PVY Z20 PRO bicycle test: Experience the power of 500 watts!
Plenty of accessories, a powerful engine and a ridiculously low price from the new manufacturer.
Check out our video presentation on YouTube!
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Introductory
This test started interestingly. When they sent the picture of the bike, the name Z20 popped up, more precisely the letter Z on the bike in a previous test. I tested a HIMO bike in it, and I remembered that the Z looked exactly like that on it too.
I immediately started comparing the data of the two bikes, so I quickly realized that I was not getting a HIMO clone, but a much better bike. At least according to the paper form. Although they say that the word goes away, the writing remains, Chinese manufacturers often make the mistake of painting their product as much better than it is in reality.
With that said, I was excitedly waiting for the two-wheeler to arrive just because of the specification. I was less enthusiastic about one thing, the weather, but luckily they took pity on me, so I could enjoy 8-10 degrees and a little sun during the test. So I didn't freeze the PVY Z20 PRO, so I could make this test for you!
Packaging and accessories
The size of the box was quite small, and the above-mentioned HIMO jumped out of it, the last time it had such a small packaging. This is more of a good sign than a bad one, because it also means that the Z20 Pro will be quite small when folded, which is important if we want to put it in the trunk of our car.
Interestingly, the bike was even smaller than I expected, because there was also quite thick nikecell shock absorption inside the cardboard. This is another good point, since the Z20 Pro must first travel halfway around the world, then it must reach you from the Czech warehouse in one piece, intact. That way the mission is not impossible!
The bike from PVY (the manufacturer has an interesting name) had many positive surprises already at the beginning of the unpacking, as it comes with a surprising number of accessories, or extras, as it were. The tool kit is still there, normal manufacturers always include it so that we can do the smaller things and adjustments. It's a little more surprising that we also get a phone holder.
The range of accessories is far from over here, as the box also includes a waterproof tarpaulin. Yes, just like the ones you can buy for smaller motorcycles. For me, such a thing is completely unnecessary, but if someone e.g. store the bike in the garage of an apartment building, you will surely be happy with it.
The front light and the rear prism are in separate compartments, the latter of course being red. Among the accessories, there were two other things that were a very pleasant surprise. One is the FÉM already installed on the bike and the mudguards painted in the color of the bike, the other is the luggage rack, which is not the worst kind. It has a spring fastener and can be loaded up to 25 kilos. So you can even go shopping with this measure!
I left two less interesting things last, the charger and the description.
To sum things up, the bottom line is this:
The tarpaulin is a nice surprise, such attention warms my heart. The phone holder is not a strong structure, so try it, if you don't like it, replace it. The lamp is an interesting thing (I will write about it later), the prism is rather weak, it will be worth buying a rear lamp instead. Not only because of weakness, but I will also write about this in a later chapter!
The trunk and fenders, on the other hand, are huge things. Many other manufacturers sell these for a hefty additional ten thousand forints, and they don't even come with the bike right away. So, if you look at the (surprisingly low) price of the bike, you know that it includes all accessories.
Paper form
I won't spend too much time here, I'll quickly tell you what the specification says!
The PVY Z20 Pro, as the name suggests, is a city bike equipped with 20-inch wheels. This means that it is not the fashionable thick rubber solution, which does have some advantages, more on that later. The frame is made of aluminum, it weighs 30 kilos with mudguards and trunk, without it it is said to be only 22. I didn't measure it, 22 seems small, 30 is realistic. This is a completely average, or rather maybe slightly below average weight for such a bike.
There is a front shock absorber, but no rear shock absorber, but this is not something expected for a city bike. The HIMO doesn't even have front brakes... Of course, we get front and rear disc brakes, the usual bow type. The shifter is Shimano, although the cheaper Tourney version is 6-speed. The shift buttons on the steering wheel are also the usual ones.
The manufacturer says that the height of the user can vary between 165 and 190 cm. I would say this is a highly underestimated figure, but I will describe why later. The point is that it can be used by very tall people, and even by very heavy people, it has a load capacity of 120 kilograms.
According to factory data, the engine has a torque of 50 Nm, the maximum output is 335 revolutions per minute, and its power is 500 watts. The recommended maximum speed is 25 km per hour. These days, this is written on every bicycle, I think it proves that the structure is EU compliant.
Of course, it is possible to go faster than that, and it is even possible to have the assistance available up to a speed of 32 kilometers per hour. I'll tell you what the method is!
According to the description, the battery is 36 volts, 10,4 AH. Again, these are completely normal data, as is the number of kilometers that can be covered. According to their claim, the mileage that can be covered with assistance is 80-100, while in pure electric mode we can drive 50-60 kilometers. I would have been surprised if that was true, I'll tell you right now, it's not.
Two more things at the end. One is that the available colors are gray and white, and the other is that the PVY Z20 Pro also received CE certification. But these are important things!
The outside
Well, the surprises may continue! The Z20 Pro is equipped with 20-inch wheels, but it is one of the larger, taller solutions. Not like the aforementioned HIMO, which makes me look like a monkey on a grindstone. This way, the PVY Z20 Pro can also be used by taller cyclists, it won't make them look stupid!
At the front, there is traditional spring damping, the fork has no preload, damping, or locking. So it's a simple solution. Disc brakes are Bowden, but these are also the simpler types, with a working cylinder on only one side, which presses the disc onto the brake pad on the other side. These are usually simple, effective, but quite noisy brakes. The shifter is again a simple piece, but at least branded. Many people look down on Tourney relays, but according to my experience, they are also quite good.
Another very pleasant surprise - that's why there is a small window on the side of the frame with a large red dot, which has a rubber cap. Inside the window, we find a USB connector to charge our phone, and we find a small red switch that we can use to de-energize the bike. Needless to say, both of these things are considered extras, which are often missing from bikes available in this category!
As I wrote above, the frame is made of aluminum. Externally, the usual form can be opened in the middle, where the battery is inside the frame. The lock on the frame is also the usual one, only the method of closing the battery is not the usual one.
In 90 percent of the cases, we can open or close the battery by inserting a key at the bottom of the frame, but here with the small red switch that I mentioned. This is a much better solution, because the key can even be lost (it hangs downwards from the frame), but the switch will never fall out.
What I definitely have to mention is that the welding seams are flawless, beautiful, um the big thick seams I see on cheaper bikes. And what is even more important is the polish. Seriously, I can't remember if I've ever seen such quality in this category. Almost like painting a car. Metallic, shiny, flawless. And what's nice is that the fenders are also painted in this color, the job is basically perfect!
I didn't mention that, of course, the height of the seat and the height of the steering wheel can also be adjusted.
Experiences
Let's go back to the beginning of the article! I started there, thinking at first that I was getting a HIMO clone, but then it turned out that not even close, only the design of the letter Z, which is the same, everything else is completely different.
The first telescope approx. the same quality as Xiaomi, which is good news. The spring is relatively hard in it, it hit me once, but I have to note that unfortunately I weigh around 100 kilos, and the depression I drove into was quite large. So I consider this acceptable. As I wrote, there is no damping in the telescope, but this is not at all disturbing for this bike, not for other competitors in its category, due to the too soft spring.
So a red dot because of the telescope!
The brakes are the usual. This is the cheap solution, there is a working cylinder on one side, the disc is not floating, as with motors, it simply bends a little and presses on the brake pad on the other side. This is the case with all bikes in this category, whether branded or unbranded, foreign or domestic. It fits in this price.
The brakes were quite squealing for the first few kilometers, but later this almost completely disappeared. Almost. There is still sound, but it's not terrible. Of course, I adjusted the brakes before setting off, you should do the same, because the rear one was good for me, but the front one is completely unusable. So this needs to be checked.
I would like to add here that if you want better brakes later, you can buy a cheap semi-hydraulic one, where the working cylinder is already oiled, but the brake cylinder is moved by the bowden. Or you can buy a fully hydraulic one, which has oil from the brake lever. Even the price of this is not the same as if you wanted to buy an electric bike with hydraulic brakes at home, so it is not a bad option either. But, as I said, the semi-hydraulic is perfect, you will have orders of magnitude better brakes!
The shifter, as I wrote, is Shimano Tourney. This is the bottom of Shimano derailleurs, but if you adjust it properly, or if you don't know how to adjust it, you can go around the world with it and you won't have any problems. The bike I had also had to adjust its derailleur a bit, and then it passed the test without noise, rattling, or misshifting.
Already during the test it occurred to me that I should not forget the fact that this bike is designed for giants (IS). At 184 cm, I'm not tall, but I'm not short either. However, by pulling the seat to the upper position, I can barely reach the pedal, and I was only able to try it by sitting next to the fence, because my feet did not reach the ground.
The height of the handlebars is also adjustable, and unlike many other bikes, not just in theory. The problem is that although the steering wheel could be raised higher, the cables are so short that it is not possible. Not so in the case of the Z20 Pro, here the steering wheel can also be raised to the sky.
As I wrote above with the paper form, I had to return to the maximum height of 190 cm, because as I see it, it wanted to be 190+ cm. I don't know how tall a person is, who can use the maximum seat height.
After many good things, one bad thing. In other words, it's more interesting. I mentioned above that I would turn back to the light, I will do it now. The strange thing is that, unlike usual, the light of the Z20 Pro is not part of the bike's electrical system. With the bikes I've had, the light could always be switched on from the steering wheel from the computer, but this is not the case with the Z20 Pro. Here, the lamp works with batteries and the switch is on the top of the lamp.
This is definitely a small negative. In the same way, I classify the rear reflector as a negative, instead of which I would urgently buy a lamp.
Speaking of reflectors, in addition to the fenders and the trunk, I thought of one more thing that usually costs extra, and that is the reflectors on the spokes. This is also part of the standard equipment here, we don't have to buy the one that fits the Z20 Pro from the manufacturer at a hefty price after buying the bike. Another big red dot!
Before we deal with the most important thing, the drive, there is one more small thing, which is not so small, and that is the seat. Before fitting it, I checked that it was quite hard and quite small, but interestingly, despite this, the factory seat is more comfortable than average. Of course, if you plan to use the Z20 Pro in the long term, it might be worth looking for something more comfortable, but at least it's not mandatory, as it is with similarly priced competitors.
Well, now comes the drive, which I think is the best of PVY's first bike!
We know that the EU has regulated quite harshly what means of transport we can call an electric bicycle. This has three important characteristics. The first is that it cannot be more powerful than 250 watts. The second is that it cannot move without human power, that is, simply with the throttle (understand, it cannot be a throttle). The third is that the assistance must be switched off above 25 kilometers per hour.
These rules, as I have said several times, are very logical, and in most cases they can be accepted. However, there is also a percentage of cases where it is not. For example, you are 100+ kilos, for example, if you do not live in the lowlands, and sometimes there are uphills. Well, in such cases, 250 watts is not enough.
What can be done? You have to buy a stronger one. The Z20 Pro is ideal in this respect. It is not very strong, that is, it does not belong to the 750- 1000- or 1000+ category, so it is completely livable. It doesn't want to run out from under you, but on moderate climbs it will take you up easily.
If you don't want to, you don't even have to remove the restrictions from it, if you do that, the throttle won't work on it and the drive won't go over 25 kilometers per hour. With this, you almost make the bicycle EU compliant, and it is essentially certain that the police will not punish you either, there will be no reason.
Anyway, if you want, you can use it as a moped. You remove the ban, with this the assistance will work up to 25 kilometers per hour instead of 32 kilometers per hour, and you will also have a working throttle.
This includes the fact that a moped cannot lack a rear light, which is another reason to replace the cat's eyes.
As usual, the data on the distance that can be covered in the specification do not correspond to reality. This can be said to be commonplace, just like in the case of cars. The situation is that, using assistance, although well skinned, I was able to travel 40 kilometers (approx.) on a single charge. Of course, let's also add that I went in unusual cycling weather, it was quite cold.
If I had to guess, I would say that a cyclist with a lower mass than me, using, say, level 1 and maybe level 2 assistance, might reach a range of 60-65 kilometers if there are no big climbs. If there are, and if we use 3rd gear assistance for a long time, perhaps we want to use the realistically achievable maximum speed of around 30 kilometers per hour, then we can count on even fewer kilometers.
We can say that this is a bad point, but since these numbers are true for all similar bikes, let's just say that this is the daily reality for electric bikes. At least in this price range.
Finally, one more important thing, collapsability. The PVY Z20 Pro is collapsible, and it's also very small. The steering wheel folds down, the seat is slid in, the frame is folded, the pedal is also folded in, and it already fits comfortably in the trunk of your car!
Sum it!
Summary
Perhaps not everyone realized from what has been described so far that the PVY Z20 Pro has turned out to be a very successful bike. No, there are no crazy extras, we won't be blown away by the speed, everyone won't turn around and say, oh my God, what a miracle this man is driving.
The PVY Z20 Pro is simply a bike with a good price-performance ratio, perhaps even the best of the current range.
The thing is, for the money they charge for it, you get a 250 watt bare bike from other manufacturers. We don't get extra-quality paintwork, luggage racks, fenders, reflectors on the wheels, seats that can be lifted up to the sky, tarpaulins, phone holders, basically nothing. And I'll write it down again, for this money you GET 250 WATT BIKES from other manufacturers, not 500 WATTS.
So, my final conclusion is:
Add a rear light, add a semi-hydraulic brake, possibly, but not necessarily, add a seat, and you'll have an essentially flawless, well-equipped electric bike. If you really want to go extra, you can buy a bigger sprocket in advance to make it even faster, better quality pedals, or possibly a front luggage rack.
If you add the cost of these extras to the price of the Z20 Pro, you're still nowhere near the price of other 500-watt bikes. Do you understand why I consider PVY's first bike such a good buy despite the fact that there is nothing extra?
That's about all that was worth writing. Of course, there is also the video, in which I basically say the same things, but there you can see the bike in motion, check it out too!
If you want a PVY bike like this for yourself, you can find it at the link below. Use the BGPVYZ20P coupon code, with which you can now get it for HUF 289 with free delivery from the Czech warehouse by clicking on the link below:
PVY Z20 Pro electric bike
