The Mod Bike Easy 3 Made Me a Cruising E-Bike Convert
I've always been a fan of just barely electric" e-bikes-unobtrusive machines that are 90% bicycle, 10% extra power to conquer the occasional hill-but riding the Mod Easy 3 made me rethink everything. This fat-tired, power-packed heavyweight is more likely to be mistaken for a motorcycle than an normal" bike, but it's such a blast to ride, I've become a cruising e-bike convert.
Yes, I'm now a big, huge, "don't give a shit" e-bike rider. I don't care about the occasional dirty look I get on my local mixed-use bike path, and I have the Mod Easy 3 to thank for it.
A quick look at the Mod Easy 3ProsUltra comfortable ride
Stylish
Numerous accessories, including a sidecar
All the "bells and whistles" can be a bit much.
Classification: Class 2, adjustable to Class 3 or 1.
Price: $2,999
Colors: Charcoal Black, Army Green
Weight: 77 pounds
Rider's height: 5'2''-6'7''
Bike Max load: 265 pounds
Motor: MOD DRIVE 750W (Peak 1000W) geared hub
Battery range: Up to 50/100 miles
Charging time: 3-6 Hours
Top assist speed: 28 mph
Throttle: Thumb throttle
Pedal assist: Programmable 5 levels, Torque Sensor
Frame: 6061 aluminum frame
Rims: 24'' x 80mm
Fork: Mozo, 100mm Travel, w/ preload and lockout
Brakes: Hydraulic Disc Brakes with 180mm rotors, Dual-Piston calipers with motor Inhibitors
Tires: Multi terrain Kenda Flame 24'' x 3.00''
Derailleur: Shimano ALTUS 7 speed
Credit: Stephen Johnson Visually, the Mod Easy 3 makes a definite statement. It's patterned after motorcycles from the 1940s, with its fat tires, large gas-tank" (that actually holds the battery), and fat saddle. It comes in only two colors, army green and matte black, but I gotta figure 90% of people would choose one of those iconic hues anyway. A big LED headlight over the front fender completes this stout boy's beefy motorcycle look. (My wife says riding it make me look thinner, so points for that.)
What it's like to ride a Mod Easy 3I rode a Mod Easy 3 for over 100 miles for this review, in all kinds of conditions, and on all kinds of roads. The verdict: I love riding this bike.
In keeping with the cruiser" ethos, the key concept of the Mod Easy 3 is comfort. The Easy 3's geometry and swept-back handlebars keep you upright, with all your weight distributed to your butt and legs-the perfect position for laid-back cruising. The 24" wheels (with fat 3" tires), suspension fork, and cushy faux-leather saddle with seat-post suspension eat up road bumps so well, you barely feel a thing. As e-bikes go, it's a comfortable, even lush, ride.
The Mod Easy 3 says it's designed for riders between 5 feet 2 inches and 6 feet 7 inches, which is a big range. It felt fine to me, size-wise, at 5 feet 8 inches, but I can't really say how it would feel for people on the outer edges of its size range.
Given it's such a heavy bike, I expected it to feel sluggish or unwieldy, and at very slow speeds, it does. But once you give it a little juice, either through pedaling or hitting the throttle, the extra weight seems to disappear, leaving the bike feeling maneuverable and solid. It's not nimble, but it is responsive enough that you'll feel confident it can do what you ask of it.
Credit: Stephen Johnson When configured as a class 3 bike, the Mod Easy's top speed is 28 mph. I've ridden cheaper class 3 cruiser style e-bikes that feel positively terrifying at top speed-rattly and stiff, and prompting thoughts like, "maybe this is too fast." The Mod Easy 3 doesn't give that vibe. It still feels safe and solid, even with the speed pinned near 30 mph.
The motor's power transfer is smooth, it accelerates without lurching, and the torque-based assistance feels organic-more like you have super-powerful legs than a motor helping you go. There are 5 levels of assistance, from fitness," which offers no throttle and gentle help; to turbo," which maxes out the assistance. The specifics for each setting can be customized, so you can dial in the acceleration speed, top speed, and touchiness of the torque sensing.
Before I rode the Mod Easy 3, I was a little concerned about the brakes-it's a heavy bike and I'm a fairly heavy guy- but the hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors provide a surprising amount of stopping power, even with a lot of momentum behind it.
Credit: Stephen Johnson While I mostly rode on paved roads, I also tested the Easy 3 on short stretches of gravel and packed dirt. It handled well, never skidding out or feeling slippy. That said, I wouldn't take this on a serious trail ride-the tires are advertised as all terrain," but this is definitely a cruiser, not a mountain bike.
There are a lot of bells and whistles available for this bike, especially if you add on the "essential pro" bundle and a second battery (a must for longer trips) like I did. I liked all the gear, but having the motion controlled theft-alarm/horn, extra battery, and folding lock also means you'll be juggling four separate keys and a fob (one key for the battery compartment, one for each of the two batteries, one for the lock, plus the remote control key fob for the alarm), which is a bit much when you just want to go for a quick ride.
The Mod Easy 3's display and motor
Credit: Stephen Johnson The Easy 3's color display is easy to read and easy to understand. It tells you how fast you're going, your assistance level, your trip distance and how much juice you have left, and whether your helmet is connected-the Mod Easy 3 pairs with Lumos smart helmet to put turn signals and brake lights on both your bike and your head.
The cockpit controls are easy to understand and easy to use: up and down arrows for the assist level, and directional arrows for the LED turn signals. There's even an old school mechanical bell you can ding to tell rollerbladers to get the hell out of your way. (Although the much louder optional alarm works way better.)
What's under the hood of the Mod Easy 3An e-bike that weighs nearly 80 pounds needs a powerful motor, and the Mod Easy's 750w rear-drive motor puts out up to 1050 watts of power, enough to get even this hefty cruiser up to the bike's top throttle speed of 20 miles per hour. If you configure it as a class 3 bike, it'll easily hit 28 miles per hour if you spin the pedals a bit.
Credit: Stephen Johnson To test the outer limits of the motor, I took my Easy 3 for a ride up Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles, a 1,300-foot elevation hill with some fairly steep climbs. I laid on the throttle with assist at its highest level, and refused to pump the pedals at all, using myself as dead weight and making it do the work of hauling me up. Despite these borderline abusive conditions, the bike still got me to the top. Sure, it used about half its battery charge and slowed down to like 7 mph at some points, but it did not explode, overheat, or otherwise give up the ghost.
Speaking of the batteries, they promise around 50 miles on a charge, which seems fairly accurate, but like any e-bike, how much juice you use will vary wildly depending on how often you pedal, how heavy you are, and the size of the hills and headwinds you're facing.
Accessories include a sidecar and cargo carriers
Credit: Mod Bikes One of the big draws of the Mod Easy 3 is the optional sidecar. No one in my life was willing to ride in it, because they're cowards, so I didn't get to test it out, but if you have a dog, a kid, or a spouse with some guts, you'll make a definite statement rolling up to the beach with one of these attached.
I opted instead for the snap-on trunk bag and front basket. Both attach in seconds, and do everything you'd expect them to do-that is, give you storage space for your lunch and extra water if you're going on a long ride. Mod Bike's accessories include every thing from a stand-up paddleboard, to an insulated food delivery bag, to "doggles" to protect your dog's eyes when riding in the sidecar.
How reliable is the Mod Easy 3? It survived getting hit by a carFor this review, I rode the Mod Easy 3 in all kinds of conditions, including taking it out on a day when temps hit 96F, purposefully riding over potholes on the worst roads I could find, and making it haul me up a huge hill.
No matter what I threw at it, the Easy 3 performed admirably, with no mechanical or electric issues. I was even hit by a car while testing it. Both the bike and I took a big slam onto the pavement, and while I needed a couple months to recover, the bike was fine, save for some scratches in the paint.
The bottom line: A great cruising e-bikeIf you're in the market for a cruiser style bike, the Mod Easy 3 is a great choice. It's stylish, comfortable, fun, and reliable, with a host of accessories available to customize it into your own idea of the perfect cruiser. It balances power and comfort well, and it looks cool at the same time. At the risk of gushing too much, this is the kind of bike that makes you daydream about taking it on longer rides while you're on a ride already. It's grinning-while-riding fun, and will make strangers ask "what is that?" Now if I could just find someone brave enough to ride in my sidecar, I'd be set.