Hands-On: Prodigy XC - An Electric Mountain Bike You Need to Try
Tech
Speaker 1: If you like biking off road over rough terrain and up and down hills, but still want all the benefits of an electric motor, then let me tell you about Ride one UPS Prody X C E-bike. This is a really great front suspension mountain bike that packs a powerful motor to help you really take advantage of the outdoors. And I mean, just look at this awesome color.
Speaker 1: The Pro XC is a class [00:00:30] three electric bike. That means it's a pedal assist bike with a maximum speed of 28 miles per hour. It does not have a throttle, so you need to pedal the bicycle in order to get any additional assistance. It also means that in some states you aren't allowed to ride this bike at full speed on standard bike paths. So make sure you check your local regulations before you challenge someone to race. The XC in its name dictates what type of bike it is and the frame style XC or CrossCountry means it's meant to ride nicely off-road like a typical mountain bike. And even though the top bar of the frame does dip [00:01:00] down, it is still a step over bike. This means you'll need to kick your leg up and around the bike to mount it. If you're someone who prefers a bike frame that you can swing your leg through the middle.
Speaker 1: This bar is positioned far too high to make that comfortable to do. In those cases, you might be interested in ride one UPS Pro St or Step through E-Bike, but it's not a mountain bike and that would be a whole other video ride. One Up sent me the Pro XC to test out after I reviewed their 700 series e-bike earlier this year and I'll put a link somewhere on the screen right now if you wanna watch that video. One [00:01:30] of my big issues with the 700 series was how large and heavy it was at 62 pounds. So I was happy to see that the Pro XC weighs in at a much more manageable 50 pounds. Personally, 50 pounds is about my limit in terms of what I want to carry upstairs and store inside my walkup apartment. The XC is still a big boy in terms of its size, but that's just the kind of bike it is.
Speaker 1: It is a mountain bike after all. In fact, the bike is 73 inches long. Another reason this bike is so big is it's large 29 inch long. Handlebar. This size is ideal for a mountain bike [00:02:00] since it provides more leverage for steering, it allows for more control over your front wheel, which can make riding on uneven or shifting terrain easier. As someone whose bikes have dropped or bull style handlebars, this one takes up a lot more space horizontally. So keep these measurements in mind when you're figuring out how you might store this. Riding this bike on or off-road is a real treat. The large 27 and a half inch tires along with the 120 millimeter air suspension fork gives this bike a really smooth feel. Potholes and bumps I would normally steer around on my road bike [00:02:30] are no longer a problem with the pro.
Speaker 1: And as an added bonus, this is one of the quietest motors I've ever heard on an e-bike of this size. That motor along with the 36 volt battery, give the bike four levels of pedal assist that you control using the one and a half inch L C D handlebar display located on the left hand side instead of your typical numerical indicator. For levels of assistance, this display cycles, pun intended, between off Eco Tour Sport and Boost with Boost providing the highest amount of assistance and [00:03:00] my personal favorite since this bike can really accelerate when using this mode. On the left side of the display is your remaining battery and the large number in the middle is your current speed. Below that, the display also has several modes of information. It can toggle between including your average speed, your max speed, and odometer, your range, the current time your distance traveled and your trip's time.
Speaker 1: The display also has a pretty decent amount of settings to adjust if you'd like, such as changing the display's brightness or switching the colors of it [00:03:30] around. You can also connect the spike to an app through Bluetooth. Unfortunately I wasn't able to test that out since the app is only available on Android devices. Even then my rep at Ride went up mentioned it's not available on the Google Play Store and that you have to download the APK directly, but if you go through all that and get it connected, you'll get access to functionality like changing the power assist levels, recording rides and more. The Pro XC has a 36 volt battery that sits underneath the frame. I'm not a fan of this option. Removing a battery from under a [00:04:00] bike's frame gives you little room to maneuver since the tire is so close to it.
Speaker 1: I rodee in a lot of dirt with the Pro, so I've found the battery has a tendency to get quite dirty. That's why I prefer when an e-bike releases its battery upwards like in my Aspire Chameleon review. But this isn't a deal breaker by any means. I also want to note for some reason I've consistently struggled to get this specific battery out of the bike. I can't really think what about the bike would cause this, so I'm just hoping it's a specific issue with my unit. However, you don't have to remove the battery for charging if you don't [00:04:30] want to since there is a plug-in port located on the frame. With all that said, I will say that I love how the battery's hidden right inside the frame instead of sticking out or looking like it was attached afterward. This is a nice looking bike.
Speaker 1: It's also worth noting that Ride One Up sells their pro batteries separately in case you need a backup or replacement and those run between four and $500 depending on the sale price. Let's talk about this incredible color ride. One Up has three options to choose from when it comes to the Pro xc. With this one being the chameleon gloss choice, [00:05:00] I think it looks awesome. It's purple, it's green, it's sparkles. It's like something the Joker rides around Gotham on when he is murdering people. I've had strangers come up to me and compliment this color, but if you prefer a more boring option, ride one up does offer a carbon mat choice that looks like a standard gray color. The website also shows that there was a third color that I think might be a white color, but I'm not totally sure since it was outta stock while working on this video.
Speaker 1: The Pro XC comes with a couple of accessories including a built-in headlight that turns on when you power up the battery. Curiously, [00:05:30] however, there isn't a way to turn the light off without turning the battery off altogether, but ride one up tells me this is on purpose since the light is hardly a drain on the battery. Of course the bike has its 120 millimeter air suspension with hydraulic lockout up at the front. It does not have any rear suspension, so keep that in mind when you're picking out what kind of mountain bike you'd like. It does come with a kickstand. So how much is this all gonna cost? The Pro XC retails for just under $2,400 at the time of of this recording, it's actually on sale for a few hundred dollars off, so [00:06:00] keep your eyes out for deals when shopping. I think this is a pretty good price since just over $2,000 is pretty average for a bike of this size and capability. The Pro XC is a really fun bike to ride between these massive tires and the front suspension. Getting up to its max speed is quick and enjoyable. It rides over various terrain with ease and the quiet motor was a nice bonus to experience. If you're looking for a great mountain bike that includes all of the benefits of being electric, then you should definitely consider the progeny xe. That's all I've got for you, but we do have a playlist of even more e-bike. [00:06:30] Goodness, that might be interesting to you. Thanks for watching.
