptable. Overall, I’m totally fine with it as the M1 series is more for city
commutes and I assume most people will be using the M1 on fairly decent streets and
bike lanes. The power is plenty for average riders, even though it might not climb steep
hills on its own.
Right now, you may have noticed one thing.
The M1 series bikes seem to only have moped mode, what about the pure electric mode that
doesn’t require me to pedal? Well, Eleglide has got you covered! You can install the pure
electric kit that comes with the box. Once you installed, you can just rotate the throttle
and let the bike do the work while you just enjoy the ride.
The reason why it is not installed by default
is because in some countries, pure electric mode is not allowed for e-bikes,
so Eleglide limited that by default and leaves the choice to you. Yes, always check your
local laws before riding! Another good thing about the M1 series is
they come with a Walking Mode, namely when sometimes you don’t want to ride but walk
with the bike. Unlike traditional bikes you have to push hard especially on steep slopes,
while for the M1 series you don’t have to, it gives you a moderate amount of power to
assist you pushing the bike so you can easily go over different slopes.
So now my conclusion. Despite the fact that Eleglide is a largely undiscovered brand,
I had a great experience with the Eleglide M1 Series. Of course, it’s not going to
be the best e-bike I’ve ridden, but for sure, they are pretty decent e-bikes for their prices.
Everything else on the bike pretty much screams “good enough” to me. The
speeds are fine, not crazy fast but enough for your daily commutes. The tires are acceptable,
not stellar. The frame is fine, not overbuilt but fine. The shifters are fine for this level
of e-bike. It’s all acceptable for a leisurely, fun e-bike designed to get someone out of
the house and onto the road or trail. And to me, this is a low-cost way to get into
off-road electric bike riding as well. Not serious downhill riding or hitting any sweet
jumps, but rather some good old-fashioned trail riding on an e-bike that will give you
a nice boost to help you go faster and farther than you’re used to.
All in all, I would highly recommend the M1 series for those
who just want a decent and sexy bike for daily commutes
and occasionally fun off-road riding. Again, the M1 series is yet another cool e-bike
that proves you don’t need to blow your budget to get a solid one.
It’s not too heavy on the back or the wallet and it offers up a decent amount of performance for the
price. And that’s maybe what you are looking for too. Link is in the description please
don’t forget to check out! I’m Sami and I will see you in the next one! Peace.