EBI Agile review - An electric commuter bike that can go the distance!

The EBI Agile is a commuter e-bike designed for city riders or for those who want to go further. This bike can take on serious loads thanks to its double pannier racks, so touring is on the cards.

Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good For:

• Commuting
• Weekend adventures

Pros:

• Lots of extra room for cargo
• Mid-drive motor instantly delivers power 

Cons:

• The derailleur must be charged before you set off
• Weight imbalance when picked up

 

Expert verdict:

“It looks good, it feels good, it carries so much cargo”. Our expert reviewer Eilis enjoyed riding the EBI Agile and found that the power output from the mid-drive motor was amazing, allowing her to breeze up hills and cruise around town with all of her extra cargo effortlessly.  

You can watch our full review on YouTube!

Buy direct from EBI

Specs:

Components and build quality:

The motor is mid-drive, meaning it’s mounted to the centre by the cranks and is arguably the best placement as it ensures that power is coming evenly from the centre of the bike, rather than being driven from the front or the back, and its low positioning balances the bike and the low centre of gravity means you are grounded.

The bike has wireless shifting. It is very responsive, the gears shifting quickly after you make the command on the shifter. One thing to note is that the shifter does come with a battery but the derailleur does not. It arrives in the box half charged but you do need to remember to charge it before you head out because if it runs out of charge then you can’t change gears! It is charged by a specific wire too so it is important that you don’t lose it! 

Included in the price of this e-bike is a front rack, rear rack and two pannier bags meaning that there is plenty of room for extra cargo. This extra room would make this bike perfect for commuting or weekend adventures. 

You have a choice between a step/though frame or a high frame depending on your preference. The step through frame makes the bike easy to mount and gives you a little more flexibility with your outfit choices if you should wish to wear a skirt while riding. 

The EBI Agile is also available with a carbon fibre frame. This model is only 18kg so would be easier to carry but it does also mean a rather large increase in price at £4,447. 

Buy direct from EBI

Performance and handling:

The EBI Agile is smooth and intuitive. The chunky tyres offer good grip and multi-surface traction so that you are stable and grounded on the road, even when it may be wet and slippery in the winter months. 

This bike is not very lightweight, weighing in at 22kg. The weight distribution of this bike is also slightly imbalanced as the carbon fork at the front and the battery at the back means that the bike tilts towards the back when you pick it up. This does make it a little difficult to carry so it might not be the bike for carrying up and down a lot of stairs. You can remove the battery for easy access charging so if you live on the second or third floor of a building this might not be an issue for you.

Our real world range test got about 35miles out of one fully charged battery using mainly the ‘tour’ setting (other settings including eco and boost) and a rider weighing 68kg and a loaded pannier rack. 

The EBI Agile performed really well on our hill test. Boost mode made it super easy to get up the hill without breaking a sweat, the mid-drive motor outputting a good level of power. Even in Eco mode the bike felt nice and easy to cycle up-hill. 

Safety and security: 

The EBI Agile has a fully integrated lighting system. The front light is visible from up to 35 meters away and the rear light has a 220° wide viewing angle. This ensures that you can see and be seen on the roads, keeping you safe. 

The removable battery also reduces the risk of any unwanted attention as you can remove it should it be locked up outside. 

 

Buy direct from EBI