Crazy Walmart mid drive deal $349

[Johny Rocket]

Hyper 700c Class 1 Japanese 250w mid drive motor with 75nm torque. Torque sensor. Clearance sale $349. I was surprised at the performance of the 36v system. Ramps up to 20mph promptly, no issues with performance other than 20mph limit and no throttle. The grey color is just a simple gray and is not the ugly bluish color in one of the pictures!
Specs not on Walmart listing:
Vinka DS20 display
PAS 0-5, Walk mode, Trip odometer, Battery status indicator, Speedometer.
Vinka C20 Motor
250w continuous 85nm torque
7 speed freewheel First gear is 34t mega range, second 24t, seventh 14t.
10ah battery (listing says 7ah)
Don't worry about the 20 mile range stated in the listing, I'm 215lbs flat grades, with 8 overpasses and have to run max PSA @ 20 MPH for it to run out of battery in 20 miles + or minus depending on wind...

Hyper Bicycles 36V 700C Commuter Electric Bike for Adults, Pedal-Assist, 250W Mid-Drive E-Bike Motor, Matte Gray - Walmart.com

Buy Hyper Bicycles 36V 700C Commuter Electric Bike for Adults, Pedal-Assist, 250W Mid-Drive E-Bike Motor, Matte Gray at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

Be ready to unbox, partial assemble and sort out some issues. I had to tru the front wheel and adjust the too tight wheel bearings. Clean the brake pads and rotors.

 

[harryS]

Too late. All sold as of 1600 hours 8/23/05. Woulda been a good deal. I paid over $391 just for the motor in my last mid drive conversion.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I just checked and it appears they are back in stock. Looks like I can get it tomorrow.

 

[JRA]

Any word on what make of motor it has?

 

[Johny Rocket]

Vinka C20 250w version here is the Japanese manufacturer details: https://www.vinka.jp/midmotors/html/?236.html

 

[Johny Rocket]

Update: I've had the bike a few days now. I've updated my original post to change the motor version from the V20 75nm to the current C20 85nm version that the bike came with. When Walmart first released the bike it came with a basic LED red dot lights display, a 7ah battery, and the less powerful V20 Vinka motor. Their listing never updated except to change the pic of the newer display unit they don't mention that the battery was upgraded and now comes with a 10ah battery (still only 36v though).

In my opinion I think Walmart is having trouble selling this bike because it is more of a bike that needs to be sold in a bike shop with sales people to explain the pros and cons of each type of bike. People buying Walmart bikes just look at the motor watts and battery amp hours and pick the one with the highest numbers for the money they're willing to spend. So the more popular Concord 350w hub motor 10ah battery at $548 sold way more than the 250w 7ah Hyper 700c mid drive for $948. On a basic level, it would make sense. The reality is the cheap 350w Chinese hub motor at 40nm of torque is no match for the more powerful Japanese 85 nm motor, then add a torque sensor for more natural riding not to mention the mechanical advantages of the mid drive and you get a far superior bike.

Bear in mind this is a torque sensor class 1 Ebike. There is no throttle, motor assist cuts out at 20mph, the harder you peddle the more power is delivered to the motor. I found the bike to be well balanced for both a weak rider (my wife) and a strong rider (myself I ride a regular bike 15 mile rides 3-4 times a week)

Ranges achieved so far:
Strong rider 20mph starting on PAS 2, then 3, then 4, then 5 as the battery level dropped. At the 20 mile mark was
down to 18mph PAS 5 and quickly down to 16mph. Flat ground no wind 220lb rider
Strong rider leisurely pace 10-12mph not much effort PAS 1, then increasing PAS level as battery weakens, currently at 16 miles PAS 2-3 with 66% left in battery.

Weak rider (wife has health issues) was only able to get to 16mph on PAS 5 and stopped testing as she get scared above 13mph LOL. Flat ground, no wind, 140lb rider

Problems with the bike out of the box, front wheel was noticeably out of true, front and rear wheel bearing cone nuts too tight, rear brake cable kinked. Creaking sound when peddling.

Fixes: Took wheels to local bike shop they adjusted bearings and trued wheel $65. I tracked down the creaking to the plastic trim pieces surrounding the motor rubbing on the metal bike frame where the meet (should have been a larger gap to prevent creaking) Removed the trim pieces, (I had to remove crank arms to access)

Very satisfied with this bike for its intended use as a city/commuter bike. The 7 speed drive train (Freewheel not a cassette) is actually geared very well with the front chainring and the torque sensor doesn't require a lot of effort to get the bike going and still rewards you with some extra power if you want to put in some additional effort.

I don't think you can get a mid drive bike with 85nm of torque for anything less than $1200. Granted it would be 48v and more battery capacity but I'm not sure it would be necessary unless you suffer from range anxiety syndrome. If I can find a 48v battery that will fit this bike the display and motor is dual voltage 36v/48v so I'll post here if I find one..

 

[gromike]

I suppose in the low end market nobody cares about this style of ebike. Some sort of fat tire 20inch wheeled throttle driven 1000+ watt hubmotor thing gets all the clicks nowadays. Too bad, but most people buying aren't coming to market with a bicycle mindset. They want motorcycles.
I'd be tempted to buy this ebike as it seems quite the bargain, but my bike shed is full.

 

[gromike]

Oh kripes! I bought one. With free shipping it is the price I paid for a Huffy Oslo 3 years ago, and on that I had to do a controller, brake, and gearing upgrade, so it became $500 for a great little efolder.
I'll put this bike head to head with a 36v TSDZ2b conversion I put together a couple of years ago, and yeah, it was $300 plus for the motor alone (bike was free).

 

[Chargeride]

Its s great deal, but do you have to wear the Mary Poppins outfit that comes with it

 

[harryS]

I am lucky in that every time I check the link, it's out of stock. Would have bought one to go with our other six bikes, and I believe the dog has a couple to pull her trailer.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I looked at the ad again and it states the deal is available at “select locations”.

 

[gromike]

Might be lucky might not, but this $350 shipped mid-drive ebike is set to arrive next Tuesday.
Does that mean my location is "select"? Only the unboxing, and a test ride, will tell.

 

[gromike]

Well, my crazy walmart middrive, $350 delivered, is due to arrive tomorrow. I was hoping it would arrive minimally damaged, but I noticed this on the FedEx tracking: "Shipment exception, Barcode label unreadable and replaced".
I now assume it will arrive with maybe some significant damage, if it arrives at all. There has been no update in tracking of late.

 

[Chazmo]

Not necessarily, Mike. Those FedEx labels sometimes fall off or get torn in shipment. Keep us posted.

$350 delivered… That is crazy.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Well, my crazy walmart middrive, $350 delivered, is due to arrive tomorrow. I was hoping it would arrive minimally damaged, but I noticed this on the FedEx tracking: "Shipment exception, Barcode label unreadable and replaced".
I now assume it will arrive with maybe some significant damage, if it arrives at all. There has been no update in tracking of late.

Yes I've seen that several times and it did not affect the integrity of the box.
Good luck.

 

[gromike]

Received the ebike this afternoon:

All there, and no damage:

Put it together while the battery charged:

Greased an adjusted front wheel bearings, will need to do the same to the back wheel. Both wheels need to be trued. Seat is truly painful, and would also benefit from a suspension seat post (all to be provided from my collection of bike parts).
The bike wasn't so cheap that it hurt me to look at, and it works much better than my TSDZ2b motor. No throttle, and I'm assuming the PAS is cadence until proven otherwise. (Just read the motor's mfg. info and they say it's integrated cadence and torque PAS.)
So, for $350 delivered, not including tax, this has got to be one of the best cheap mid-drives out there. Thanks, OP Johny Rocket, for the link. My bike shed now truly runneth over.

 

[Watana Bob]

My bike shed now truly runneth over.

Hopefully your bike shed won’t burneth down. A battery in a $350 bike would make me a little nervous.

 

[gromike]

Only a little nervous, afterall, it's a little battery .

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My butt hurts me just by looking at the picture.

 

[gromike]

The question that I now have is that there is this seemingly capable mid-drive ebike motor in a frame for $350 (and you get a cheap bike with it).
If you think of it as just a frame and motor, it is quite the bargain! Though a proper build out would cost hundreds more.

My initial plan was to put no money into this bike and just do test rides.

Though, this might be such a great deal that I am tempted to buy several more. So, I am asking all EBR forum members for your help. Please buy some of these things, so I won't be able!