E-Bike review FLX Step Thru 2.0

This Superhuman FLX Step Thru 2.0 e-bike review isn’t based on research. It is a first-person review of my own bike, and I know all about it.

(Update 11/27/2024, previously published August 2023)

I wrote the book on e-bikes.

I call it my e-bike e-book. It has everything you need to know about e-bikes, and I keep it up to date with all the latest improvements. So, you would be correct to assume that I got a great e-bike, not just a motor and battery on an out-of-date bike. You would be correct; I have a great e-bike. I was pretty picky about each part of my electric bike. Here is a link to my e-book. How to choose the best electric bicycle!

Features that are important to me

Style: I prefer a comfortable model that can easily climb hills. Here is a link to my article about commonly available bike styles. What type of electric bike should you get?

Tire Size: The best bicycle tires are the most efficient models that perform well on a solid surface. I rarely ride on soft surfaces or in mud or snow, so I don’t need (noisy) knobby tires. Your needs will be different. Here is a link to the section of my article about bicycle tires that are commonly available. Everything you need to know about bicycle tires

Motor location and gearing: I want my motor to benefit from my gearing. This means that I didn’t want a rear-hub motor. Picking a mid-drive motor enables the motor to use the gears and climb long, steep hills. Here is a link to the section of my article about e-bike motors and gearing. Everything you need to know about e-bike motors

Weight: I wanted my electric bikes to be low because I frequently lift them onto my bike rack. Here is a link to the section of my article about e-bike weight. Everything you need to know about e-bike weight

Ride without the battery: A perfect e-bike should be easy to ride without the battery installed. If your e-bike rides well without the battery, it will ride well with the battery. This becomes important when you want to ride your bike in locations that allow ordinary bicycles but don’t allow electric bicycles. Here is a link to the section of my article about e-bike batteries: What you need to know about e-bike laws.

A great battery: The battery needs to be big enough and strong enough so that you don’t run out of battery during your ride. Here is a link to the section of my article about e-bike batteries. Everything you need to know about e-bike batteries

High-Quality Components: Some people don’t see the difference between the components included on an e-bike. Low-quality components are much more likely to break. Here is a link to the section of my article about e-bike components. Everything you need to know about bike parts

The best e-bike for us

The e-bikes I chose for our needs were full-size comfort bikes with special mountain-style performance details. I should emphasize that they are not mountain bikes suitable for absorbing landing jumps.

I wanted bikes to perform well in the areas I most likely ride. You need to choose a bike that is suitable for where you want to ride. Most of my bike rides are on pavement and dry trails. I don’t ride in mud, snow, or sand, so I didn’t need a bike that would excel in mud, snow, or sand. Occasional loose gravel eliminates skinny tire road bikes. My previous mountain bikes had two-and-a-half-inch wide knobby tires, which were wide enough. I chose a bike that did not have knobby tires to cut down on road noise and increase efficiency.

E-Bike Review Superhuman FLX Step Thru 2.0

• Step-through, comfort-designed hydroformed frame
• Name brand Bafang M600 integrated 500-watt mid-drive motor with 850-peak current and 120-newton meters torque 8.6 lbs
• 48 volt 642 watt-hour key locked Panasonic cell lithium-ion battery integrated into the frame battery weight 7.7 lbs.
• Torque-sensing motor controller without a throttle
• Power assist levels 1-5 with a walk mode
• Color LCD Display with current speed, max speed, average speed, odometer, trip-meter, remaining range, battery consumption
• Shimano Deore 10-Speed with an 11-36t cassette and a 44t front chainring
• Total weight 57 pounds; weight without a seat, Seatpost, or battery 47 pounds
• 50-mile expected flat ground range
• Shimano Deore Groupset with Shimano MT315 Hydraulic Disc with 180 mm Rotors
• PROMAX Adjustable 100mm Stem
• Aluminum Alloy / 300 mm Length / 31.6mm Diameter seat post
• Suntour NEX suspension fork with lockout and through axel
• 27.5-inch wheelset with stainless steel spokes
• Kenda K1082, 27.5″ x 1.5″ smooth tread tires

Testing the FLX Step Thru 2.0 e-bike

I don’t have a test track to test bikes on an objective scale. Instead, this will be a subjective evaluation based on numerous rides on various terrain.

• Comfort is just what I expected. The FLX Step Thru 2.0 is very comfortable to ride. The size and frame are ideal. The tires are smooth and not noisy. The front shock absorber is doing a good job. The adjustable handlebars may be the best comfort feature. I was quickly able to find a position that eliminated my wrist pain.
• Motor power is ample. The FLX Step Thru 2.0’s top speed on flat ground is about thirty miles per hour. It picks up speed quickly without hesitation. Perhaps it even accelerates a little too fast from a standing start. Acceleration exceeded my expectations. Unlike other models with high torque motors and 20″ tires, I don’t feel the unweighting of the nose regardless of the gear selection.
• The gearing is excellent and powerful when going fast and climbing hills in the lowest gear. I have yet to find a hill I can’t ride up quickly.
• The FLX Step Thru 2.0 battery life is excellent. I have yet to exhaust the battery, and the range provided by the battery is much further than the range that I desire to ride the bike.
• Power control is just what I expected. My FLX Step Thru 2.0 has a torque sensor control without a throttle. If I don’t pedal the bike, it doesn’t move. I cannot only use a throttle to motor along. If I don’t pedal hard, I don’t go fast. Since it doesn’t have a throttle, I have to participate in powering the bike. Changed; see update below.

What I would change on my bike.

In this e-bike review of my FLX Step Thru 2.0, I have a few things that I would change. These are not negative, but rather changes that will increase my comfort.

• A more comfortable seat. I have already changed the seat to a wider model.
• Suspension seat post. Once I pick one that I really like, this will be an easy change. I will keep you posted.
• Wider tires. As you can see, all my changes are about rider comfort. When the tires wear out, I expect to change them to wider tires. Tires on your bike are the first and most important shock absorbers. I hope wider tires will fit the bike.

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About our links

Our blog income is zero, allowing us to be independent and tell the truth.  We do not get income or commissions. No, we don’t make paid endorsements.  We don’t make recommendations; instead, we will tell you what we like (or dislike). The links are only provided as a quick reference to help our readers.

Links

Here is a link to my e-bike e-book. It includes everything you need to know about e-bikes. E-bikes, how to choose the best electric bicycle

The bike we chose is the FLX Comfort 2.0. You can find it and other FLX bikes at this link. FLX E-BIKES

Link to our e-bike FLX Step Through (Comfort) 2.0 mid-drive e-bike

How to make your bike more comfortable.

Superhuman

Redshift Shockstop Suspension Seatpost

Update 11/27/2024

A year and a half later, we love our FLX Step Thru 2.0 e-bikes, and there haven’t been any issues other than we haven’t been able to use them as much as we thought we would. So far, there have been no problems with our FLX Step Thru 2.0 e-bikes.

I added a throttle to our FLX Step Thru 2.0 bikes to smooth out the pedal strokes when going up hills. I shift into first gear and then put the motor in assist level one. Then, as pedaling becomes difficult and as the assist becomes noticeable, I mash the throttle to complete it, and, like magic and very smoothly, I wiz up the hill like I was riding on level ground. Overall I changed my mind on throttles and I like them especially the way I use them.

I added a fantastic suspension seat post to the bike for comfort and swapped the seats several times. This was associated with my article on bicycle comfort: How to make your bike more comfortable.

FLX has changed its name to Superhuman. My FLX Step Thru 2.0 model is the same, but they have changed other models and added new models to their lineup. Superhuman

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