Looking to place an order on an Ultimate Commuter Pro - brakes?

[Audiotom]

I am looking to place an order on a step thru Ultimate Commuter Pro

My biggest question is whether to get the Magura or upgrade to the Dominion brakes.

I had both my knees replaced two years ago - I have strength, no pain but sometimes a little issue with balance.

Any insights?


What about any other must have upgrades that you would recommend

I was going to go with the 2300 watt motor
Upgrade the tail light and rack

Upgraded fenders?

Thanks

 

[byunbee]

Fenders and rack are low cost upgrades, so I would recommend. For brakes, I’m not sure what your riding will entail. Based on your mention of knee problems, I’m assuming that you’re not going to go crazy on your bike. My take is that the Madura MT5e should more than meet your needs since they are very good brakes. But if you want the best option available, Hays Dominion will work well.

One thing you should think about is the range of your typical rides and how much throttle you expect to use. If you expect to use the throttle more than pedal assist, then the default integrated battery won't get you farther than ~18-20 miles is my guess. Of course this also depends on your weight, incline of the road, etc. If you want a more solid longer range, I recommend adding the Titan battery upgrade (52V 21Ah).

Charger wise, I definitely recommend adding the Grin Cycle Satiator. It's programmable and is considered the best out there.with variety of features that will help with the longevity of your expensive battery(s). You can read more about it here.

Satiator - Grin Products - Product Info

The Satiator is a fast and powerful universal battery charger that can be configured to charge a multitude of different battery types and voltages. It allows for partial charging to increase battery cycle life and has an OLED display screen to show realtime charging statistics. This is one of...

www.ebikes.ca

 

[Ayl]

I agree with byunbee's recommendation regarding the Magura brakes for the Ultimate Commuter. I haven't changed pads or bled my brakes yet, but in regards to performance I have nothing but praise for the Magura ebike brakes with my Ultimate Commuter.

 

[Audiotom]

Thanks for the insights

My knees are strong and I will be using this for exercise.

Being my first E-Bike I believe will be riding it at a clip - minimal pedal assist - except to fight the wind, a hill etc.
Go farther and ride more often.

I live in New Orleans - so most of the riding is flat, except climbing the levees paths, but looking to go to the North Shore for some hilly rides.

I am 220 Lbs - so that will affect battery draw.

20 miles is probably a good safe range for power but I don’t want to run out unexpectedly,
I plan on moving out west in the next several years - so it would be nice to have that capacity now. Ride gravel trails to shorten hikes in the mountains.

 

[Audiotom]

THat second battery looks like it would get in the way on the Step Thru

Does anybody have one?

 

[byunbee]

THat second battery looks like it would get in the way on the Step Thru

Does anybody have one?

My understanding it that it fill fit all sizes except the small. Yes, it lessens the step-thru area but it still should be better than the reg frame. Also, the battery on the step thru picture is of the Titan battery.

 

[Zachdds]

I thought small now worked also but could easily be wrong.

 

[TomW]

The MT5's are great brakes I have a set on one of my bikes. And all the parts and things like pads are very easy to get hold of.

 

[Audiotom]

There used to be a pull down menu on the batteries on the website’’I was looking at the dual 52 v 21 ah

So is that the one with a narrower / lower profile?

 

[ak907]

No idea about the Dominion's, but I am satisfied with the mt5s. I do have two minor gripes, I think the pads are heavily overpriced, best price I could get them for was 33 for a single set. That near car brake pad price, seems a bit much to me.
Other thing is that I have noticed that towards the end of the pads life the brake levers start to come in to the handle more than I would like. I like sharp/firm but modulatable breaks. I hate it when the throw for break levers is really long, it feels slow and my fingers get in the way when 2 finger braking. I think the reservoir is too small. I added fluid but that led me to another discovery, the screws for the fluid reservoir are very weak plastic. And once you go and put new pads on then you have to much fluid.

 

[Over50]

I don't own a Watt Wagons or know anything about Dominions. But on my various bikes my best brakes with the most stopping power have been the Maguras.

 

[Deacon Blues]

THat second battery looks like it would get in the way on the Step Thru

Does anybody have one?

I ordered a step through (small) for my wife. Putting the second battery on top of the frame battery will defeat the purpose of having a step through. Pushkar recommended that I order two frame batteries instead. The only drawback is on longer rides, where a second battery will be needed, she'll have to carry the second battery in a saddle bag.
She definitely did not want a battery blocking her ability to step through.

 

[Deacon Blues]

I'm probably a part of a small minority who's had problems with Magura brakes on his ebike. The bike stops well, but I've had a continual problem with a mushy rear brake handle. Probably a problem with just my bike, but it bugs me enough that I wouldn't buy a bike with Magura brakes again, if at all possible.
The Shimano hydraulic brakes on my two carbon road bikes have been flawless in a combined 14,000km, so I'm personally not impressed with Magura.

 

[Audiotom]

I took the plunge

Ultimate Commuter Step Thru 3000 watt

Pushkar was such a pleasure to help me refine things

October here we ride

 

[onlineaddy]

October here we ride

It can't come soon enough.

 

[byunbee]

I took the plunge

Ultimate Commuter Step Thru 3000 watt

Pushkar was such a pleasure to help me refine things

October here we ride

Congrats and welcome to the club!

 

[Ebiker33]

I took the plunge

Ultimate Commuter Step Thru 3000 watt

Pushkar was such a pleasure to help me refine things

October here we ride

Congrats, very nice bike, the nice thing about Watt Wagons is if there is any improvements between now and then you can still get them. And they are always making them better it seems, even in just a couple months, like the Tannus Armour tire insert upgrades he just posted about today.