Ecotric 500W fat tire e-bike review

[FlatSix911]

Not bad for a budget bike @ $850... check out the full review from Electrek.

Ecotric 500W fat tire e-bike review: The best $850 I ever spent on an e-bike

After spending a month or two locked up during the COVID-19 pandemic, people have turned to e-bikes en masse as...

electrek.co

Ecotric 500W fat tire e-bike tech specs

• Motor: 500W geared rear hub motor
• Top speed: 32 km/h (20 mph)
• Range: 25-50 km (15-30 mi) depending on throttle or pedal assist
• Battery: 36V 12Ah (432Wh)
• Charge time: 6 hours
• Max load: 120 kg (265 lb)
• Frame: 6061 aluminum
• Suspension: None
• Brakes: Tektro mechanical disc brakes with 160 mm rotors
• Extras: LCD display with speedometer, battery gauge, PAS level indicator, odometer, tripmeter, half-twist throttle

 

[GypsyTreker]

I would have to concur with this review. Really pleased with both Ecotrics. My Fattie snow , beach and my wifes step through 20" folder.

 

[CaptNoize]

Excellent review. You're points are right on. I bought the Ecotric Leopard just to ride to and from work. All level road,a little uphill going,but downhill coming back. This bike for $849 rocks..! It arrived with the LCD damaged,so they sent me a new one,and refunded me $60 for the hassle of rewiring the unit. I added lights,and a different seat, but all in all,a great way to try out an Ebike..!

 

[harryS]

I did an impulse buy of the $779 20' inch fat tire folder a year ago. Price got knocked down to $700 after they sent me the wrong color.I got a lot more bike than I expected. Very decent Tektro disk brakes. Battery didn't crap out after six weeks. Strong motor with a quick disconnect cable. Basically a little cheaper version of the fat minis others sell for 2X more, but the importer isn't pocketing $500 per bike.

There's always the chance you get a lemon. I didn't, so I'm happy,

 

[CaptNoize]

I had my problems with mine. But, I kept working on this bike,and now,it's stellar..!

 

[EZrider]

Great review!
Yep they aren't high end bikes but I couldn't see spending $3500 on a Giant like my friend has.
I got 2 Seagulls and saved $5000 lol
Do they have some issues? yep
But Ecotric has worked with me

 

[GypsyTreker]

Great review!
Yep they aren't high end bikes but I couldn't see spending $3500 on a Giant like my friend has.
I got 2 Seagulls and saved $5000 lol
Do they have some issues? yep
But Ecotric has worked with me

You just articulated exactly where the incredible value lies in these bikes. If you replaced both rather than repair you still have 1/2 left over in your $5k savings, perhaps more. I cringe when I read about some of the problems and more important lack of customer service on the high end bikes. If I'm realistic the Watt Wagon makes sense as a value based bike, all things considered, but I'm not there yet as far as an upgrade goes.

 

[DGab]

I picked up an old version of the ecotric brand 26" 500w hub motor fat bike at my local pawn shop and love it. No idea how old it is but wouldn't be shocked if it is 4 years old or more. Seems like a solid base to upgrade as you get more interested in the hobby. Upgraded to a new controller and KT LCD8H display ($125 with shipping). Going to upgrade the battery soon for increased range. 500w hub motor is getting the job done (I'm a big guy) and completely street legal. Here's the Illinois law on low speed ebikes https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=100-0209 . Most importantly the law states, "a low speed bicyle is not a moped or motor driven cycle". This is important to remember if you are accosted on a trail because you are driving an ebike. Most local ordinances state "no motor vehicles" and don't specify ebikes. State law allows local ordinances to be more restrictive but most localities have better things to do. Motor wattage is important as the law states that a low speed ebike must be less then 750 watts. A likely interpretation of that is that a 750 watt motor is not a low speed ebike (at least in Illinois).

 

[kmccune]

Okay I admit it,I have had and gifted at least one ECOTRIC plus two others in my search for what fits me, the 'Dolphin was surprisingly good and my Daughters 48 volt"Flash' is in a word great, I finally got a "Peacedove" and if the PAS worked a little differently I would really like it,(the steel frame rides very well) but my "Trike is due any day now and I want to bundle the "FatBear" and "Peacedove' together and sell both for $1000( a savings of $800 for these almost new bikes)
It didn't take me long to realize the utility of something like the trike for my short run errands that the truck would probably drink 2-3 liters of petrol.A few 30 mph blasts on one of my faster bikes reminded Me of my mortality( deer collisions are a thing- during a crash with a Whitetail, I would be dead or unconscious, while the Deer would get up shake its head and go on its merry way.