Bionx for serious MTB.

[Chandlee EBS]

So while there's been murmurs of serious single track/all mountain conversions with Bionx kits, I've never seen any hard trail riding videos. Does anyone have anything or are we going to have to wait for the D-series?



This KLM hardtail looks like fun. Here's some cross country in an Aussie review. I'd like to see how well these do on some tough trails. Might be a new project for us.

-Chandlee

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

There are very few offering with Bionx D-series motor that are actually used for hard trail riding. Most electric bikes end up as commuter bikes or light trail bikes. It might be slightly off but 3-5% of electric bikes are REALLY used for hard trail riding.

I really liked the Wheeler Electric Bikes with D-series motor. The American distributor is pathetic and doesn't respond but may be you guys can bring this back.

 

[Electric Bike Specialists]

I saw that, Ravi! Looks sweet! And while I'm sure the D-Series is going to be great (50NM peak torque...drool), I'm still curious as to how the current models do on tough trails...

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I saw that, Ravi! Looks sweet! And while I'm sure the D-Series is going to be great (50NM peak torque...drool), I'm still curious as to how the current models do on tough trails...

I was expecting a video review from Mark Sedhom and finally he decided not to do it but he said the bikes fared well on the trails.
You guys have excellent experience, machines and the intent. I think it's time to take it up a notch further

PS: Rocket Electrics in Austin TX is famous because they offer tours and that is how they attract major business. I think every summer, they are so loaded that almost all of their bikes become rental fleet. It would be awesome to see you guys do something similar and after all Nashville is = Austin in terms of music culture. Also, "Explore the Great Smoky Mountains on a Stromer" could be your new program

 

[Electric Bike Specialists]

We do have Bonnaroo here... We just ordered ten 15ah Motiv ebikess to add to the rental fleet.

I'll look into a bionx trail build for a video.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Awesome EBS..!! Way to go.

Re: the use of BionX for serious trail riding, I have contemplated the use of a kit on a good FS MTB but I realized that the welds, tubing guage, etc are not made for extra weight of the hub and the battery. I mean adding 20lbs to a hardtail MTB could lead to fatigue failure if used heavily on the trails.

Actually, last month I was so close to purchasing a FS MTB and adding Falco kit on it and when I called the manufacturer, they clearly mentioned that adding any kind of kit would void frame warranty on the MTB. Because most bikes end up as commuter/light trail bikes, we may not see such failures but I would love to see some reports after 6 months of extensive trail riding.

What are your thoughts on frame robustness, fatigue due to enhanced vibrations, welds giving away due to excess weight etc?

 

[James]

Everyday I wake up and there's something new, and cool for me to look at on this site!! What a great time!!

 

[Electric Bike Specialists]

Awesome EBS..!! Way to go.

Re: the use of BionX for serious trail riding, I have contemplated the use of a kit on a good FS MTB but I realized that the welds, tubing guage, etc are not made for extra weight of the hub and the battery. I mean adding 20lbs to a hardtail MTB could lead to fatigue failure if used heavily on the trails.

Actually, last month I was so close to purchasing a FS MTB and adding Falco kit on it and when I called the manufacturer, they clearly mentioned that adding any kind of kit would void frame warranty on the MTB. Because most bikes end up as commuter/light trail bikes, we may not see such failures but I would love to see some reports after 6 months of extensive trail riding.

What are your thoughts on frame robustness, fatigue due to enhanced vibrations, welds giving away due to excess weight etc?

Considering that hard riding can break frames/welding etc. this is always going to be a concern. I think FS is certainly a larger risk than hard tail and the rear motor would throw off the suspension dynamics (but by how much? Geared Dapu motors used on the Jumper aren't a big deal). I think throwing on additional battery mounting would work fine. I'd be a little worried about the drop outs. The motor? Hmmm...

Anyone out there with this setup?

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Yes, ebikes are built from scratch to withstand higher loads and the tubings are generally thicker but adding something like a BionX kit to an existing non electric FSP would be a different scenario altogether.

Yesterday Eddie was mentioning about Panasonic Nabenmotor and those are incredibly small compared to direct drive. A light weight battery and a motor on a very robust frame might fare well. Please update us if you test BionX on some hard trails.

 

[Bike_On]

Awesome EBS..!! Way to go.

Re: the use of BionX for serious trail riding, I have contemplated the use of a kit on a good FS MTB but I realized that the welds, tubing guage, etc are not made for extra weight of the hub and the battery. I mean adding 20lbs to a hardtail MTB could lead to fatigue failure if used heavily on the trails.

Actually, last month I was so close to purchasing a FS MTB and adding Falco kit on it and when I called the manufacturer, they clearly mentioned that adding any kind of kit would void frame warranty on the MTB. Because most bikes end up as commuter/light trail bikes, we may not see such failures but I would love to see some reports after 6 months of extensive trail riding.

What are your thoughts on frame robustness, fatigue due to enhanced vibrations, welds giving away due to excess weight etc?

Ravi-

I think you are right on in that eval. The weight in the wheels is a huge difference. Maybe a small geared motor would be ok, but it is still mass working against the frame/wheel.

Mid drives still rule the hard core off road, IMO.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Ravi-

I think you are right on in that eval. The weight in the wheels is a huge difference. Maybe a small geared motor would be ok, but it is still mass working against the frame/wheel.

Mid drives still rule the hard core off road, IMO.

I agree with you, Dan.
I am reading up on BBS02. I really like the simplicity of that system and could be used for off-roading too. Lots of people on ES forum have positive reviews about it. Apparently,, some of them have been able to cruise at 30+mph, which is pretty good.

 

[James]

Mid drives for sure if your serious about off roading. Getting any air with a hub motor won't be fun for very long!

 

[Admin]

Hey guys, enjoyed reading the discussion... Sorry I've been offline for a bit. Recently posted a review of the BionX D-500 and am working on one for the new 8Fun BBS01 mounted on a Volton electric bike. Neither review includes much true off-road but I'd like to do more of that soon and will keep you updated