On the Fence

[BigAl52]

Ive been a member for a short time but havent posted much. Im currently trying to decide between a Bolton Sabre and a Sonders LX. I feel like when it comes to customer service Bolton will out do Sonders. I bought my wife an Lectric XP and its ok for her. I could get by with one but its the seat position. It feels like its to far forward of the pedals for me. I ride a regular bike alot like 120 miles a week in the summer and as much as the weather will allow in the winter. Im 68 and just want an ebike to use when we go in the RV. Al

 

[PatriciaK]

Have you ridden them both?

 

[BigAl52]

Hard to ride either one when neither has even been received in the country yet. There are proto types of both here but those are only at Bolton and Sonders for demo purposes. Im in Colorado and they are both in Calif.

 

[PatriciaK]

In that case, I'd try to find something else to try out .

 

[vincent]

they are probably both pretty good bikes or will be
patricia has a point about maybe test riding anything you can in colorado, wont hurt to do that

agree you may have better service from bolton but sondors probably has a huge facebook presence etc where you can get owners help/feedback

i like my ultra motor but it is newer and there are some concerns about being able to get parts later on... who knows

but the bbshd is a good tough motor and parts are readily available to fix it i think

i have not ridden a stock or bolton programmed bbshd but maybe ask around on the bafang forum and see how the bbshd is programmed out of the box

both motors are programmable but if you dont want to mess with that at all i wonder if the ultra would be smoother- of course we dont know if sondors is going to tweak the programming on theirs but i kind of doubt it

 

[tomjasz]

I just can’t get past the incredible business for upgrades created by Sondors. Base versions, IMO and IME, need upgrades that drive up the price making other eBikes a better value. YMMV

 

[tomjasz]

Ive been a member for a short time but havent posted much. Im currently trying to decide between a Bolton Sabre and a Sonders LX. I feel like when it comes to customer service Bolton will out do Sonders. I bought my wife an Lectric XP and its ok for her. I could get by with one but its the seat position. It feels like its to far forward of the pedals for me. I ride a regular bike alot like 120 miles a week in the summer and as much as the weather will allow in the winter. Im 68 and just want an ebike to use when we go in the RV. Al

Consider a folder with 20” wheels. Perfect for hauling and taking less space.

 

[AHicks]

Re: Bolton support. You're aware that you must SCHEDULE a phone call with them? That would be a non starter here.

Unless you plan on just riding around an RV park, a "folder" would be a non starter as well. Serious exploring would be a full size bike for sure. The question would be what that bike would look like. A "fattie" w/4" tires, or more along the lines of a mtn bike w/27.5".

 

[tomjasz]

Re: Bolton support. You're aware that you must SCHEDULE a phone call with them? That would be a non starter here.

Unless you plan on just riding around an RV park, a "folder" would be a non starter as well. Serious exploring would be a full size bike for sure. The question would be what that bike would look like. A "fattie" w/4" tires, or more along the lines of a mtn bike w/27.5".

Maybe it’s your size that limits it for you. I beat the daylight out of my folder. HarryS I believe rides folders.

 

[McCorby]

Maybe it’s your size that limits it for you. I beat the daylight out of my folder. HarryS I believe rides folders.

Curious, do you fold it often? I just wonder how many people with folders actually end up folding them?

 

[tomjasz]

do you fold it often?

Never. 2 easily fit in the back of my RAV4. If I travel when the madness is over it will get folded to create more space for other travel gear and luggage

 

[AHicks]

Maybe it’s your size that limits it for you. I beat the daylight out of my folder. HarryS I believe rides folders.

Knee room an issue of course, but here, it would be more about typical wheel size folder vs. something more conventional. Not saying a folder is "wrong". I don't think there is a clear cut right or wrong when it comes to use with an RV. It might have something to do with how you plan in using it. For instance, is this a "camp bike" or something you want to cover some ground with? We had a 38' diesel pusher for quite a while, and we used our analog bikes to explore out side the campground more than inside. Just my 'druthers... -Al

 

[tomjasz]

something you want to cover some ground with?

12 miles and all good. I kitted a Zizzo. Only folder I could find under $1000 with a 300lb capacity.

 

[ElevenAD]

Sonders is limited to 750watts so that alone is deal breaker for me, plus with the Bolton you might actually receive your E-Bike this decade!

 

[tomjasz]

Just my 'druthers... -Al