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).

 

[Joe Yeti]

OK!!! It is DONE! I ordered the Himiway D7 Cobra Pro with the rack, fenders, bag, and mirrors. It was a LOT of money but if I can really ride it and lose the weight, it is worth EVERY penny. THANKS for the help - I APPRECIATE it!

Why the D7? The Grolar is a sound bike on paper for sure and clearly has enough power with its dual motors, but Birch Hunters is not exactly an industry recognized name. I did not go through a dealer; I wanted to assemble and customize the bike myself. I emailed back and forth with Hemiway Customer Service with simple requests like the manual and other test questions, they always got back to me within a day.

I will post another thread when it gets here.

THANKS AGAIN!

 

[February]

I originally agreed with you OP; I prefer full suspension. You can always have the suspension beefed up or modified if it's inadequate or not what you expected. You can't do that with a hard tail(no rear frame suspension). Beautiful Bike! Wish I could afford one! But, then I realized your weight, Unless you are tall af, 6'5+with long legs, you would have wanted to go with the the step through.

 

[Joe Yeti]

I originally agreed with you OP; I prefer full suspension. You can always have the suspension beefed up or modified if it's inadequate or not what you expected. You can't do that with a hard tail(no rear frame suspension). Beautiful Bike! Wish I could afford one! But, then I realized your weight, Unless you are tall af, 6'5+with long legs, you would have wanted to go with the the step through.
View attachment 186496

The 6'5" is a lifelong consideration. That combined with my size 16EEEE feet have kept me out of many a car I would have liked to of owned or built.

 

[mrgold35]

The 6'5" is a lifelong consideration. That combined with my size 16EEEE feet have kept me out of many a car I would have liked to of owned or built.

I feel you brother! I love being tall and big guy; but, it can be very hard and a little expensive living in a world made for smaller people (purchasing vehicles, paying more for flight seats with leg room, need the handicap bathrooms stalls for the extra room, limited fashion choices for cloths/shoes, larger furniture, feet hanging off mattress, etc...). I joke about marrying my 4'11" wife so our kids would come out normal (daughter 5'3" and son 5'11").

The next big purchase (if needed) would be a bike rack for the +95lbs 4.8" fat tire Cobra Pro. Choices for 2" hitches for 100lbs ebikes are mostly limited to motorcycle racks, 1UP heavy duty, or QuikrStuff Mach2. I ended up with the QuikrStuff Mach2 being the lightest, can fold for easy storage, no tools needed to install/adjust/uninstall, ramp option, and easiest to use if my spouse had to do everything alone.

 

[February]

The 6'5" is a lifelong consideration. That combined with my size 16EEEE feet have kept me out of many a car I would have liked to of owned or built.

Then you absolutely made the right choice, congrats!

 

[February]

I feel you brother! I love being tall and big guy; but, it can be very hard and a little expensive living in a world made for smaller people (purchasing vehicles, paying more for flight seats with leg room, need the handicap bathrooms stalls for the extra room, limited fashion choices for cloths/shoes, larger furniture, feet hanging off mattress, etc...). I joke about marrying my 4'11" wife so our kids would come out normal (daughter 5'3" and son 5'11").

The next big purchase (if needed) would be a bike rack for the +95lbs 4.8" fat tire Cobra Pro. Choices for 2" hitches for 100lbs ebikes are mostly limited to motorcycle racks, 1UP heavy duty, or QuikrStuff Mach2. I ended up with the QuikrStuff Mach2 being the lightest, can fold for easy storage, no tools needed to install/adjust/uninstall, ramp option, and easiest to use if my spouse had to do everything alone.

My Big little brother is 6'+ and a big guy. I love him to death but I've seen him destroy furniture made for lesser men and watched him getting in and out of cramped spaces like cars his whole life. He's planning on getting a walk through trike. I keep telling him he will do fine on two wheels, but he's afraid of balance issues. He's just tall enough to clear a top bar,but has a bum leg.

 

[mrgold35]

If he is under 400lbs, a fat tire ebikes from Himiway or Birch Hunters Grolar are great solutions. Being able to test ride (local dealer of Face Book Group) to mount, dismount, and maneuver in low speed situations might be worth giving a try. I like the flexibility of having 2 wheels and bike rack to drive and hit trails around the city, foothills, Rio Grande river, or other parts of the state. Most fun the wife and I had was taking our ebikes to the Grand Canyon and put +50 miles in two days (extremely (e)bike friendly on south rim). I can understand falling while "riding high in the saddle" feeling on a bike. I have to duck my head a bit riding my ebike in/out our 7 foot garage or I will hit the top of the door frame with a helmet on.

Ain't gonna lie, I wiped out a few times when I first got my Radrover back in 2016. I learned to read the terrain a lot better, improve my riding skills, and safety gear like padded glove, eye wear, and helmet is a must at my age.

 

[February]

If he is under 400lbs, a fat tire ebikes from Himiway or Birch Hunters Grolar are great solutions. Being able to test ride (local dealer of Face Book Group) to mount, dismount, and maneuver in low speed situations might be worth giving a try. I like the flexibility of having 2 wheels and bike rack to drive and hit trails around the city, foothills, Rio Grande river, or other parts of the state. Most fun the wife and I had was taking our ebikes to the Grand Canyon and put +50 miles in two days (extremely (e)bike friendly on south rim). I can understand falling while "riding high in the saddle" feeling on a bike. I have to duck my head a bit riding my ebike in/out our 7 foot garage or I will hit the top of the door frame with a helmet on.

Ain't gonna lie, I wiped out a few times when I first got my Radrover back in 2016. I learned to read the terrain a lot better, improve my riding skills, and safety gear like padded glove, eye wear, and helmet is a must at my age.

Bless his heart, he went from fluffy to a Hagrid who did too much time in Azkaban. Real proud of him for dropping the weight. He's getting a fat tire trike. He plans to use it as a scooter, not a pedaling ebike. He lives in an urban/suburban area of GR,MI so he only needs a 5 mile range both ways. He's also cool with the speed limitation.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Most fun the wife and I had was taking our ebikes to the Grand Canyon and put +50 miles in two days (extremely (e)bike friendly on south rim).

Wife and I rode the east end of the South Rim on rented ebikes one fine spring morning. Spectacular! Wish we'd had a full day and less clunky bikes to explore a lot more of it.

That was our first exposure to ebikes, BTW. Three months later, we each had one.