2020 -Top 10 Ebikes With The Bafang G510 Ultra

[RMK!]

Hi RMK, I've also been looking at the same bike on Alibaba, it seems to check a lot of my boxes - front suspension, belt driven, dual battery mid drive, fat tires, hydraulic disc brakes, and high power. Do you have a review for it and a tested capacity for batteries? If it can do at least 40 miles on one battery and can be swapped then I'm practically sold on this bike haha. Thanks for sharing your purchase with us!

This thread is the only "review" of the Bikonit, Bolton versions of this bike. As for battery testing that has not been addressed although Bolton did a speed test that was revealing. In fact the pre-production Bolton HD 750 and MD 1000 are the only examples of these bikes I can find in the US and as Bolton has been letting people test ride these bikes for many months, he could provide empirical data about battery usage and reliability of the drive train if he was so inclined.

It appears others are branding versions of these bikes and they may have some input. I hope to have an MD 1000 before the end of November and will post my observations on the linked thread once I have had a couple of weeks of riding experience.

 

[Yonkk]

SONDORS Mid-Drive 2020 | SONDORS Electric Bikes Sondors Three G510 e bikes with big batteries 48v21h starting at $2000.00 up to $2599.00.

 

[ElevenAD]

SONDORS Mid-Drive 2020 | SONDORS Electric Bikes Sondors Three G510 e bikes with big batteries 48v21h starting at $2000.00 up to $2599.00.View attachment 74336

750watt Ultra, whats the point if your going to neuter it? i hope they have a code that lets you change this. Has anyone around here received one of these yet?

 

[ElevenAD]

Both the Biktrix Ultra 1000 and the Rize RX are $2599, two of the most affordable Ultra powered bikes.

 

[Rykmann]

I don't think anyone has actually gotten these bikes delivered from Alibaba. I recall seeing Roshan from Biktrix recently commenting on a Facebook group that they had tested this setup and they were seeing unacceptable failure rates for the five-speed Strurmey Archer IGH. It really isn't suited for the torque and power of the Ultra and that is why I believe they don't offer it with this IGH. I recall that RMK is planning to take extra care shifting the IGH and just replace it if it fails. But people should be aware of the issues of this particular setup.

Edit: here is the post:

https://m.facebook.com/story/graphql_permalink/?graphql_id=UzpfSTY5NjU1MDEyNDpWSzozMjM0NzA5OTEzMjUwMjMx

I purchased an ASB-EB-31 from the Suzhou Ansbern Sports Co., Ltd.

Bafang G510 Ultra Max Mid Motor 1000W

48V 17ah Samsun Cell

Gates CDX Belt

Sturmey-Archer RSX-RK5 5 speed internal gear hub. (IGH)

BE WARNED: STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

Here’s why.

When my bike eventually arrived 12 weeks late the first thing I noticed was that the RST Renegade front fork was damaged. I contacted Tony Wong from Suzhou who kept saying that they will speak to their “engineer”. Nothing happened. I eventually sourced spare parts from RST Germany. I repaired the fork and on the first test ride noticed that all was not right with my Sturmey-Archer IGH. Sturmey Archer RSX RK5 noise

After multiple futile attempts to contact Suzhou I contacted Sunrace USA. Their technical person said that Sturmey Archer gears are not designed for mid motors therefore any damage falls outside their warranty.

I thought that I was saving money by “going direct” but honestly, it’s been heartache since day 1. My suggestion is – do yourself a favour, pay the premium, and buy locally from a reputable dealer and stay away from Alibaba – you don’t know who you are dealing with and like me could be taken for a ride (excuse the pun) by charlatans like the Suzhou Ansbern Sports Co., Ltd.

Also don’t think that you are protected by Alibaba, you are not. Alibaba is there to protect the seller. Trust me I learned that the hard way!

 

[dunksalot]

I purchased an ASB-EB-31 from the Suzhou Ansbern Sports Co., Ltd.

Bafang G510 Ultra Max Mid Motor 1000W

48V 17ah Samsun Cell

Gates CDX Belt

Sturmey-Archer RSX-RK5 5 speed internal gear hub. (IGH)

BE WARNED: STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

Here’s why.

When my bike eventually arrived 12 weeks late the first thing I noticed was that the RST Renegade front fork was damaged. I contacted Tony Wong from Suzhou who kept saying that they will speak to their “engineer”. Nothing happened. I eventually sourced spare parts from RST Germany. I repaired the fork and on the first test ride noticed that all was not right with my Sturmey-Archer IGH. Sturmey Archer RSX RK5 noise

After multiple futile attempts to contact Suzhou I contacted Sunrace USA. Their technical person said that Sturmey Archer gears are not designed for mid motors therefore any damage falls outside their warranty.

I thought that I was saving money by “going direct” but honestly, it’s been heartache since day 1. My suggestion is – do yourself a favour, pay the premium, and buy locally from a reputable dealer and stay away from Alibaba – you don’t know who you are dealing with and like me could be taken for a ride (excuse the pun) by charlatans like the Suzhou Ansbern Sports Co., Ltd.

Also don’t think that you are protected by Alibaba, you are not. Alibaba is there to protect the seller. Trust me I learned that the hard way!

Oh man. Sorry to hear you are "feeling the bern". I appreciate you sharing as I keep going back and forth in my head about buying a Chinese non-returnable ebike like you. I then look at the Biktrix, Zen Bikes, and Sondors but keep thinking I am simply going to want to buy a better one immediately after that arrives. next level up I like the Luna X1 Enduro but the video of chains falling off and complaints about the lack of support worry me. The Watt Wagons Hydra is so far atop my list right now - best price for carbon fiber full suspension and solid components - nothing that close in my mind.

 

[ElevenAD]

I purchased an ASB-EB-31 from the Suzhou Ansbern Sports Co., Ltd.

Bafang G510 Ultra Max Mid Motor 1000W

48V 17ah Samsun Cell

Gates CDX Belt

Sturmey-Archer RSX-RK5 5 speed internal gear hub. (IGH)

BE WARNED: STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

Here’s why.

When my bike eventually arrived 12 weeks late the first thing I noticed was that the RST Renegade front fork was damaged. I contacted Tony Wong from Suzhou who kept saying that they will speak to their “engineer”. Nothing happened. I eventually sourced spare parts from RST Germany. I repaired the fork and on the first test ride noticed that all was not right with my Sturmey-Archer IGH. Sturmey Archer RSX RK5 noise

After multiple futile attempts to contact Suzhou I contacted Sunrace USA. Their technical person said that Sturmey Archer gears are not designed for mid motors therefore any damage falls outside their warranty.

I thought that I was saving money by “going direct” but honestly, it’s been heartache since day 1. My suggestion is – do yourself a favour, pay the premium, and buy locally from a reputable dealer and stay away from Alibaba – you don’t know who you are dealing with and like me could be taken for a ride (excuse the pun) by charlatans like the Suzhou Ansbern Sports Co., Ltd.

Also don’t think that you are protected by Alibaba, you are not. Alibaba is there to protect the seller. Trust me I learned that the hard way!

i keep trying to tell these guys that there is as reason that we all just dont buy Ultras from Alibaba and save tons of cash!

 

[ElevenAD]

i dont know much about BPM but this for sure is a good price for an ULtra with a "huge rack" standard!
$2495 BPM Imports F1000...the integrated rear rack is also a plus for me!

 

[Rykmann]

Oh man. Sorry to hear you are "feeling the bern". I appreciate you sharing as I keep going back and forth in my head about buying a Chinese non-returnable ebike like you. I then look at the Biktrix, Zen Bikes, and Sondors but keep thinking I am simply going to want to buy a better one immediately after that arrives. next level up I like the Luna X1 Enduro but the video of chains falling off and complaints about the lack of support worry me. The Watt Wagons Hydra is so far atop my list right now - best price for carbon fiber full suspension and solid components - nothing that close in my mind.

Took a look at the Watt Wagons Hydra - I am in LOve! Wish I had been introduced to this puppy before I decided to "save" by buying thru Alibaba.

 

[dunksalot]

Took a look at the Watt Wagons Hydra - I am in LOve! Wish I had been introduced to this puppy before I decided to "save" by buying thru Alibaba.

Yes indeed. I am getting tired of drooling while looking at it...may pull the trigger soon. That bike checks every box...nicer than a Specialized Turbo Levo when you consider the power is more important than total weight. I may do a custom color just not sure what I want.

 

[RMK!]

Well, I bought this Ultra motor ebike from the Chinese factory via Alibaba and they are the same factory that supplies several other Ebike companies with their assembled branded bikes (I have photo proof). I paid $3100 delivered to the US. It took a long time, but that is true of all ebike companies due to Covid overwhelming the parts supply chain. The bike eventually arrived on New Years Eve in perfect condition. It has the SA 5 speed IGH with a Gates Belt. I love the SA IGH and I am careful to never pedal while shifting and it is shifting great. The bike is so powerful I don't do a lot of shifting anyway during my typical 30-40 mile rides. Here are some photos, one bare bones and 3 with supplied rack and fenders. I kinda like the racks although the fenders are a little bit cheesy. More info can be found here.

Update:
After 1000 miles the delicate Sturmey Archer IGH which performed well initially had begun to mis-shift and phantom shift. The factory has acknowledged many problems with this drivetrain on their bikes and is testing a Rohloff 1000 f 14 alternative ($2K more). They provide me with a SRAM cassette/chain swap out at "their cost" plus shipping but that was still a $400 spend. Its is obvious that they did not properly vet the SA IGH. Swap out was easy as they provided all the components and replacement was intuitive despite no directions. I've been riding the SRAM equipped bike for a while now (currently just over 2K miles on the bike) and it is working better than the SA IGH ever did. Much smoother. more gear range and certainly more reliable.

Bottom line is you cannot pair a cheap IGH with the Ultra motor and expect good results long term.

2nd Update: I sold the MD 1000 in August after 2500 miles of mostly fun riding. I had also purchased a Riese & Muller Delite GX Extreme Rohloff 14E from a local dealer (photo added below) and was not riding the Ultra Motor MD 1000 as much. The R&M is a true superbike being a very capable single track trail rider plus, with an honest 100 mile range for touring, it checked all the boxes for me. It is truly my dream ebike but I ride 200 miles per week and wanted a backup bike and occasional rider with a different personality. I was so impressed with the Rohloff 14E on the R&M I decided to order another MD 1000 with the Rohloff 14 IGH. In that configuration, it is a $5K (delivered price) bike but with the inclusion of the Rohloff with over 500% gear range it should be a better overall performer than my last MD 1000 while still being at a good value price point. I ordered and extra battery and that should get me to 60-70 mile range on this big power hungry machine.

Having owned one, the MD 1000 certainly is an attention getting bike which is both good and bad. Big, cool looking, fast and noisy describes the MD 1000. The R&M is double the price but hardly gets noticed and I prefer the more stealth sound and looks of the R&M. I like to ride fast, the R&M is very capable in that regard without verging on motorcycle type looks and noise factor like Ultra Motor equipped bikes. As with most good imported models, the Rohloff equipped MD is a build on order model so the wait will be long.

 

[dunksalot]

There is a reason some of the top bikes are using this motor, pure power 160 NM equal 118 foot lbs. of torque, the Bosch is a very good motor but at only 75nm of torque that is only 55 foot pounds of torque, and really it's designed for the European market not the North American market. If you want to climb grade with weight you are going to be limited at some point. The bikes that are changing to the Gates Drive system have done so because aggressive riders that push this motor to it's limits are busting chains like crazy, one customer busting 5 within a year. Basically if the motor is tuned to 1600 watts plus, your chains life will be greatly reduced, if you are pushing it. The bikes that are using chains seem to be using KMC Ebike specific ones. As well Bafang knows this motor is good but it needs further software tuning, I was just watching a video from their factory, where they specifically had riders going out testing different software configurations to improve that aspect.

The list is by price highest to lowest, it's up to each person to discover what the best value is for them, links provided.

#1 Watt Wagon-Cross Tour $7299.00
Of note Titanium frame fully loaded and always improving, fat tire style, they also make a commuter but I wanted to pick just one from each brand.
Watt Wagon Cross Tour

#2 EXCESS From Germany $6965.00
Of note they are a one model only type company, carbon fiber frame with the upgraded G510 Excess controller which I included in the price, that controller is suppose to really improve the tuning.
EXCESS

#3 LUNA Cycle-Apollo $5550.00
Of note Carbon fiber frame with probably the very best battery of all these Ebikes 52V 21Amp/hrs with upgraded cells, batteries is their specialty, so this should be of no surprise, also they have also tuned their G510 to higher specifications.
LUNA Apollo

#4 FLX - Blade 2 $5269.00
Of note 2020 model has changed the frame and drive train, looks very good, I took the fully loaded price, as that is what I would buy.
FLX BLADE 2

#5 Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra 1000 $4229.00
Of note I put the upgrades in, they have had more time with this motor as they were one of the first to get it to market, getting more economical now for price under $5K
BIKTRIX Juggernaut Ultra

#6 FREY- EX PRO $4010.00
Of note this bike has duel 48 volt 14 amp/hr batteries one inside the tube and one outside, the ultimate long distance runner.
FREY EX PRO

#7 M2S Bikes All Terrain Ultra FS - $3499.00
The only reason it beat out the one below is because it has 29 reviews average 5/5 stars which I felt was worth capturing the 7th spot.
MS2 ULTRA FS

#8 Volton- A-Trail EMTB -$3499.00
Used the upgraded motor package to get to this.
VOLTON A TRAIL EMTB

#9 Rize - RX - $2799.00
Just changed from Sparks and re-branded to Rize, a very thrifty price for what you actually get.
Rize RX

#10 BPM F-1000 - $2395.00
This is the most economical of the bunch.
BPM F-1000

I know there are more out there, but I think this is a good list with high to low prices.
Edited in a #10 as per the posts below, top 10 sounds better anyways.

I think it's time to update this list. Watt Wagons Hydra is a clear #1. Exess has a new frame. Sondors Rockstar and FLX Weapon are new bikes.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I think it's time to update this list. Watt Wagons Hydra is a clear #1. Exess has a new frame. Sondors Rockstar and FLX Weapon are new bikes.

Breaking News: Year is 2021

 

[Ebiker33]

I think it's time to update this list. Watt Wagons Hydra is a clear #1. Exess has a new frame. Sondors Rockstar and FLX Weapon are new bikes.

Yeah I need to do a 2021 version

 

[JCofMN]

Yeah I need to do a 2021 version

In addition you should add this new Biktrix model which seems to be aimed at the up market Watch Wagons crowd
https://www.biktrix.com/pages/monte-capro-ultra-details
And the CSC ebike ultra model
https://csc-ebikes.com/ft1000md-mid-drive-electric-bike-gray/
aimed at the entry/mid tier Rize price range.

 

[pushkar]

In addition you should add this new Biktrix model which seems to be aimed at the up market Watch Wagons crowd
https://www.biktrix.com/pages/monte-capro-ultra-details
And the CSC ebike ultra model
https://csc-ebikes.com/ft1000md-mid-drive-electric-bike-gray/
aimed at the entry/mid tier Rize price range.

oooh.. the Capro Ultra is cool looking!

 

[reed scott]

oooh.. the Capro Ultra is cool looking!

Yeah it should, as it's an obvious copy of a Hydra!

EDIT: I wish to rephrase: 'blatant copy"

 

[dunksalot]

Yeah it should, as it's an obvious copy of a Hydra!

EDIT: I wish to rephrase: 'blatant copy"

Looks a cool frame but it's a Hydra with cheaper/lesser components (which could simply be supply chain decisions.) Biktrix is a good vendor but this is what happens when you are laser focused on that low cost market and then try to move up. Reminds me of Hyundai who then had to create the Genesis brand.

 

[reed scott]

Looks a cool frame but it's a Hydra with cheaper/lesser components (which could simply be supply chain decisions.) Biktrix is a good vendor but this is what happens when you are laser focused on that low cost market and then try to move up. Reminds me of Hyundai who then had to create the Genesis brand.

Your comment made me go back and check it out more. I don't know what a 'renegade' fork is but most of the stuff hanging on that frame is serviceable.

 

[dunksalot]

Your comment made me go back and check it out more. I don't know what a 'renegade' fork is but most of the stuff hanging on that frame is serviceable.

"Serviceable" aligns with "cheaper", amiright?

At $6K you can probably do better with the standard Hydra Black and enjoy the Archon smooth shifting and extra power, right? I have a busy work day ahead, but it's probably worth a looksee if you wanted to post a compare/contrast since this is neither the WW nor Biktrix thread.