Hey guys,
New to the Ebike - community, but not to biking in General. I guess this would be more of a combination Vendor/Bike review. I was needing a cargo ebike that could carry two kids, without being a long tail, and eventually found a local-ish company called Alter Ego bikes - it's about an hour away from me which caused a bit of pause, but that should be better than a "direct to consumer" only place shipping from God-knows-where right? RIGHT??
I headed out there and test rode their Rebel Cargo, which as far as I can tell, is a rebranded Himiway Big Dog with matt black paint and hydraulic logan brakes. I was looking for hydraulic brakes as I tried the Rad wagon with mechanical discs and they were NOT cutting it. Quick specs on the bike:
Got home and started putting the bike together...now the "fun" begins.
Now, it's not all bad - the GOOD
1. The bike is plenty powerful to get up the steep hills in my area.
2. It's a good looking machine.
3. It can carry my two kids after I made a custom seat etc for the bike.
4. Alter Ego bikes customer support is VERY responsive - if not particularly helpful.
General Observations:
At the end of the day, even though I quite like the bike - unless if you are very handy yourself AND ARE WILLING TO PUT IN THE TIME or work with a local bike store - I can't in good conscience recommend this store or the Rebel Cargo.
New to the Ebike - community, but not to biking in General. I guess this would be more of a combination Vendor/Bike review. I was needing a cargo ebike that could carry two kids, without being a long tail, and eventually found a local-ish company called Alter Ego bikes - it's about an hour away from me which caused a bit of pause, but that should be better than a "direct to consumer" only place shipping from God-knows-where right? RIGHT??
I headed out there and test rode their Rebel Cargo, which as far as I can tell, is a rebranded Himiway Big Dog with matt black paint and hydraulic logan brakes. I was looking for hydraulic brakes as I tried the Rad wagon with mechanical discs and they were NOT cutting it. Quick specs on the bike:
- Step Through Frame
- Integrated Battery
- Hydraulic brakes
- 48V 20aH battery
- 750w hub motor
- 20" fat tires
Got home and started putting the bike together...now the "fun" begins.
- Cargo rack mounts were misaligned - the top mount was off by 6-7mm from the mount. This rack is VERY stiff and you will strip the threads in the aluminum frame if you try to just torque it in from one side.(See photos)
- a. Was told this was normal and it's a "self-assembly related" issue
- I managed to torque the bolts in after loosening both sides and repeatedly alternated between torquing both sides in. I was very uncomfortable with how much torque I was subjecting the aluminum frame threads to...this rack is NOT coming off anytime soon.
- Tail lights stop working after about 10 minutes use
- a. was told I left the light hanging and probably pulled the wires loose - again "self-assembly related" issue.
- I researched and found a video on youtube describing the exact problem - Lights would work then stop working after the long ride - and the fix was a resistor wire from the manufacturer. Informed them of the video and they requested, received and sent the warranty fix from the factory to me within the week.
- Front brakes started getting progressively louder until it was a howl - my wife could hear it from inside the house with the windows closed as I went down the hill beside the house.
- a. Was told "Squealing brakes are a very common challenge with any bike equipped with disc brakes" and given a link to their site which talked about common brake squeal fixes. I reiterated that it was extremely loud and the bike is basically brand new, and the reply was "Brakes will squeak right out of the box. "
I am starting to sense a trend...I fixed it by installing Shimano brake pads - maybe the OEM brake pads were sub-par?
- The tire was out of round (improperly mounted) on the rim. At higher speeds the bike would start shaking.
- a. Was told to re-seat the tire which I was already planning on doing
- Took a couple of tries and finally reseated the tires with minimal wobble - seems to me like the tire bead is just so ever slightly bigger than where it seats to the rim - This is the first fat tire I've dealt with so I don't know if this would be normal. The tire reseat worked and the high speed shake that the bike had is now gone – thank goodness!
Now, it's not all bad - the GOOD
1. The bike is plenty powerful to get up the steep hills in my area.
2. It's a good looking machine.
3. It can carry my two kids after I made a custom seat etc for the bike.
4. Alter Ego bikes customer support is VERY responsive - if not particularly helpful.
General Observations:
- Loading up the back of a cargo bike can lead to funky steering behaviors (guess that's why they are normally a long tail).
- With all the uphills I'm doing I saw a range of about 40km from full to 2 bars left...pretty decent
- The pedal assist can be adjusted to start softer - I have it on the softest setting and it's a pretty gentle ramp up now.
- The bike is pretty comfortable to ride - the cushioned seat, along with the front suspension and the fat tires makes for a pretty cushy ride.
At the end of the day, even though I quite like the bike - unless if you are very handy yourself AND ARE WILLING TO PUT IN THE TIME or work with a local bike store - I can't in good conscience recommend this store or the Rebel Cargo.
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