DrJekyllMrHyde
Member
I copied most of this over from my bike review (lazy I know):
Initial impressions have been great after first dozen rides on my new 2020 Bulls E-Stream EVO AM 3 full suspension e-mountain bike with the Brose S-MAG motor. I sprained a knee (not while riding) after the second ride and up to that point it had been a love affair; since then it’s been a different type of love that only the powerful assistance of an eMTB can provide. I simply wouldn’t be getting in the same knee rehab without this eMTB, so to say I’m pleased is an understatement. The trails in my area of Colorado are CHUNKY, with large sandstone rock face climbs/descents, littered with boulders, sand beds, and clay soil that gets nasty when wet. I needed everything plus size tires and a nice full suspension can provide for my varying terrain without paying the steep price of dragging it uphill, enter my desire for an eMTB. I came off a 140mm full suspension 29er that was great downhill but was not fun up technical climbs, and I never found a tire set-up that tolerated the sand beds (simply not enough float). I’m a bigger rider @ 6’3” and 205lbs, so I knew I was going to need an XL frame when I went searching for an eMTB. Initially I had it stuck in my head that I would need to stick with a 29er at least in the front, so I was looking at the Norco Sight VLT 29er (C2) and the Intense Tazer Expert which is a 29front-27.5rear set-up. Both of those bikes are assisted by the Shimano Steps E8000 motor which I tested on other bikes and thought they were nice but lacking any wow factor. In the meantime I was able to rent a Turbo Levo and found that I was pleasantly surprised with the 27.5” wheels and was completely sold on the awesomeness of the Brose motor. Turbo Levos were very difficult to attain at the time and then I knew I would want to upgrade the suspension components a bit. Overall the Turbo Levo was going to cost me a 2-month wait and pretty price tag by the time I did normal upgrades plus the suspension. So I go searching of other make and model eMTBs with the Brose motor available in the USA, seemly just one. The Bulls E-Stream EVO AM series. The AM 3 had the Brose S-Mag motor, a very generous 750 watt hour battery, Fox Float Suspension front/rear, big Magura brakes, and PLUS size (2.8x27.5) tires! All for $5800 delivered to my local Bulls Dealer (there were 2 nearby in South Denver). Wow! Had to take a chance and so glad I did. I watched and read some reviews on the bike before taking delivery and it seemed I had one complaint to conquer from the reviewers, the cockpit. It had some people feeling they were riding “over the bike” instead of “in the bike” during downhill sections; easy enough. Upgraded to wider 800mm fat 35 carbon bars with a 35mm rise while chopping 25mm off the stem length (it was 60mm). Problem fixed! This thing feels so stable when airborne, and the tire/suspension set-up just eats up the terrain when you pick a bad line. If you get a chance to throw your leg over one, prepare to be surprised.
Here’s the quick rundown of this make and model from my original bike review:
Bulls is a German bike company that has entered the US bike in the last half decade with an office and warehouse in Southern California. They have a range of EMTBs with Shimano, Bosch, and Brose motors. This EVO AM series came equipped with the Brose S-Mag (Sport Motor with Magnesium casing), a highly rated class 1 motor providing up to 90NM of torque; in the U.S. you can also find this motor equipped on the very popular Specialized Turbo Levo.The Brose S-mag motor and value compared to the Specialized Turbo Levo is what drew the to this bike. I am impressed with the value and performance of the components. The Fox Suspension combined with the plus size 2.8 tires makes for a very confidence inspiring, forgiving, and comfortable ride. Brose motor is remarkably quiet, surprisingly powerful, and very natural in the way it provides assistance through the pedals; by far the most impressive performance I’ve ridden (and I’ve ridden the Shimano E8000 and the newest Yamaha PX-2). The Blocks 14D display/controller is mounted near the left grip, is very readable in bright light and provides total mileage, trip mileage, and remaining miles of battery for the assistance level currently selected. It has levels 1-3 that are pedal cadence (rpm) based giving you the full assistance of that level if you’re within that wide cadence range. Level 4 is their Flex Mode, it is both cadence and torque based in delivering assistance; which it needs to keep from applying too much power before you want it. Level 4 provides up to 90NM of torque and it’s impressive. Also it has a walk assistance mode that is very helpful should you fail to make a climb. The massive 750 amp hour battery has barely flinched on my normal park rides, it eliminates all battery range fears. Feel free to ask questions in the comments.
Some things I didn’t mention in the video are in screenshots of the specs below.
Here are the initial changes made to the bike:
Converted to Tubeless (drops approx. 1.5 to 2.0 lbs of weight).
RaceFace Next R Carbon 35 fat bars. 800mm width, 35mm Rise. (OEM: Bulls Aluminum 31.6, 760mm width, maybe 10mm of rise)
RaceFace Aeffect 40mm Stem (OEM: MonkeyLink 60mm powered stem).
RaceFace Aeffect Emtb crank arms, 165mm (OEM: Miranda Delta emtb specific cranks, 165mm). These were replaced due to a slightly bent crank arm (that I believe happened during shipping).
Ergon E-Mountain Core Prime Saddle, Men’s, Medium/Large. (OEM: Bulls brand saddle).
OneUp Components Composite Flat pedals (OEM: Bulls brand “Huffy” pedals).
Canondale Aluminum Bottle Cage (OEM: MonkeyLink magnetic bottle attachment, same mounting system as Fidlock USA Brand).
Initial impressions have been great after first dozen rides on my new 2020 Bulls E-Stream EVO AM 3 full suspension e-mountain bike with the Brose S-MAG motor. I sprained a knee (not while riding) after the second ride and up to that point it had been a love affair; since then it’s been a different type of love that only the powerful assistance of an eMTB can provide. I simply wouldn’t be getting in the same knee rehab without this eMTB, so to say I’m pleased is an understatement. The trails in my area of Colorado are CHUNKY, with large sandstone rock face climbs/descents, littered with boulders, sand beds, and clay soil that gets nasty when wet. I needed everything plus size tires and a nice full suspension can provide for my varying terrain without paying the steep price of dragging it uphill, enter my desire for an eMTB. I came off a 140mm full suspension 29er that was great downhill but was not fun up technical climbs, and I never found a tire set-up that tolerated the sand beds (simply not enough float). I’m a bigger rider @ 6’3” and 205lbs, so I knew I was going to need an XL frame when I went searching for an eMTB. Initially I had it stuck in my head that I would need to stick with a 29er at least in the front, so I was looking at the Norco Sight VLT 29er (C2) and the Intense Tazer Expert which is a 29front-27.5rear set-up. Both of those bikes are assisted by the Shimano Steps E8000 motor which I tested on other bikes and thought they were nice but lacking any wow factor. In the meantime I was able to rent a Turbo Levo and found that I was pleasantly surprised with the 27.5” wheels and was completely sold on the awesomeness of the Brose motor. Turbo Levos were very difficult to attain at the time and then I knew I would want to upgrade the suspension components a bit. Overall the Turbo Levo was going to cost me a 2-month wait and pretty price tag by the time I did normal upgrades plus the suspension. So I go searching of other make and model eMTBs with the Brose motor available in the USA, seemly just one. The Bulls E-Stream EVO AM series. The AM 3 had the Brose S-Mag motor, a very generous 750 watt hour battery, Fox Float Suspension front/rear, big Magura brakes, and PLUS size (2.8x27.5) tires! All for $5800 delivered to my local Bulls Dealer (there were 2 nearby in South Denver). Wow! Had to take a chance and so glad I did. I watched and read some reviews on the bike before taking delivery and it seemed I had one complaint to conquer from the reviewers, the cockpit. It had some people feeling they were riding “over the bike” instead of “in the bike” during downhill sections; easy enough. Upgraded to wider 800mm fat 35 carbon bars with a 35mm rise while chopping 25mm off the stem length (it was 60mm). Problem fixed! This thing feels so stable when airborne, and the tire/suspension set-up just eats up the terrain when you pick a bad line. If you get a chance to throw your leg over one, prepare to be surprised.
Here’s the quick rundown of this make and model from my original bike review:
Bulls is a German bike company that has entered the US bike in the last half decade with an office and warehouse in Southern California. They have a range of EMTBs with Shimano, Bosch, and Brose motors. This EVO AM series came equipped with the Brose S-Mag (Sport Motor with Magnesium casing), a highly rated class 1 motor providing up to 90NM of torque; in the U.S. you can also find this motor equipped on the very popular Specialized Turbo Levo.The Brose S-mag motor and value compared to the Specialized Turbo Levo is what drew the to this bike. I am impressed with the value and performance of the components. The Fox Suspension combined with the plus size 2.8 tires makes for a very confidence inspiring, forgiving, and comfortable ride. Brose motor is remarkably quiet, surprisingly powerful, and very natural in the way it provides assistance through the pedals; by far the most impressive performance I’ve ridden (and I’ve ridden the Shimano E8000 and the newest Yamaha PX-2). The Blocks 14D display/controller is mounted near the left grip, is very readable in bright light and provides total mileage, trip mileage, and remaining miles of battery for the assistance level currently selected. It has levels 1-3 that are pedal cadence (rpm) based giving you the full assistance of that level if you’re within that wide cadence range. Level 4 is their Flex Mode, it is both cadence and torque based in delivering assistance; which it needs to keep from applying too much power before you want it. Level 4 provides up to 90NM of torque and it’s impressive. Also it has a walk assistance mode that is very helpful should you fail to make a climb. The massive 750 amp hour battery has barely flinched on my normal park rides, it eliminates all battery range fears. Feel free to ask questions in the comments.
Some things I didn’t mention in the video are in screenshots of the specs below.
Here are the initial changes made to the bike:
Converted to Tubeless (drops approx. 1.5 to 2.0 lbs of weight).
RaceFace Next R Carbon 35 fat bars. 800mm width, 35mm Rise. (OEM: Bulls Aluminum 31.6, 760mm width, maybe 10mm of rise)
RaceFace Aeffect 40mm Stem (OEM: MonkeyLink 60mm powered stem).
RaceFace Aeffect Emtb crank arms, 165mm (OEM: Miranda Delta emtb specific cranks, 165mm). These were replaced due to a slightly bent crank arm (that I believe happened during shipping).
Ergon E-Mountain Core Prime Saddle, Men’s, Medium/Large. (OEM: Bulls brand saddle).
OneUp Components Composite Flat pedals (OEM: Bulls brand “Huffy” pedals).
Canondale Aluminum Bottle Cage (OEM: MonkeyLink magnetic bottle attachment, same mounting system as Fidlock USA Brand).
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