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Voltman checking in with an illustrated report on my new Mariner after some 600km - over half off-paved roads. Did I get my Grumman canoe home - uphill? Was this upgrade to front-suspension Mariner from my original Mk I Mariner worth it? Click link above to find out.

Riding with a Bafang? Check this out! AN INQUIRY INTO THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF A BAFANG GEARED-HUB MOTOR, August, 2008 [http://willthomasonline.net/an-inquiry-into-the-catasro.html] -Voltman

Hi, I'm replacing the back tire on my Voltbike Mariner after 4,400+ kilometers. It's not worn smooth, but the "knobs" are getting there. (I'll save it for a spare.) Over 5 years' riding various ebikes, I've found that knobbies are essential for rough trails. But they wear fairly quickly on...

TIME FOR A NEW BIKE? Two years in, with some 4,500 hilly island km on the clock - at least half over gravel roads and rough mountain trails - I'm considering selling my sole transportation and upgrading from my current Mariner to an even better folding fatbike. Yes, that's right. After my usual...

The Mariner is a terrific snow bike. See my illustrated post here. -VOLTMAN

That's a big chainring! I can pedal my Voltbike Mariner at 37 kph after the motor cuts out at 31 kph. -VOLTMAN

DELUGE Don’t call it rain. This is the entire Pacific Ocean tilted on edge over Canada’s “wet coast”. After weeks of torrential shenanigans, that hot, acidic, and ever-rising sea is still not emptied. And since my Voltbike Mariner is my sole transport, I’ve just returned from riding across the...

So the Voltbike Mariner and I break out of the rainforest at the edge of the clearing for the new fire hall. The single-track narrows abruptly, with an orange construction fence on my left and a steep embankment covered with wild grasses to my right. The oncoming bike rider and I spot each other...

Here's my latest review of the Voltbike Mariner.

According to the specs, the Voltbike Mariner's up to 7 pounds lighter: 57 vs 64. (Actual difference may be closer to four pounds.) Remove the battery and the Mariner's even more manageable. What also grabbed me were the wired front-and-rear lights, and - especially - that quick-disconnect on the...

VOLTBIKE MARINER VS. RAD MINI My first serious fatbike infatuation was the Rad Mini offered by Rad Power bikes in Seattle. (Nice people!) The marketing video on their website, plus Court’s outstanding video review – which I only watched about 200 times – made me demented with lust. I ended up...

Thank you, Cnugget. Is that speed governor a simple-to-disconnect shunt on the controller. Or...? Here's that review I promised. Though I'm nowhere near your 900km, some of my off-road riding's been pretty rad, as the kids used to say. -Voltman

Wow, Cnugget, Thanks for the PAS "0" heads-up. Please, please... how did you get inside the display settings? Can you change the speed limiter? I've got visitors coming in so my next review will have to wait till next week. The good news is I will have more kilometers on the bike, more mods...

Yes, Nugget. PAS 0 = a slight squeeze on either brake lever to cut out the motor (at any PAS setting). My next review will detail my first 110km on the Voltbike Mariner. Much of this riding was off-road. Stay tuned. -Voltman

I CHOSE THE VOLTBIKE MARINER PLEASE FORGIVE this loooong post. I'm so stoked! I've just taken delivery of my Voltbike Mariner. This matt-black model is EXTREMELY COOL. Even "parked" this bike makes grown-ups gasp. Kids go nuts. (“Cool bike, man!”) I live at the bottom of a monster hill that...

Vincent, go here for my first impressions of the Voltbike Mariner. -Voltman

I WENT FOR THE VOLTBIKE MARINER over the excellent RadMini. And I'm very glad I did. See my initial impressions here... -Voltman

I've just taken delivery of my Voltbike Mariner. WOW!!!! On this bike, there are NO HILLS. Everyone is stunned by how cool this bike looks. And I love the fenders and front/rear lights wired into battery. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... -VOLTMAN

Sorry for the confusion. Vincent's right - the Voltbike Mariner. Good torque (500w fat motor = wider windings), and with its smaller motor, probably slightly better range than the Rad Mini. Near-local parts (no battery/border hassles). Substantial savings would enable motor upgrade later if...