Help me out here

[Daniel Kim]

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

I am looking at this trike to buy. I am not really not sure what to make of it, He's telling me it has a huge battery with a range of 100-150 miles, with a 250 watt front hub geared motor. Isthis viable, or am I looking to get myself in a whole lot of trouble?

 

[ebikemom]

Alameda trikes seem to sell at Walmart.com for under $300... so maybe someone made one of those into an ebike? The range sounds unbelievable. I recommend dealing with a reputable dealer, not an individual, unless you have that amount of money to lose. If you want a bike built to your needs there are reputable shops that do that.

 

[Calicoskies]

You can look here for reviews but just another Trike to look at is http://www.voltbike.ca/trio/voltbike-trio.html which is new but based on the Yukon 750 which is pretty popular. I have the Yukon 750 for a few months now and am happy so far.

 

[AHicks]

I'd have to call BS on the range as well. Also have some concern regarding brakes.

 

[mrgold35]

Do you really need a trike? Depending on how you plan to use it, I can see a lot of limitations like:
- no public transportation
- heavy and bulky
- difficult to move with vehicle without a pickup bed or trailer
- large footprint for storage indoor
- might be stuck parking outdoors in the elements
- custom build with no warranty or the status of the parts being new/old/worn out

So many new ebikes few hundred dollars above that price range from step-thrus, city commuters, folding ebikes, and fat tire ebikes with 1 year warranties, excellent customer support, easily modified with racks/seats/seatpost/lights/etc.., and ton of support on this forum for and issues that might pop up.

I purchased my wife a 750w rear hub with regen braking, 14 Ah battery, Radcity Step-Thru back in May for $1449+free shipping (before the tariff price bump). I just added a larger seat Cloud-9, bodyfloat suspension seatpost, and topeak rack bag. We haven't tested the max range; but, i think she can go 40-50 miles on a single charge no problem. It would three 14 Ah batteries to get the same Trike 150 miles.

 

[Daniel Kim]

yes, thank you all. I was really hesitant about it anyhow. I appreciate all the great feedback.

 

[harryS]

I could believe the range. Little motor. Low speed. If he's put in a 48V15AH battery (720wh) , and goes 8-10 mph so the trike won't tip over, he's riding for 10 hours or 100 miles. I use under 7WH/mile at 12 mph on my e-bikes.

Ten hours at 10 mph would be fine at burning man, if you have pretty girls riding behind you and LED lights flashing in the dark, but pretty boring at home with only a bag of cheetoes and a 6pack of diet cola in back.

I've seen Kents up close. They make an awful heavy and cheapo bike. He's got a $300 bike, $200 motor and maybe a $500-600 battery so he has at least $1000 in it, and wants another $500 for craftmanship. Nahhh. While it's a very nice looking build, it doesn't have the appeal. It needs cast alloy rear wheels with fat tires and some kind of leather wrapped lounge chair seat to be worth over $1000.

 

[pnop]

Appears to be well done. You won't get both 100 miles and 20 mph. That said Harry S is very close on the cost to build it. Do it yourself.

 

[chriskmee]

My bike's computer, with a 500wh battery, says I could get 60 miles. To get that though, I need to be on level ground, ~15mph, and the lowest assist level. If using a low assist level with a 700-1,000wh battery, I could believe the 100-150 mile range.

As others have said it's probably not worth what he is charging, but it might be worth taking it for a test ride and seeing how negitable the price is.

 

[MikeDD]

You should read the trike reviews on this website. You can buy a trike from a dealer for $1600 +/-. My wife has a Liberty Trike because she is handicapped. The motor is 750 watts and handles steep hills well.

 

[CodyDog]

I would shy away from a DIY kit trike, especially used.

 

[Dynamo Dan]

Burning man eh?...…...I think you are the only person that could get burnt here. Save your money ready for when a good deal comes along.