F350joe
Well-known member
Those fat tire ebike are suppose to be amazing in snow and ice. look forward to hearing how is works out for you.
E-bikes?
- Thread starter Martinjmpr
- Start date
F350joe
Well-known member
Juiced is pretty much on the same plane as Rad. Really good value for what you get compared to others. If you are going moped style or foldable, go with one of those two brands. Some ebike stores will convert it for you but I don’t think you get a warranty like the others. It’s not a bad idea to rent a couple for half a day with a friend of significant other. You can then switch off and see what style you like better. Keep weight in mind if you are putting it on a rack. You can always remove the battery and/or tires to get within spec of your rack.OK, I'm semi-handy but there's a lot to be said for buying a "turn key" solution.
Right now I'm really liking this Scorpion from Juiced Bikes.
Scorpion X: Electric Moped-Style Bike
The new Scorpion X electric bike delivers an upgraded riding experience with more power, speed, and range! Equipped with a new electronics system and custom RetroBlade motor, Scorpion X offers an epic e-bike value loaded with super premium features.www.juicedbikes.com
View attachment 557931
I was trying to figure out why I liked the look of it so much. Then it hit me: Because it looks so much like a Honda CT-110!
View attachment 557932
Interesting, eh? A CT-110 clone that runs on a battery or pedal power, you can ride on bike trails and weighs ~65lbs.
Some more inspiration... these guys have an interesting concept but I would probably just get a emotorcycle before this. Does look fun and stable though. I have only used mine to explore trails around camp before everyone gets up or in the evening but strapping on the backpacking gear and heading out would be pretty cool with something like this.
Top of the line here....
This brand and backcou ebikes should give you inspiration for a more utilitarian uses.
Willard27
Member
I added a Luna Cycle BBSHD kit to my old hard-tail Rocky Mountain MTB. It's a great commuter, you can build a 1500Watt, 52V monster for a decent price, and I am very happy but don't know if I would recommend it unless you are looking for another hobby. Broken spokes, wheels, derailuers, front sprockets. Brake upgrades. Burned out a motor controller with the wrong gearing. Specialized makes some beautiful bikes and I just need to convince the boss to let me buy the next one. Definitely e-bike of some sort though. So much more useful for exploring in and out of town.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
That's what's got me going back and forth. On the one hand, building an E-bike promises a lower cost of entry (circa $500 - $600) but much more work and potential problems down the road.
OTOH, Buying fully assembled is more expensive (the sweet spot seems to be right at $1500) but promises something that can be used "out of the box" and something that was engineered to be an e-bike from the get-go vs. something cobbled together from parts.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
So my big dilemma with bicycles is: Where to carry them.
We are looking for bicycles we can take when we go camping. We're not "overlanders", rather we are RV campers and we normally camp at State Parks or National Park/Forest sites. Tow vehicle is a 2018 F-150 CCSB with a cab-high topper and the trailer is a 2018 Forest River R-Pod 179 HRE (Hood River Edition - means a higher suspension and knobby tires, not that anybody would really take a 3500lb travel trailer 'off road.')
We have two bicycles we take now, wife's old no-suspension Bianchi and my hard-tail GT, both fairly low priced and low tech bikes. They're both 21 speed and have caliper (wheel) brakes (not disc.)
I weighed them last night and they both weigh in at right around 35lbs. Currently, we carry them in the camper. What I do is flip them upright so the front wheel is in the air, wheel them into the camper via the door, then make a 90 degree turn to the right and set them on the floor. The second bike goes in facing the other direction so the handlebars aren't interfering with each other. At 35lbs each, this isn't too difficult. This is what they look like sitting inside the trailer:
Carrying the bikes this way has a lot of advantages for us. They're inside, protected from the elements and theft, and require no rack or carrier. And since most of our camping gear rides in the truck, they're not taking up space we need elsewhere.
My concern is whether I could do this with a bike that weighs ~65 lbs, since that seems to be where most of the "affordable" E-bikes are in terms of weight.
There is the option of folding E-bikes. Our camping friends love their folding Rad Mini bikes, which they carried in their utility trailer conversion. My only concern is that we had folding (non electric) bikes we bought several years ago and I found them to actually be more cumbersome than a full-size non-folding bike. I also found them to feel sort of "flimsy" when riding. Once folded up they were difficult to move, carry or store.
Of course, back then I had an SUV, not a pickup, so it's occurred to me that folding bicycles could fit in the back of the truck which might make them easier to deal with.
What we probably need to do is see if we can RENT some e-bikes for a camping trip to see how well they will work.
We are looking for bicycles we can take when we go camping. We're not "overlanders", rather we are RV campers and we normally camp at State Parks or National Park/Forest sites. Tow vehicle is a 2018 F-150 CCSB with a cab-high topper and the trailer is a 2018 Forest River R-Pod 179 HRE (Hood River Edition - means a higher suspension and knobby tires, not that anybody would really take a 3500lb travel trailer 'off road.')
We have two bicycles we take now, wife's old no-suspension Bianchi and my hard-tail GT, both fairly low priced and low tech bikes. They're both 21 speed and have caliper (wheel) brakes (not disc.)
I weighed them last night and they both weigh in at right around 35lbs. Currently, we carry them in the camper. What I do is flip them upright so the front wheel is in the air, wheel them into the camper via the door, then make a 90 degree turn to the right and set them on the floor. The second bike goes in facing the other direction so the handlebars aren't interfering with each other. At 35lbs each, this isn't too difficult. This is what they look like sitting inside the trailer:
Carrying the bikes this way has a lot of advantages for us. They're inside, protected from the elements and theft, and require no rack or carrier. And since most of our camping gear rides in the truck, they're not taking up space we need elsewhere.
My concern is whether I could do this with a bike that weighs ~65 lbs, since that seems to be where most of the "affordable" E-bikes are in terms of weight.
There is the option of folding E-bikes. Our camping friends love their folding Rad Mini bikes, which they carried in their utility trailer conversion. My only concern is that we had folding (non electric) bikes we bought several years ago and I found them to actually be more cumbersome than a full-size non-folding bike. I also found them to feel sort of "flimsy" when riding. Once folded up they were difficult to move, carry or store.
Of course, back then I had an SUV, not a pickup, so it's occurred to me that folding bicycles could fit in the back of the truck which might make them easier to deal with.
What we probably need to do is see if we can RENT some e-bikes for a camping trip to see how well they will work.
jacobconroy
Hillbilly of Leisure
OK, I'm semi-handy but there's a lot to be said for buying a "turn key" solution.
Right now I'm really liking this Scorpion from Juiced Bikes.
Scorpion X: Electric Moped-Style Bike
The new Scorpion X electric bike delivers an upgraded riding experience with more power, speed, and range! Equipped with a new electronics system and custom RetroBlade motor, Scorpion X offers an epic e-bike value loaded with super premium features.
View attachment 557931
I was trying to figure out why I liked the look of it so much. Then it hit me: Because it looks so much like a Honda CT-110!
View attachment 557932
Interesting, eh? A CT-110 clone that runs on a battery or pedal power, you can ride on bike trails and weighs ~65lbs.
Interesting that you posted this. My parents (around 70-ish) just retired their Honda 110 and bought pop an E-bike. Loved it so much that they just bought a second to go exploring together.
Dad says that they just didn't want to deal with the weight of real bikes anymore due to their age. In any case, they highly recommend the new bikes.
shade
Well-known member
E Bike | Yamaha E Bikes
Yamaha e-bikes enable more roads and trails bicycle riding. Cutting edge electric bike motors, reliable, long-lasting batteries and intuitive controls make Yamaha e bikes the perfect do-more ride. Yamahabicycles.com
www.yamahabicycles.com
$3500 isn't too bad for a mid-high grade dual suspension MTB (if it meets that standard), but I'd rather put that kind of money into an actual e-motorcycle.
Too bad Alta folded up. Their Redshift showed promise.
Grenadiers
Adventurer
My wife and I have two RadRover fat tire electric bikes. We're currently in Baja, and they have been excellent for both (hard sand) beach riding and touring the villages and towns. We purchased the rear carriers, and mounted cheap plastic crates on each bike for our shopping excursions. A few caveats. The RadRover is not for short-legged people, (30.5" stand-over height) straddling the bike is difficult. The step-thru versions would be better, but, the wheels are smaller. Two, the wheel-base is too short, 45" wheelbase, taking a turn in the dirt/gravel at speed is not recommended. Think incorrect caster on a car/truck, tire 'patch' on surfaces is wrong. Three, the weight. At 61 years of age, lifting these 68 pound bikes onto a 1up-USA.com bike rack, is well, not much fun! I highly recommend the 1up bike racks, expensive, but the tire locking system is brilliant.
For the $1,499 price, delivered to your door, these bikes are an exceptional value. The steel/chrome components are rusting on our bikes due to salt beach air, and being in the Florida Panhandle during three months of rain last winter (bikes outside under cover, not getting wet). I would try to rent a few bikes, including this brand, before making a decision. PS, I could be wrong on the wheelbase issue, in other words, 45" is 'normal' but, to me, turning in the dirt at speed is difficult.
For the $1,499 price, delivered to your door, these bikes are an exceptional value. The steel/chrome components are rusting on our bikes due to salt beach air, and being in the Florida Panhandle during three months of rain last winter (bikes outside under cover, not getting wet). I would try to rent a few bikes, including this brand, before making a decision. PS, I could be wrong on the wheelbase issue, in other words, 45" is 'normal' but, to me, turning in the dirt at speed is difficult.
shade
Well-known member
Can the battery be removed for loading?
If I was designing one, I'd want a pack that could be easily removed. Apart from making it easier to move the bike around for loading, I think that would appeal to people that wanted to extend the range by carrying a second pack, and help apartment dwellers with charging.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
From what I've seen almost all of them have easily removed batteries. And the listed weight I don't think includes the battery. Still almost double the weight of even an old-tech non-powered mountain bike like mine.
biggoolies
Adventurer
After that warranty expires, you are on your own, and Bosch motors are notoriously expensive if they go wrong. Bosch batteries are also incredibly expensive to replace and even a minor fault can render the battery useless.
Victorian
Approved Vendor : Total Composites
What are the alternatives? I have read that most others crap out way sooner with zero customer support. At least with Bosch, you can buy replacements or upgrade.
biggoolies
Adventurer
Yamaha looks to have a great mid drive and are used on the giant ebikes. It sounds like the Bosch is super reliable but when things go wrong out of warranty it doesn’t sound good. I don’t know what sort of service is available on the Yamaha as I am new to this and am looking at these bikes for the first time so not from personal experience. Just to let others know what may happen when things go wrong.
