The Nova X1 has good balance, gets great range if you coast longer than you pedal and has decent traction over loose rocks, gravel, wet pavement and sand. When I had tested mine for the first two days, I had a problem with both of the hydraulic brakes on the same day - one was a self-loosening set screw problem in the brake handle, which was fixed with the application of thread locker, but the other brake has an internal leak somewhere, causing the front brake to fade and completely loose when holding the brake lever. It spits if I hold for 30 seconds then release the handle. I prefer mechanical brakes for this reason. The ride is not bumpy for me and the light does let other people nearby know that you're there. When I went off road, I switched to 2WD mode and enjoyed good traction on loose rocks and debris. When I dislike is the fading front brake problem and the gradual response from a dead stop for acceleration when I use the throttle. I wish there were an internal option to remove that feature as I sometimes need that instant response when dealing with distracted drivers in the city. What sold me was when I had tested my coworker's Nova X1 at work and I accelerated while leaning into a turn. The balance was lower than I was accustomed to, preventing the bike from tipping over in mid-turn. It was surprisingly stable and I'm all about balance. The tire tread is noisy, but in the city, generating some noise can help to keep distracted people alert of your presence. Overall, I love this bike and I want to upgrade it with my own bike trailer hitch in the future. My usual routine for preparing any bike is to use thread locker on every nut, bolt and spoke, then put an entire bottle of Slime into each tire, due to the many "Goat Head" thorns and other tire bane in Arizona. I'm using my Nova X1 as my daily ride, which is around 10 miles between home and work. Aside from the fading hydraulic brake and the gradual acceleration feature that I could do away with, I love this bike and wouldn't trade it for any other bike. I turned a few heads when going 2WD to pass through a deep hole where the sidewalk was never completed. Many people aren't accustomed to seeing the front tire of any bike spinning to help climb out of a hole.
