Aminga EVA TR

1 review for Aminga EVA TR

1. 

   CC E-Cycles – April 21, 2023

   Video Review

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   Written Review

   To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This in-depth review was sponsored by BULLS North America. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to be an endorsement of BULLS products.

   The AMINGA EVA TR 2 is the second women’s specific electric mountain bike that BULLS has introduced for the North American market. I covered the AMINGA TR 1 back in 2018 and was impressed. Both of these ebikes are being produced in two sizes and both offer front and rear suspension. I’d classify them as Cross Country and Light Trail models, being very capable in a variety of conditions. The motor and battery weight is positioned well, the hydraulic disc brakes stop the bike easily and consistently, and the 10-speed Shimano Deore drivetrain makes climbing easy… even with the heavier 54lb weight. What differentiates the TR 2, and justifies the slightly higher price point, it’s built with an internal battery called the PowerTube 500 vs. an external PowerPack 500. This positions weight lower, protects the battery more effectively, frees up space on the downtube for adding a bottle cage adapter or MonkeyLink magnetic bottle. In the bikes name, EVA is referencing this internal battery concept and many of the mens or unisex models from BULLS have EVO in their names to designate the same thing. This model also offers an upgraded Fox rear suspension while the TR 1 had SR Suntour front and rear. I personally like the color scheme better on this bike and assert that white will be more reflective and visible in low lighting conditions than green on the TR 1. This ebike will handle rigorous conditions and perform at a higher level than some of the less expensive but similar looking products. It uses wider hub spacing to provide stronger spoke bracing angle along with thicker 15mm and 12mm thru-axles compared to traditional 9mm axles with skewers. The tires follow this new “plus size” trend, with a 2.8″ width, they increase traction, feel more stable, and absorb bumps more comfortably. BULLS has retained the MonkeyLink magnetic headlight and backlight/fender interface, so you can quickly and easily connect accessories. The best part about MonkeyLink in my view, is that the connection points are wired into the main rechargeable battery pack and controlled by the display panel, as shown in the video. While I would have loved for this ebike to have a seat post dropper so that riders could mount more easily and transition from seated pedaling to standing descents, this is a part you can add aftermarket with the help of a shop. The stock post may have to be cut down in order to position the saddle at the lowest possible setting (we did this before the review so that Amber could ride more comfortably). The motor is integrated very well, being tipped up to blend with the frame, but Bosch Performance Line is known for being larger, heavier, and louder than the competition. Note the skid plate that BULLS has added below for increased protection. I love that they designed the left chainstay with mounting points for adding a kickstand, added a slap guard to the right chain stay, a stanchion protector for the rear shock, and a sturdy alloy shield on the base of the battery… even though it adds nearly a pound of extra weight. Given the two year comprehensive warranty on this e-bike, the vast network of dealers who can fit riders and provide post-purchase support, and the fact that is’s one of only a few women’s specific models on the market right now (meaning it has a shorter reach, special saddle, lower top tube, and brighter colors) I’m impressed and have no resignations about recommending it. There’s a little room for improvement here and there, and I’ve gone into those details with the pros and cons below, but overall it’s great. I welcome your feedback in the comments below and invite you to connect with others in the BULLS ebike forums.

   Driving this electric mountain bike is a high-torque Bosch Performance Line CX drive unit. Being a mid-drive, it keeps weight low and center while leveraging the 10-speed drivetrain for efficiency. It’s an incredibly capable motor, offering up to 75 newton meters of torque, if you shift through the gears appropriately. In the lowest gear, the bike can climb very well. I love how BULLS tipped the motor up and integrated it into the downtube. This creates a beautiful appearance, raises ground clearance, and still leaves enough room for the PowerTube battery back. BULLS also includes a tough skid plate mounted to the base of the motor to protect it from rocks and other trail obstacles. For more information on this leading ebike motor, which includes shift detection, check out the in-depth review on the EBR forums here.

   Powering the BULLS AMINGA EVA TR 2 is a Bosch PowerTube 500 battery with bottom loading design. BULLS has color matched an alloy cover that protects the pack and a two-step removal system prevents it from dropping out when unlocked. This battery can be charged on or off the bike frame, and the charging port is located on the left side, a bit in the path of the crank arm… I feel that the rubber cover can be tricky to get seated again after it is unplugged, but I appreciate the little leash that keeps it from getting lost. For more information on this battery, check out the in-depth review on the EBR forums here.

   Operating the AMINGA EVA TR 2 is very straightforward. It uses the Bosch Intuvia display panel, which is a great choice for electric mountain bike applications. The control pad is small, freeing up the handlebar from clutter, and easy to reach and interact with near the left grip. It’s less likely to take damage than the larger Bosch Intuvia display, but cannot be removed and does not offer Micro-USB charging on the go. I’ve created an in-depth review of the Purion back at the EBR forums here, along with a technical guide to the settings here.

   Pros:

   • Built tough with wider Boost hub spacing to improve spoke and wheel strength, thick thru-axles front and rear, and thicker fork stanchions with anodized coating for protection and smooth action
   • High quality plus sized tires that reduce deflection, provide increased traction, and absorb some of the bumps along with the nice air suspension, they even come tubeless ready so you can convert them and remove the inner tubes to reduce weight and ride with lower air pressure if you want 🙂
   • Both the front and rear suspension shocks offer air pressure adjustment for sag, compression adjust, and rebound adjust which allow you to dial it in for your body weight and the terrain type: cross country or light trail riding
   • Upgraded hydraulic disc brakes from Magura, the levers offer adjustable reach to fit different sized hands, very consistent pressure delivery as you pull, the 180mm rotors offer good mechanical advantage, and the front calipers provide four pistons vs. two which spreads out surface area for power and cooling benefits
   • The Shimano trigger shifters are easy for me to use, I like how they offer two-way high shifting and three-step low shifting because you can navigate through quickly and change up hand positions without losing shift control
   • I went out with Amber and Franklin for this test ride and the guys were wearing long pants, there was a risk of the chain grease and sprocket teeth messing up our clothing but BULLS has added a little alloy guard for protection and neither of us had an issue, this guard also reduces chain drops, I like how BULLS also built a rear shock guard into their frame to protect the stanchion from rocks flicking up off of the tire
   • The white color scheme looks beautiful to me, with the gray and pink accents it definitely leans towards a female style but feels more timeless than the teal frame from the lower specced AMINGA TR 1, white is also going to stand out more at night for safety
   • I love that BULLS has included MonkeyLink magnetic light and fender connection points, if you do add lights to this ebike, they will run off of the main rechargeable battery for convenience and are super easy to attach and detach for different rides or safe keeping
   • This model is available in two frame sizes and was design with a lower top-tube to make mounting and straddling a bit easier, this is great for petite ladies or those who are new to mountain biking
   • The older Aminga TR1 didn’t have room for bottle cage bosses because it used the external PowerPack battery, which could also raised weight and was more vulnerable if the bike tipped or crashed, the Aminga EVA TR2 does have bosses and actually comes with a magnetic adaptor for the MonkeyLink water bottle!
   • I think it’s really neat that the left chain stay has a 20mm kickstand mount so you could add one aftermarket, I really appreciate having kickstands to keep my garage organized but sometimes remove them for lots of trail riding (to reduce weight and rattling noises when they bounce), BULLS gives you the option while most other companies do not
   • BULLS chose to build their battery lock design with an ABUS locking core, and the keys come with a little card that has a code on it, so you can order matching locks and other accessories, this is a unique program that could help you reduce clutter on your keychain and order replacement keys more easily
   • Given the high-capacity Bosch PowerTube 500 battery, it’s nice that BULLS opted to include the faster four amp Bosch charger, it’s relatively lightweight at ~1.7lbs and fairly compact, so you can bring it along on rides to top off when taking a break
   • With the Bosch Performance Line CX motor, you get access to the highest torque output of 75 newton meters and eMTB ride mode which responds naturally to your pedal pressure vs. requiring engagement with the control panel, it’s a great feature for electric mountain bike riding where you want to focus on the terrain and shifting without extra distractions
   • The Bosch CX motor controller is extremely smart and consistent, it measures rear wheel speed, pedal cadence, and pedal torque over 1,000 per second while also listening for pressure changes from shifting and then easing off, this protects the drivetrain a bit from mashing
   • The bike has walk mode enabled, which is especially useful if you encounter a technical bit of trail that you aren’t comfortable riding or maybe you get a flat tire, considering that the bike weighs ~54 lbs, it’s nice to get help moving it along
   • Another feature of the Bosch Performance Line motors that I really appreciate is how they can support higher pedal rates without fading out, you can reach 120 RPM (pedal strokes per minute) and the motor is still there for you, this means you don’t have to shift gears as frequently if you prefer to spin instead of lumber along with increased pedal force
   • Excellent two year warranty covers everything on the bike, including the motor, battery, and display system with a vast network of dealers in the US and other parts of the world who can help fit you and do maintenance
     The Shimano Deore 10-speed drivetrain offers good range for cross country and trail style mountain riding and I love that it comes with the Shadow Plus clutch for snappier shifting and reduced chain slap
   • With all of the Bosch motors, there’s a shift detection software system built in that can sense that gears are being changed and it tries to ease off of the power to reduce strain on the drivetrain, it’s not perfect but it’s better than nothing, the only other drive systems I know of which do this are some Impulse motors and some customized Bafang systems which are usually installed as kits
   • Battery and motor weight are kept low and center on the frame which improves stability and handling, it also reduces unsprung weight compared to a hub motor since this is a full suspension ebike
   • The battery pack can be charged on or off the bike (for convenience, battery protection, and reduced weight for transport), I recommend storing packs in a cool dry location to keep the cells healthy
   • Not every electric bicycle company has mastered the design aesthetic of integrating the Bosch motor as well as BULLS in my opinion, look at how it’s angled up and incorporated into the seat tube and downtube to raise ground clearance and just not stand out as much

   Cons:

   • This ebike would definitely benefit from a seat post dropper, making it easier to mount and faster to transition from climbing to descending without hopping off for adjustments, it’s a part that comes stock with many of the mens models but adds to the price, you can add this part aftermarket with the help of a shop
     I like the MonkeyLink concept, being able to add and remove lights that will run off of the main ebike battery easily, but the price of the lights ($170 for a front and rear light) just seems high
   • The positioning of the headlight is good in many ways, it’s up high, points where you steer, and is sprung vs. a lot of suspension fork arch mounted lights I see that can bounce around, but you cannot aim it up and down… it’s set in one position based on the head tube and stem angle
   • In order to click the battery pack onto the bike, you actually have to unlock the core vs. some other designs where you can just push it into place, this takes a bit more time and coordination to do but the result is a very snug and secure fit
   • Minor consideration: the Bosch Purion display panel is compact and provides plenty of space for accessories, but it isn’t removable, doesn’t have a 5 Volt Micro-USB charging port like the Bosch Intuvia or some of the Brose displays on other BULLS models, and doesn’t show power output, avg speed, max speed, trip time, clock or shift recommendation (some shops will let you upgrade to the larger Intuvia display panel if you pay an extra $200 for the part and labor, it may take some adjustment to fit with the special MonkeyLink headlight mount and be more vulnerable in tips or crashes)
   • Being a full suspension ebike with wider and thicker axles, high volume tires, and a high capacity battery pack… this ebike weighs 54+lbs which could feel like a lot for petite riders, however the motor makes it feel light once you are pedaling and should have no problem climbing
   • The alloy shield on the PowerTube battery adds weight, is paint-matched to this ebike (even though it would be cross compatible with other BULLS models that also use the same battery), and it’s just physically longer and larger than some competing products or the older Bosch PowerPack or a naked Bosch PowerTube… be careful removing and transporting it because there’s no handle
   • One relatively minor trade-off that Bosch has made with their Performance Line motors is to incorporate a reduction gear so when you turn the crank one time the chainring actually goes around 2.5 times, and this does create some mechanical friction, the upside is fast response, improved efficiency, and better chain retention, one downside is that it puts the chain very close to the chainstay which could result in contact and chipping of paint… but BULLS has included a slap guard to help, for very muddy conditions you may experience chain suck but the one-way clutch on the derailleur can help reduce this
   • Depending on your inseam length and comfort with saddle height, you might have to cut the seatpost (with a hacksaw) to get it low because the rear suspension interrupts the seat tube, I cut it for this review because Amber wasn’t super comfortable with a high saddle but I still couldn’t get the saddle all the way down without interfering with the optional MonkeyLink rear light, because it sticks up
   • The location of the battery charging port on the left side of the bike frame is pretty close to the left crank arm and actually blocks the path, just be careful not to bump the pedals when the bike is plugged in, or charge the battery off the bike, the rubber cover protector for this port is also a bit finicky to get in (at least for me)
   • I’m not a fan of cage style pedals like the ones included with the BULLS AMINGA EVA TR 2 because they don’t offer a lot of surface area and can get bent and sharp if the bike tips, consider swapping for some Wellgo alloy or magnesium platform pedals
   • The Bosch Performance Line motors are heavier and larger than the Brose S, Shimano E8000, and Yamaha PW-X while also having a wider minimum Q-Factor (so the bottom bracket can be wider, but that’s not an issue with a Boost bike that has plus sized tires)
   • The motor produces more noise than some competing products and uses a reduction gearing system to spin the proprietary chainring 2.5x for each crank revolution, this introduces a bit of drag when pedaling unassisted or beyond the 20 mph top speed