Evelo Dash E-Bike Review, 2024

The range test is used to determine how many miles the battery could provide electricity for the motor, at the minimum (min PAS) and maximum (max PAS) pedal assistance levels from the motor. The Min PAS test determines how far you can ride (and you’re not in a hurry) when you need to ride as far as possible using constant pedal assistance from the motor. The Max PAS test is for rides when you want the motor to contribute the most, and your pedaling the least, in powering your e-bike.

Our test rider Josh covered 38.38 miles on the MIN test, and came very close to the factory claim of 40 miles. 40 miles is a respectable range for a folding bike with a 350-watt motor and 10.5 amp-hour battery, so we were impressed by this result.

For the maximum pedal assistance test I used PAS 5, and managed to go 19.18 miles before the battery stopped supplying sufficient power to the motor. This was very close to the 20-mile target, and my ride time was one hour eighteen minutes (1:18). Keep in mind that test results will vary, depending on rider weight, road conditions, and even weather conditions. Extreme heat or cold can reduce a battery’s power range (as well as shortening its life). Nonetheless, the Dash proved it could travel the distance we expected.

One thing we would like to see Evelo do is change the battery level display from blocks to numerical values. The current 5-block display on the Dash implies that the range is broken down into 20 percent increments, which is often not accurate. For example, I was nearing 20 percent battery life remaining, but the display still showed two out of five blocks on the screen (40 percent). Believing the battery is at half range, rather than under one-quarter, a rider can under-estimate the bike’s range, and run out of power before reaching the destination. Numerical values are more accurate than blocks, and that is a better display indicator to help riders avoid being stuck without power.

Evelo designed this frame to have the battery neatly integrated within it. Making it easy to remove, the battery can be charged on or off the bike. The battery has a safety feature to stop charging when the charge is full, which eliminates damage from over-charging and possible fire risks. This is especially important when storing the bike in a vehicle, RV, or boat.

EBR’s hill climb test determines an e-bike’s ability to climb under extreme conditions. In the Throttle-only test, the Dash’s 350-watt motor lacked the power to get our 180 lb test rider, Justin, to the top. This wasn’t a bad thing, some e-bikes don’t make it to the top. In fact, most cyclists end up pushing their bike up this trail. Justin, at least, had a motor and throttle to help push the Dash the rest of the way up.

Using PAS 5 for the maximum pedal assistance test, Justin and the Dash made it to the top, using 3rd gear (on the 5-speed internal gear hub [IGH]), in 121 seconds, and an average speed of 9.0 mph.

Riding uphill with an IGH requires being in the right gear as soon as you start up the hill, otherwise the rider has to stop pedaling in order to downshift into the proper gear. Some IGH are more forgiving than others when shifting on hills, but the Stermy Archer hub really didn’t seem to leave any wiggle room for shifting mid-hill.

This may not sound like a big deal, but when you have to do it in real life, it makes the uphill ride more difficult. This is one of the reasons you don’t see racers use IGHs. Additionally, you can damage your gear shifter by trying to force it to drop gears while you are pedaling up a hill.

People who rode Schwinn 3-speed back in the 1950s and 60s, or riders who rode “Dutch” bikes in Europe, will have some familiarity with IGHs, and know about this gear change issue. Most other riders won’t know and they might get frustrated learning the hard way.

Giving the Evelo Dash its stopping power is the Zoom HD875 hydraulic disc brake system, with 160 mm rotors. It also includes a motor cutoff switch, so the electric motor doesn’t try to continue in PAS mode when you hit the brakes. These brakes performed well in our brake test, coming up with an average equaling the other folding bikes we tested at 22’10”. The brakes’ grabbed firmly when pulling back on the lever, and the wheels maintained control while coming to a stop. This was a good result especially when you consider the 20-inch wheels and the weight of our 230 lb test rider.

The brakes proved their value on some of the long downhills I rode. A testament of the bike’s stability and handling, I got the bike going 30 mph on a long downhill and the brakes grabbed the rotor decisively to safely slow and stop the little Dash e-bike.

Riding with reliable stopping power means riding with greater confidence knowing that your folding e-bike will keep you safe. I had some doubts about how safe this e-bike would be, due to its folding design and lightweight construction. Each time I hit dips and speed bumps, and hopped off low curbs, the Dash never felt like it would loosen or buckle. Fortunately, Evelo also delivered confidence with their impressive folding design.

Some e-bike enthusiasts might voice concern about the handling and stability of folding e-bikes, based on its design and construction. During my personal 60 miles of riding, I found the Dash to be very stable and it handled all the road conditions really well. This included a section of tight-turning trails, with kids and dogs to test this bike’s maneuverability.

The small frame size doesn’t mean this is an e-bike for small people. Evelo claims the Dash can be adjusted to comfortably fit riders between 4’10” and 6’4”. We had two riders, Matthew at 6’5,” and Sidney at 5’1,” test ride the Dash. Matthew said he would’ve liked having the bike sit about an inch taller (which made sense). Sidney said she was fine with the size but couldn’t ride it if it sat any higher.

Anchoring the cockpit is the Zoom 610 mm aluminum handlebar. Narrower than most e-bike handlebars, the Zoom bars were adequate in helping me safely control this e-bike. The bars have to be this size in order to make this a folding e-bike. The LCD color display was easy to see in bright daylight and in the ensuing darkness of early twilight. Rounding out the cockpit ergonomics include the PAS control buttons, left thumb throttle, grips and brake levers.

The unique frame design is what really makes the Evelo Dash standout as a folding e-bike. This frame was literally designed from scratch on a clean sheet of paper. Every tube is unique to the frame, and the development of the frame was a nearly three year process from prototype to finished product. All of the tubes are unique, unlike other e-bike frames that are produced from standard off the shelf tubes. The Dash’s frame passed the more stringent mountain bike test (ISO 4210) before being introduced to buyers. Even though this was not an industry requirement for this type of e-bike, it shows that Evelo is serious about maximizing this bike’s durability.

When you look at how you can take advantage of this bike’s foldability, you will start to see how valuable the Evelo Dash really is. When I used to ride the train everyday to my job downtown, I could’ve kept this bike with me and used it to take me that last mile-and-a-half to the office, instead of riding the bus. When I drove those long crosscountry trips to visit family, I could’ve fit this in my trunk and used it for transportation when my wife needed the car. When I was living in my apartment, and had no safe place to park and lock my bike overnight, I could’ve made this my e-bike and conveniently stored it inside my dinky apartment.

Do you see what I mean about how this folding e-bike can take care of needs you might not have thought about before?

Compared to cheaper folding e-bikes on the market, Evelo offers a more upscale product with its Dash model. The smooth acceleration of the mid-drive motor to the internal gear hub is an efficient way to get power out of the small motor, even though its output will drop proportionally as you go faster. This bike is meant to get you there, plain and simple, not get you there at the same speed as a regular e-bike. That’s the give-and-take of having the folding convenience, and being able to ride when you previously couldn’t.

The Dash is not for the budget-focused consumer. Evelo mixed in high quality components, like the mid-drive motor, internal gear hub, and torque sensor, which puts this in the $3000 range, not the $1500 range. That’s not a bad price range at all considering what the Dash includes. The cheaper models will likely be heavier and not have the same folding convenienece. My advice is for you to look twice before dismissing this e-bike as too expensive.

Also, remember how clean life will be having a belt drive and internal gear hub – no dirty deposits left in your trunk, closet or clothes because there’s no greasy chain, chainring or cassette. Thank you Gates and Sturmey-Archer!

New Dash owners who are new to internal gear hubs will have a learning curve as they get the hang of shifting on hills. The lack of shiftability might frustrate unaware riders in the beginning, but you’ll get the hang of it with time and conscious approaches to steeper hills.

Evelo touts their responsiveness to site visitors and existing owners, claiming they are on duty seven days a week. While we can’t speak to that, their handful of reviews are good and the company demonstrates an understanding of bikes that goes deeper than just talking to a Chinese factory. This is a company that understands both bikes and mobility. (For those curious about origin stories, the Mordkovich brothers, who started Evelo, have a pretty fascinating path to launching the bike brand.)

Like many of the brands we review, they are direct to consumer, but offer buyers a 21-day at-home trial. Should the occasion to put an e-bike’s warranty to use occurs, it will usually emerge in the first year or two of bike ownership. Evelo offers a four year warranty, which is a substantial improvement over the single year offered by many companies.

The Evelo Dash is an e-bike that presents a strong take on what a folding e-bike can be. Even for those who weren’t sold on the idea of a folding bike, this is one worth looking at for its sheer versatility.

‘Happy Riding, make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Evelo Dash.