Info overload on first ebike help. 4 months of research

[Sharkbait]

They look to be nice bikes but how responsive is M2S after the sale if the owner has any problems? Where do you get that biked worked on locally?

One other concern I have with the Bafang Ultra is burning up chains and the drivetrain with all that power. 160 Newton meters of torque? Holy cow!

Yeah im interested to see this also. Love the idea of the utra for sure but theres no power middrives like that thru a dealer and too new for me to mess with dtoc. But sounds like youre not adverse to wrenching on it and its suited to ur riding habitat. Hope it goes well as i may want a hobby off roader next

 

[Smong]

They look to be nice bikes but how responsive is M2S after the sale if the owner has any problems? Where do you get that biked worked on locally?

One other concern I have with the Bafang Ultra is burning up chains and the drivetrain with all that power. 160 Newton meters of torque? Holy cow!

I have called M2S a few times before and after the sale, they are great! Had a bit of shipping damage on my battery and it took just a phone call and 4 days to get the new battery and shipping label for the original.

I raced MTB competitively all around the east coast and Canada until 15 years ago. Now I am in my mid 60's, have severe heart issue as the result of chemo for my leukemia. I still remember some of my skills from racing that includes bike wrenching and shifting gears. No bike shop needed for adjusting shifting and brakes or really anything on the bike parts. The motor, battery, and controller are basically plug and play so no mechanical aptitude needed there. The LBS's that I visited have very limited, if any expertise on ebikes so not much help from them anyway. One shop actually slipped up and told me that they would call a dealer help network for ebike problems and had a minimum of 2 week TAT for parts even under warranty for very high end ebikes.

I am a tiny bit concerned about chain stress with all the power this thing has. It might be easy to break chain if you try to jump multiple gears but it does momentarily cut power when you shift so who knows. I broke a few chains racing so always carry a 'no tool link' and chain breaker in my tool kit jic. The power transmission with torque sensing is very smooth so not expected that to be an issue. Throttle use might be harder on the drivetrain but I am removing it because I won't use it. Actually it twists my tires on the rims at 4 lbs pressure on pavement with a fresh charge.

I just sold my dualsport adventure motorcycle but if I wanted a bike that was going to be used with a throttle, I would get a 250-300 cc motorbike rather than an ebike for sure. For me, an ebike is a toy that will get me in the woods or trails exercising and maybe to make the 12 mile ride to my boat once and a while.

 

[Browneye]

You should have gotten one for me! My wife wants one but I'm closing in on $3K OTD.

There are M and L left for 2019's. If that will work tell them you want one for $1950 plus tax. That should get you in the ballpark.
Otherwise for a 2020 you might get a hundred or two off to make a deal. Some dealers won't budge, some want you to buy now and will incentivize.

 

[Sharkbait]

I have called M2S a few times before and after the sale, they are great! Had a bit of shipping damage on my battery and it took just a phone call and 4 days to get the new battery and shipping label for the original.

I raced MTB competitively all around the east coast and Canada until 15 years ago. Now I am in my mid 60's, have severe heart issue as the result of chemo for my leukemia. I still remember some of my skills from racing that includes bike wrenching and shifting gears. No bike shop needed for adjusting shifting and brakes or really anything on the bike parts. The motor, battery, and controller are basically plug and play so no mechanical aptitude needed there. The LBS's that I visited have very limited, if any expertise on ebikes so not much help from them anyway. One shop actually slipped up and told me that they would call a dealer help network for ebike problems and had a minimum of 2 week TAT for parts even under warranty for very high end ebikes.

I am a tiny bit concerned about chain stress with all the power this thing has. It might be easy to break chain if you try to jump multiple gears but it does momentarily cut power when you shift so who knows. I broke a few chains racing so always carry a 'no tool link' and chain breaker in my tool kit jic. The power transmission with torque sensing is very smooth so not expected that to be an issue. Throttle use might be harder on the drivetrain but I am removing it because I won't use it. Actually it twists my tires on the rims at 4 lbs pressure on pavement with a fresh charge.

I just sold my dualsport adventure motorcycle but if I wanted a bike that was going to be used with a throttle, I would get a 250-300 cc motorbike rather than an ebike for sure. For me, an ebike is a toy that will get me in the woods or trails exercising and maybe to make the 12 mile ride to my boat once and a while.

Well keep us utd on your exp as m2s is on my radar once im esmart lol. I was just more worried about gear stripping internally or bearings...whatever ...im ok with bike parts altho i hate working on stuff....i have 2 teenagers so no "garage time" really. Cracking open a bottom bracket and encased electric motor....no thx. Lol. Plus i was thinking longevity wise....how they hold up and the maintenance on them....will be interesting to see as the bike market seems def going the direction of mid drives .....i still have no idea what makes a bbshd and a bbso2 different or better and why m2s and biktrix can encase a high power mid drive and luna still looks frankensteinish with them being sort of pioneers..... Not looking forward to a hub flat but, i have an lbs . Once i watch someone do it i can do it from there. Good for u though getting back on the horse...lucky we are i know lots of people have lost that option. I find it a great way to zen to work with no road rage or jams ...fresh air and being able to watch the alligators and egrets and not the jerk cutting me off

 

[GypsyTreker]

I think hub drives for me make sense. I have two sources for 500w 36v hub only motors for $100 + change. It's been many, many years but I use to lace and true the wheels on my motocross bikes. I have even thought about doing a retro cruiser from Wal-Mart and use my extra battery to keep the cost below $500.

Mid drives seem to make more sense for touring, more extreme trail riding and heavy commuting.

 

[Sharkbait]

I think hub drives for me make sense. I have two sources for 500w 36v hub only motors for $100 + change. It's been many, many years but I use to lace and true the wheels on my motocross bikes. I have even thought about doing a retro cruiser from Wal-Mart and use my extra battery to keep the cost below $500.

Mid drives seem to make more sense for touring, more extreme trail riding and heavy commuting.

This i would like to do ....build my own. But lots to learn about frames and etc. Theres a guy here i see who builds them and advertises on cl and fb and they are 1000 w hubs on a roadmaster bike ! Like uh, no thanks. He charges 500 bucks and says they go 35+. Imagine

 

[Browneye]

juice = hydraulic fluid or mineral oil. Some clutch systems for motorbikes use mineral oil. Evidently shimano is using some kind of weird juice for their new brakes.
Magura, the clutch tech people, coined a term for their hydraulic clutch fluid - magura-blood. It was even red. Basically straight mineral oil with some dye in it, for $15/oz. Suckers. LOL

 

[Sharkbait]

Lord help me im looking at ebikes lol

 

[Brookliner]

They look to be nice bikes but how responsive is M2S after the sale if the owner has any problems? Where do you get that biked worked on locally?

One other concern I have with the Bafang Ultra is burning up chains and the drivetrain with all that power. 160 Newton meters of torque? Holy cow!

I too have had good customer service from M2S, they always pick up the phone. I essentially have the same setup as Smong. I've been running the 27.5 wheels most of the time. You are absolutely correct about the drivetrain. The Ultra motor has insane torque, and I've already managed to round over the teeth on my 11T cog on the cassette. M2S was kind enough to ship me a whole new cassette, but I will eating through those 11T cogs because I like to go fast. I'll also be modifying my riding style to reduce wear on the cassette. But I must say I love the Ultra motor. It's quiet, crazy torque, and fast! Replacing cogs is worth it. The bike came with a heavy duty KMC chain which helps.

 

[BTfl]

oh I ll have to check this product out for sure! Thanks for that info!
Yes i did look at ride1up the 700 series i believe? Nice looking bike but wasnt a pedelec i think? Class 2? There was a downer for me cant remember what. M2S the r750 looks great and has an option for 3 " tires which i thot would be a kind of compromise but im not exactly sure about their response time to issues and theres not a lot of info vidoes for fixing on their stuff i saw. They were on the list tho i just read so many reviews of some of these companies that take 2 weeks to respond by email. Dude whats the point. If i ride every day i cant sit for 2 weeks waiting on a proprietary part or drive to crazy lennys 2 hrs away i need someone to answer and troubleshoot so i can fix it. With instructions i can do it i know how to work on stuff i just dont want to lol.
I will def check out the armour stuff ....i worry bc the hub flat and florida sand spurs.

Hi, I live in Florida also, ride road, bike trails etc. have a rad rover. I have not had any flats in a year and five months, I put slime in the tires and I have not had a problem with sand spurs. For me the hub drive on the rad works fine for going over the biggest overpasses without a problem and bridges. I put the MPH up to 25MPH ,Very easy to set it up like that.

 

[Smong]

Over 300 trail and snow miles on the M2S Allterrain Ultra HT so far with no problems. I tried the throttle yesterday to run down my battery a bit because I won't be riding next week and like to keep the battery at 75% or so when not riding daily. Holy crap! Forgot about the power that motor puts out. I was over 30 mph on the flat ground in a heartbeat. The throttle is off now... I love the bike in Eco level 1 or 2 and expect reasonable chain and drive gear life running it like that. No detectable wear yet but I do clean and lube the chain often with diesel fuel like I did with my motorcycles.

I would hesitate to recommend this motor for someone who wants to use the throttle regularly because it's just too torquey for a bike drivetrain imo. Even folks with lots of MTB experience who are disciplined shifters will probably break chains if they are going heavy on the throttle. When I ride in PAS Eco 1 or 2, I seldom see over 100-200 watts being used on the gauge but when you push the throttle you get 1500 watts appied right now, it doesn't care if you are in the highest gear or on a steep hill. I am only 150lbs but ride some pretty rugged hills and don't need THAT much help even if I get sloppy and ride too high gearing. Even pulling 2 kids in a bike trailer I find the motor is overkill. The heavy duty motor should last a very long time if it's used with care. Still loving the machine for sure...but knowing what I know now from actual experience I would get a 750 or 1000 watt mid drive without a throttle in 27.5" plus size and with high end full suspension. The fatbike 4.5" tires are not very pleasant or responsive on hard ground, just use them on groomed MTB trails in winter for me, no beaches to ride on up here.