Electric bike
- Thread starter Howboutthemdawgs
- Start date
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
DEMO DAY
IT was interesting. It was sponsored by the "ebike library". It was not a commercial event. It is a college town with lots of biking. The "ebike Library" seems to be more of a bike geek than a profitable business. It seems to be run by a bike geek who just lends out ebikes for a week at a time to let your try different bikes before you order a bike on-line from whomever. The event was him and a whole bunch of private ebikers just bring their bikes to show them off and let folks ride them. I rode several and did learn some interesting things.
First, most bikes had rear hub motors. I tried a 750 watt (RAD I think). I tested it just using the throttle with no pedaling. I could not even make it up a small hill. I tried another that had more gearing. I found that with hub drives, the gears make no difference if you don't pedal. The throttle spins the rear tire with it lifted off the ground without the gears spinning. I tried another RAD, again with a rear hub motor but smaller and a bit lighter. I could make it up the hill with the throttle only if I got a running start. Again, insufficient for my hunting application.
I learned that with mid-drives, not only do they provided more torque for a given wattage (which I knew) but they rotate the chain, so the gearing matters.
There were many different brands of ebikes there (none specifically designed for hunting and much lower cost then most hunting ebikes). There were a number of mid-drive bikes but none of them have throttles. I was told that is an unusual configuration.
The biggest thing I learned is that unless I fork out big bucks and buy something that is probably oversized (mid-drive + well geared + 1K Watts), I really need to try one on hills before buying one on-line.
IT was interesting. It was sponsored by the "ebike library". It was not a commercial event. It is a college town with lots of biking. The "ebike Library" seems to be more of a bike geek than a profitable business. It seems to be run by a bike geek who just lends out ebikes for a week at a time to let your try different bikes before you order a bike on-line from whomever. The event was him and a whole bunch of private ebikers just bring their bikes to show them off and let folks ride them. I rode several and did learn some interesting things.
First, most bikes had rear hub motors. I tried a 750 watt (RAD I think). I tested it just using the throttle with no pedaling. I could not even make it up a small hill. I tried another that had more gearing. I found that with hub drives, the gears make no difference if you don't pedal. The throttle spins the rear tire with it lifted off the ground without the gears spinning. I tried another RAD, again with a rear hub motor but smaller and a bit lighter. I could make it up the hill with the throttle only if I got a running start. Again, insufficient for my hunting application.
I learned that with mid-drives, not only do they provided more torque for a given wattage (which I knew) but they rotate the chain, so the gearing matters.
There were many different brands of ebikes there (none specifically designed for hunting and much lower cost then most hunting ebikes). There were a number of mid-drive bikes but none of them have throttles. I was told that is an unusual configuration.
The biggest thing I learned is that unless I fork out big bucks and buy something that is probably oversized (mid-drive + well geared + 1K Watts), I really need to try one on hills before buying one on-line.
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
^ I'm not sure how big of hills you were climbing.....but I have a RAD Runner......and I don't have to pedal when offroading with moderate hills. ?? I've never had a side by side comparison tho.....so I likely dont know what I am missing......and I do have relatives flat land.
Elmucho277
Buck Fawn
The Bafang kit I used to build my mid-drive has a throttle, though I've never used it before. I always use pedal assist which requires very little effort on my part
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
They were very short and less steep than spots on my logging roads. They were paved. My trails are mostly clay logging roads and they do get slick when wet. ATVs and UTV don't work up a sweat going up them, but I'm sure that RAD I tried with the 750 watt hub-motor was not gong to be close.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
After taking demo day all in, I came to the conclusion that I'll never really get a chance to test locally and buy on line. So, I decided to up my game slightly and take advantage of a sale. I watched a throttle only hill climbing video and I think I convinced myself, I should be pretty safe with a 1,000 Watt mid-drive that is geared well.
I ended up increasing my budget $400 and ordered a BikTrix juggernaut ultra duo 3 on sale. I'll report back when it comes in.
Thanks,
Jack
I ended up increasing my budget $400 and ordered a BikTrix juggernaut ultra duo 3 on sale. I'll report back when it comes in.
Thanks,
Jack
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Nice. Do you pedal when you use it or throttle-only?
Triple C
5 year old buck +
Lil of both. When heading to stand it's mostly throttle. Coming back to cabin with a slight uphill grade I pedal assist for a lil cardio.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
ya, I'm hoping to separate my hunting application from my cardio application. My plan is to use throttle only when hunting so I don't stink up my hunting clothes. I'll use the pedal assist to keep up with my younger, in-shape, wife when we ride for exercise. That is one reason I'm looking for hill climbing capability with just throttle. The 5+ year life on your battery is a good indicator!
swat1018
5 year old buck +
I remember that deal. I kick myself for not jumping on that then.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Well, I got an email on Friday 10/21 from Bitrix saying my order was shipped. They said the estimated arrival date was this coming friday 10/28. It is being shipped Fedex. When i tracked the number with Fedex it said "Shipment Exception" and had no estimated delivery date. When I looked that up is says that there is some delay that is "out of their control" so they consider it "on-time" regardless of when they deliver it. Guess that helps them keep their "on-time' delivery statistics up...
When I checked tonight, it was not longer in that "shipment exception" status, but there is still no estimated delivery date...
Time will tell...
When I checked tonight, it was not longer in that "shipment exception" status, but there is still no estimated delivery date...
Time will tell...
silver_yummies
5 year old buck +
Got my Radmission all together and tested it out hard today. Does everything I need it to. Gets me up the hills as long as I’m pedaling and have momentum at the bottom. Yeah, it’s a little jarring/rough over some bumps but knew that’d be the case.
I’m stoked nonetheless.
I’m stoked nonetheless.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Yes, I think I rode similar Rad Ebikes on Demo Day. They were rear-hub drive and did not have enough power to get up even short hills, less steep then mine, with just the throttle and no running start. I'm sure if I used pedal assist they would have been fine. I want to be able to creep along without pedaling when I'm using it for hunting. Those Rad bikes seemed pretty solid from what I could tell.
Foggy47
5 year old buck +
I own two E-Bikes....both by Rad. In OZ (AZ) I ride a Rad Mission on the flat streets around here.....mostly for a little excersize without going to the gym. It's been a solid bike for me on paved, level streets and it does all I want with both pedal mode and just direct e-power. I sometimes drive it like a moped on our flat land here in OZ.....and especially nice Into the wind or when starting or going up slight hills (not many hills in my neighborhood in OZ).
In MN....I have a Rad Runner plus, which has suspension on the front and I have a suspension seat added. It has 20" fat tires.....and I can drive it very nicely on and off road. I have no problems going throttle only on various trails and in the woods (as well as on pavement). I like the step-thru feature and the power that it provides on relatively flat land use. Also like that it's fairly low to the ground and easy to mount / dismount for old guys like me. Great for slow riding.....IMO. I do not know how it would do in real steep situations.....but for general MN riding it's been super and I do allot of throttle only riding in the woods. I dont think I would recommend it for a trip out west in the mountains.....but for an old-fahrt in MN it works just fine.
I got a leather scabbard that I mounted to the rear rack via some zip ties and wIth a front rack I can haul my gun and a backpack pretty nicely. I don't use it for more than a mile or so each way on my private land hunts.....but I am fairly certain it would go for 10 miles or more over rolling MN landscape and back again. Maybe much more? Dunno.
I paid about $1500 for the Rad Runner Plus, including shipping....IIRC. Unless you are hunting really steep terrain or mountains.....I'm not sure you need an expensive off-road e-bike. Maybe it's just me? My 2 cents.
In MN....I have a Rad Runner plus, which has suspension on the front and I have a suspension seat added. It has 20" fat tires.....and I can drive it very nicely on and off road. I have no problems going throttle only on various trails and in the woods (as well as on pavement). I like the step-thru feature and the power that it provides on relatively flat land use. Also like that it's fairly low to the ground and easy to mount / dismount for old guys like me. Great for slow riding.....IMO. I do not know how it would do in real steep situations.....but for general MN riding it's been super and I do allot of throttle only riding in the woods. I dont think I would recommend it for a trip out west in the mountains.....but for an old-fahrt in MN it works just fine.
I got a leather scabbard that I mounted to the rear rack via some zip ties and wIth a front rack I can haul my gun and a backpack pretty nicely. I don't use it for more than a mile or so each way on my private land hunts.....but I am fairly certain it would go for 10 miles or more over rolling MN landscape and back again. Maybe much more? Dunno.
I paid about $1500 for the Rad Runner Plus, including shipping....IIRC. Unless you are hunting really steep terrain or mountains.....I'm not sure you need an expensive off-road e-bike. Maybe it's just me? My 2 cents.
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yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Except for the hill differences, I think we have pretty similar applications. I too ordered a step through (girls) bike. When my ATV was having issues and not reliable, I replaced it with a UTV because I didn't know how much longer I could easily swing a leg over it. So, when it came to an e-bike I used the same logic. The scabbard idea is interesting. I have slings on my firearms, so my first thought was to simply sling it over my back. I was also thinking of mounting some kind of gun rack on the rear rack of the bike. I'll wait until I get it to figure out a longer term plan for that.
Because of my hill situation (certainly not mountain), I was looking for wattage, a mid-mount motor (with throttle mode for hunting) because of torque and the advantage of gearing without pedaling. We will see how mine turns out...If it ever gets here...
Quite a few demonstrators at Demo Day had different RAD models and all seemed to like them. I ended up going with the Biktrix because I couldn't find those performance factors at that price point in other brands.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
It's here...!
Well, I figured the bike would not be in until next week. As of yesterday, the FEDEX tracking information still showed the estimated delivery data s "PENDING". I decided to work from home today. When I got up this morning I saw an email from Biktrix saying my order was out for delivery. No sooner did I get downstairs than there was a knock on the door. It was here!
The box is 85 lbs and on the awkward side. I decided not to unbox and assemble it here. I pulled my CRV up to the truck and the driver and I transferred it to my honda. It was tight but it fit in. I plan to head to the farm tomorrow. I'll unbox and do any assembly there. I'll take some pics and provide an update then.
Thanks,
Jack
Well, I figured the bike would not be in until next week. As of yesterday, the FEDEX tracking information still showed the estimated delivery data s "PENDING". I decided to work from home today. When I got up this morning I saw an email from Biktrix saying my order was out for delivery. No sooner did I get downstairs than there was a knock on the door. It was here!
The box is 85 lbs and on the awkward side. I decided not to unbox and assemble it here. I pulled my CRV up to the truck and the driver and I transferred it to my honda. It was tight but it fit in. I plan to head to the farm tomorrow. I'll unbox and do any assembly there. I'll take some pics and provide an update then.
Thanks,
Jack
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yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I took the new ebike to the farm today to assemble it. I went slow to make sure i got everything right. I followed the on-line video so I don't need to do a step-by-step here. In general, the process went pretty smoothly. There were a few slight differences between how my bike was delivered and the video, but nothing that is tough to figure out. Everything arrived in good shape with no damage to the box or the bike. Here is a pic of the assembled ebike:
It came with the rack on the back. I did not order any of the upgrades. I connected the charger as you can see in the picture. I figured I'd top it off and then take a spin. I let it charge while I ate lunch. When I came out, I powered up the display. It showed the battery was only 8% charged. I presume that means it came completely discharged. That may make sense. There may be shipping regulations regarding LI batteries given some have started fires in the past. At any rate, I did not get to ride it today. By tomorrow it should be fully charged.
So far, so good. I'll report back after I ride it.
It came with the rack on the back. I did not order any of the upgrades. I connected the charger as you can see in the picture. I figured I'd top it off and then take a spin. I let it charge while I ate lunch. When I came out, I powered up the display. It showed the battery was only 8% charged. I presume that means it came completely discharged. That may make sense. There may be shipping regulations regarding LI batteries given some have started fires in the past. At any rate, I did not get to ride it today. By tomorrow it should be fully charged.
So far, so good. I'll report back after I ride it.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I made a few adjustments to the ebike today. It was fully charged when I arrived. I took it for the first ride. I did not want to go out onto the farm and test it on the hills since I planned to hunt this afternoon. I just drove it around camp where it is flat. I got familiar with it and things went pretty well. I had to download the display manual to get it out of metric mode. That worked out fine.
When I was ready to hunt, I slung my crossbow over my back and headed out on the bike. This was the first try on hills. I went down the first hill and almost came to a stop at the bottom. I tried to throttle up the hill and it wouldn't go on its own. It was even worse than the lower powered ebikes I tried at demo day. It didn't take me long to figure out what was wrong. It was in high gear. Now these are not my steepest hills, but once I put it in low gear, I had plenty of power to go up as slow as I wanted.
I may have been able to save a few hundred dollars by going with a 750 watt rather than a 1,000 watt motor, but I haven't tried our steepest hill yet. I'm glad I got the more powerful motor.
One of the things I learned in theory during Demo day, and saw in practice today, was how important a mid-drive motor is rather than a hub-drive. Even with the 1,000 watt motor, I could not get up even a small hill in high gear. Hub drives don't turn the chain. Instead, they turn the rear hub directly. This means they bypass the gears. For normal pedal assist this may not matter much. I don't know. But for throttle only, it is a big deal. Mid drives turn the chain which engages the gears. Today I found out how much that matters. With the hills I tried it on today, I could not come close to making it up the hill in high gear and it laughed at the hill in low gear.
If you want to use throttle only on hills, get a mid-mount motor.
The other lesson I learned today is that while slinging my crossbow over my back works, It is far from ideal. The bike has a rear rack and the front has a plate that is tapped for M6.1 bolts for a basket. I'm thinking of using those to build a gun rack for it.
Thanks,
Jack
When I was ready to hunt, I slung my crossbow over my back and headed out on the bike. This was the first try on hills. I went down the first hill and almost came to a stop at the bottom. I tried to throttle up the hill and it wouldn't go on its own. It was even worse than the lower powered ebikes I tried at demo day. It didn't take me long to figure out what was wrong. It was in high gear. Now these are not my steepest hills, but once I put it in low gear, I had plenty of power to go up as slow as I wanted.
I may have been able to save a few hundred dollars by going with a 750 watt rather than a 1,000 watt motor, but I haven't tried our steepest hill yet. I'm glad I got the more powerful motor.
One of the things I learned in theory during Demo day, and saw in practice today, was how important a mid-drive motor is rather than a hub-drive. Even with the 1,000 watt motor, I could not get up even a small hill in high gear. Hub drives don't turn the chain. Instead, they turn the rear hub directly. This means they bypass the gears. For normal pedal assist this may not matter much. I don't know. But for throttle only, it is a big deal. Mid drives turn the chain which engages the gears. Today I found out how much that matters. With the hills I tried it on today, I could not come close to making it up the hill in high gear and it laughed at the hill in low gear.
If you want to use throttle only on hills, get a mid-mount motor.
The other lesson I learned today is that while slinging my crossbow over my back works, It is far from ideal. The bike has a rear rack and the front has a plate that is tapped for M6.1 bolts for a basket. I'm thinking of using those to build a gun rack for it.
Thanks,
Jack
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Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
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