If you are in the market for a fun commuter electric bike with European styling you should definitely checkout the IZIP E3 Path.  It is a bike that combines an efficient ride with a comfortable up right position that will make you look forward to your next ride!

At a price of $1699 the Path offers a lot of value with the quality of its components and overall style.  Just be aware that the Path is designed for mellow riding; it will not win any races.  It will allow you to kick back and enjoy the ride!

Below is the full review of the IZIP E3 Path with a breakdown of speed, range, and the pros and cons of this electric bicycle.

Make sure you check out the video, large pictures and specifications of the IZIP E3 Path here.

What you can expect from this electric bike:

Here is the real world information on how this bike performed on my typical riding circuit that includes a lot of hills, wind, etc.

The results below are based on a paved circuit that I use for testing other electric bikes.

While testing these bikes I like to put them through the toughest conditions (highest assist setting with little pedaling) to see where their bottom line is in regards to range and speed.

Range:  As you can see from the GPS info that I recorded, the bike traveled 15.9 miles and did a total elevation gain/loss of around 1320 ft. Considering that I weight 190 lbs and I pedaled very lightly this is pretty good range for a 24 Volt 10 ah battery pack (240 Watt Hours).  Watt hours are the total energy in a battery pack and it is based on the volts x amp hours of a pack.  This is a way to compare the size of the “gas tank” of electric bikes.

Please keep in mind that if you pedal more, weight less than me, ride slower and/or you use the bike in terrain that is not as hilly you will get more range.  These results are from tough testing.

Speed:  The IZIP E3 Path maintained about 18 mph on the open road.  This bike climbs moderately well but is not going to blow you away by flying up the hills.

Weight:  This bike tips the scales at 52 lbs.

The weight distribution on this bike is definitely back heavy because of the rear hub motor and rear rack mounted battery.

Pros

The Style!  During my riding and testing of the bike I had many people say that they liked the style and colors of the IZIP E3 Path.  The European commuter style bike is one that many people can relate to and it has a certain elegance.  The larger wheels and narrower tires with the swept back handlebars make this bike look efficient and comfortable.

Currie Technologies did a great job with the color scheme by matching frame/fender and rim/tire colors.  This definitely makes the Path stand out in the crowd.

Comfortable to ride:  The IZIP E3 Path has an upright position that makes it easy to ride with out feeling too hunched over.  The swept back handlebars are comfortable and they provide a carefree ride feel.

Every time I rode the Path it just felt “easy”, meaning it took me very little time to adjust to it’s ride characteristics.  It felt like a bike that I had ridden for years.  This made the Path a lot of fun to ride.

Just enough assist:  The IZIP E3 Path uses a 250 watt geared hub motor with a 24 volt 10 ah lithium ion battery (240 Wh).  This e-bike system offers a nice casual assist but it is not going to blow you away when you accelerate or when you are climbing hills.

If you enjoy a more casual ride and you want to feel like you are contributing your fair share of power to the ride then this is just enough power for you.  There are a lot of people that don’t want a bunch of power because they like a slower, mellower ride.  It is fun to kick back and enjoy the ride!

Personally I found this power nice for cruising around town.  I enjoy the feeling of my pedaling making a substantial difference in propelling the bike around with the help of the electric assist.  I felt like it was a good balance of power.

Throttle or pedal assist or both?  That’s right, you can have it all!  The Twist and Go (TAG) and Pedal Assist System (PAS) settings provide all the options you will need.

The TAG is simply a twist the throttle and go setting.  You can pedal or not pedal, it’s your choice.  If you are tuckered out after a long day, let the bike take you home by using the TAG feature.

The PAS setting will provide assistance only when you are pedaling.  It has a sensor near the cranks of the bike that will determine when you are pedaling and engage the assistance.  The pedal assistance is like riding at ⅔ of full throttle.  If you feel like you need a little more of a boost to get over a tough hill, the throttle still works in the PAS setting to give you full throttle power.

Small & quiet geared hub motor:  Planetary geared hub motors are usually smaller than direct drive e-bike hub motors, but the motor on the IZIP E3 Path is impressively small.  It is hidden well by the cogs of the bike and from a distance it almost doesn’t look like a motor; stealth!

Geared hub motors also have a tendency to be noisy but the motor on the Path is pretty quiet.  It does have a little hum to it, but once you are up to speed the noise dissipates with the wind noise.

The geared hub motor is a good choice for the relatively “lightweight” power of the Path because geared motors provide more torque for accelerating and climbing hills compared to most direct drive motors.

Simple 7 speed gears:  Another nice feature of the Path is that it is a simple bike to operate.  The TAG/PAS electric assist is simple and so are the 7 gears on the bike.  Just use the SRAM grip shift to shift through the Shimano gears.  The gear range is perfect for commuting and casual recreational rides.

Narrow tires are efficient:  A lot e-bikes come with wider tires that are comfortable but not that efficient.  The Path with its European commuter style uses larger 700C wheels (close to 27”) and narrower tires (38mm or 1.5”) for an efficient ride.  The width of the tires balance the efficiency of a road bike with the comfort and safety of a mountain bike.

Powerful brakes:  The Avid BB5 mechanical disc brakes front and rear provide great stopping power, even in wet weather.  These are well known brakes in the bicycle industry for their power, simplicity and reliability.  Since the Path is a relatively lightweight electric bike the power of these brakes was especially noticeable.  The BB5’s modulate well so that they are not just on and off power; you can use a little or a lot of power based on how hard you squeeze the brake levers.

Samsung battery:  The Path comes with a Samsung (well known brand name) lithium ion 18650 cells and the pack is assembled by TD High Tech Energy (well know in e-bike industry) in Taiwan.  The battery is the most expensive component on an electric bike and it is great to see that the Path comes with a battery from well know manufacturers.

Easy to remove battery:  The battery fits in a compartment on the rear rack that is below the top of the rack.  It has a lock that keeps the battery secure but also allows for easy removal when you want to just take the battery inside for charging or safe keeping.

Some electric bikes don’t offer easy battery removal which can be tricky if you don’t have a convenient charging location (accessible electrical outlet) or a moderately temperate place to store your e-bike (very cold or hot temperatures can damage a battery).

Cons

Not very powerful:  As stated before, this is a bike for casual commuting and recreational riding.  With that said it is important to understand that the Path is relatively slow when accelerating and it does not climb super steep hills very well (like the hills of San Francisco).

Basic electric assist controls:  The throttle and TAG/PAS switch on the handlebars are mainly plastic and they don’t appear to be super high quality.  This is a part of the electric bike that you will use a lot and it would be nice to have electric controls that are a little better quality.  Since this is a relatively short term test it is hard to comment about the controls long term durability.

Narrow tires:  The narrow tires (38mm or 1.5”) are nice for an efficient ride but they do sacrifice some comfort compared to 2”+ wide tires.  This is something to be aware of if you ride on a lot of rough roads.

Back heavy:  The rear hub motor and rear rack battery placement can make handling the bike awkward when walking the bike up stairs or loading it on a car rack.  You may also notice the weight on the back of the bike when making quick turns.

A little suspension:  Since the bike has narrow tires it would be nice to have a suspension fork and/or suspension seatpost to smooth out the ride  This would add weight and cost to the IZIP E3 Path though.  If you ride a lot of rough roads you may want to look into adding a suspension fork or seatpost.

Conclusion

The IZIP E3 Path is a cool looking, fun, comfortable, and efficient casual commuter electric bike.  It definitely offers a lot of value for the price of $1699, especially considering the brand name Samsung lithium ion battery that comes stock.

The casual ride style makes the bike fun but please remember that this is not a powerful speed machine.  It is designed for a mellow ride.

If you are looking for an enjoyable commuter/casual recreational electric bike that has a laid back ride then this is the bike for you.  The Path will make your ride to work, school or around town more fun!

Please keep in mind that this is a relatively short term test.  This testing can’t really give you the long term review of durability and reliability.  My thoughts on the quality of this bike are from previous experiences with similar bikes.  If you own this bike and have some input on the long term durability, please share your comments with the Electric Bike Report community below.

Where to get the IZIP E3 Path?  Check with the Currie Technologies website for a dealer near you.  They are constantly adding new dealers to their network.  You can also find the Path for sale on Amazon.

Do you have any questions about the IZIP E3 Path?  Please leave them in the comment section below.

Thanks!

-Pete

Review Note: Each company pays a fee for a review on Electric Bike Report because of the considerable amount of time that it takes to provide an in-depth review of each eBike. A lot of time is spent on the full range test with distance & elevation profile, the wide variety of detailed pictures, in-depth video, and the write up with the specifications, ride characteristics, pros, cons, and overall thoughts. The reviews on Electric Bike Report are focused on providing you with a detailed “virtual” look at each eBike to help you determine if it is the eBike for you or not.

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