Joe EE
Active Member
Hey everyone. Just want to start off by saying: I am not an expert on any of this. Just started riding this season after a 30 year hiatus so I am just happy to be back up on 2 wheels again. I have been riding the Yukon since Memorial Day and I still haven't put 100 mikes on that yet. Close, but not yet. I work a lot. Just got my Colt this week and did a 16 mile round trip today and it was lots of fun but these bikes are a sharp contrast in a lot of ways.
The Yuke arrived almost completely assembled, I needed to attach the handlebars and the pedals and it was easy. It came with the necessary tools and the tires were properly inflated. It has been riding as it was designed and I love it. There are some cons in my opinion but they have nothing to do with the design or manufacturing. I suspected that riding a fatbike would feel kind of "trucky" and it does. Very solid, lots of momentum once you get going but agile is not a word I would use to describe it. I'm fine with it but I remember my childhood riding and the bikes I had were always nimble. The Yuke is also a heavy beast, upwards of 70 lbs. I could never pedal it without the motor assist. With the motor she is lots of fun and very solid feeling. I get a lot of range out of the battery and I am satisfied with purchase and the price.
Again I am not knocking either of these bikes, just going to point out the differences. The Colt came with more assembly necessary and I wouldn't call it easy exactly. Surface has some assembly videos on Youtube but I had a harder time than I would have liked. The front wheel is a quick release so that was straightforward. Every review and advertisement of the bike I have seen shows a lever assembly adjustment for the handlebar height. That is not what arrived, I am assuming what I got is an upgrade? No tools came with this bike either. Fortunately, I still have the Voltbike tools so they came in handy and I don't keep a workshop. Just attaching the handlebars was tough, as that bolt that goes straight down was tough to tighten enough to the point where if felt secure and I was nervous I was going to snap it. The allen key adjustment for the height adjustment was easy enough but started to loosen after the first 2 miles around the neighborhood. Not exactly confidence inspiring. I tightened the bejesus out of that bolt also and have gotten rid of that wobble, hopefully for good. The tires needed to be correctly inflated and the bike also does not come with a bell.
I have a lot of positive things to say about the Colt after my first ride. She's fast! It's a lighter bike and with the relatively skinny tires (compared to the beast) she just goes and goes. I think I coasted half the way today! The Yukon does not coast unless you are going downhill. I think the torque sensor is a better approach than the cadence sensor. I like the mild assist when pedaling lightly but more when you push, it's almost like it's reading your thoughts which is a little weird but lot's of fun. The display has a photocel so it backlights automatically when you go into a tunnel and such and I loved that feature also. This bike is noticeably more agile as well and I spent the day happily swerving all over and I can easily control it with one hand. The throttle will only give you the percentage of power that is associated with the level of pedal assist you are in 1-5, which I think is a battery saver also. After 16 miles today I barely dented the charge on the battery. Pedal assist 1 most of the way and up to 3 on a quarter mile hill on the way back. I barely expended 2 of the 10 bars on the charge indicator. I was concerned about "only" 500 Watts from the motor as I weigh 235 but this bike was zooming today. Uphill no problems at all. I also love the ergonomic grips which I will be putting on the Yukon at the end of the season. They make for a much more pleasant riding experience. I believe I am also going to go to a height adjustable set of bars on the Voltbike, as that leanover gets fatiguing after a while
Anyway, that's my 5 cents worth. I am glad I went something so drastically different and both of these bikes at less than 2000 apiece, I think has been a great deal. Safe riding everyone.
The Yuke arrived almost completely assembled, I needed to attach the handlebars and the pedals and it was easy. It came with the necessary tools and the tires were properly inflated. It has been riding as it was designed and I love it. There are some cons in my opinion but they have nothing to do with the design or manufacturing. I suspected that riding a fatbike would feel kind of "trucky" and it does. Very solid, lots of momentum once you get going but agile is not a word I would use to describe it. I'm fine with it but I remember my childhood riding and the bikes I had were always nimble. The Yuke is also a heavy beast, upwards of 70 lbs. I could never pedal it without the motor assist. With the motor she is lots of fun and very solid feeling. I get a lot of range out of the battery and I am satisfied with purchase and the price.
Again I am not knocking either of these bikes, just going to point out the differences. The Colt came with more assembly necessary and I wouldn't call it easy exactly. Surface has some assembly videos on Youtube but I had a harder time than I would have liked. The front wheel is a quick release so that was straightforward. Every review and advertisement of the bike I have seen shows a lever assembly adjustment for the handlebar height. That is not what arrived, I am assuming what I got is an upgrade? No tools came with this bike either. Fortunately, I still have the Voltbike tools so they came in handy and I don't keep a workshop. Just attaching the handlebars was tough, as that bolt that goes straight down was tough to tighten enough to the point where if felt secure and I was nervous I was going to snap it. The allen key adjustment for the height adjustment was easy enough but started to loosen after the first 2 miles around the neighborhood. Not exactly confidence inspiring. I tightened the bejesus out of that bolt also and have gotten rid of that wobble, hopefully for good. The tires needed to be correctly inflated and the bike also does not come with a bell.
I have a lot of positive things to say about the Colt after my first ride. She's fast! It's a lighter bike and with the relatively skinny tires (compared to the beast) she just goes and goes. I think I coasted half the way today! The Yukon does not coast unless you are going downhill. I think the torque sensor is a better approach than the cadence sensor. I like the mild assist when pedaling lightly but more when you push, it's almost like it's reading your thoughts which is a little weird but lot's of fun. The display has a photocel so it backlights automatically when you go into a tunnel and such and I loved that feature also. This bike is noticeably more agile as well and I spent the day happily swerving all over and I can easily control it with one hand. The throttle will only give you the percentage of power that is associated with the level of pedal assist you are in 1-5, which I think is a battery saver also. After 16 miles today I barely dented the charge on the battery. Pedal assist 1 most of the way and up to 3 on a quarter mile hill on the way back. I barely expended 2 of the 10 bars on the charge indicator. I was concerned about "only" 500 Watts from the motor as I weigh 235 but this bike was zooming today. Uphill no problems at all. I also love the ergonomic grips which I will be putting on the Yukon at the end of the season. They make for a much more pleasant riding experience. I believe I am also going to go to a height adjustable set of bars on the Voltbike, as that leanover gets fatiguing after a while
Anyway, that's my 5 cents worth. I am glad I went something so drastically different and both of these bikes at less than 2000 apiece, I think has been a great deal. Safe riding everyone.
