rannyv
Active Member
Does anyone on the forum have an Ariel M Class (the 20" wheeled mini-cargo bike)? If so, could you provide overall comments on your experience with the bike and the company and specific comments in the following areas:
The ride - With short wheelbase and 20" x 1.7" tires, how is the ride on roads that aren't pool table perfect? Jarring?
Dapu mid-drive and torque sensor - Is it super audible (loud) compared to something like a Bosch (which is definitely audible)? Does the torque sensor give power from a stand still? Is it easy to modulate the speed or more of an on/off affair?
Does the Nexus 3 speed have enough ratios to work well with the mid-drive? I think 3 speeds are plenty for reasonable inclines, but mid-drives like to operate within a certain RPM range, and if there aren't enough gears, I'd be concerned that the motor might fall out of that range if the cadence changes are too great when changing between gears. Honestly, for a bike at this price point, they might have been better off going with the hub motor.
Does it cope well with loads? I'm pretty sure the front basket would. I'm a big fan of front baskets attached to the head tube. They are super easy to load/unload and the weight doesn't seem to upset the handling much. They help to balance the bike front to rear and the odd shape of rear panniers can make it difficult to find small items.
Thanks in advance for any comments on this thread.
The ride - With short wheelbase and 20" x 1.7" tires, how is the ride on roads that aren't pool table perfect? Jarring?
Dapu mid-drive and torque sensor - Is it super audible (loud) compared to something like a Bosch (which is definitely audible)? Does the torque sensor give power from a stand still? Is it easy to modulate the speed or more of an on/off affair?
Does the Nexus 3 speed have enough ratios to work well with the mid-drive? I think 3 speeds are plenty for reasonable inclines, but mid-drives like to operate within a certain RPM range, and if there aren't enough gears, I'd be concerned that the motor might fall out of that range if the cadence changes are too great when changing between gears. Honestly, for a bike at this price point, they might have been better off going with the hub motor.
Does it cope well with loads? I'm pretty sure the front basket would. I'm a big fan of front baskets attached to the head tube. They are super easy to load/unload and the weight doesn't seem to upset the handling much. They help to balance the bike front to rear and the odd shape of rear panniers can make it difficult to find small items.
Thanks in advance for any comments on this thread.
