Cruising Cheetah Style!

[Fat Tire Cruiser]

Warmest greetings Civi Fat Tire bicycle fans from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, SW Washington.

I'm another adventurous senior discovering the fun and exercise benefits of fat tire e-bikes. Being a motoring enthusiast you have to love the styling of the Cheetah bicycle. Striking beach cruiser, cafe racer, chopper styling , all rolled into one. And they are big and impressive in person. I have over 300 miles on mine now with no issues, runs flawless and as others have said, they are a blast to ride!

I did have an issue with the charger, totally dead out of the box, but promptly replaced with fast, great service. There are so many e-bikes to choose from now days and depending on your use and intent, if you're looking for a heavy duty comfortable road cruiser, consider the Cheetah. Yes it goes off road and can handle multiple terrain, but at 75 lbs. it's not a light weight mountain bike you're going to be jumping mounds and getting air with unless you're young strong, and really buff. Definitely a cruiser to me, with sustained top speed of 26mph, plenty fast for this mature rider.

I have slowly been accessorizing the bike to my personal preferences and needs, plus investing in safety and riding gear having not ridden in over 40 years. The wife likes the tights. What no fly! Oh my.

I will do a follow up post on some great items I have added to my bike including the bear spray, you never know! See if my first photos post of my ride along the Columbia River today.

Lastly posting to share, encourage, and learn from others experiences, especially the fat tire Civi Cheetah! Best regards and safe cycling in these changing times.

 

[woodie]

Man that is a sweet bike.I just bought my first ebike and I’m loving it. This is my next one for sure.

 

[Fat Tire Cruiser]

Man that is a sweet bike.I just bought my first ebike and I’m loving it. This is my next one for sure.

Thanks for the nice comments, I have over 500 miles on it now with no issues. I did try to ride in the sand and promptly fell over in really soft sand trying to get down to firmer ground. Maybe let some air out of my tires next time and choose my path more carefully. I would like to change the front ring gear sprocket to 53t as some have done. At speed you are windmilling with little resistance. Any recommendations or links to the right one appreciated if you have done this mod on a Civi Cheetah.
My cool new LED taillight/turn signal died after a couple of weeks but was promptly replaced at no charge, with no issues since. Kudos to Meilan for great customer service through Amazon and standing behind their products. I also sold my really nice Rockbros rear pannier bag. I loved it, but was just a little tall to get my leg over with my back injury and kept hitting it. Shopping for a lower profile rear bag now. The new gel seat is working out great and one of my best mods. Enjoy the ride no matter what brand of bike you are riding. Best regards...

 

[woodie]

 

[woodie]

nice pics

 

[woodie]

Can the battery come out of the bike for charging and storage?I ask because here in Vegas it gets very hot and I like to store may batteries inside the house.

 

[Fat Tire Cruiser]

Unfortunately that is one of the quirks of the Cheetah in that the battery doesn't remove quickly. There are two allen head screws located at the bottom of the gas tank looking battery case. The battery is shoe horned in a very tight space with lots of wires. It does come out, but I believe it is designed to be charged on the bike.
I took the cover off for inspection thinking I could add a small phone bag to the cross bar frame and wrap the straps underneath through the battery housing. No go, way too tight. Also the larger battery option only gives you more mileage but not more speed. Best of luck. Ride on!

 

[woodie]

Well geez.Not that I’m buying soon but that bike was on my radar but because of the battery situation I may have to look elsewhere. Thank you.

 

[FlatSix911]

Thanks for the nice comments, I have over 500 miles on it now with no issues. I did try to ride in the sand and promptly fell over in really soft sand trying to get down to firmer ground. Maybe let some air out of my tires next time and choose my path more carefully. I would like to change the front ring gear sprocket to 53t as some have done. At speed you are windmilling with little resistance. Any recommendations or links to the right one appreciated if you have done this mod on a Civi Cheetah.
My cool new LED taillight/turn signal died after a couple of weeks but was promptly replaced at no charge, with no issues since. Kudos to Meilan for great customer service through Amazon and standing behind their products. I also sold my really nice Rockbros rear pannier bag. I loved it, but was just a little tall to get my leg over with my back injury and kept hitting it. Shopping for a lower profile rear bag now. The new gel seat is working out great and one of my best mods. Enjoy the ride no matter what brand of bike you are riding. Best regards...View attachment 64202View attachment 64203

Very cool ride... you may be interested in the EBR review.

REVI BIKES Cheetah Review | ElectricBikeReview.com

Price: $2299.00 | Model Year: 2018 | A motorcycle inspired fat tire electric bike with powerful 750 watt geared hub motor from Bafang, unique battery integration designed to look like a gas tank, two battery size options

electricbikereview.com

 

[FlatSix911]

EBR video ...

 

[woodie]

Ya I’ve watched that video a few times.

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Warmest greetings Civi Fat Tire bicycle fans from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, SW Washington.

I'm another adventurous senior discovering the fun and exercise benefits of fat tire e-bikes. Being a motoring enthusiast you have to love the styling of the Cheetah bicycle. Striking beach cruiser, cafe racer, chopper styling , all rolled into one. And they are big and impressive in person. I have over 300 miles on mine now with no issues, runs flawless and as others have said, they are a blast to ride!

I did have an issue with the charger, totally dead out of the box, but promptly replaced with fast, great service. There are so many e-bikes to choose from now days and depending on your use and intent, if you're looking for a heavy duty comfortable road cruiser, consider the Cheetah. Yes it goes off road and can handle multiple terrain, but at 75 lbs. it's not a light weight mountain bike you're going to be jumping mounds and getting air with unless you're young strong, and really buff. Definitely a cruiser to me, with sustained top speed of 26mph, plenty fast for this mature rider.

I have slowly been accessorizing the bike to my personal preferences and needs, plus investing in safety and riding gear having not ridden in over 40 years. The wife likes the tights. What no fly! Oh my.

I will do a follow up post on some great items I have added to my bike including the bear spray, you never know! See if my first photos post of my ride along the Columbia River today.

Lastly posting to share, encourage, and learn from others experiences, especially the fat tire Civi Cheetah! Best regards and safe cycling in these changing times.

View attachment 58337View attachment 58338

Beautiful photos~ I've also added a mirror, softer seat and suspension seat post. I'm currently adapting a set of downhill front forks to my Cheetah to soften the front a little. This is the perfect bicycle for this retiree...

 

[Fat Tire Cruiser]

Awesome! Would love to see and hear more details on your front suspension mods. Thanks!

 

[Mr Miyagi]

Well, I've asked a few bike shops and the moderator on REVIBIKES.com what thread is utilized on the front axle of our bike because I need to know so I can machine it into the axle studs for my new front forks. I've done a little research and found it may be 3/8-26 TPI or 10MM - 26TPI and may simply buy the two taps and see which one will work.
I've also added a plush saddle very close to what you've used and added a suspension stem which makes the hardtail very easy on my bad back.

 

[FlatSix911]

Check out Vintage Electric Bikes if you like the retro look... made locally in Silicon Valley.

The Fastest Electric Bike | Vintage Electric Bikes

Vintage Electric Bikes builds the fastest electric bike in the US. Hand crafted in California, our e bikes are designed to last generations. Schedule a test ride on your new Vintage Electric e bike today! The best electric bike you'll ever own.

www.vintageelectricbikes.com

 

[Fat Tire Cruiser]

Well, I've asked a few bike shops and the moderator on REVIBIKES.com what thread is utilized on the front axle of our bike because I need to know so I can machine it into the axle studs for my new front forks. I've done a little research and found it may be 3/8-26 TPI or 10MM - 26TPI and may simply buy the two taps and see which one will work.
I've also added a plush saddle very close to what you've used and added a suspension stem which makes the hardtail very easy on my bad back.View attachment 64341View attachment 64342

Wow! I'm impressed with all of your mods, very nice! Love the front forks and suspension ideas. What materials did you use. Is it all custom made or any off the shelf parts you are adopting? I see polished parts that look machined, and your forks look like polished copper with painted lower shafts. Details please!
I like the full chopper look going on. Bobbed fender, highrise handlebars, penstriping, etc.
Did you have to get longer cables for the highrise handle bars?
I see your chain guardis off. Have you changed your ring gear? Beautiful quality work. Can't wait to see the finished product. Obviously a master tech. Best regards.

 

[Fat Tire Cruiser]

Check out Vintage Electric Bikes if you like the retro look... made locally in Silicon Valley.

The Fastest Electric Bike | Vintage Electric Bikes

Vintage Electric Bikes builds the fastest electric bike in the US. Hand crafted in California, our e bikes are designed to last generations. Schedule a test ride on your new Vintage Electric e bike today! The best electric bike you'll ever own.

www.vintageelectricbikes.com

View attachment 64344 View attachment 64347
View attachment 64346

Nice looking bike. Not a fan of the faux looking motor in the middle of the frame but maybe better in person? Aren't these fairly pricey?
Nice looking overall!

 

[chipgibbs]

I'm looking into similar forks for my new cheetah. I see some on aliexpress but, I'm not to keen on using that site. Where did you find the forks and are they air adjustable?

 

[woodie]

Yes way to pricey for my pocket book.Cool looking though

 

[Mr Miyagi]

I bought the Zoom Downhill forks at https://www.ebay.com/itm/Zoom-MTB-Mountain-Bike-Downhill-Suspension-Fork-680DH-20mm-Thru-Axle-Aluminum/264666045204?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

These forks are of course made for a standard 26" Diameter skinny mountain bike wheel and tire so they will be modded to accept the 4" wide Cheetah setup. I've already drawn the new wider triple clamps in CAD and have asked a dozen or so people for the front axle thread size to machine the axle adapters but have yet to attain this info. I believe it may be 3/8-26 or 10MM-26 but I must be certain to machine the axle adapters.

Although they are non-air adjustable, they do have rebound dampening and preload adjustment. The forks have 170mm of travel and are 805mm overall length so they should be a perfect fit. I didn't have to extend the cables to accommodate the ape hanger handlebars and although they are super comfortable, I will be changing the overall look to a more 1/2-mile motorcycle racer theme moving forward. I've also got my spare tanks being painted black with an old school flame job cause, Well I'm old!

I haven't had this much fun on two wheels since my motorcycling days! I love this big bike.

I have also got some very different ideas with regards to the chain-guard and crank assemblies. One of which will be the move to a 52 to 54 tooth chain-ring possibly higher end Shimano or SRAM products and carve out some crazy CNC machined chain-ring covers.

On the topic of Andrew's Vintage Electric Bikes. His bike is what I aspire my custom Cheetah to be when it finally rolls down the boardwalk. His love of what he is doing clearly shows in the top notch quality of his products. I just love the look of the Cheetah much more is why I chose it over any other bike.