IZIP E3 Peak+ Electric Bike Review Part 2: Ride & Range Test [VIDEO]

If you are looking for a fun all terrain electric mountain bike that can roll over almost anything while still being fairly nimble then you should checkout the IZIP E3 Peak+. 

The IZIP E3 Peak+ has nearly 3″ wide “Plus” size tires with the high quality Bosch Performance Line CX for riding up and over all sorts of terrain.

At $3,099 the Peak+ offers a lot of fun, performance, and value for this new category of Plus size wheel eMTB’s.

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 IZIP E3 Peak+:

To get acquainted with the IZIP E3 Peak+, checkout this video:

Riding the IZIP E3Peak+:

Overall there are some characteristics of the IZIP E3 Peak+ that really stand out when riding this Plus tire size eMTB. To summarize they are: 

• A fully capable eMTB that can handle a wide variety of terrain
• The stable, comfortable, and fun ride feel of the Plus size tires
• The quality & performance of the Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive system

The Look & Feel of the IZIP E3 Peak+

Like the Dash speed pedelec that was recently reviewed, IZIP has really done a nice job of creating a clean and sophisticated looking 6061 aluminum frame for the Peak+.  

The hydroformed tubes have been shaped to provide strength in the right places, clean integration of the Bosch mid-drive system, a bike that can fit a wide range of rider sizes, and some unique styling. 

One of the highlights is the downtube that has a large surface area connection at the headtube and then transitions to create a recessed flat area for the Bosch PowerPack battery.

And further down there is aluminum shrouding that blends the battery pack form with the downtube and motor mount for a nice cohesive look. 

Similarly the top tube has a large surface area connection at the headtube and it slopes steeply to a low point to provide a significant amount of standover height so the Peak+ can fit a wide range of rider sizes. 

At the low point of the top tube IZIP added a piece of reinforced tubing that provides strength to the frame and the triangular area looks unique and pretty cool too!

Just below that triangular area of the top tube to seat tube junction the seat tube connects to the motor mount with an enlarged section of tubing for additional strength. 

The headtube is a very solid part of the frame with the large sections of the top and down tubes connecting. The FSA low stack headset has a very clean look.

There is some integrated cable routing that provides for some cable/wiring protection and a modern, clean look.

The nearly 3″ wide Plus size tires are a lot of fun and to fit these large tires IZIP utilized a forged chainstay yoke to keep the chainstays at the right length with solid attachment to the Bosch motor mount. 

The clearance between the side of the rear tire and chainstay yoke is a bit tight at around a 1/4″. If you ride in muddy conditions this could pack up a little, although there is pretty good clearance between the top of the tire and back of the motor mount as you can see in this picture. 

Clearance between the sides of the rear tire at the seat stays is a better at around 3/8″ and it also has room for the mud to move through at the top of the tire. 

The IZIP E3 Peak+ comes in 2 different sizes to fit a wide range of riders. This is a nice feature because not all electric bikes come in multiple sizes.

Here are the sizes with corresponding geometry measurements:

Medium 17″ frame, fits riders from 5’ 4” to 5’ 10”

Large 19″ frame, fits riders from 5’ 8” to 6’ 2″

Here are the geometry specs:

The IZIP E3 Peak+ I tested was the Large 19″ frame size.

Overall IZIP has really stepped up their frame design and construction to create eBikes that function well and look good. 

After many miles of riding the IZIP E3 Peak+ it has proven itself to be a fully capable electric mountain bike that can handle a wide variety of terrain: sand, hard pack trails, mud, snow, and everything in between.

It also makes a fun and super stable around town commuter!

The nearly 3″ wide tires provide a very stable ride feel with their large surface area and volume of air in the tires. Plus size tires can run lower pressure (+ or – 20 psi) than traditional mountain bike tires because of the large volume of air that they contain.

Pinch flatting the tube is less of a concern at these relatively lower pressures because there is so much air volume for the tires to absorb impacts from rocks, roots, etc.

And pinch flatting is almost eliminated when running a tubeless system with Plus size tires. The Peak+ comes with tubes but it can be converted to a tubeless system. This is a great way to run the lower pressures and almost eliminate flats from thorns, glass, and other small objects because the sealant closes the holes. 

With the right tire pressure the 2.8″ wide Kenda Havoc Plus size tires are able to absorb a lot of rough terrain and they create a bit of a suspension effect.

To take full advantage of the Plus size tires it is very important to find the right pressure for your weight and riding style. There is a bit of trial and error to dial that in and I know some riders are using a digital pressure gauge because the difference between a few psi can make a big difference in the overall ride performance.

Even though the IZIP E3 Peak+ is a hardtail it has a substantial amount of suspension effect from the Plus size rear tire. In addition the 2.8″ tires with the right pressure have amazing traction because they are able to mold around rough terrain (rocks, roots, etc.) in the road or trail.

Plus size tires have created a sweet spot between the normal 2″-2.4″ wide traditional mountain bike tire and a 4″+ wide fat bike tire.

They have a similar “monster truck” feel of a fat bike that rolls over almost anything while mostly avoiding the sluggish turning and cornering affect that fat bikes have.

They pick up more of the agile cornering and turning feel of a traditional mountain bike tire. 

Here is a good video comparing the attributes of a Fat bike vs. Plus bike:

Another interesting tidbit is that 27.5″ Plus size tires have a diameter that gets close to a traditional 29er tire so they pick up some of the big wheel ability to roll over a lot of obstacles well. 

When you combine the high quality performance of the Bosch CX mid-drive electric assist and the nearly 3″ wide Kenda Havok tires with lower tire pressure, the IZIP E3 Peak+ can climb incredibly rough terrain! 

Overall, these Plus size tires are a great fit for eMTB’s.

Okay, now let’s take a look at the ride position on the IZIP E3 Peak+.

The Peak+ has a typical performance mountain bike ride position that is somewhat hunched over but it is upright enough to see around you pretty well and it feels pretty comfortable both on and off road.

If you are looking for a more upright position an adjustable stem can help to dial in your preferred handlebar height and fore/aft position. 

The wide handlebars give the feeling of stability and they provide a lot of leverage for handling the nearly 3″ wide tires. The combination of the IZIP E3 Peak+ wide tires and wide flat bars creates a very stable ride feel.

The grips have a collar that tightens to the handlebars so that the grips don’t move around for a solid and confident ride feel.

The Suntour XCR suspension fork with 120 mm (4.7″) of travel does a good job of taking the edge off of rough terrain. 

The lockout helps to create a more efficient ride on smooth roads by preventing the fork from moving up and down when you are standing out of the saddle and pedaling hard. 

The XCR is a pretty good fork for general off-road riding and road riding. It is in the intermediate component spec range and it helps to keep the Peak+ at the $3,099 price point.  

If you plan on spending a lot of time riding technical off-road terrain with the Peak+ you may eventually want to upgrade the fork, but the XCR is a good fork to get started with. 

The saddle has a narrow performance style profile with a relief section in the center. It’s a good saddle for performance riding but not the most comfortable for everyday cruising. 

And as mentioned earlier, the Peak+ is a hardtail but the large volume Plus size tires add a bit of a suspension effect at the lower tire pressures. 

If you still want to take more of the edge off, a suspension seatpost is a good option. 

If you plan on riding the Peak+ off road on rough and steep terrain then a dropper post would be a nice upgrade. A dropper post moves the seat down and out of the way so that you can lower your center of gravity and move around the bike better in challenging terrain. They also make a big difference when cornering by moving your center of gravity down so that you can carve a corner easier. 

A 10 speed drivetrain with an 11-40t Sunrace cogset and Shimano Deore derailleur and shifter are a nice spec for the IZIP E3 Peak+. These are intermediate range drivetrain parts and they perform well.

The Deore derailleur has a clutch to tighten the chain and reduce chain slap on the chainstay of the frame. The clutch can be released with a lever to make removal of the rear wheel easier.  

When shifting from the larger cogs to smaller cogs (in pedal assist levels Sport & Turbo) the shifts can be somewhat abrupt but very solid. Shifting from smaller cogs to larger cogs is pretty smooth. 

The IZIP E3 Peak+ is a Class 1 pedelec (pedal assist only) that can assist up to 2o mph and with its Bosch Performance Line CX 350 watt mid-drive it can efficiently climb steep hills using the lower gears of the bikes drivetrain. 

The Bosch CX system has been designed with mountain biking in mind by providing a lot of initial torque for help with getting started in technical and steep terrain. It provides up to 75 Nm of continuous torque and that does really help when riding on rough roads and trails. 

With mountain biking and rough terrain in mind IZIP equipped the Peak+ with a bash guard to protect the underside of the Bosch CX mid-drive motor. 

Like all Bosch systems the CX measures your pedal power (with a torque sensor), the speed you are turning the cranks (cadence sensor), and the wheel speed to create a smooth blend of the electric assist with your pedal power. Bosch systems take these measurements 1,000 times per second to create the intuitive and high quality performance feel that they are known for. 

All of these high-tech features create a feeling of amplifying your pedal power and it intuitively follows your lead when providing you with the amount of power assist and when. If you are pedaling hard the Bosch system give you a big boost and if you are just cruising the Bosch system provides you with easy going cruising power. 

The 4 levels of pedal assist below vary that amount of amplified power.

Eco = 50% assist

Tour = 120% assist

Sport = 210% assist

Turbo = 300% assist

Like most mid-drives the Bosch CX motor does created some noise and it is most noticeable in the lower gear range (larger cogs) and when your pedaling at a high cadence. In the higher gear range (smaller cogs) and lower pedal cadences it is not very noticeable. Overall the motor noise is in the lower range compared to other eBikes that I have tested. 

The IZIP E3 Peak+ comes equipped with the the Bosch Powerpack 400 36 Volt 11.1 ah (400 watt hours) lithium battery that is located on the downtube of the frame and built in to the cohesive looking frame mount. 

The downtube battery location and mid-drive motor provides for a very centered and low weight distribution which is good for overall bike handling. The Peak+ feels much like a conventional (non-electric) bike when cornering and when you pick it up it has a very balanced feel. 

The Bosch PowerPack 400 lithium battery can be charged on or off the bike and fully charging an empty battery takes 3.5 hours while charging it to 50% only takes 1.5 hours. 

Once the battery has been unlocked with the supplied key (it comes with 2 keys) it lifts off of the battery mount for removal from the frame.

The key for the battery lock is an ABUS key and can be matched with an ABUS lock so that you have the same key for the eBike battery and lock. 

Removing the 5.5 pound battery pack brings the weight of the IZIP E3 Peak+ to 46.8 pounds which makes it a little easier to load on a car rack. 

Okay, now let’s take a look at the controls and display on the Peak+.

The Bosch Intuvia display has a large format layout and provides a lot of good information without being overwhelming. 

The display provides a lot of information like the pedal assist level, speedometer, odometer, trip distance, battery level, and estimated range. 

A backlit feature makes it easy to see day or night. 

The range feature is great because it will give you an estimate of how much range you have left based on the assist level you are using, the current battery level, and what kind of terrain you have been riding on.

With a full battery these are the estimated ranges:

Pedal assist level 1 = 52 miles

Pedal assist level 2 = 27 miles

Pedal assist level 3 = 20 miles

Pedal assist level 4 = 16 miles

In the following range test results you will see how accurate these range estimates were. 

The pedal assist levels are easily adjusted with the control pad on the left side of the handlebars with the + or – buttons and the information on the display is cycled through with they i button on the control pad. 

Slowing the IZIP E3 Peak+ down is handled by the TRP Slate T4 hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors. 

These brakes have a very solid feel and their stopping power is impressive with a predictable progressive modulation. 

The brake lever reach can be adjusted to fit your hand size with a small allen wrench on the back side of the brake lever. 

Okay, let’s see how the IZIP E3 Peak+ did out on the open road!

IZIP E3 Peak+ Range Test Results:

Here is the real world information on how the IZIP E3 Peak+ 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. I tested the IZIP E3 Peak+ in the highest pedal assist level (level 4 – Turbo) with relatively easy pedaling on paved roads.

Range: As you can see from the GPS info that I recorded, the IZIP E3 Peak+ traveled 23.9 miles and did a total elevation gain of around 2,300 ft. Considering that I weigh 190 lbs and I pedaled very lightly this is pretty good range for a 36 Volt 11.1 ah battery pack (400 Watt Hours) with a 350 watt motor assisting up to 20 mph. 

It is nice that when I started the range test with a fully charged battery in pedal assist level 4 (Turbo) the display estimated the range to be 16 miles but yet the bike went 23.9 miles on a course with substantial climbing.

Based on this it seems that the range estimates for the other pedal assist levels (Eco = 52 miles, Tour = 27 miles, Sport = 20 miles) should be close to accurate or equally conservative in their estimates. 

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: The IZIP E3 Peak+ will assist up to 20 mph with pedal assist only, there is no throttle.

Weight: The IZIP E3 Peak+ tips the scales at 52.3 lbs which is a fairly average electric bike weight. Removing the battery brings it down to around 46.8 pounds which makes it a little easier to load onto a car rack.

The weight distribution of the IZIP E3 Peak+ is very good because the battery and motor are low and centered on the bike.

Pros:

Plus Size Tires: The nearly 3″ wide 27.5″ Plus size tires combined with the Bosch CX mid-drive provide for a very fun ride! The big volume tires provide great traction, a bit of suspension effect, and they also look cool.

Bosch Performance Line CX: Like other Bosch systems the CX has a high quality performance feel and it does a great job of blending the electric assist with your pedal power. The added initial torque does help for riding on technical off road terrain. The estimated range feature is very nice when you are out riding because you can make adjustments to the pedal assist level and your pedal power to get the most out of your ride. 

Price: It is impressive to get a well designed aluminum frame,  Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive system, 27+ wheels/tires and a solid line up of components for $3,099. The IZIP E3 Peak+ is provides a lot of value for this category of Plus size eMTB.

Cons:

Noise: Like almost all mid-drives the Bosch CX motor makes some noise in the higher gear range. The noise level is in lower range compared to many other eBikes. 

Rear Wheel Frame Clearance: The clearance between the side of the rear tire and the chainstay yoke of the frame is a bit tight at ~1/4″ and this can pack up a bit in really muddy conditions, although there is pretty good clearance between the top of the tire and back of the motor mount. 

Conclusion:

Overall the IZIP E3 Peak+ is a lot of fun to ride with it’s nearly 3″ wide tires and Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive system! It is a very capable and versatile off-road eMTB that can be ridden on a wide variety of terrain in addition to being a super stable around town eBike. 

The IZIP E3 Peak+ offers a lot of value for the price of $3,099 with its well designed and constructed aluminum frame, Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive system, and its solid component spec from Shimano, Suntour, Kenda, and others.

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 IZIP E3 Peak+? Check with IZIP for a dealer near you.

Do you have any questions about the IZIP E3 Peak+?  Do you own a IZIP E3 Peak+?  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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