I have been looking for a 29er full suspension to replace my 1996 Super V and 2001 Jekyll (both 26”). I have also been tossing around the idea of an e-bike since I’m such an incredibly crummy climber. While I’ve been steadily losing weight, I still don’t really have “legs and lungs”, so I always get dropped on even the smallest incline.
After searching online for almost a year, I found the HAL e29 “demo” deal from BikesDirect.com for just slightly more than I had been finding used “analog” full suspensions. So, I crossed my fingers and ordered it late on a Friday night. It arrived on Thursday, about 3 days faster than I expected, really well packed, and without ANY sign of being anything but brand new. Chet signed for the delivery, unpacked it, and had it 98% assembled when I got home from my bike ride.
My first ride was on an 8 mile paved trail with a few decent-sized hills. Even though the HAL weighs double what our 29er hardtails do, I had no trouble keeping up with Chet, even with the assist turned off. In fact, the only time I noticed the weight (besides putting it on the rack - OOF!) was when headed up hill, or when trying to get air.
My next ride was off road at one of my favorite trails with lots of roots, rocks, punchy climbs, and fun features. The plush suspension sucked up every bump and the only time I noticed that it is a 47 lb bike is when we were motoring up hill. I rode with the assist off except when hitting those punchy climbs, so instead of having to bail part way up like usual, I managed to just buzz right up all but one of them. By mile 8, my legs were gassed, so I put the pedal assist in Eco mode. The assist allowed me to ride the last 2 miles without dying. In fact, I even rode up the last hill a second time so Chet could get video of my stair ride.
PROS:
- Super plush and very personalizable suspension powered by Rockshox that keeps the bike glued to the ground.
- Dependable 1 x 12 drivetrain.
- HUGE battery life.
- Dropper post.
- There’s enough clearance between the dropper and rear tire to use a seat pack.
- Adjustable brake lever reach.
- Intuitive computer remote.
- The frame is really well balanced.
- Doesn’t ride like an almost 50 lb bike.
- The computer gives you all the info you need and nothing you don’t.
- Weight!!
- I don’t love the black on black stealth look.
- The frame’s weird top tube hump kills stand over clearance - I can just stand flat footed on the small with the saddle all the way back (30” inseam).
- The battery itself is almost 5 lbs.
- The stock WTB saddle isn’t completely awful, but 10 miles were my max on it without pain.
- If your inseam is less than 30”, the dropper post will be too long on the small.
- The stock grips are really thin and the bar is way too wide for smaller riders.
- The dropper post remote requires some serious thumb strength.
- The stock Rekon tires are not tubeless ready.
- Zero water bottle bosses on the small.
| Frame | Custom Mid-Drive Full Suspension with BOOST Axle Spacing 29er SUSP. MTB ALLOY(6061) WHEEL TRAVEL: Up to 130mm. B.B. SHELL: FOR SHIMANO E MOTOR ( KNUCKLE BOX MADE BY CNC ) Hydroformed Butted and Geometric Multishaped Aluminum tubes,1 set H2O Bosses (Small has no bosses), Four Bar Rocker Arm with HAL Linkage. Gusseted SL 6061 Aluminum (Disc Brake) Super Smooth Sealed Cartridge Bearings at critical pivots, ALU VERTICAL REPLACEABLE HANGER, POST DISK MOUNT. O.L.N:148MM |
| Fork/ Rear Shock | Fork: ROCKSHOX RECON SILVER-RL 29, CROWN ADJUST w/ MXL LITE BOOST™ 15X110MM ThruAXLE, SOLO AIR 120MM, DIF BLACK STEALTH FAST BLACK UPPERS, 51 OFFSET, STEERER: ALLOY (1.5" to 1-1/8" tapered ) CROWN:Forged, hollow aluminum, STANCHION: 32mm straight wall steel, BLADE: Magnesium, 160mm post disc mount W/Extl rebnd, low speed comp to lock . ( Fits Up to 29" x2.6" TIRE ) |
| Crankset | SHIMANO FC-E6100, 175MM, SM-CRE80-B, 36T |
| Bottom Bracket | SHIMANO MidDrive E6100M |
| Pedals | Platform MTB 9/16" CR-MO AXLE, BLACK PP BODY, STEEL BLK CAGE W/BS REFL |
| Front Derailleur | N/A |
| Rear Derailleur | SHIMANO RD-M6100 DEORE SGS 12-SP, TOPNORMAL, SHADOWPLUS DESIGN, DIRECT ATTACHMENT |
| Shifters | SHIMANO SL-M6100-R, DEORE, 12-SP RAPIDFIRE PLUS W/ OPTICAL GEAR DISPLAY |
| Cassette/Freewheel | SHIMANO CASSETTE, CS-M6100-12, DEORE, 12-SPEED (HYPERGLIDE+), 10-12-14-16-18-21-24-28-33-39-45-51T |
| Chain | SHIMANO Compatible, 122LINKS FOR 12-SPEED |
| Hubs | F/HUB SHIMANO HB-MT400-B, CENTER LOCK DISC 32H, 15MM THRUAXLE, OL:110MM F/HUB AXLE ROCKSHOX BOOST 15x110 MXL LITE. R/HUB SHIMANO FH-MT410-B, CENTER LOCK DISC 12-SPEED, 12MM THRUAXLE, 32H OL:148MM, R.HUB THRUAxle, ALLOY 7075, M12xP1.75x180L/THREAD 20mm |
| Spokes | 14Gx64PCS XD-BLACK STAINLESS W/14MM BRASS NIPPLE |
| Rims | WTB STP i25 TCS 29" 32 hole drilling, Disc, Black Anodized; PV drilled, Pinned Joint (Tubeless Compatible System Rim *See FAQ page for Tubeless system setup) |
| Tires | MAXXIS REKON 29X2.40, 60 TPI Wire Bead |
| Brakes | SHIMANO HYDRAULIC DISC MT200 w/SM-MA-F180P/P2, RESIN PAD/ SHIMANO ROTOR FOR DISC BRAKE, SM-RT10, 180MM, W/LOCK RING |
| Brake Levers | SHIMANO HYDRAULIC DISC MT200 |
| Headset | FSA ORBIT 1.5 ZS, FOR 1-1/8"/1.5", Internal Alloy Cups, 1-1/8" ACB Upper, 1.5" ACB Lower, w/Std 12.3mm top cover, W/39.78 BALL RACE ( 28.6x44/55.95x39.78mm) |
| Handlebar | MTB ALLOY 6061 RISE H/BAR ( 9° ) B/CENTER: 31.8mm.R/W:20/780mm. SS.A.BK |
| Stem | MTB ALLOY 6061 EXT:(6°) 80/90/100MM FOR 40/46-48/52-60CM ,C/S:31.8x28.6x37mm |
| Tape/Grip | VP LockOn PP/TPR MATERIAL W/ Single Aluminum Clamp |
| Saddle | WTB Rocket SL, Satin Steel Rail, Flex Tuned Shell, DNAx Padding, PU Leather |
| Seat Post | KS E-TEN- I DROPPER POST (INTERNAL ROUTE), 30.9*385MM, TRAVEL: 100MM W/KGP REMOTE |
| Drive Unit | DRIVE UNIT SHIMANO KDUE6100M MID SHIP POSITION, FOR 20mph, W/TL-EW02 |
| Battery | BATTERY SHIMANO BT-E8014, FOR STEPS, POSITION : (DOWN TUBE), 418Wh, FOR EU/USA/CANADA, BATTERY HOLDER SHIMANO BM-E8010, FOR STEPS, FOR BT-E8010, BATTERY CABLE LENGTH 300MM |
| Speed Sensor | SHIMANO SPEED SENSOR UNIT, SM-DUE10, CABLE LENGTH 540MM |
| Cycle Computer/Display | CYCLE COMPUTER SHIMANO SC-E6100, CLAMP BAND DIAMETER 31.8MM |
| Seat Post Clamp | Ultra Light Alu+ Bolt |
| Sizes | See pull down |
| Extras | CONTROLLER SHIMANO INCLUDING IN DRIVE UNIT BATTERY CHARGER SHIMANO EC-E6000-2, FOR STEPS BT-E6000/E6010, BUILT IN AC POWER CABLE FOR USA/CANADA W/ADAPTER FOR BATTERY CONNECTOR SWITCH UNIT SHIMANO SW-E6010-L, LEFT, FOR ASSIST W/ELECTRIC WIRE (FITTED TYPE), LOCK FOR BATTERY toABUS 37196 SHIMANO-RH |
IMPRESSION:
I’m now 3 rides in on the HAL, and I’m beyond pleased with its performance and value. It is everything I was looking for in a full suspension bike, with a boost on the uphills where I struggle most. I love that I can now go exploring without constantly worrying about petering out on the way home!
As with any bike, I’ve switched out the grips, pedals, and saddle already to both fit me better and add pops of color. We spent about a 1/2 hr setting the suspension up for my weight, so I’ll need to update my review after my next ride. I will also post updated pictures when I finish with customizing him.
60 MILE UPDATE (7/1/23):
I have now put over 60 miles on Zeus and all but the first 8 have been off road. I’ve done some exploring on local 2-tracks, and ridden some singletrack, and I’m even more impressed now than I was the first 3 rides. The HAL is really well balanced on the trail, with the perfect dimensions for our local trails. He’s a bit unwieldy on really tight, twisty trails, but I’m not sure if that’s from his weight or his dimensions. On the downhills, and at speed, however, he is a hoot! He is supremely sure footed and feels very planted on rough trail (tires currently at 30 psi, but I think I can go lower). I’ve continued riding with assist off except for uphills, or when my legs get fatigued, and I no longer look at uphills with total dread - I know ECO mode with a slight shift to the nose of the saddle and a strong pull of the bars down and back will get me up almost anything. Other reviewers have mentioned weak braking, but I haven’t had that issue at all; maybe because I never ride in any mode stronger than ECO?
I haven't charged the battery since the first ride, and I’ve still got 3 of the 5 battery lights on. The computer says I still have around 53 miles in full time ECO mode, so I’m figuring I should get around 75-100 miles on this charge
I had to cut 1 1/2” off each end of the bars (and I think another 1/4” will be coming off soon) to slow down the steering a bit and make it more comfortable for me. The only other things I’ve found are that the dropper thumb lever has gotten really sticky and won’t release unless I unweight the seat first; and the key slot to remove the battery is a pain-in-the-ass. I just can’t get the damn key to go in. Grrrr.
Here’s what he looks like now (still waiting on my Slik Graphics fork and rear shock decals to arrive):
300 MILE UPDATE (10/30/23):
I continue to be impressed with this bike. It's taken everything I've thrown at it without issue. I've been riding with the assist on "Normal" more often, just to keep up with hubby who has been riding his Cannondale Moterra in "Boost" mode. I switch to "High" only on climbs where I feel like I'm running out of steam. I have to admit, I've been finding true joy in riding with the assist on.
The last of the Zeus' color accents have been added now.
SIDE NOTE:
While the State of Michigan considers Class 1 e-bikes not motor vehicles (and therefore a standard bike), the DNR and most land owners still haven’t made that leap. This means they are not currently allowed on most off-road trails. The League of Michigan Bicyclists is working to lobby the DNR and educate others on the benefits of Class 1 bikes, but for now, there are only a few trails that expressly allow their use. I truly hope this changes in the near future.
