Freebeat MorphRover 2 in 1 eBike Review

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I have been not so patiently waiting for this bike for a long time. If you are looking for the best indoor exercise bike, Freebeat MorphRover is one you should consider. Indoor exercise bikes are a fantastic way to get exercise. eBikes are a great way to get exercise outside while having more fun. They each are usually expensive and they take up a hunk of space. The idea of combining both of these from both a cost and space perspective is extremely appealing. I have converted the bike between an e-bike and an exercise bike multiple times, hit the roads, and exercised on this bike in my basement. And now, I am ready to share what I think with you!

You may be wondering what this means and what compromises exist because of this 2-in-1 model. I will cover the compromises shortly, but it is as simple as it sounds. This can be both an e-bike and an exercise bike for inside your house. Now, it is more of an electric bike. Meaning when you hit the roads, it is an e-bike and you don't notice any drawbacks because it can also be an exercise bike. It does all the normal fat tire e-bike type of things. When you use it as an exercise bike, it is less exercise bike and more biking inside the house. This is not a bad thing as you can still get a connected fitness experience and wonderful exercise. But is more like riding a bike than jumping on a Peloton bike.

I assumed this would be time-consuming and annoying. I was very wrong. If I roll the bike in and want to switch to indoor exercise bike mode, it only takes about 50 seconds, and I could probably be faster. Roll the front tire into the stand and then bring the rear stand over the rear tire and clamp down on the axle nut and spread out the stand. That is it. To switch from indoor mode to e-bike mode, it is the opposite and only takes roughly 30 seconds to perform. If this was a hassle to switch, I would not think this bike was worth it. The fact that you can so easily switch between modes really makes this bike shine for me.

Stability - I had a feeling this would be an area where the bike struggles. Indoor cycling bikes are made to stay in one place and be connected to the floor for a very supported ride. This is a real bike that goes into a stand. And to my surprise, it works great! I am 230 lb. and top-heavy. I never felt like the bike was leaning, unsafe, or moving too much. The stability was great!

Comfort - You are riding a bike. If you struggle with riding a normal bike, then you may experience problems with this as well. The only real difference in terms of comfort compared to indoor cycling bikes is the handlebars. You don't have different places to locate your hands and support yourself. I never had a problem with this and I was always comfortable, but results will vary depending on what works for you.

Resistance - Different but good. Mostly. Magnetic-based indoor cycling bikes are extremely smooth and quiet. This is not that. Pedaling has a lot of texture to it and it makes some noise. Not overwhelming but magnetic indoor exercise bikes are basically silent. You will have to decide if the noise is a problem for you. I don't mind the textured feel to pedaling, but again, this is going to be a personal decision depending on what is important to you. 

In Saddle vs Out - Indoor cycling bikes have a flywheel and as these spin, it builds rotational mass. This can be very helpful when you get out of saddle (stand and pedal) as your weight and position makes it hard to keep pedaling fluidly. The rotating mass of the flywheel makes up for this and keeps out of saddle riding fluid on quality indoor exercise bikes basically making it feel like you are still in the saddle. The Freebeat MorphRover eBike does not have a flywheel and does not have the same support out of saddle. For me, this makes it much harder to keep the pedals moving fluidly and I honestly do not care for it. I do weigh 230 lbs. so maybe lighter individuals would have an easier time, but I very much prefer to stay in saddle. That being said, I do very much enjoy the in saddle experience. The resistance can go from easy to hard, make very small adjustments to help from overwhelming you with big resistance swings, and is very fluid. Personally, I don't mind staying in saddle one bit, but if you want the full experience like other indoor exercise bikes, this may leave you disappointed.

Build Quality - Very happy here. Indoor as exercise bike, stands used to convert to an indoor exercise bike, or the bike in eBike mode... The quality of the parts, build, and overall functionality have been of no concern for me. Always feels strong, well build, and ready to easily handle what I am going to throw at it. Again, very happy here.

Exercise - Something I want to point out is that this could be the best ebike for exercise that is out there. As an ebike, it does a good job of working with you but still making you work if you want that. Set the PAS level to one and cruise around at 17 to 20 miles per hour. You will be having a blast, but also getting great exercise. Lets say it is a crummy day and you can't hit the roads. A minute and you can be riding this indoors getting fantastic exercise as well. So, if you like the thought of having an ebike or exercise bike but have a focus on exercise or cardio, this is an option to put high on your list.

Power - E-bike actually have a wide range of power. It is easy to assume they are all very close but this is not true. Most people prefer an eBike that does not have too much power. It is still to be used as a bike, but it supports you. They don't want the bike to feel over powered and dangerous. At the same time, some e-bike are quite slow. If you need to accelerate through a traffic stop or keep up with traffic, good luck. They are not built for that. This bike, while not a fast bike, is probably perfect forr "most" people. It is not over powered and by no means fast, but it has more power than those slow eBikes I referrenced. Honestly, a perfect power level. Nothing crazy power-wise, but if you need to get through a traffic stop, you can with enough power. Need to get to top speed, no problem at all. The power is there to support you properly without every feeling anywhere close to too much. A great option for new riders or anyone that realizes they don't need speed, but want a little more than slow. 

Control \ Stability - Basically, this is like any other fat tire e-bike I have rode. At fist, it may feel a little bit different than regular bikes you have rode before. Bigger frame, more weight, you sit a little higher, and have those big fat tires on the road. It changes the feel a bit, but I honestly love it. After a minute, you have a feel for it, feel very in control, can still take corners easily, and always feel stable. I have no weaknesses to report, but honestly, most quality built e-bike feel pretty much the same.

Brakes - Average. I have felt better and I have most definitely felt worse. These can still stop you rather quickly while feeling very under control. Very comparable to most e-bike . The best brakes I have tested so far were on the Ride1Up Revv 1, but these were another level at a completely different price level. While I absolutely loved them and it was fun for someone who likes to go fast and brake hard, they would be overkill for most people on a bike like this. So, while I say average, it is the right brakes for this bike at this price point. I don't think you will have any concerns here.

App - If you would like to use the Freebeat App while riding outdoors, it has some nice features. GPS to show where you are at and track your ride, current speed, ride duration, distance, average speed, and most importantly battery life left. It does store your rides so you can go back and look at them later. Nothing over the top here but some nice features to know where you are at if you want them.

Range - I have not fully tested this yet but plan to in the spring so subscribe to both the mailing list and YouTube Channels to know when more testing is complete. But expanding out some shorter rides, it tells me that throttle only would net me about 20 miles of range. If I pedal along to support the eBike, I could get around 45 miles of range. My hope is that in the spring updates have been pushed and warmer weather improves these numbers even more but stay tuned!