Speaker 1: This is the Propeller nine S Pro class, one electric bike that rides just as nicely as it looks. It features two inch wide tires, hydraulic disc brakes, and a great looking black matte aluminum alloy frame with subtle blue hints throughout.
Speaker 1: At first glance, the nine S Pro looks just like a regular bike with a massive water bottle attached to it. That water bottle [00:00:30] is actually the bike's 36 volt, 350 watt hour battery that powers the rear gear hubbed motor. I definitely love that it's a top loading battery instead of releasing downward toward the wheel like some of the previous E-bikes I've reviewed, this makes taking the battery out and in much easier and it doesn't get as much dirt kicked up at it from the tire. With that said, though, the water bottle screws have been placed under the frame, so keep that in mind for any accessories you might want to attach like an actual water bottle, you can plug in the battery [00:01:00] for charging by flipping openness cap on top of it. You can also unlock the battery on the side near the bottom and remove it to charge elsewhere or for safekeeping. There's a battery level indicator located on the front with a nice looking L E D display charge time sit around two and a half hours and propel estimates a riding range of between 25 and 45 miles. Of course, that number varies based on how much assist you're using the resistance of the road and more if that's not enough juice or maybe your battery is damaged or lost. Prop Propel does [00:01:30] sell their extra pro battery packs for $350. These batteries weigh around four and a half pounds.
Speaker 1: Since this is a Class one E-bike, it means the bike doesn't have a throttle, which is a bit of a bummer since throttles are often my favorite part of riding an electric bicycle. In fact, none of the bikes that Propeller offers have a throttle, so here's hoping for something in the future. However, the upside is that Class one bikes are often lighter and typically look more like regular bicycles. [00:02:00] It also means that the nine S Pro has a top speed of 20 miles per hour when using the pedal assist. That assist has five levels to enjoy and you control it from the color L C D display located on the handlebars left side. You turn it on by holding down the power button in the middle, pressing the plus or minus buttons will adjust how much assistance the motor will provide. The large number in the middle is your current speed and the number to the left of it is how much power you're currently using.
Speaker 1: Holding down the minus button activates the bike's walk [00:02:30] mode, which is useful when you need to push your bike up a steep hill holding down the plus button will make the display brighter. By pressing the power button, you can toggle the bottom left corner between an odometer, your max speed, average speed and trip length. The bottom right corner shows your distance traveled. Holding down the plus and minus buttons together will reset these stats. The meter on the right side shows the percentage of battery you have left holding down the power and minus buttons together will open up the [00:03:00] settings menu where you can adjust things like units of measurement or even under advanced settings how fast the motor will kick in. When you start to cycle, you can see minus set to zero because I want it to kick in as quickly as possible when you're not using the pedal assist. The bike has a one by nine gear range that is controlled by this Shao Alta shifter over on the right side. Handlebar pressing with your thumb shifts the gear down and pulling with your finger shifts it up even with no battery assistance, the bike feels great to ride. In fact, it feels just like riding a standard non-electric [00:03:30] bike.
Speaker 1: Now, this is mostly personal preference, but I'm not a huge fan of when the battery sticks out from the frame, kind of like a water bottle. When it comes to e-bikes, I much prefer the look when the battery is nicely integrated into the frame. Visuals aside, it also helps disguise the bike as something closer to a typical non-electric bike, which is useful when bike thieves are picking out which person they're going to rob. Having the battery so prevalent really drives home the fact that this bike is expensive and while I'm being nitpicky, the gear [00:04:00] and brake cables are also fastened outside the bike, along the top frame. This makes it a little uncomfortable on your hand when picking it up. I find it looks really nice when the cables get nicely integrated and hidden inside the bike's frame. The nine S Pro does hide the battery cables inside, so it would've been nice to see that with these other cables too.
Speaker 1: Of course, none of these are deal breakers. This bike doesn't come with vendors, but it does have both the front and rear holes needed for various accessories if you want to attach some yourself. With that said, propel does sell [00:04:30] vendors for their bikes and even have installation videos if you want to stay in the same ecosystem. The bike does come with a kickstand. If you're someone hoping to ride both on and off road. The nine S's two inch wide tires will make that possible. As someone who lives in a tiny walk of apartment and has to store their bikes inside, I was happy to see the nine s weighs just 41 pounds, even less if you take the battery off first. This means it's quite easy for me to pick up and carry around and as someone who just finished reviewing a 93 [00:05:00] pound bike, this was a breath of fresh air.
Speaker 1: You've probably been wondering about this seat post I've attached to the bike. This is the connect suspension seat post. Propel also sent me this extra accessory that is not included with the bike purchase, but I felt paired well with the nine S Pro. This seat post replaces the main post and attaches to the seat like normal. It comes with a range of springs that help make riding feel more comfortable and smooth. While this doesn't really change how the roads bumps and cracks feel [00:05:30] on my arms and wrists, it is pretty noticeable for my butt. Really large bumps are still prevalent, but smaller obstacles almost vanish and your left kind of bouncing or swaying from the impact. Considering the nine s doesn't have any form of suspension, I've really enjoyed this. Add on. The Connect suspension seat post retails for $250.
Speaker 1: The Propel nine S Pro retails for $1,600, [00:06:00] which puts it right in the middle of your standard electric bike price range. Since this is propeller's latest bike model, it has a number of upgrades over the previous bike, the seven s, which retails for around 1200. The nine s has a larger battery, slightly higher top speed nine instead of seven gears and hydraulic instead of mechanical brakes. The seven s is also four pounds lighter if weight is a big deciding factor for you. One of the great thing about propeller's bikes is that they're super easy [00:06:30] to put together when the box shows up. They even have assembly videos for every bike they offer that you can follow along with to make things even easier. The nine S Pro doesn't necessarily have any standout unique features, but that's okay since it checks a lot of boxes for me as an e-bike rider, it's light 41 pound weight makes it easy to maneuver and fit into my lifestyle. The nine speed gear range and five levels of pedal assist give me a ton of options for how to tackle my commute and the wide, but not super huge tires, let it ride nicely on different terrain. However, I do always [00:07:00] wish my E-bikes had a throttle and I personally wish this battery didn't stand out so much. If you're curious about some of the other e-bikes we've looked at, check out our playlists, follow of them. Thanks for watching.
