My partner needed an electric bike – it is hilly round here so an ebike was the only viable option. There were two important criteria:
- She isn’t particularly small, but the trend towards large wheel sizes means that most bikes are far too big.
- Her top priority was that it shouldn’t look like an electric bike – no bulky battery.
One of the few bikes that met both criteria was the Boardman HYB 8.9e with the Fazua battery and motor system. Both the battery and motor are in a removable lump that clips into the bottom of the downtube. The motor drives the bottom bracket via a three-lobed rotor (that forms the Fazua logo). It is a mid-drive unit – the motor power is transmitted via the normal gears and chain – with torque sensing.
Overall the bike seems to be good quality. The first bike seemed to have been dropped during assembly – the plastic top downtube liner was broken – but Halfords shipped out a replacement quickly and that bike has been fine. It rides nicely and the Fazua system works very well, providing plenty of power for even steep hills.
I did upgrade the firmware in the motor to version 2.0 and tweak the settings via the Fazua toolbox. This was easy to do and very worthwhile – the bike is much more powerful and responsive now. It is still entirely legal – the changes are better performance at a wider range of cadences, plus less rider pedal pressure for given level of assistance.
I’ve fitted mudguards and a rear panier rack. I like the way that the front mudguard eyelets are part-way up the forks. This is an important safety feature as it stops the front mudguard getting jammed in the front wheel if road debris gets between the tyre and mudguard. With the eyelets close to the wheel the mudguard gets closer to the wheel as the debris moves up, causing a jam. With the eyelets further up the mudguard moves away from the wheel releasing the debris and avoiding a jam. The panier rack is so she can lug the heavy stuff up the hills!
The bike is nice and light – about 14kg including battery and motor. It doesn’t feel heavy and is easy to lift around.
The only downside is the downtube. This isn’t actually a tube as it is part of the Fazua system – it is just a C shape so the battery and motor can be clipped in. This means it has very little torsional ridgidity – readily apparent if you watch closely while pressing on a pedal. In practice this doesn’t matter at all – the motor power means you never press hard on the pedals anyway!
Overall – recommended. My partner loves the bike and is happy to go on rides with big hills.
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Would love to know which mudguards you fitted (before I order something incompatible…).
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They are the SKS Bluemels Road Mudguard Set – 700c – Black from St John Street Cycles: product code: 22040B45 size: 700 x 45. They look very smart!
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Super! That’s really helpful, thank you.
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Pingback: Thorn Me’n’U2 Electric Conversion – Conclusions | Martin's Blog
Hi,
I just bought this same bike 2 weeks ago. How do i perform the upgrade of the firmware to version 2.0 and tweak the settings using the tool box, please.
Thanks in advance
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Hi Isaac,
You’ll find all the details on the Fazua website: https://fazua.com/en/drive-system/software/drive-system-software/
The biggest difficulty was finding the right USB cable in my box of cables – it is the standard mobile phone cable from about 10 years ago…
Hope it works for you!
Cheers
Martin
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Hi Martin
Great review…thank you. One question…I will be riding quite a bit on non tarmac roads. Will the lack of front suspension be a disadvantage?
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Hi Ellis,
Sorry – no idea. I tend to do almost all my riding on the roads and haven’t ridden a suspension bike. I would imagine that suspension becomes more important for bigger bumps at higher speed (recumbent bikes require suspension on tarmac due to speeds of 25-30mph upwards). Haven’t felt the need for suspension on the tandem even on forest tracks, but that is at low speed.
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hi all
does anybody have any problems locking the battery compartment in place.
cheers paul
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It isn’t the easiest lock. I find it is easier if you remember that the key must turn 180 degrees.
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thanks martin. when i turn the key i cant remove it from the lock
cheers paul
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Yes – this is the same on mine. However once the battery is out you can turn the key back to ‘locked’ and remove the key. The battery will go back in without needing the key – it should just push up into place.
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