Down between 2 choices!

[Joe Yeti]

Hello!

I have gotten my new electric bike purchase possibilities down to 2 options but are struggling with which one to get. I am handicapped, need a bike for exercise that can get me back to my truck if I can't pedal anymore, I am down to 400 pounds but have a long way to go. I am 6'5" tall so size is a consideration. I want to ride bike trails and neighborhood roads mostly. Some are gravel most are paved. I live in Central Maryland so there are some pretty good hills. I can work on and repair most things, I have built many hot rods and are a ham radio operator so I have a good amount of electronics knowledge. I am down to these 2 but could use your thoughts on this.

- The Himiway D7 Cobra. It has a 1,000 watt hub drive motor. it is a big bike like me, the company has been around for well over a decade, though they are NOT known for great customer service. It is a full suspension bike but that probably means nothing at my current weight. It uses bafang motors and controllers and should be easy to service.

- The Birch Hunters Grolar. This is a bike built by a group of hunters and ebike enthusiasts based in CA (the bikes are of course built in China and Vietnam). They offer a twin 750 watt hub motor AWD bike with a big battery and a second battery option (in the near future). The bike is large for sure and has the capacity to carry me. I like the dual motor option for reliability. Their motors are made by Shenzhen.

THANKS! I appreciate your input!

 

[mrgold35]

I'm a big guy also at 6'3", +325lbs, long arms, and size 14 shoes. I upgraded from my 16 Radrover 4" fat tire 750w rear hub cadence sensor to the Himiway Cobra Pro 1000w mid-drive full suspension tq sensor a year ago. Going rear hub cadence sensor+throttle is the way to go if you have issues with pedaling. Having a tq sensor with mid-drive/rear hub will require more effort for more speed; but, will feel more natural with pedaling. I can use PAS 1 on my Himiway and pedal with more effort to +25 mph because of the tq sensor (the 160Nm of mid-drive tq also helps). I would only be around 10-14 mph at PAS 1 with same effort on my Radrover cadence sensor. Cadence sensor would be similar to an escalator or airport moving sidewalks and you can adjust the speed (PAS/throttle) with the option to add more speed with walking. You might need to up the PAS levels to get more power/speed with a TQ sensor on either ebike (will reduce range). A step-thru design would be easier to mount/dismount. My saddle on my Cobra Pro sits around 46" high with no weight on the ebike. I have to lean my +75lbs Radrover and +95lbs Cobra close to around 45 degrees towards me and swing my leg over the back end to mount (avoiding my rack bag).

I still had to make some mods to the Cobra Pro to fit me a bit better (did the exact same mods on Radrover):
- moved my 420mm Cirrus Kinekt suspension seatpost over from the Radrover (standard 350mm seatpost was causing me left knee aches)
- added Cloud 9 12.5" X 11.5" cruiser sofa saddle (ride more on butt cheeks instead of the "sensitive" area at my weight)
- added Himiway +/-85 degree adjustable handlebar stem (raised handlebars for more upright riding position to reduce numb hands and fatigued shoulders)
- larger MTB bike pedals
- padded bike shorts
- padded bike gloves
- MTB Northwave shoes (the stiff soles are soooo much easier to pedal and feels more comfy compared to my flexible soft sole running/X-trainer shoes)

I ride single track, paved/unpaved bike trails, and the street. The full suspension of the Cobra is extremely comfy. I've never bottomed out the suspension; but, it looks like I am maxing it out on every type of surface (the rubber sag ring is always pretty low on every ride). I have an air suspension pump and check/set PSI on forks and mid suspension to near max before each ride. I don't think a full suspension is needed if you mostly street ride AND you have the option to add a suspension seatpost (the fat tires help smooth out the ride also).

I couldn't find a Himiway dealer in NM that had a Cobra Pro on the floor I could test ride. Had a trip planned to Denver and found a dealer that took me on a 45 min test ride. Any chance of finding a local dealer or Facebook group with either ebike?

 

[Joe Yeti]

You have helped me before THANKS, I APPRECAITE your knowledgeable input! I still have your list of upgrades for the Cobra. I managed to screw my hip up in July and that has delayed this purchase. It is better now so I am ready to go. Kind of a good thing as the Himiway hub motor is now 1,000 watts and has a torque sensor. The ONLY reason I was considering the hub drive was for reliability (chain - though I suppose I could carry a spare), cranks and so on).

I can pedal and want to for the exercise. I assume I can just use the throttle if I can't pedal anymore. I am really leaning to Himiway, I am also wondering if the mid drive is in fact the better way to go in general. The mid drive does offer a lot more torque.

 

[mrgold35]

I always wanted a mid-drive and the Cobra Pro checked a lot of my "wish list" over my rear hub Radrover. Noticed the mid-drive is like having a manual transmission compared to a rear hub being more auto trans feel. I can keep my Radrover in 7th gear, come to a complete stop, use the throttle to start, and pedal once I get my speed up (pretty much fall off a log easy to ride and I stay between 4th-7th gear on the Rad). I HAVE to down shift before every stop on the mid-drive and up shift through the gears as I gain speed. I really miss bumping the throttle with my rear hub if I need a touch more speed on short inclines or getting across intersections in a hurry. I also need to read the terrain more and anticipate gear changes so I don't stress out the chain in the wrong gear. Breaking the chain with my 160Nm mid-drive is my biggest worry compared to still using the same chain on two 2016 Radrovers with almost 4000 miles each. I did purchase a spare mid-drive chain. You can put the similar amounts of stress on the mid-drive chain pedaling or from using the throttle. No where near the same levels of stress on chain or gears with a rear hub. Probably get years of more use from a rear hub chain depending on PAS level and throttle usage.

The big advantage I find with the mid-drive is the 2X more tq. My range is pretty good at PAS 1 with less recharging cycles with always using a lower PAS levels. I needed PAS 3 on my Radrover on the same riding conditions. I can stay in PAS 1 on the Himiway and keep up with my spouse on her Radcity in PAS 2/3. Being tq sensor, I find it easier to match her speed exactly with less effort. I had a very hard time matching her speed on my Radrover (PAS 2 too little power and I needed to work harder, PAS 3 too much power with ghost pedaling).