Evelo Omega Electric Bike Review 2024 – An “Automatic” E-Bike

One of the most common questions we get here at the Electric Bike Report is, “How many miles will this e-bike take me on a single battery charge?” When doing the long range test using the lowest usable pedal assist (PAS) level, the average long distance range with many e-bikes is 40 to 50 miles.

But Evelo’s Omega blew us away with its results in the low PAS test: 83.55 miles! Looking at the graph above, comparing the Omega’s low PAS results with the other cruisers, you will notice the Omega did better than the others. Evelo offers a backup battery that installs behind the seat post tubing. So, if long distance range is a big priority for you, then you should consider getting the second battery. Many riders like having the second battery because they like the convenience of not having to recharge their battery as often.

On the high PAS range test, the Omega turned in good results – 26.89 miles using PAS 5. But compared to the other four models the result was the second shortest distance. Keep in mind that two of the e-bikes that went further only have 500-watt motors, and they didn’t do as well in the circuit test. So there is some tradeoff between the high and low PAS tests.

The best way to look at this is using as an example a car that gets great highway mileage, but not as impressive mileage in the city. But it also has the power and convenience you like.

The hill climb test is never meant to label a bike as good or bad – it’s meant to test each bike under extreme conditions. Our test hill is the same one we’ve used for over 100 other e-bikes. Some e-bikes are best at hill climbing, while others are stronger in other areas.

The Omega’s Enviolo transmission is like no other. It features a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which is an advanced form of transmitting power from the pedal to the rear wheel. By eliminating gear indexing between the high and low gears, the CVT transitions seamlessly to a finite number gear ratios that are impossible to recreate on a rear cassette that most other e-bikes have. Other benefits from the CVT include quiet operation and it’s maintenance free.

E-bikes with rear hub motors usually perform better on the hill climb test because this test is all about the motor, and less about the rider pedaling. This puts mid-drive motors at a bit of a disadvantage when comparing results as the free-spinning hub motors typically have a torque advantage when you’re not pedaling. The throttle-only hillclimb test doesn’t allow pedaling.

Mid-drive motors are popular because they are more efficient in how they consume energy from the battery (remember the Omega’s awesome long distance range?), and how they work better in unison with the rider’s pedaling. The Omega is the only bike in our test group that has a mid-drive motor, which is why it didn’t tally like the rest. But it still made it to the top of our hill.

The Omega’s ability to reach the top on the throttle test is pretty impressive – By the time I tested the Omega’s hillclimbing ability I had ridden over 10 miles on mostly flat terrain. When I reached the bottom of the hill, I naturally wanted to downshift and increase my PAS level – but those features are not on this bike.

Not to worry, though, because the Enviolo CVT and Dapu mid-drive motor worked really well in unison, eliminating the worry about gear changing and PAS level setting. This was a surreal experience for me on the first couple of hillclimbs. This says something about the advanced engineering Evelo devoted to developing this e-bike. And that’s another perk that adds value to the Evelo Omega.

When you consider how electric bikes have an external power source making it go faster than just your pedaling, stopping power is a big deal. At the Electric Bike Report we treat brake tests as a big, which is why we test a bike at least three times and then calculate the average distance for stopping.
Since cruisers tend to be some of the heaviest e-bikes, they usually don’t stop as well as the lighter and smaller e-bikes. Fortunately, Evelo stocked a good hydraulic brake system, with a pair of Zoom HD 875 brakes, and 180mm rotors, to make the Omega stop.

The average stopping distance for all e-bikes in the EBR brake test is 22 feet (as of this writing). The Omega’s average distance was 24-feet 7-inches, which was a tad long, but still respectable.
It helped that this e-bike has slightly fatter tires (26” x 2.8”) and the tread is more suitable for paved roads. If this bike had off-road knobby tires, the brake test result would not have been as good. And a lot of the cruisers didn’t test quite as well as the Omega.

“Relax and enjoy the ride” is a theme we keep repeating throughout this Evelo Omega review, and that’s the feeling we get behind the cockpit (handlebar and controls).

With the correct setting for seat height and handlebar reach, my arms rested on the grips in a relaxed fashion. I really liked the rubber grips because when my palms sweat, I still keep a good grip, unlike the faux leather grips found on other cruiser e-bikes.

Kudos to Evelo for the ingenuity they put into creating the Omega as a hybrid commuter and cruiser e-bike. They are known for coming up with great bikes that feature mid-drive motors and gearing that involves something other than a cassette and derailleur. The 750w Dapu motor pairs really well with the Enviolo Trekking CVT gear hub in creating a powerful bike that’s easy to ride.

Pairing the Enviolo app to this bike enables you to calibrate the AutomatIQ as well as update its software. With most other e-bikes, you have to take your bike to a bike shop to calibrate and update the bike’s software. But not with the Omega’s Enviolo AutomatIQ. Enviolo produced a video to help newbies on this, too. This do-it-yourself feature can save you time and money.

Another great app feature is to adjust the cadence setting, which manages the effectiveness of your pedaling in relation to the road conditions. You cannot do this with most other e-bikes and we really appreciate this feature – although we wish there was a way to control it on the fly instead of popping open the app.

Adding to the Omega’s value, It’s great to see they didn’t spoil the quality motor and gear hub by offering cheap components to keep the price down. You’re getting a quality electric bike with the Omega, and it’s reflected by the price (currently in the sub-$4500 range).

Considering all the amenities on the Omega, Evelo shows they are serious about producing a reliable e-bike, with the 4-year/20,000 mile warranty. As a bike mechanic and former manager, I rarely see bikes and e-bikes that are ridden 5,000 miles a year. Evelo’s warranty means they are confident about the quality of their bikes, which is really impressive.

The Evelo Omega is available as direct-to-consumer online, which helps keep the price down. They don’t charge for shipping and when you receive the box the bike is shipped in, you’ll have very little set up to do. Their bikes come with a 21-day trial, and a 100% refund (and no shipping or restocking fee) if you don’t feel it’s for you – a vote of confidence from Evelo and something that curbs any potential downside for the consumer.

If you need a professional mechanic to fix your bike, they have a network of partner bike shops they can connect you to. And their customer support is on call 7 days a week.

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 Omega.