We’ve done some serious road and quality tests with the City Commuter eBike KBO Breeze. Now it is time to let you know what the KBO Breeze is capable of and why it should be your next commuter eBike. Let’s begin.
KBO Breeze: Overview
The KBO Breeze is an excellent all-rounder commuter eBike that comes at a decent budget. It has some amazing design, a good rear hub motor, and a powerful battery pack that offers a mammoth range. The KBO Breeze is priced for something that meets all your needs, especially the excellent mileage range that it has to offer. The best thing that I liked about this eBike is the large payload (300lbs) and the strong aluminum rear rack. When it comes to the design, the Breeze has that native commuter Bike style but yet, I find it pretty much eye-catchy and solid. The bright orange black dual-tone color shade gives it a pretty good appearance. The low-cut aluminum frame combined with a 500W motor gives you better on-road stability. The rear-drive hub motor is connected with a powerful 48V/768Wh battery that’s made by Samsung. You’ll also get a powerful 54.6V/3A battery charger. That’s something useful at times when you need a quick charge. With the battery fully charged, KBO offers a 30-55 miles range in the highest speed setting. But our road tests showed a bit of anomaly on the prescribed distance range. We’ll be talking about those in detail when we reach the Performance review. What’s more, the KBO Breeze comes with the Shimano 7 speed Derailleur. That’s something essential for a commuter eBike that can carry a payload of 300lbs. The mechanical disc brakes as well as the twist throttle on the handlebar have a good balance. The brakes are pretty much good but we won’t say it’s the best. There’s quite a lot to talk about the Breeze so sit tight. Let us get to know the design and in-depth review of this commuter eBike.
KBO Breeze eBike: Specifications
Take a look at the overall specs of the KBO Breeze commuter eBike. The bike features a premium quality frame and other components and offers excellent performance on the pedal-assist mode. The Breeze electric bike suits riders of all ages and is more or less a great eBike for all your city and local rides. KBO Breeze eBike General Specifications KBO Breeze eBike Electrical/Mechanical Specifications KBO Breeze eBike Battery Specifications KBO Breeze eBike Rider Information
Design
The KBO Breeze might look stunning with the design and the color schemes that are spot-on. The eBike comes in a single standard size and we got the firey orange limited edition version. The limited-edition orange gives you accessories both in black and orange to match the color scheme of the bike. The whole unit comes unassembled and lets me be frank, the installation was a bit tricky. I’ll be more specific on this as we move on. The whole eBike is finely crafted and the aluminum frame is quite sturdy. The low-cut, step-through design has made it easy and accessible for people of all ages, genders. And yeah, being a commuter bike requires it to be accessible by everyone. And we cant expect the rising stance of an MTB in this case. As far as I am concerned, the mid-range step-through frame didn’t really seem annoying. I am 6′ tall and to me, the bike was comfortable enough. Long rides with the different riding modes didn’t really turn out to be a menace after all. This is due to the design of the seat post and the handle. The handlebar’s relaxed riding posture did give a lot of strain to my shoulders or arms in the long run. And yeah, I think the Breeze fits well with shorter riders too. But the taller guys might feel a bit quirky as you might not be able to adjust the saddle posts to give a better riding stance. Coming to the rear, you could find a luggage rack that is neatly placed over the rear fenders. It is mounted well onto the bike frame, making it sturdy enough to carry saddlebags during long rides. Compare to the other eBike rear-racks, this looks strong and sturdy.
KBO Breeze Motor
The KBO Breeze comes with a rear hub motor that delivers the right amount of torque right when you need it. The rear hub motor on the breeze is rated 500W at optimum and can deliver a max output of 750W peak power. Being a commuter eBike, the rear hub motor has blended in flawlessly to meet the standard of our roads. And after a couple of test rides, I really felt that the motor does a good job, pumping in an extra ounce of power right when you need it. The KBO Breeze comes with both the Pedal Assist as well as the throttle mode. A twist throttle on the right handlebar grip lets you churn in a bit of power when the pedal assist seems inadequate. For quick short bursts or a steep hill climb, twisting the throttle gives you enough power that can reach up to 750W. With up to 80Nm torque, the KBO Breeze is a splendid commuter eBike for all tour short city rides. A thing that I felt while riding is the fact that the eBike gets a bit unstable at top speed. This could be due to the uneven weight distribution as the rear hub motor is a bit bulkier than you think. The noise part, well that wasn’t an issue. The Level 5 Pedal Assist seemed quite calm when compared to other eBikes in town. Keep in mind that the Breeze is for pure local commutes. If you wish to get more power and better off-road abilities, then there’s always the Himiway Cruiser which is a pure off-road specialist. We’ll talk about the drive modes, the Pedal Assist, and the Throttle mode when we get to the performance part.
KBO Breeze Battery
The KBO Breeze comes with a 48V, 16Ah Li-ion battery with Samsung manufactured cells. It fits quite well within the battery compartment and aligns smoothly with the frame. The battery is removable so you’ll have the option to equip an additional one if you wish. With an average range of 30 to 50 miles on a single full charge, you can simply drop the idea of an additional battery pack, because what the Breeze has to offer is extremely good compared to the price range. Also, KBO made sure that the battery is rated 16Ah. The battery compartment looks neat and stylish. A slight pull can get the battery out of the compartment for a quick charge. The battery pack has a built-in USB port for charging your mobile phone. But his comes in a downside while most of the eBikes we tested before had it right next to the LCD screen. The one-click button on top of the battery unit shows the battery level with the LED indicators. There is also an additional lock to keep the battery safe and intact. KBO says that the battery pack can offer a consolidated range of 55 miles. But that’s at the lowest Pedal Assist level without any throttle action. As far as our tests are concerned, we were happy to pull over an average range of 35 miles on the level 5 Pedal Assist before the battery died. Also, we’ve forgotten to mention, the Breeze has what it takes to cruise at speeds of 22 mph. We’ll talk about those when we get to the riding part.
KBO Breeze Riding Modes
The KBO Breeze comes with a powerful Aikema 500W brushless rear hub motor. It’s one of those eBikes that exclusively suit all your local commutes. The Breeze comes with two riding modes, the Pedal Assist, and the Throttle mode. The pedal assist has 5 assistance levels, out of which the highest level offers the max speed of 22 mph. Upon switching the eBike on, the bike automatically sets to the level 1 Pedal Assist mode. Our test rides show that there is a small but noticeable delay in assistance when the speed starts increasing. Also, there was a bit of jerking when higher pedal assist levels were selected while riding. This isn’t a big issue but it surely does affect the ride comfort. Among the 5 Pedal Assist levels, Level 3 is something that I felt is the right one for my rides. The Level 3 Pedal Assist offers the right amount of power at the right intervals making the ride pretty comfortable as a whole. The Throttle mode is something most eBikes come equipped with. The Throttle mode on the Breeze was responsive enough. There isn’t an acceleration lag (good to have) that was observed in the case of the pedal assist. The Twist Throttle at the right handlebar is placed quite elegantly and is even made out of a different material than the rest of the grip. It gives a premium look to the bike and the pinpoint position eases wrist pain to a great limit.
KBO Breeze Suspension and Braking System
The KBO Breeze comes with street-friendly 27.5”x2.4” Panasonic Tires that are puncture-resistant and durable. The reflector coating on the tire is a nice add-on that is offering attention while you ride the bike in night time. The tires offer better road grip and yes, they are a bit up sided for a local commuter eBike in this range. The tires and the front suspension fork play a pivotal role in giving you the best-in-class ride comfort. The aluminum alloy front suspension fork offers an 80mm travel giving you better shock absorbency. The suspension forks also have preload adjustment settings and lockout so that you get an efficient comfortable ride. During the initial test rides, the suspension was felt stiff, but the preload adjustment dial made it easy for me to find that sweet spot. The front suspension did give some bumpy rides, yet I was satisfied with a few adjustments and stuff. When it comes to the braking system, the KBO Breeze relies on the Tekri Mechanical Disc Brakes. Thede mechanical brakes come with 180mm rotors and yes, it’s a good choice for a commuter eBike like the Breeze. The brakes give ample stopping power, just the right mix whenever you need them. Also, the mechanical brakes are pretty much easy to install and any issues could be dealt with in no time as replacement parts are available abundantly. The Brakes on the Breeze also are easy to adjust upon the level of sensitivity you need and that’s a plus point. But, yet at a higher price range, quite a lot of eBikes like the Trek Allant 7+ and the Avadar C3 offer Hydraulic braking systems. But being a commuter eBike with excellent ride comfort, rear hub motor, and cruising speeds, you can not ask for more.
KBO Breeze Riding Comfort
The KBO Breeze is a pure marvel when it comes to the local commutes. The handling is good, the seating comfort, pretty neat. The riding stance is pretty upright and relaxed. The relaxed riding stance has also made it easy to reach the handlebar for even the short riders. The handling at low speeds was also stable and thanks to the saddle that comes with a lot of cushioning, you could go on for miles on the Breeze. Now let us get to the power aspect. The hub motor and the battery are well intact and don’t cause much of a stability issue. The 7 speed Shimano Derailleur is spot on for every terrain. The Breeze as a whole is comfortable to ride at higher speeds. The thing that I noticed while the ride is that there is a bit of power delay during the Pedal Assist. The eBike uses a simple cadence sensor to detect pedaling and in turn, provides power to the wheels. But the response at times gets low and you’ll feel the bike struggling at times. It’s a fact that the commuter eBikes don’t need a lot of torque, so this explains the power lag to a limit. Of course, we cannot compare the higher-end torque systems with the Breeze but it would’ve been better if the power response was even. One thing that I noticed is that you’ll gradually go on shifting the pedal-assist mode once you start your ride. It’s because the power drop is evident at level 2. Things get smooth at levels 3 and 4. At level 5, the motor eases a bit and provides that much-needed thrust so that you could cruise at speeds of up to 22 to 25 mph. Also, the blending of throttle mode makes your work much easy. The throttle has a good grip that separates from the handlebar. The twisting mechanism is smooth and the throttle power delivery is far smoother than the Pedal Assist levels.
KBO Breeze Accessories
The KBO Breeze comes with quite a lot of accessories. These include the fenders, the back brake lights, headlamp, and the LCD display. The thing I like here, you’ll be getting all the accessories, including the fenders, rear rack, and toolkit free of cost. The headlights on the Breeze are decent enough to guide you home in the dark. The 48V LED headlamp offers ample lighting but I really felt it could’ve been brighter. Another thing which I noticed about the headlamp is that there isn’t a dedicated switch to turn on the light. You have to press and hold on the + button to turn on the headlight and and rear light. The tail lamp will keep on when you manually turn on the headlight. There is also a rear taillamp that blinks when you’ve applied the brakes. It adds a safety aspect to your commutes. The tail lamp is integrated into the rack and gets engaged when the brakes are applied. The fenders are the next add-on that comes with the full delivery. It provides full coverage from dirt and puddles and keeps you safe from splashes from the rear and front tires. The body-colored fenders give an aesthetic touch to the bike. I noticed that the fenders are a bit close to the tires. So if you’re planning to upsize the tires then you’ll most probably have to remove the fenders or it could rub against the tires.
KBO Breeze LCD Display
The KBO Breeze comes with a 3” LCD backlight display that shows all the crucial info related to your ride. It lets you keep track of your speed, distance traveled and the current pedal assist level you’re currently on. There is also the battery level and motor power status indicator that’s accurate enough. The display is integrated onto your left handlebar and draws its power from the main battery. The low-profile design makes sure that the display doesn’t distract you while you’re riding. On to the left of the display, there are three buttons, ‘+’, ‘M’ and ‘-‘. Tapping the button M turns on your bike. The rest of the buttons can be used to control the bike speed, switch modes, and change units in the LCD. There is no dedicated button for the headlight, you have to press and hold “+” to activate both the headlight and teal red light in night driving.
KBO Breeze Assembly
The KBO Breeze comes almost 80-percent assembled. The installation manual that comes with the delivery lacks more details for the installation. All that left was to put in some logic to what goes where and how. The bike needs you to set up the front wheel, the saddle, and front fenders. There is a multi-purpose tool kit that comes with the whole delivery which makes eases off the assembly a bit. After you’ve installed the handle bar, front tires and the front fenders, you can finish the installation process with pedals and the saddle. The LCD backlight display comes attached to the handlebar and doesn’t cause much trouble during the assembly. Overall, it took less than45 minutes to fully get the eBike assembled and ready for the roads. We have a complete eBike assembly guide for KBO Breeze. Watch the full video below:
What’s in the Box
With the whole box, you get the eBike (needs assembling), front fender, Samsung 48V 16Ah battery, a standard 3 Amp charger, user manual, and water bottle holder. You also get a lot of addons that are pretty useful. You receive a front LED headlamp and a small tail lamp, an aluminum kickstand, rear rack, fenders, and an integrated LCD display.
KBO Breeze: Pros and Cons
Here are some of the specs we liked and disliked about the KBO Breeze eBike after intensive test and test rides through different terrains. Key Features: Brushless rear hub motor | 750W peak power | rechargeable 48V, 16Ah Lithium-ion Battery | 48V/3A Charger | 5 Level Pedal Assist | Half Twist Throttle | 55 miles Range | LCD Backlight Display | 48V LED Headlight | Integrated Brake Rear Light | Shimano 7 Speed Derailleur | Mechanical Disc Brakes
Powerful rear-hub motor 750W peak768Wh Samsung batteryHigh payload capacity (300lb)Strong and sturdy rear-rackDurable aluminum frameExceptional handling capabilitiesBattery with built-in USB port
Odometer in Km, no option to change. LCD display shows only the basic infoNo USB port on LCD display
Pricing and Availability
The KBO Breeze is a good commuter eBike that comes at a well-defined and competitive price. The eBike at present is available through the KBO’s official website and currently. With the whole delivery, you’ll be getting all those essential add-ons and accessories for a safe and joyful ride.
Final Thoughts
The KBO Breeze is a great commuter eBike that is extremely fun to ride on. It’s a great choice for people who are on the hunt for a reliable commuter eBike that comes packed with both performance and utility. After a couple of test rides, this eBike proved to be powerful enough to cruise through any terrain. The bike is a perfect blend of power, mileage, and looks. It will surely give a tough time to all those eBike of the same price range. The comfortable ride, effortless cornering, and durable build quality add up quite nicely to give the Breeze a real upper hand. The Breeze isn’t the best option for off-roading. It’s a splendid piece of commuter eBike and fits in that category alone. If you’re looking for something that’s more MTB-oriented, there is the Trek Allant or the Himiway Cruiser, to name a few that you can consider.
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