Help a noob? Stupid question.

[BruceC.]

I am assembling a Bakcou Mule with hunting trailer and am looking for a good place in OC where I can thoroughly field this bike for a detailed review. Prefer a place with some long inclines to test the torque and see if it lives up to the hype. This is my first ebike, took me two years of research before I pulled the trigger. Intend to use it for deep backcountry traditional bow hunting in places most guys can't get on foot alone. But before I go 20-30 miles into the middle of nowhere, I wanna know what the bike is capable of so I don't push the limits and screw myself. I appreciate any recommendations and, if anyone wants to join me and help shoot video that's be a plus. Thanks.

 

[Dewey]

OC, is that Orange County, CA? Looking at the People for Bikes eMTB map https://peopleforbikes.org/emtb/ identified this fireroad through the Santa Ana Mountains https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/5508075/main-divide-rd-blackstar-to-maple-springs

 

[Browneye]

Yes, Main Divide would be perfect. You can enter at Maple Springs out Silverado Canyon Road off Santiago Canyon Road. Note that it gets closed when it rains.
If you want to PM me I'd be happy to tag along on my eMTB. I'm new at all this too, but been motorcycling the area for the past 20 years and familiar with all the offroading areas.

 

[BruceC.]

Yes, OC is Orange County. As a life-long subject here in the People's Republik of Mexifornistan I'm unfamiliar with current regulations on ebikes but am certain there are a billion of them. <g> I work from home some 75-90 hours a week (for 15 years now) so am about as "socially distanced" as they come and when I do get some free time, I throw on a backpack and disappear into the backcountry for weeks at a time. I will Google Earth the area and contact you Browneye (that moniker sure paints a picture...LOL). I appreciate the help!

 

[BruceC.]

Almost done...bike is fully assembled and appears to work just fine. Have a local bike shop making some minor modifications to the bike & trailer. The plan is to add a couple more masterlinks and replace the stock bolts with quick-disconnects for the trailer's tire. My Ram is a short bed. Soon as the weather clears I'll hit the nearby hills and try to break the Mule's back.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Bruce, very nice set up; I'm loving that trailer as well. Maxxis Minions are a highly regarded fat bike tire, one of the best on the market. I'm thinking if you still have the 36 tooth rear sprocket that a lower gear might be in order if you have climbs involved. There might be a spare battery in your future if you plan on climbing gradients and/or trailering back to the truck after a successful hunting trip. Battery range in the various power settings will be a learning thing for you to work around with as you get used to the fatbike. Great to see another e-fatbiker on these forums! Looking forward to your ride report with Browneye!

 

[BruceC.]

Soon this will be me!

Of course, I don't hunt with a compound bow anymore.

 

[BruceC.]

So I got some PMs from guys asking about other models and power packages that i will address here. Yes, you can pay less. A lot less. But you get what you pay for. A mid drive motor certainly puts more stress on the drive train and therefore drive train components are even more important. However, having said that, there is no comparing a mid drive mountain bike to a hub drive mountain bike. When you compare the torque of a hub drive bike ranging from 40nm to 60nm as compared to 80nm up to 160nm of torque a hub drive is much more suited to be a commuter bike than one taken off road and climbing hills. In addition to that the torque sensing capabilities of the top of the line mid drive motors makes riding an ebike feel very natural and by far much more safe than a non torque sensing hub drive motor. The one wheel trailers can comfortably handle 100lbs (+ or -) but the two wheel trailers can carry double that. Balance becomes an issue with the former but they can squeeze into tighter places and some of the trails I will hit get very narrow and i don't wanna have to remove the trailer to get through. Tires are not tubeless and have puncture protective liners. Got out for a brief ride just before sunset and am loving this bike already. This weekend will be an initial test.