HarryB
Member
Why E’Bike?
I am in my early 60s. I have been a road cyclist for 25-30 years. About 5 years ago, lower back issues and surgery forced me off my upright drop-bar road bike. In an effort to stay in the game, I turned to a long wheel base recumbent. The Easy Racers Tour Easy. Here are a few photos of my bent prior to the conversion. https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/hello-all-bent-rider-in-southeast-pa.23937/
I love the bent. I would never go back to an upright even if I could. (I still have my upright) However, I really miss the social aspect of road cycling. When I tried to ride with my friends, I was working too hard to enjoy the activity. Hence, I rode alone 99.9% of the time.
Also, I commute to work. Even though it is only 5 miles, I get pretty sweaty most days.
My goals in going E’Bent…
As I stated above, I love this bike. I DID NOT want a different bike! So my focus was on conversion systems. The only motor type option to convert this bike is a direct drive hub motor. Fortunately, my timing was such that BionX was already down for the count. Else, they would have been in the running. If I had purchased the BionX system, I would have ended up with a closed architecture system that may have been orphaned.
This narrowed the choices to the Falco system, the Superpedestrian/Copenhagen Wheel, cheap Chinese systems, or, piece something together with cheap Chinese components.
The Superpedestrian was quickly eliminated as I (sorry loyal fans) can’t stand the big red Frisbee appearance and the internal proprietary battery arrangement worries me for longevity purposes.
The more I researched the more it became obvious the Falco system was the only choice for me. I know it is probably the most expensive choice. However, anything else I considered would have forced me to make compromises I just was not willing to accept.
Here are some of the system attributes I found attractive:
Once the decision was made, it was a simple matter of ordering from the site. You have to choose your speed limit, wheel size, drivetrain (be careful here. I specified SRAM 9 speed and did not realize I was ordering a new cassette which I did not need), throttle, drop out angle, spoke color and count. http://www.electricbicycleworld.com/copy-of-f7-9-750w-672wh-ebike-system/
The lead time is stated to be 1-4 weeks. I had my system in 5 weeks.
I am not a patient guy. To say the least! I, like most of us today, have been spoiled with same day shipping and the like. My advice, be patient. It is well worth the wait!
Poor Rakesh, I was a real pain in the a** the whole time. He always immediately answered my emails and was very patient with me. Their website has one of those “may I help you or contact us” flags floating around. They actually pay attention to it and respond immediately or within a very short period of time. Great customer service!!
Installation?
Details and photos available here.
https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-installed-on-my-easy-racers-tour-easy.24271/
Operation and performance?
I must say, the system has exceeded all of my expectations. I had 2 small issues that were quickly resolved with minor torque sensor parameter adjustments. The app is great. It does everything you need to do except the throttle. You need the all in one plus/minus module or a twist or thumb throttle if you want that functionality.
I run in cruise mode all the time. I found it annoying with the motor cutting in/out at 20mph. I use assist level 3 except when I encounter a serious climb. In cruise mode I quickly run out of gears on the flats. Which is probably a good thing! The typical average speed for my rides has gone from 11-13mph to 18-20mph!! Riding with a great big smile on my face the entire time.
I have not yet nailed down the range. I am still playing and having too much fun to conserve. I can tell you It is at least 50miles. I did that this past Saturday riding the rolling terrain here in SE PA.
I literally cannot hear the motor at all. Very smooth and quiet
Summary
I am very, very pleased and happy with the decision to buy the Falco System. I will recommend to anyone who will listen to me go on and on…Thank You Rakesh and the entire Falco team. Keep up the good work!
Sincerely, Harry Bauer
I am in my early 60s. I have been a road cyclist for 25-30 years. About 5 years ago, lower back issues and surgery forced me off my upright drop-bar road bike. In an effort to stay in the game, I turned to a long wheel base recumbent. The Easy Racers Tour Easy. Here are a few photos of my bent prior to the conversion. https://electricbikereview.com/forums/threads/hello-all-bent-rider-in-southeast-pa.23937/
I love the bent. I would never go back to an upright even if I could. (I still have my upright) However, I really miss the social aspect of road cycling. When I tried to ride with my friends, I was working too hard to enjoy the activity. Hence, I rode alone 99.9% of the time.
Also, I commute to work. Even though it is only 5 miles, I get pretty sweaty most days.
My goals in going E’Bent…
- Enjoy riding anywhere I want to ride and with anyone I want to ride with!
- Arrive at work without needing a shower!
As I stated above, I love this bike. I DID NOT want a different bike! So my focus was on conversion systems. The only motor type option to convert this bike is a direct drive hub motor. Fortunately, my timing was such that BionX was already down for the count. Else, they would have been in the running. If I had purchased the BionX system, I would have ended up with a closed architecture system that may have been orphaned.
This narrowed the choices to the Falco system, the Superpedestrian/Copenhagen Wheel, cheap Chinese systems, or, piece something together with cheap Chinese components.
The Superpedestrian was quickly eliminated as I (sorry loyal fans) can’t stand the big red Frisbee appearance and the internal proprietary battery arrangement worries me for longevity purposes.
The more I researched the more it became obvious the Falco system was the only choice for me. I know it is probably the most expensive choice. However, anything else I considered would have forced me to make compromises I just was not willing to accept.
Here are some of the system attributes I found attractive:
- I read everything I could find on the internet. I watched every video I could find. I perused the forums and blogs. Especially EBR. And then I had a lengthy discussion with Rakesh Dhawan. Rakesh is the founder, inventor, heart and soul of Falco. It became absolutely clear to me he has been defining, nurturing and developing his vision of the absolute best E-system for many years. I came away with the utmost respect and confidence in Rakesh and his company.
- Ease of installation. See my post and photos here. https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-installed-on-my-easy-racers-tour-easy.24271/
- Neat and clean installation. The controller is in the motor and wirelessly communicates to the control and parameterization app on my Iphone. Everything except the battery and cable is at the rear wheel.
- Open architecture. With the Falco motor, you can use your battery, your phone, etc. (however, warranty stipulates you use the Falco Battery)
- Completely customizable. Or not…you can just hook it up and go. It works right out of the box. Although, you will most likely want to tailor the performance to you and your style of riding.
- Five year warranty on the motor. Two years on the battery.
- Incorporation of quality 3rd party components. Such as, Velocity wheels and Sapim spokes specifically designed for heavy duty E-bike applications, and, high quality Li battery cells from Japanese manufactures.
Once the decision was made, it was a simple matter of ordering from the site. You have to choose your speed limit, wheel size, drivetrain (be careful here. I specified SRAM 9 speed and did not realize I was ordering a new cassette which I did not need), throttle, drop out angle, spoke color and count. http://www.electricbicycleworld.com/copy-of-f7-9-750w-672wh-ebike-system/
The lead time is stated to be 1-4 weeks. I had my system in 5 weeks.
I am not a patient guy. To say the least! I, like most of us today, have been spoiled with same day shipping and the like. My advice, be patient. It is well worth the wait!
Poor Rakesh, I was a real pain in the a** the whole time. He always immediately answered my emails and was very patient with me. Their website has one of those “may I help you or contact us” flags floating around. They actually pay attention to it and respond immediately or within a very short period of time. Great customer service!!
Installation?
Details and photos available here.
https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-installed-on-my-easy-racers-tour-easy.24271/
Operation and performance?
I must say, the system has exceeded all of my expectations. I had 2 small issues that were quickly resolved with minor torque sensor parameter adjustments. The app is great. It does everything you need to do except the throttle. You need the all in one plus/minus module or a twist or thumb throttle if you want that functionality.
I run in cruise mode all the time. I found it annoying with the motor cutting in/out at 20mph. I use assist level 3 except when I encounter a serious climb. In cruise mode I quickly run out of gears on the flats. Which is probably a good thing! The typical average speed for my rides has gone from 11-13mph to 18-20mph!! Riding with a great big smile on my face the entire time.
I have not yet nailed down the range. I am still playing and having too much fun to conserve. I can tell you It is at least 50miles. I did that this past Saturday riding the rolling terrain here in SE PA.
I literally cannot hear the motor at all. Very smooth and quiet
Summary
I am very, very pleased and happy with the decision to buy the Falco System. I will recommend to anyone who will listen to me go on and on…Thank You Rakesh and the entire Falco team. Keep up the good work!
Sincerely, Harry Bauer
