Highly effective motors, large batteries, experience metrics, on-board maps, and cellular system chargers are all choices on ebikes now, however not everybody desires that degree of know-how. Some folks simply desire a bike that makes getting round city snug, straightforward, and enjoyable!
The Precedence Glide is a straightforward seaside cruiser-style ebike with a entrance hub motor, a 3-speed inner rear hub, and three ranges of pedal help plus a throttle. It’s purposefully not tech-laden, nevertheless it offers the commuter necessities: A low-slung step-over body, Gates belt drive, slim however multi-surface succesful wheels, and all of the mounts and equipment you’d need.
Precedence Glide – Key Specs and Options:
For all the main points on the Precedence Glide, try our launch article from this summer season. Right here’s a fast abstract of the Glide’s essential specs and options.
The Glide is constructed round a 6061 aluminum body, that includes a unisex step-over design. As featured on all of Precedence’s bikes, the Glide has a grease-free, low-maintenance Gates belt drive system. A Shimano Nexus inner rear hub offers three gears and is operated by a grip shifter.
Offering the help energy is a 350W entrance hub motor. The Glide is a Class 2 ebike, which offers pedal or throttle help as much as 20mph. A 374Wh battery sits within the down tube.
The Glide rolls on 700x38c tires and will get all-weather applicable hydraulic disc brakes. Commuter necessities like full protection fenders, a kickstand, a water bottle cage, mounts for racks/baby seats, and prime tube equipment, and built-in entrance and taillights are all included.
The Glide’s weight is listed at 49 lbs. My scale confirmed it at 49.67 lbs.
Experience Impressions:
After I reviewed the Precedence Present Plus ebike earlier this 12 months, I completed off the meeting myself, which Precedence makes fairly straightforward. This time, I obtained the total buyer expertise, and my native store (shoutout to The Bike Co!) constructed up the Glide for me. I picked it up, dialed and able to go!
The Glide is out there in S/M or M/L body sizes, becoming riders from 5’2” to six’2”. At 5’10”, I’m driving a M/L. This cruiser gives a really snug driving place, and the swept-back handlebars enable you to sit up. Whereas correct seat top is essential on any high-performance bicycle, the Glide is an off-the-cuff cruiser, so I left the seat at a decrease, easy-to-mount top.
Battery/Charging:
The Glide’s built-in downtube battery has a cost port that stays accessible whereas it’s on the bike, so it’s straightforward to cost within the body or off the bike. With the flip of a key, the battery drops out of the body. It matches a bit tight on the prime finish, nevertheless it isn’t arduous to take away.
Throughout my testing, I confirmed a full battery cost takes six hours. Precedence features a wall charger, and its LED mild turns from crimson to inexperienced when the battery is totally charged.
Show/Controller:
The Glide’s show/controller unit is straightforward to make use of and perceive. It features a energy button and up/down buttons to pick help ranges. The up button additionally doubles as an on/off swap for the lights, and the down button engages stroll mode. A protracted press prompts the twin capabilities of the up/down buttons.
The show is on the smaller facet, which appears good on the bike. Some textual content on the show is a bit small, nevertheless it’s straightforward to see your battery life, help degree, and velocity as you experience.
One factor I discovered is that the bike’s battery must be switched on if it’s been sitting unused for some time. The facility button is straightforward to achieve, positioned on the prime finish of the battery’s underside. Between quick breaks (up to a couple days), the battery will keep awake, so that you don’t have to modify it on repeatedly as you run errands.
Gear Vary:
The Shimano Nexus three-speed hub gives sufficient vary for informal cruising on flat terrain and most hills, and the grip shifter is straightforward to make use of and perceive. The shifter exhibits what gear you’re in, which is useful for novice riders. All through all my check rides, gear shifting has confirmed very dependable.
With solely three gears, you’ll possible use all of them until your space is useless flat. On flat terrain, I spent most of my time in gears 2 and three. Gear 2 is low sufficient to get began in and permits you to cruise at an honest tempo. If you wish to experience on the bike’s max 20mph velocity, it’s greatest to make use of gear 3. This offers a great cadence for shorter journeys. For longer rides, the next gear may be good, however this bike isn’t constructed to cowl large distances.
For climbing hills, you’ll need to use the bottom gear, nevertheless it does the job. In gear 1, the Glide obtained me up the steepest highway in my space with little or no effort (in help degree 3), however switching to gears 2 and three challenged the motor, and the bike began slowing down.
Help Energy:
Precedence describes the Glide’s entrance hub motor as a low drag unit. Whereas it by no means totally decouples for friction-free coasting, it’s designed to provide minimal drag. Whereas pedalling the bike with a drained battery, I seen the drag is fairly apparent at decrease speeds however decreases whenever you get rolling at a great tempo. With some velocity, the drag could be very minimal. Any degree of pedal help simply overrides the slight drag from the motor.
Help degree 1 gives sufficient energy on flat terrain to make this 50 lbs bike pedal simpler than a a lot lighter non-assisted bike. There’s simply sufficient energy to make the experience straightforward, however not sufficient to startle an inexperienced or cautious ebiker. Reaching the bike’s prime help velocity would take vital effort, so use the upper ranges to go sooner.
Pedal help ranges 2 and three each provide a great quantity of energy. Degree 2 is what most individuals will possible use most frequently on this bike, because it gives sufficient help to make pedalling very straightforward and brings you in control rapidly. I might prime out at about 15-16mph pedalling casually in degree 2.
Help degree 3 gives extra energy and torque, springs you off the road handily, and will get you as much as max velocity sooner than degree 2. Cruising at 20mph is straightforward to attain in degree 3 and kit 3. I rode over a bridge in degree 3, and on this mellow incline, the help energy didn’t hesitate in any respect.
On steeper hills, you’ll want to use help degree 3 and the bike’s lowest gear. The motor will assist fairly a bit, however on steep grades, you possibly can inform it’s working arduous, and at a degree, it is going to decelerate. For those who’ll be driving steep hills recurrently, you would possibly want extra energy than the Glide gives.
The Glide’s throttle isn’t highly effective sufficient to jerk the bike ahead, even in help degree 3. That is nice for this bike’s meant rider – those that need help however don’t want a strong, high-speed ebike. The throttle will get you as much as max velocity, nevertheless it received’t launch you as much as 20mph at any stunning fee.
I attempted to get the entrance wheel to spin out on gravel surfaces, however even at help degree 3/gear 1, and going up small gravel inclines, all I might get was slightly blip earlier than the wheel discovered traction. It appears to have excellent management over this! On pavement, packed grime paths, or grassy fields, the entrance wheel by no means spun out.
Quirks:
One factor I discovered a bit quirky in regards to the bike’s behaviour is the entrance hub motor overdrives each time it kicks in – it sometimes retains helping for a couple of second after you’ve stopped pedalling. At first, this shocked me a bit, nevertheless it’s straightforward to get used to when you anticipate it. The Glide’s brake levers embrace motor shut-offs, so if you happen to get startled by the overdriving and seize the brakes, it is going to reduce the facility off immediately.
For the reason that bike operates through a cadence sensor, I spotted that if you happen to rotate the crank inadvertently, the motor kicks in! A number of occasions whereas strolling with the bike, I felt it pull ahead, and realized I used to be hitting the crank with my leg. Happily, the motor isn’t highly effective sufficient that this ever brought on an accident – just a bit shock.
I additionally realized that if you happen to rotate the cranks slowly whereas cruising (not quick sufficient to achieve velocity), it causes the motor to start out helping. It’s bizarre, however as soon as it occurs, you possibly can keep away from it… or provoke some help with mainly no effort!
Vary:
The Glide’s vary is listed at 20-60 miles relying on help degree, throttle utilization, rider weight, terrain, and so forth. On my first cost, I obtained to 32.5 miles earlier than energy supply began to falter. I principally used help ranges 2 and three, and rode nearly fully on flat terrain.
I rode the Glide till the battery utterly died. The final bar of battery life didn’t final lengthy, and whenever you get actually low, the empty battery define on the show begins flashing. From this level, the bike struggled to ship constant energy. It will intermittently kick in when it was simpler for the motor to help (on flat floor or slight downhills), however as quickly because it begins slicing out, don’t depend on dependable help energy. At 34.5 miles, the bike was barely helping in any respect.
I attempted the throttle with the low battery warning flashing, and it did nothing. On one other attempt, I obtained a couple of second of help earlier than it reduce out once more, and that was it.
On my second battery cost, I used help ranges 2 and three most frequently, and made a degree of going up a hill on every experience. The battery supplied dependable help as much as about 63 miles, with the facility output fading over the previous few.
At 61.7 miles, I attempted utilizing degree 3 help to go up a hill, and the battery icon instantly went from one bar to empty and flashing. I rode all the way down to a flatter space, and inside yet one more mile, degree 3 was barely offering energy. I switched all the way down to degree 2 help, however by 63 miles, it started struggling to help, and the battery icon was flashing once more. At this level, the throttle might barely hold me rolling alongside, and by 66 miles, it did nothing. I went all the way down to degree 1 help, which continued to inconsistently attempt to help my pedalling till I obtained residence at 67.1 miles. It’s good that the Glide’s energy doesn’t instantly reduce out, however as soon as it begins to wrestle, it’s time for a recharge.
For those who drain the battery, the Glide isn’t horrible to experience, however there’s some drag from the hub motor, particularly when accelerating from a low velocity. When you get cruising, the drag reduces to a minimal degree, and the slim tires assist this 50 lbs. bike cruise alongside comparatively properly.
Parts:
The Glide’s Gates belt drive ran easily and quietly, and by no means worrying about greasing up your pants is sweet! I anticipate it to carry out effectively with little or no upkeep for fairly a while.
For my part, the Glide’s tires are the right width for a commuter bike. They’re quick on pavement, however large sufficient to supply some cushion on rougher surfaces like grass or gravel. The Glide isn’t a great bike for any terrain rougher than that.
The middle mount kickstand could be very useful – It’s not nice on uneven floor, however works effectively on degree surfaces. The water bottle mount contained in the entrance triangle is a pleasant characteristic, too.
Precedence’s Cruiser saddle could be very soft and cozy, however I don’t love the Glide’s plastic pedals, as they’re a bit small and never that grippy. Not less than they’re included!
The fenders are nice for staying clear and dry whereas commuting. I rode by a bunch of puddles on one experience, and solely obtained a little bit of splash on my decrease pant legs. The bike obtained a bit splattered on the decrease areas and the rear stays, however the prime half of the bike remained very clear.
In every kind of climate, the Glide’s hydraulic disc brakes provided ample braking energy and constant management.
Lights:
The Glide’s built-in lights obtained me residence from outdoors of my small city simply wonderful. They’re positively enough for city driving. They’re OK for darker rural areas too, however those that recurrently experience very darkish roads would possibly desire a extra highly effective headlight.
The Glide’s lights will not be automated like they’re on the Present Plus; it’s a must to swap them on utilizing the controller (however that’s straightforward). Lastly, the brake mild operate is sweet. It really works reliably and provides a little bit of security when driving in visitors.
MSRP for the Precedence Glide is $1799 USD – though for the remainder of November, you’ll get $300 off for the ‘Month of Black Friday’. Frames are available Black or Navy.
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