Hunt is on for a fat ebike

[Kristopher Holmes]

Hello.. Been scouring every ounce of info I can find on a fat tire ebike. Almost addicted to researching them. Looking for a reliable bike that can carry me and at times a cart with camping gear down some logging rds. I live in western Washington so hills and rain are pretty common.

Im leaning towards the M2s r750 all terrain at this point, but before I order I was hoping to get some info from those in the know. My 2 biggest wants are quality brakes and distance. Im not concerned about speed, but realize I'll need some oomph to get up some of the hills. Hoping to stay under $2k.

Right now the M2s r750, Yukon 750, and Rad are on my short list. Any others I should be looking at in that price range?

Thank you

 

[JRA]

I would think that the advantage of being able to drive to Ballard pick up a Rover and save on shipping costs and aftermarket support would be the scale tipper. There are not enough differences in bike components between the models you are looking at to outweigh the convenience.

 

[Dewey]

My 2 biggest wants are quality brakes and distance. Hoping to stay under $2k.

Biktrix Juggernaut. The $2k Max version has no throttle but a torque pedal assist sensor, hydraulic brakes with 180mm disks, and a decent sized 504wh battery.

 

[Kristopher Holmes]

I whole heartily agree with the local support. It's weighing heavily on my mind. I was concerned with the lack of hydraulic brakes. There will be many occasions where I'll have a heavy load coming down some pretty good hills. Is there not much difference?

Thanks again

 

[JRA]

" Is there not much difference?"

As you won't be going that fast probably not but easy to upgrade the front one, which should be doing most of the work.

 

[Klein Rider]

I am interesed in M2S but there is no sub-forum and reviews are sparse.

 

[jazz]

I whole heartily agree with the local support. It's weighing heavily on my mind. I was concerned with the lack of hydraulic brakes. There will be many occasions where I'll have a heavy load coming down some pretty good hills. Is there not much difference?

Thanks again

I personally wouldn't ride without hydro brakes on any ebike because the stopping power is so much better in all weathers. I would go with Rad because of good local support (add hydro brakes). the Easy Motion Big Bud All Wheel Drive fat ebike is an option; It is 2wd setup with 48v battery. Front is 25ow and rear is 350w. Seems low but it is more that adequate. I have the 29er version of this bike with same set up. It is very smooth and gets up to 20mph+ fast. You can run front motor only, rear only or both motors at once. No throttle but does have torque sensing and hydraulic brakes which is cool. -

 

[scot likly]

I don't want to be the one to say"you get what you pay for" but..... look at a bike with a bosch system; they make all the other stuff blush... and use a dealer...they will update the software when THEY build it and back it up..look at a Raleigh Magnus , Izip Sumo or a Felt lebowski .... on sale I see on their websites ..mid drive is a must !

 

[mrgold35]

I have two his/her Rad Rovers since Sept/16 with around 3800 miles between both ebikes. The Rad is equally comfortable work commuting at 18-22 mph or single track trail riding. I'm +270lbs and add in 60lbs Rad+30lbs gear, rack, commuter backpack, and accessories. I've had zero issues with the 180mm cable brakes stopping me in emergency stops or on steep down hill runs at top speed. I think the 4" fat tires have a larger contact patch on the ground that helps with stopping power compared to thinner tires. Some folks have upgraded the cable brakes to a cable/hydro combo from TRP HY/RD.

My range is usually between 24-30 miles using mostly PAS 3 with occasional PAS 4 on longer inclines and occasional 750w throttle use for intersections, boost up to cruising speed faster if I had to slow down, or short inclines. I've gone as far as +36 miles with around 10%- 20% battery power if I kept the PAS at level 2 and my speed around the 10-13 mph range. The Rad's heavy duty controller is designed to give you max power until the battery is depleted. The Rad will haul you up that hill, push you through that sand trap, and maintain your speed in a +20 mph headwind because of the programming. The tradeoff is the battery range will be cut by 1/2 or more if you want speed/power over range. I can almost use 60%-70% battery power on my 6 miles work commute home (4900ft to 5400ft) when I have a +25mph stiff headwind and I want to maintain my +18 mph cruising speed.

If range is an issue, you can purchase an extra battery from Rad Power Bikes or Luna Cycles:

48v X 11.5ah = 552 watts (standard Rad battery)
48v X 13.5ah = 648 watts (my pick for most bang for the buck)
52v X 11.5ah = 598 watts
52v X 13.5ah = 702 watts

The Rad rover's battery tray is standard and the 48v and 52v Dolphin packs fit plug-n-play with zero mods to frame or controller. You have to purchase a 52v charger if you go the larger volt route (the Rad 48v charger will work for the 48v/13.5ah Luna cycle pack). Depending on how you use the 52v battery pack, it can give you even more off the line power/faster acceleration/more hill climbing power and longer range.

 

[Kristopher Holmes]

Thanks for the replies. We decided to order a couple M2s 750 all terrain bikes with the 16ah battery. Couldn't get anything bigger than 11.6 from the other sub 2k bikes that we looked at. With rack, fenders, and bigger battery the price was pretty close to the others without it. Should be here by the weekend. I'm pretty excited!
Now to investigate trailers for them.

 

[Klein Rider]

Thanks for the replies. We decided to order a couple M2s 750 all terrain bikes with the 16ah battery. Couldn't get anything bigger than 11.6 from the other sub 2k bikes that we looked at. With rack, fenders, and bigger battery the price was pretty close to the others without it. Should be here by the weekend. I'm pretty excited!
Now to investigate trailers for them.

Let us know how you like your All Terrains!

 

[mrgold35]

The Kenda Juggernaut tires seem to be the standard for Rad, Volt, and M2s. I would recommend Mr. Tuffy tire liners and tire sealant like Stans or slime in the tube. The majority of my flats were with the kenda tires from road debris or thorns when riding. I think it is because the Kenda knobs are so spaced out and there isn't enough tire material to prevent debris reaching the tube. I only got around 800 miles on my rear tires before I needed to switch them out because they wore so fast because of pavement riding. I've since switched to 26X4 Vee8 120 tpi tires and these tires will last 2X-3X longer, lighter tire, less rolling resistance for faster acceleration and higher top speed, way more and larger knobbies, better traction, less "knobby" road noise, and more flat resistant compared to the Kenda. Folks had equal sucess switching to Origin8 Supercell 26X4 or Maxxis Hookworms if you are mostly an urban rider.

 

[jazz]

Kenda's are crap. Standard on most efats because they are super cheap. and they are the 1st thing to replace - puncture easy, loud, high resistance and heavy.

 

[Klein Rider]

FYI there's now a M2S topic in the 'Discussion by Brand & User Reviews' forum:

https://electricbikereview.com/forums/forum/m2s-bikes/

 

[Mark Adams]

Thanks for the replies. We decided to order a couple M2s 750 all terrain bikes with the 16ah battery. Couldn't get anything bigger than 11.6 from the other sub 2k bikes that we looked at. With rack, fenders, and bigger battery the price was pretty close to the others without it. Should be here by the weekend. I'm pretty excited!
Now to investigate trailers for them.

Love my M2S 750

 

[ShredWhiteNBlue]

I am taking delivery of an M2S R750 this week so I'll update you when it arrives. So far, however, the folks at M2S have been top notch regarding customer service/support. Spec-wise, I think you get the most bike for your $. They also come in multiple frame sizes, which is something I found lacking in many of their competitors. That said, I've read many good reviews of each bike you mentioned.

 

[Mikayles]

Check out Surface 604's Boar. Give Sam a call as he has a new Boar coming out and they are in Vancouver, not very far from you. The price as I understand it will be just over your top budget but it sounds like a lot of bang for your buck. Has torque sensing and throttle unlike the current model.

 

[KandK]

New Rad 2018 models are being revealed on 12/18 -- I'd hold off and see what the new Rover offering looks like.