School a newb on E-Bikes (1 Viewer)

[98 SNAKE EATER]

After getting rid of my WalMart special 29'r, I looked into getting a more comfortable recumbent bike

Took a few test rides and loved them, but couldn't get around the oddball "look at me" stigma that goes along with them


Spoke to a co-worker who happens to be a hardcore bike nut and he tried talking me into a $2500 basic starter road bike

When did these things get so damn expensive?

Anyhoo, after looking a some bikes his local shop had to offer, I noticed a few E-Bikes within the same range and they kinda piqued my interest

I mean, if I'm gunna spend big bucks on a bike, might as well get one with a motor

Started looking into budget based E-Bikes online and found these:








Main purpose is excersise, so it has to have pedals (not lookin for an electric motorcycle), but I wouldn't mind having a motor to help me get further out of my neighborhood

I like the idea of a fat tire as the sandy road leading out to Fire Island can be a major PITA at times (usually end up pushing regular mountain bikes)

Thoughts on these things?

 

[woody]

Everyone I know with a hub-driven eBike compares them to a motorcycle. The crank-assist systems will actually assist your pedaling and still keep you exercising.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Thoughts on this one?

 

[sogafarm]

You can convert just about any regular bike to an e-bike. I converted my Electra cruiser to an e-bike several years ago. Top speed was 25 mph on the flats with a full charge. This was back in '07 so there are probably better kits today.

My kit used three LA batteries, a controller, thumb throttle, and front brushed hub motor. Loved riding that bike especially when passing those $2500 road bikes and getting the "look" from the riders when a guy on a beach cruiser with a cup of coffee passed them up hill with one hand on the handlebars barely pedaling, LOL.

I'm sure now they have kits with brushless motors and Li-on Batteries that will hold more charge and less weight. I've still got my old set up, just never have the need anymore to ride it. They are a lot of fun.
The old ride:

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

You can convert just about any regular bike to an e-bike. I converted my Electra cruiser to an e-bike several years ago. Top speed was 25 mph on the flats with a full charge. This was back in '07 so there are probably better kits today.

My kit used three LA batteries, a controller, thumb throttle, and front brushed hub motor. Loved riding that bike especially when passing those $2500 road bikes and getting the "look" from the riders when a guy on a beach cruiser with a cup of coffee passed them up hill with one hand on the handlebars barely pedaling, LOL.

I'm sure now they have kits with brushless motors and Li-on Batteries that will hold more charge and less weight. I've still got my old set up, just never have the need anymore to ride it. They are a lot of fun.
The old ride:

That's cool

I've done a few 2-stroke coversions, but never electric



Similar bikes from Sondors

[video=youtube_share;GrRBd7Apykc]
[video=youtube_share;9laYwOL1_0o]

The XS with a 750w motor, hydraulic brakes, air suspension, etc. goes for $1699, but doesn't ship until the end of October

I can get the 500w X model with standard disc brakes for $999 and it ships by the end of this month

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, just pulled the trigger on the Fold X for $999

They actually had it in stock, so it ships out tomorrow

I probably would've sprung for the XS, but I ain't waiting for that sh!te

I figure I can always flip the X on CL if I feel like upgrading to the XS

 

[whitey45]

Look foward to your review, as I am in the market too and a newb!

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

It arrived Thursday morning, but wasn't able to put it together until I got home after midnight

Very well packed and everything went together smoothly (basically just install front wheel, seat post, folding handle bar and LCD display)

Tires already filled with air, brakes and derailuer already adjusted, all wiring already neatly routed through the frame

Thing is, it didn't come with ANY instructions on how to do what, so I had to resort to a YouTube, which is fine with me cause I never open manuals

Only a couple of issues....

1) According to the video I watched, it's supposed to come with a thrust washer that fits between the neck and the stem, but I don't think it's really necessary and the video was for an earlier model

2) There's a spring loaded magnet that's supposed to hold the fork against the frame when folded, but the metal base bolt was broken.
No big deal as I'll probably yank it off anyways since it looks kinda hokey to begin with

I have yet to actually turn it on as the battery is still charging, but I'l take a spin tomorrow

 

[sogafarm]

Looks good!
Waiting on quarter mile results.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Looks good!
Waiting on quarter mile results.

It will never touch my scooter

 

[Sno bored]

I've had a couple of Sondors for 3 plus years now. There are some Sondors owners FB pages, they can answer most of your questions.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, I absolutely love this bike!!

Put about 30 miles on it so far and it rides great



I did run into an issue though

When I did the initial charge, I noticed that the cooling fan on the charger wasn't working

Didn't much of it at the time and figured it was probably thermally activated

It charged the pack fine, but I made inquires on a few eBike forums and FB pages since the company's tech support is off on weekends and found that the fan is supposed to run immediately

So on the second charge cycle on Sunday night (battery still had 3 out of 5 bars), I decided to monitor it and do random temp checks

In a little less than an hour, the charger went *poof*



Got in touch with them yesterday and they're sending me a replacement along with the broken magnet bit and the missing washer

What really sucks is that I've caught the E-Bike bug and I'm already looking to upgrade

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Scooped this up on CL this morning for $100 bucks

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Added a cheap luggage rack and picked up another bin for the other bike

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Unlocked the speed limiter on the orange bike

Now she's hitting 25 with a headwind and 27+ with a tailwind

 

[Kofoed]

I've ridden my brother's Murf fattie. I don't like the fat tires, but you can it on the beach. The max speed is over 15 so in Cali you need to ride on the street with a helmet unless under human only power.

The Fat Murf™

From surfing to day trips, Murf's best-selling electric beach cruiser improves every adventure. Check out the fat tire e-bike that started it all.

murfelectricbikes.com

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Flipped the red bike on CL this mornin for a good profit

Now lookin to upgrade to this one

 

[ScottT]

On the expensive very high quality side there is Stromer.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

I actually flipped my Sondors Fold X on Craigslist for a good profit and placed an order for a Wallke X3 Pro despite a rather negative call to their customer service line

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, so I placed an order for an X3 Pro on the 9th

It was due on the 16th, but never arrived

The whole time, FedEx tracking only showed that a label had been created, but it was never scanned

Wallke's excuse was that FedEx picks up large orders of bikes and sometimes won't scan all of them and that I should wait

Gave them another week, but still no bike or any movement on tracking

In the meantime, a friend from Orlando ordered the same bike in grey 2 days after I placed my order and received it on the 16th (the day mine was supposed to arrive)

After countless emails, I got a call from the head of the company saying that they were waiting on FedEx to locate the bike, but that they will send me another using UPS to my shop in Florida because I had just drove down from NY

It was due at my office today, but then I got a notifcation from UPS around 11:30AM saying that it was already delivered

Checked with my staff, but UPS never showed up

Apparently, it was too big to fit on our regular UPS driver's truck, so they stuck it on another with a driver that didn't have a clue where she was going

Luckily, our regular driver stopped by when he heard about my missing package and was able to located it at another shop down the block


Anyhoo, it's FINALLY here

Packed extremely well and it went together easily (working on an unboxing video)

Derailleur needed a little tuning and the brake calipers needed to be aligned (expected), but all in all, the build quality is pretty damn good

Already did 10 miles and it's MUCH smoother than my Fold X over rough terrain

It does feel much larger and harder to maneuver at low speeds though (gunna take some getting used to)