GenZe Sport Electric Bike Review Part 2: Ride & Range Test [VIDEO]

The results are in for the testing and review of the GenZe Sport electric bike!

The Sport is an economical electric bike with some of the features of the more expensive e-bikes.

At $1,499 the GenZe Sport offers an integrated frame battery with Samsung cells, cadence/torque sensor pedal assist (& throttle option), Promax disc brakes, a Shimano drivetrain, and impressive range.

The Sport is a performance style electric bike that is good for zipping around town or on gravel roads.

In this second part of the full review you will get an idea of the ride characteristics, range test results, pros, cons, and overall thoughts on this electric bike.

Make sure you check out part 1 of this review with large pictures and specifications to get a detailed look at this e-bike.

What you can expect from the GenZe Sport:

To get acquainted with the Sport, checkout this video:

GenZe is relatively new to the US market but they are part of Mahindra, a multi billion dollar company from India. In addition to electric bikes, GenZe is also making electric scooters (GenZe 2.0).

GenZe is currently establishing dealers around the US and they are showing off their bikes at select events. They have offices in the San Francisco bay area, Portland OR, and Ann Arbor MI (production for e-scooter & direct operations)

Now let’s take a look at how the GenZe Sport performs out on the road.

Riding the GenZe Sport:

As the name implies, the Sport does have a sporty feel to it. It has a mountain bike style and the ride position definitely speaks to those looking for more of a performance oriented ride. With the flat handlebars and longer stem it has a stretched out position that is good for getting the most out of your pedaling.

The Sport is a good e-bike for zipping around town and exploring gravel roads. It’s central battery location provides for a good handling e-bike and it also keeps the bike looking clean.

GenZe also makes a comfort style e-bike called the Recreational (e102).  It has an upright position with a step thru frame. The Recreational has very similar specs to the Sport and it is also priced at $1,499.

The GenZe Sport comes equipped with a 250 watt geared rear hub motor and a 36V 8.7ah lithium battery that provides for a balanced assist style that will help you with accelerating and climbing hills but still encourages you to do some pedaling.

For the pedal assist option, the Sport uses a cadence and torque sensor combination. This system senses the initial 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the cranks before providing the proportional assist with the torque sensor measuring your pedal power. The idea is to provide a pedal assist system that ensures you are pedaling so that the bike doesn’t accidentally engage if you place your foot on the pedal at a stop (it won’t jump off the line). The torque sensor does a pretty good job but it doesn’t have quite the same responsiveness to torque sensors (ex. TMM4) found on more expensive bikes.

There are 5 different levels of pedal assist modes and the assist will help you up to about 16 mph.  GenZe set the max speed to 16 mph (~25 kph) so that their bikes will fit most of the e-bike laws.

In addition to the 5 different levels of pedal assist, there are also 2 modes: Normal and Power. The pedal assist is pretty mellow in the Normal mode and that will increase the overall range of the bike.  The Power mode provides significantly more boost but will take more of the energy and provide less assisted range. You can change between the Normal and Power modes by holding the Set button (5+ seconds) on the control pad (left side of the handlebars) and then use the + button to cycle between the modes.

The throttle mode allows you to vary the assist with the half twist grip on the right side of the handlebars. You can choose to pedal or not. It also provides a little more speed by assisting up to about 17.5 mph.  The throttle only works when the pedal assist is set to level 0 (no pedal assist).

Pedaling the Sport without assist is remarkably easy.  It’s relatively lightweight at 47 pounds and the “freewheeling” geared rear hub motor helps with that.  In addition the rigid frame and fork (no suspension) and the narrow tires (1.75″) help with the overall pedaling efficiency.

If you wanted to make pedaling this bike without assist even easier you could remove the battery from the frame and the overall bike weight gets close to 42 pounds. Considering all of that, the GenZe Sport is a bike that can transition between a conventional bike (no assist) and an electric bike pretty well.

The 36V 8.7ah lithium battery with Samsung cells is pretty light weight at ~4.5 pounds. It is easy to unlock and remove from the frame for storing and/or charging inside.

It is impressive to see the battery integrated into the downtube of the frame on a bike at this price point.  This is a great location because it centers the battery weight relatively low in the bike for better handling.

And it keeps the bike looking clean.  With the smaller geared rear hub motor some people may not recognize that it is an electric bike.

The frame is constructed with aluminum which is a lightweight material and provides for a more rigid efficient ride quality.  There is some internal cable routing that keeps the look of the bike pretty clean.  The frame & fork details (welds, paint) are a little less “polished” when compared to other bikes in this price range.

As I noted previously, there is no suspension and the tires are fairly narrow which translates into a rougher ride when compared to bikes with a suspension fork and wide tires. Since this is a more performance oriented e-bike, the more efficient ride style does make sense. GenZe will be offering optional suspension upgrades in the near future.

The Alton tires do have a have some knobby tread for riding on gravel roads and there is a center tread pattern for a more efficient ride on the road.

Most geared hub motors make some noise and there is some noise from the GenZe motor, but compared to other geared motors it is remarkably quiet.

The large LCD display centered on the handlebars is easy to read with just enough info: speed, pedal assist level, battery level, trip distance, odometer.  It also has a backlight feature for reading the display at night.

The control pad on the left side of handlebar is easy to use with larger buttons. It has the on/off button, + – buttons for adjusting the pedal assist level, and a set button for adjusting the pedal assist mode (Normal or Power).

The Promax mechanical disc brakes with 160mm rotors work very well to slow the Sport down.  There are sensors built into the brake levers that will stop the assist if the brake levers are engaged.  That is a nice safety feature so that the bike doesn’t keep providing assist when you intend to be slowing down.

The Sport comes with a basic Shimano 7 speed drivetrain that shifts well. The gear range coveres the bases of climbing hills and cruising along the flats pretty well. Since this bike pedals pretty well without assist I do want to note that for this situation it would be nice to have a larger rear cog for easier hill climbing. If you will mainly be using the assist then the gear range is good.

Following along with the Sport style, the saddle is a performance style (narrower) with a cut out in the middle to provide a more comfortable ride.

The Sport does come with a small led front light for being seen at night.  It has a flashing and solid light mode so that others can see you.  It doesn’t provide much light to see the road with.

GenZe spec’ed a double legged kickstand that is easy to use and it provides a solid platform.

GenZe will be offering fenders as an accessory option in the near future.

Alright, now let’s take a look at how the Sport did in the range test!

GenZe Sport Range Test Results:

Here is the real world information on how the GenZe Sport electric bike performed on a riding circuit that includes hills, flats, traffic, wind (when available) etc.

While testing these bikes I like to put them through the toughest conditions to see where their bottom line is in regards to range and speed.  For this test I used pedal assist level 5 in the Power mode on the GenZe Sport.

Range: As you can see from the GPS info that I recorded, the Sport traveled 24.7 miles and did a total elevation gain/loss of around 2,200 ft. Considering that I weigh 190 lbs and I pedaled very lightly this is very good range for a 36 Volt 8.7 ah battery pack (313 Watt Hours) with a 250 watt motor.

The lower max assist speed (16 mph in pedal assist) and a 250 watt motor helps to provide this relatively long range.

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, weigh 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: In the pedal assist modes the max assist speed is 16 mph and in throttle mode the max assist is about 17.5 mph.

Weight: The Sport tips the scales at 47 lbs which is impressive for an electric bike!  Removing the battery brings it down to around 42 pounds which makes it easier to load onto a car rack.

The weight distribution of the Sport is pretty good because the battery is located low and centered on the bike with the relatively light weight geared rear hub motor in the back.

Pros:

Frame Battery: It is nice to see a battery with Samsung cells that is mounted in the frame for good weight distribution and clean looks. It is impressive to see this on a bike that is priced at $1,499.

Relatively Lightweight: At 47 pounds the GenZe Sport is a pretty light electric bike.  This contributes to making it a relatively easy bike to pedal without assist. It is also nice for lifting the bike onto a car rack or transporting it up stairs.

Impressive Range: 25 miles of range for a 36V 8.7ah battery is very good and with a bit more pedaling effort the range could probably be ~30 miles.

Cons:

Finish Quality: The frame and fork details (welds & paint) are not as “polished” as other e-bikes in this price range.

Max Speed: For the US and Canadian markets it would be nice to see the GenZe e-bikes offered with a max assist speed of 20 mph instead of 16 mph for pedal assist and 17.5 mph for throttle.

Conclusion:

For $1,499 the GenZe Sport offers a lot of features. The integrated frame battery with Samsung cells is impressive, and the cadence/torque sensor pedal assist, Promax disc brakes, and Shimano drivetrain round out the GenZe Sport to be an e-bike that provides a pretty good value.

It is a performance style e-bike that has an efficient ride quality with impressive range.

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 buy a GenZe Sport? Check with GenZe for a dealer near you or buy one online.

Do you have any questions about the GenZe Sport?  Do you own a GenZe?  Please share your thoughts 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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