Skycap 2 - any owner reviews? Looking for a solid longtail cargo ebike option

[FlamingTux]

Hi everyone,

Looking at Biktrix Skycap 2.
Use case:
Hauling heavy and awkward things ( think a cooler full of drinks weighing 70lbs, approximately 29 inch long and 16 inch wide)
Hauling two or three very heavy locks ( ~14-18lbs in total) wherever I go
Perhaps giving an adult a ride here and there (someone weighing say 170 lbs or less)
Looking to pedal a lot, that is rely on the emotor primarily on hills
I live in a city with moderate hills : the toughest there is would be ~13% incline or so over 1km

I understand that the bike is built for let's call it 'premium economy segment of the market', meaning no midrange or high end parts, but hopefully no complete garbage parts that perform poorly or break very quickly.

Any Skypcap 2 owners care to share their experiences?

In particular, would be very interested to hear how the bike performs in pedal assist off mode - do you really feel the weight of it/struggle to move it?
How does the bike handle load close to its advertised maximum (440lbs)?
How does it handle challenging conditions, for example rain or snow?

 

[roshan]

Hi everyone,

Looking at Biktrix Skycap 2.
Use case:
Hauling heavy and awkward things ( think a cooler full of drinks weighing 70lbs, approximately 29 inch long and 16 inch wide)
Hauling two or three very heavy locks ( ~14-18lbs in total) wherever I go
Perhaps giving an adult a ride here and there (someone weighing say 170 lbs or less)
Looking to pedal a lot, that is rely on the emotor primarily on hills
I live in a city with moderate hills : the toughest there is would be ~13% incline or so over 1km

I understand that the bike is built for let's call it 'premium economy segment of the market', meaning no midrange or high end parts, but hopefully no complete garbage parts that perform poorly or break very quickly.

Any Skypcap 2 owners care to share their experiences?

In particular, would be very interested to hear how the bike performs in pedal assist off mode - do you really feel the weight of it/struggle to move it?
How does the bike handle load close to its advertised maximum (440lbs)?
How does it handle challenging conditions, for example rain or snow?
View attachment 141208

There are a few on our owners' group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1136802453086982/

 

[indianajo]

I own a competing model, a yuba bodaboda for small people. The wheels are bigger, 26", and the motor is on the front. I don't have trouble handling 80 lb cargo if is in the panniers low. If a big item like a pickup tire is on the rack, I have trouble starting it. If it goes over to one side too far the front wheel lifts up instead of me levering the back up straight. But once I'm in motion, I can handle a 90 lb pickup tire. I weigh 160. I have 11 lb lock & cable, 15 lb water & repair parts panniers racks, so my bike weighs 94 lb as I ride it without cargo.
I see the biktrix doesn't have a 32 tooth or bigger rear sprocket. They pretty much are not available in freewheel sprocket clusters, at least I never could buy one. I have 32 front (triple front sprocket 52:42:32) 32 to 11 rear, which allows me to start & pedal 330 lb gross (60 lb supplies) up a 15% grade at 1 to 2 mph. That is without power. Sometimes it rains and you have to make it to your maintenance base unpowered until you can dry out the throttle.
About quality, look up biktrix known problems & solutions on the brand forum. Yuba has 1 post, my complaint about the original seat not fitting me.
As for facebook, they require credit information to participate, and I don't give that away. They can hire a credit report if they are really interested in my birthdate. Or buy information from the Chinese, who hacked my information from Anthem & the US government.

 

[famousringo]

I’m pretty late to the party here, but thought I’d post my experience in case OP is still considering or other people stumble upon this thread.

This is my first longtail and first e-bike, so unfortunately I can’t really compare my experience with competing products.

I’ve had a couple niggles about mine. The front brake rotor was installed just a little off-target so it squeaked, but it settled down after some wear. And the torque sensor sometimes seems to get overwhelmed by my strong launch leg and fail to engage. I’ve been meaning to see the dealer about whether it can be adjusted, but for now I just use the throttle when the motor is fussy about engaging.

I may have also made the mistake of pumping up the tires a little for better performance. The roads are not great where I live, and I didn’t spring for the suspension seat, so the ride can get awfully bumpy sometimes. You will feel the bumps on this hefty frame. I bought a Soft Spot from Yuba to have mercy on the back rider.

Speaking of accessories, cargo bikes are all about them, and Biktrix is too small a player to have much of an ecosystem like Yuba or Tern. Something I wasn't thinking of when I made my choice. Be prepared to jury-rig solutions designed for other bikes or roll your own.

In terms of performance, unloaded it cruises at 25kph without much effort at medium assist, stays glued to the 32 limit at max assist, and gets the rated 50 km range at low assist plus a little more. I’ve gotten it up to 40kph in certain circumstances and it feels a little unsafe.

To address your specific questions, even unloaded this is a heavy bike that makes my fat bike feel dainty, and I wouldn‘t want to try running it without assist. I actually double checked to confirm the frame is aluminum as advertised, and I think it might be a little overbuilt. I haven’t put more than 300lbs on this bike yet, but I have no doubt the frame can handle the rated weight, and I’ve never felt a shortage of power in the motor or stoppage in the brakes. You will still pedal a lot, just keep the assist low and the Shimano high and you’ll get your cardio, I promise.

I’ve ridden it in the rain and light snow without issue (though of course slowing down a little in slick conditions is always wise). I wouldn’t want to ride it in deep winter, though. Although I’m generally of the opinion that any bike with studded tires is winter capable, I also find that sooner or later you have to drag the frame through a snowbank, and it would be quite a chore with this heavy thing. If your winters are mild or your routes well-maintained, and you can find some studs for it, it could probably hack it.

250 klicks in, I’m satisfied with my purchase so far. I use it for heavy cargo, passengers, and long trips when I don’t want to burn too much energy. I feel more confident in traffic than I do on my non-electric hybrid.