Roodog Avatar electric bike review

Buying an electric bike can be a daunting experience because there’s so much choice and, let’s be honest about it, electric bikes are still very new to the UK so the brand names don’t trip off the tongue. Therefore it’s difficult to know whether you’re buying a good bike if you’ve no real idea of what those brand stand for (it’s not like shopping at Marks and Spencers is it?)
What we try to do with our electric bike reviews is to be clear about the quality and features of the bike so that you have some level of comfort that the bike is a good one; that it offers great value for money; and that the manufacturer of the bike has a pedigree in offering good after sales when it’s required.

For this blog entry, we’re taking a close look at the Roodog Avatar electric bike.

Roodog is a relatively new brand of electric bikes in the UK with a wide range of sensibly priced bikes. The Avatar is, in our opinion, the most striking bike in their range because of the great design that hides the battery away. Unless you look closely, you don’t notice immediately that this is an electric bike. It’s a fair assumption to say that the vast majority of people who buy this bike will be initially attracted by this hidden battery and the sub £1000 price tag, but we’re pleased to report that there’s far more to this electric bike than style alone.

We’re fortunate that we’re located on a quiet industrial park with a nice hill next to us which means that we can really give the bikes a good try out. So, one quiet Sunday morning the Roodog Avatar was put through its paces.

At 6ft1in I’m always a bit concerned about the bike frame being a bit too small, but I’m happy to report that I felt really comfortable on the bike. From a standing start you can either start pedalling with the pedal assistance enabled, or twist the throttle to get things rolling (the optional throttle was fitted to our demo bike). The chunky tyres on 26in rims immediately start to create road noise as you pick up speed, and for a bike of this style and stature it picks up speed very quickly. As I pedal and click through the 7 gears the bike feels fantastic and as I then up the pedal assistance power output (three levels on the LED display) I can really feel the benefit of the electric power as I soon hit the UK legal limit of 15mph. The bike is an absolute joy to ride and, having been used to riding bikes with the battery on display, the Avatar just feels different because you can’t see the battery – this is a subconscious thing but it all adds to the experience.
OK…now for the hill… another standing start….

Without using the throttle I being to pedal and quickly move up to PAS level 3 which gives me maximum power. The rear hub drive quietly whirs away as I cycle up the incline without really having to try (in fact, as with most electric bikes, if you’re tackling a hill it’s best not to force the pedalling – just let the motor do the work for you). Half way up the hill I stop pedalling and let the throttle take over – there’s no noticeable drop of speed and I’m soon at the top. Fantastic. Absolutely superb. I can’t resist rolling down to the bottom of the hill and doing it again.

In fact throughout the entire test ride the bike was really good.

Because the battery is located in the frame the weight is distributed perfectly which makes riding this bike a really pleasurable experience. Some bikes can feel back heavy which makes cornering (especially at slow speeds) feel a bit unbalanced, but this bike is weighted perfectly. It's also worth noting that the throttle on the Avatar is a half size twist grip which is undoubtedly
the best type of throttle.

So, it’s great to look at and feels great to ride (opinions are all my own of course). There has to be a down side. Well….there are one or two minor niggles. The first was that the front mudguard had a tendency to touch the tyre (we’d fitted it correctly – honest) because of lack of clearance. This is easy to sort out though and doesn’t deter from the bike in any way. The other niggle that I found was that it’s far easier to charge the battery in the bike than taking the battery out of the frame to charge. It’s a bit of a fiddle to remove the battery cover and to slide the battery out. It’s an even bigger fiddle to get the battery back into place and I do wonder whether the connector on the bike would withstand too much punishment whilst trying to locate the battery lugs onto the connector. If you’re lucky enough to be able to charge the battery in situ then this isn’t a problem and if you have to remove the battery then it’s a case of practicing the technique of locating the battery in the correct position. Overall, I wouldn’t be put off purchasing one of these bikes because of these minor issues – it’s a terrific bike.

In summary, if you’re looking for an electric bike that doesn’t look like an electric bike and is great to ride then don’t look any further. You’ve found your ideal electric bike with the Roodog Avatar.