Dayne
Member
Greetings!
I have been interested in assisted bicycles for several years now. About four years ago I built a 43cc 2 stroke Golden Eagle kit on a full suspension mountain bike. It was great fun on smooth roads and would cruise a bit past 30 mph, but the concentrated weight of the engine floating over the rear tire made the bike a bit unwieldy and cumbersome. It was obnoxiously loud and leaked fluids every time I tried to put it in the back of my subcompact.
When I was in Tahoe a few months ago, I had the pleasure of riding a 36v 2000w TommiSea fat bike and a 48v 2000w Surly Pugsley from Volt Electric Bikes ( http://twowheelelectric.com/ ) - I'm pretty sure that the Pugsley I rode is the white one pictured on the website, as it belonged to the owner. The Surly achieved 31 mph pretty easily, but it was a bit heavy and didn't handle the way that I'd hoped.
Soon after, I checked out a Stromer ST1 Platinum while in Cincinnati visiting family. I wasn't able to ride it due to the weather, but I was impressed with the overall appearance of the package. I wish I could've given it an honest test.
Finally, I came across an Easy Motion dealer near my home. I tested an Evo 27.5, an Evo Street, and a 26" Neo Jumper. Long story short, the Jumper was impressive enough to come home with me. I wasn't expecting that a 350w geared motor would have enough power to satisfy, but the overall balance of the package sold me.
I've had it for 2 weeks now and have put about 100 miles on it, the longest being a 25.5 mile trip. The bike is going to be used in a number of ways - I have a 4 mile round trip commute to my office which I can easily complete on the bike. There are a few local bike trails that are close to my house. The first is relatively flat and covered with small rocks and dirt. The other is completely flat and smooth and runs several miles along the top of our flood wall. There are also many good bike trails at our nearby lakes - I ran this single track trail this weekend (not my link, but I ran the same course: http://www.strava.com/activities/55895831 ) and had an amazing day. The majority of the course is dirt, but about 3 miles of were smooth pavement and road bikes were plentiful there.
And now, my comments and questions:
Comments
Originally, I had considered changing the knobby tires to something smoother and more commuter friendly. After running over 25 miles at the lake this weekend, that is out of the question. I WOULD like to change the cockpit a bit to better suit these varied environments. I am considering getting rid of the riser bar and replacing it with a flat bar without any sweep. I might narrow it slightly and put some small bar ends on it for power and balance when climbing. Finally, I'm thinking about putting some aerobars on it. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it would really help me to stretch out when the pavement is smooth and flat. I have attached a couple of photos below of other people who have done this.
I will add an FSA computer mount so I can put some lights on the front ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/FSA-Control...176?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae9f62380 ) and I need a bicycle bell to notify other cyclists and pedestrians.
Questions
1. Is "28" the appropriate tire setting for a 26" Jumper with the standard 2.25" Schwalbe Rapid Rob tires?
2. I need to touch up the battery case to repair a nasty scratch. Can you replace the outer shell of the case, or do you have to repaint it? If you have to repaint, can you purchase the decals? I have a feeling that I'll just live with the scratch, but it's nice to know my options.
Thanks in advance for your help, and thanks for the valuable information I've already found on this forum!
I have been interested in assisted bicycles for several years now. About four years ago I built a 43cc 2 stroke Golden Eagle kit on a full suspension mountain bike. It was great fun on smooth roads and would cruise a bit past 30 mph, but the concentrated weight of the engine floating over the rear tire made the bike a bit unwieldy and cumbersome. It was obnoxiously loud and leaked fluids every time I tried to put it in the back of my subcompact.
When I was in Tahoe a few months ago, I had the pleasure of riding a 36v 2000w TommiSea fat bike and a 48v 2000w Surly Pugsley from Volt Electric Bikes ( http://twowheelelectric.com/ ) - I'm pretty sure that the Pugsley I rode is the white one pictured on the website, as it belonged to the owner. The Surly achieved 31 mph pretty easily, but it was a bit heavy and didn't handle the way that I'd hoped.
Soon after, I checked out a Stromer ST1 Platinum while in Cincinnati visiting family. I wasn't able to ride it due to the weather, but I was impressed with the overall appearance of the package. I wish I could've given it an honest test.
Finally, I came across an Easy Motion dealer near my home. I tested an Evo 27.5, an Evo Street, and a 26" Neo Jumper. Long story short, the Jumper was impressive enough to come home with me. I wasn't expecting that a 350w geared motor would have enough power to satisfy, but the overall balance of the package sold me.
I've had it for 2 weeks now and have put about 100 miles on it, the longest being a 25.5 mile trip. The bike is going to be used in a number of ways - I have a 4 mile round trip commute to my office which I can easily complete on the bike. There are a few local bike trails that are close to my house. The first is relatively flat and covered with small rocks and dirt. The other is completely flat and smooth and runs several miles along the top of our flood wall. There are also many good bike trails at our nearby lakes - I ran this single track trail this weekend (not my link, but I ran the same course: http://www.strava.com/activities/55895831 ) and had an amazing day. The majority of the course is dirt, but about 3 miles of were smooth pavement and road bikes were plentiful there.
And now, my comments and questions:
Comments
Originally, I had considered changing the knobby tires to something smoother and more commuter friendly. After running over 25 miles at the lake this weekend, that is out of the question. I WOULD like to change the cockpit a bit to better suit these varied environments. I am considering getting rid of the riser bar and replacing it with a flat bar without any sweep. I might narrow it slightly and put some small bar ends on it for power and balance when climbing. Finally, I'm thinking about putting some aerobars on it. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it would really help me to stretch out when the pavement is smooth and flat. I have attached a couple of photos below of other people who have done this.
I will add an FSA computer mount so I can put some lights on the front ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/FSA-Control...176?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae9f62380 ) and I need a bicycle bell to notify other cyclists and pedestrians.
Questions
1. Is "28" the appropriate tire setting for a 26" Jumper with the standard 2.25" Schwalbe Rapid Rob tires?
2. I need to touch up the battery case to repair a nasty scratch. Can you replace the outer shell of the case, or do you have to repaint it? If you have to repaint, can you purchase the decals? I have a feeling that I'll just live with the scratch, but it's nice to know my options.
Thanks in advance for your help, and thanks for the valuable information I've already found on this forum!
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