I recently purchased two Hub Duo Step-Over bikes on sale just prior to Christmas as presents for my girlfriend and I. We wanted to get the bikes to get back into biking as we're a bit out of shape and to run our border collie/husky mix to get him more exercise. So far it seems perfect for this use. I tried it in the snow with the stock tires, but I wouldn't recommend it in anything deep or wet. A groomed trail or plowed area would be fine.
Overall impressions:
The bikes are big and plenty powerful so they are a bit more cumbersome to turn and lean but nothing too crazy. I have had no issues with any of the hills in my area but they aren't anything crazy. The speed is limited to 32km/h and that is fine for me and keeps it legal. Usually I've been just using the PAS and cruising around 20km/h anyways. I do really like the PAS with the torque sensor as it feels like the motor is nicely supplementing your pedaling.
The size of the bike is perfect for me at 6'4" and 32" inseam but it is just a touch big for my girlfriend who is 5'5" with a 31" inseam. She has troubles with the back rack and hitting her knee on it but that might just be a her problem.
I don't have an issues with the brightness of the stock light but I'm not going off-road. It is nice that the back light activated brighter with the brake levers but it would be nice if the brightness difference was more noticeable.
The controller is very easy to read and nice to use, but going through the options is a bit tedious. I really like having the thumb throttle as it is great for take-offs.
The one bike makes more noise when it is under throttle power than the other and it sounds like extra vibration. I haven't been able to diagnose the sound to improve it and it doesn't seem like a major issue more cosmetic.
Shipping:
They told me 14 days and they were pretty close. Shipping was to Ontario and somewhat remote around Lake Huron. The truck it was sent on was too big for my residential street that is also a dead end so I had to meet the driver at the local arena with my truck. Nice guy no issues.
Assembly:
Everything was included to attach the handle bars, front wheel and fenders. There was an issue with the batteries as one came nicely packaged in a box and it is labelled Bafang. The other battery came installed in the bike and has no labelling it is also harder to install and remove but I just have to push down with my thumbs while turning the release.
There was an issue on the one bike installing the front fender as the threads weren't completed on the forks. Luckily, I have a tap and die set and was able to thread it and install without issue.
The two derailleurs on the bikes weren't installed in the same orientation as one was completely horizontal and the other was vertical but there was no damage to them.
Sales:
So a week after I purchased the bikes they put them on a better sale and I contacted them to see if they would give me the discounted price. They wouldn't refund the cash but they did provide me with two gift cards with no expiry dates to compensate.
