Considering this fat tire even though it's called 500 w, with a 36v 10ah battery. I emailed them through Amazon ( E-Go Bikes) and asked if the bike could be upgraded to 48v battery and appropriate controller. They advised against it. They were prompt with their response. $969. Comments ?
Ecotric on Amazon
- Thread starter Randroid
- Start date
Make that 36v 12 ah
harryS
Well-Known Member
You get what you pay for. They will answer questions when it doesn't cost them money to send you a part. Most reviews seem positive, You will likely need your bike skills to set up the bike after it arrives with holes in the packing box. That's not Ecotric's fault. It's the shipping companies
Since they don't proudly say alloy, it's probably all steel, even the crank arms, bars, and stem. Probably cheap/heavy tires too. If you care about rolling weight and better acceleration, you can buy lighter tubes/tires. You'll probably need to upgrade to quality calipers some day, but at least it has disks. That is one trap of going cheap. If you know you want the goodies, you end up paying for them. We all know what a clunky bike feels like. It's probably near that spectrum, and maybe you can tune in the shifters/brakes to feel good, You will probably need to develop wheel trueing skills, but if high school mechanics in shops can do it, so can you.
The Dolphin battery is easily sourced as a third party part. If you ever blow up the electronics, a display and controller is around $100. A motor will be around $200-250. You know how to solder. I think the bike would be fine for a handy person who knows electrics and bikes. Not good if you want hand held service. With that view, any bike is good. LOL. That cannot be true.
As for 48V, I have what appears to be the same display in my parts bin. It's multi voltage compatible. You would have to look inside the controller to check the voltage ratings on the electrolytic capacitors. They come in either 50V or 63V working range. That will tell whether you can risk overvolting. My fatbike conversion was originally 36V and had a 36V only 500W controller. I upgraded to a 36/48V controller with 2x the power, and there's a 52V battery on it. Just for fun. I don't use the power.
Since they don't proudly say alloy, it's probably all steel, even the crank arms, bars, and stem. Probably cheap/heavy tires too. If you care about rolling weight and better acceleration, you can buy lighter tubes/tires. You'll probably need to upgrade to quality calipers some day, but at least it has disks. That is one trap of going cheap. If you know you want the goodies, you end up paying for them. We all know what a clunky bike feels like. It's probably near that spectrum, and maybe you can tune in the shifters/brakes to feel good, You will probably need to develop wheel trueing skills, but if high school mechanics in shops can do it, so can you.
The Dolphin battery is easily sourced as a third party part. If you ever blow up the electronics, a display and controller is around $100. A motor will be around $200-250. You know how to solder. I think the bike would be fine for a handy person who knows electrics and bikes. Not good if you want hand held service. With that view, any bike is good. LOL. That cannot be true.
As for 48V, I have what appears to be the same display in my parts bin. It's multi voltage compatible. You would have to look inside the controller to check the voltage ratings on the electrolytic capacitors. They come in either 50V or 63V working range. That will tell whether you can risk overvolting. My fatbike conversion was originally 36V and had a 36V only 500W controller. I upgraded to a 36/48V controller with 2x the power, and there's a 52V battery on it. Just for fun. I don't use the power.
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Very informative reply. Thank you.
The video on Amazon says it has an aluminum alloy frame.
The bike was marked down from $969 to $699 this morning so I ordered it. Arriving between Thursday 2/14 and Tuesday 2/19.
Well, Mr. wise guy, this is all I can afford, so I'll make the best of it. I haven't trued wheels because I live in a small HUD subsidized senior's apartment and can't mount a truing jig on a countertop.
harryS
Well-Known Member
Oh you don't need to buy a trueing jig. I've turned my bikes upside down and used masking tape stretched across the as a reference. I did have to take the tires off. On an ebike you need some padding under the handlebars so you don't scratch the plastic display and other plastic bits.
Wasn't trying to be wise guy. Just trying to be fair to the bigger spenders. I don't spend much if I don't need to. Here's one I built last year. I found this bike sitting out with the neighbor's trash. Two flat tires and no seat. Took care of that and here it is with a $170 motor kit and a pair of close-out 36V scooter batteries (75 bucks). 20 mph max on 36V, At 15 mph, I'm confident I could go 25 miles.
And a few months later, I took off the steel suspension fork and put on an alloy fork that could handle a disk brake. Then I rattle canned the frame black.
Wasn't trying to be wise guy. Just trying to be fair to the bigger spenders. I don't spend much if I don't need to. Here's one I built last year. I found this bike sitting out with the neighbor's trash. Two flat tires and no seat. Took care of that and here it is with a $170 motor kit and a pair of close-out 36V scooter batteries (75 bucks). 20 mph max on 36V, At 15 mph, I'm confident I could go 25 miles.
And a few months later, I took off the steel suspension fork and put on an alloy fork that could handle a disk brake. Then I rattle canned the frame black.
First of all, " you get what you pay for" has become a cliche for greedy sellers to charge exorbitant prices for the same product. The day I ordered the Ecotric fat tire from Amazon there were 3 offers: $969, $699, and $1500. There are people who erroneously believe that somehow they are getting a better product than the same one for less $$$ if they pay more for it. I was saving for a Radrover, but when the Ecotric was offered for $270 less for the "usual" price of $969, I jumped on it. I don't need to be reminded ( as you did) that I have purchased, a "clunky" bike probably with "cheap, heavy tires". I'm 73 and in better than average physical condition. I wanted a fat bike. I had a lot of fun when younger and didn't plan for retirement, a fact I don't regret.
The 3rd party seller,Jenna Millerre refused to tell me where the bike was shipped from, the tracking number has no info and I received an email from the seller the delivery date will be "delayed". I called Amazon and requested a refund. I'll just save up and buy a bike from a legitimate dealer.
Maybe I'd be better off to convert my Trek hybrid 7300, 14 years old. I don't have to have a fat tire, just to ride to a shooting range 7 miles away. I did it once on the hybrid, about an hour to get there, about 3 hrs to get back. Uphill and into the Mojave desert wind.
Yeah, I've thought be about be that. Thanks for the reminder.
harryS
Well-Known Member
Having put mechanical disks on two bikes, I feel they are not needed if you're not going at high speeds. The existing rim brakes were just as good for me. What's high speed to me? Over 22 mph, sustained, Road bikes tend to have rim brakes, and some are ridden faster than ebikes.
My non-electric hybrid has hydraulic disks. Those are really good.
Only need them on the front, if you really want them, And if lucky, the front fork might have the lugs. Otherwise, you'll need to swap forks, and probably the headset too. That's a fun project, seriously. I got a sense of accomplishment doing it w/o the special tools used by a bike tech. Then I found out it was all on youtube anyway.
My non-electric hybrid has hydraulic disks. Those are really good.
Only need them on the front, if you really want them, And if lucky, the front fork might have the lugs. Otherwise, you'll need to swap forks, and probably the headset too. That's a fun project, seriously. I got a sense of accomplishment doing it w/o the special tools used by a bike tech. Then I found out it was all on youtube anyway.
Have you considered a ride1up bike. I think this is a good bike for the price. https://ride1up.com/bikes/?page_id=289
And here is a good fat tire bike. https://shop.m2sbikes.com/products/...TORPH1JD0orCf87UfUDiXuUAiSh2V5HxoCMI4QAvD_BwE
And here is a good fat tire bike. https://shop.m2sbikes.com/products/...TORPH1JD0orCf87UfUDiXuUAiSh2V5HxoCMI4QAvD_BwE
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tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
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- Minnesnowta
26" wheel = 26" disc. Using a high quality brake pad set designed with eBike braking in mind can be every bit as effective as mid to low-end discs. Basing this opinion on running the MSF class track and actually testing. braking distances. Yes, I actually know what my brakes will and won't do. THIS in MNSHO is something all eBike riders should do. Take your bike and a friend to a parking lot and practice basic Motorcycle Safety Foundation track day drills. Most of us don't know how we will handle an emergency braking or avoidance swerve until it's for real. THAT may be too late. Throw I mid-drive on that Trek and have a great desert trecker!
Thanks. When I get my refund I will probably order the fat tire. If the pictures are correct, it has Kenda Juggernaut tires. I'll probably have to eat Ramen noodles for a month, but I'll have a decent E-BIKE. Will check out YouTube.
I emailed
I emailed the M2S bikes about the fat tire bike and got a reply in a matter of minutes. When I found out they're in North Carolina I emailed them again requesting about damage to parts in transit or the bike being irreparably damaged and would the buyer be responsible for shipping it back, restocking fees etc. It's been a couple of hours and haven't heard from them again. For the short length of time I've been researching E-BIKES , I 'M convinced the majority are not reliable and just want to make a quick buck and to hell with the consumer. Also the YouTube " reviews" mostly amount to people riding around with "cool" music in the background or some guy who is getting paid to tell us how great the product is. Ain't America great ? It's no longer a country but a phenomenon.
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