Pondering a budget-priced EMTB with full suspension.Thoughts?
- Thread starter Dallant
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Ebiker33
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I keep posting this video to show people how good a fatty hard tails can be. The common rider will not be pulling these stunts.
Taylor57
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Mahhhhvelous
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Taylor57
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I own a Sondors, if you are looking for a deal this is hard to beat.
Rockstar
But you have to move fast these were just released and they are almost all sold out now, they sent me an Email saying only 6 were left yesterday.
Some will say it's too cheap, but you did say "budget priced" in your title OP.
Edit: Only available in the US/CAN......
Because the motor is too powerful for the EU.
I offered Marcia with Sonders 499 today and the balance on the day of shipment for the last $2499 Rockstar October delivery. No response. Im sure someone offered full price or went on their payment plan. I guess I will be rockin my Lectric for awhile!
FlatSix911
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An easy answer to this question... go with a hardtail if you want the look of a mountain bike at half the cost and complexity.
Get a model that has mid-fat tires in the 2.2 - 2.6" width range for comfort on or off-road... just adjust the pressure accordingly.
Here is a good example from CL... a decent deal on a hardtail with a Bosch performance mid-drive motor.
Gepida RUGA 1000 All-Terrain (DEMO) - Crazy Lenny's Electric Bikes
Trail demo with 41 miles on odomoter. Bosch performance motor with bosch powerpack 400 gives you maximum range and power for a great price. This is a small to medium-sized frame great for riders 4'8" to 5'7"
www.crazylennysebikes.com
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Browneye
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No, no, and nooooo... LOL
Most C1 bikes can be speed hacked, but most find it becomes moot. A few do go for it. Everything is a tradeoff. High speeds and climbing takes watts, in both motor and battery.
You really need to ride as many bikes as you can before you buy one. It really clears things up- either confirms what you thought or makes you realize you were looking at the wrong things.
How much time have you actually spent going 30mph on a bicycle???
I've done a hundred a number of times on a motorbike. It's just not the same.
At the risk of exploding the throttle debate - if the mainstream manufacturers AND law maker AND land managers accepted throttle emtb, I'd like the option about 2% of the time - mostly when ruts are too deep to pedal, but also for those days when my knees explode. But I'm not willing to sacrifice legality / trail access , or even accept the geometry sacrifice most of the bafang have.
As for more power - I dial DOWN assistance as I get tired! It's hard work staying on top of a fully assisted giant!
Mike_V
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FlatSix911
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I think you forgot to link to this recent Electrek review on the Bandit electric moped.
Spark Cycleworks adds new US source for street-legal electric mopeds
Connecticut-based Spark Cycleworks’ new product has just been added to the list of electric mopeds available in the US. The...
electrek.co
Both variants of the Bandit come with a continuous-rated 1.5kW (2 hp) rear hub motor that peaks at 2.4kW (3.2 hp). That power level was chosen to meet most moped laws across the US, which vary from state to state. The team also pre-programs the Bandit with the proper speed limit for each state it’s being shipped to in order to maintain its street-legal status. As the company explains:
Around the country there has been a rise in the 2 hp (1,491 Watt) standard. These guidelines seek to be the equivalent of the old 50cc rule for gas motors in many states. Our team spent two years developing a geared hub motor within this specification so that you don’t put yourself in legal jeopardy.
The design is also programmed to keep within all 50 states’ speed guidelines (20, 30, or 35 mph depending on state). We then took it a step further and worked with the DOT to register the design for VIN’s and added all required safety features such as mirrors and turn signals. As a result, you can stay within the guidelines and not need a motorcycle license!
FlatSix911
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- Silicon Valley
Well now...a 'lectric mini-bike. When I was a kid mine had a Tecumseh gas lawnmower motor on it.
Anyone remember the Tote-Goat??
A true classic...
I disassembled our lawnmower for my mini-bike and somehow forgot to mention it to my Dad.
Dallant
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I bet that thing scared the deer away.A true classic...
I disassembled our lawnmower for my mini-bike and somehow forgot to mention it to my Dad.
View attachment 59049
I'm another victim of the converted lawnmower as the " soft" drug entry into a dirty lifelong addiction.... Followed by way too many weekends mixing the magic blue smoke.
I'll put forward an interesting question - can the emtb (or gravity assisted memtb ) replace the motorbike for future generations? We had this discussion around a campfire a couple of weeks ago - the other family were about to move up from a 50 to 125 cc dirt bike and I gave their kids a ride on my giant, then dad....then talked about the legality of family mtb rides vs getting caught on unregistered motorbikes in the bush. I really should be getting a commission from the lbs.
All my kids have had access to a ttr50 and mountain bikes at the same time - all part of my unsuccessful horse avoidance plan - NONE of them stuck with the motorbikes, 2/3 of them have gone on to become handy mtb riders .
I'll put forward an interesting question - can the emtb (or gravity assisted memtb ) replace the motorbike for future generations? We had this discussion around a campfire a couple of weeks ago - the other family were about to move up from a 50 to 125 cc dirt bike and I gave their kids a ride on my giant, then dad....then talked about the legality of family mtb rides vs getting caught on unregistered motorbikes in the bush. I really should be getting a commission from the lbs.
All my kids have had access to a ttr50 and mountain bikes at the same time - all part of my unsuccessful horse avoidance plan - NONE of them stuck with the motorbikes, 2/3 of them have gone on to become handy mtb riders .
Taylor57
Well-Known Member
Well now...a 'lectric mini-bike. When I was a kid mine had a Tecumseh gas lawnmower motor on it.
Anyone remember the Tote-Goat??
I sure do remember the tote goat. A buddy had one and we would ride together back in the day. I had a litle generic mini bike with a 5 hp briggs and stratton. No shocks and terrible brakes. I think it was stolen. Then, the Yamaha Mini Enduro 60. Oh, those were the days...
Browneye
Well-Known Member
Now for a little sidebar...
There is a posh resort on East Sound of Orcas Island in the PNW, San Juan Islands, called Rosario Resort. We would go there every summer by boat when we were kids. Back in the sixties they rented those 'tote-goat' mini bikes for visitors to ride up to Mount Constitution - the highest point of the entire area, with 360* astounding views of the entire San Juan Islands and to the north into British Columbia.
One weekend we were there with non-boater family friends, it was common for 'landlubbers' to take the ferry and go there and we would meet up with them. Mom and Dad and this couple rented a pair of those minibikes, which were more or less unsafe as hell, no one wore protective clothing, no helmets, no boots. They swapped wives and rode them the half-dozen miles up the windy road to the observation point up on top of the mountain.
On the way back my father, the hellion that he was, dumped his with our friend's wife on the back. She got skinned up a bit but nothing broken and no stitches. We were actually all quite lucky we all lived through such 'dangerous times'.
Worth noting - both of the men are long gone, cancer claiming them both, the old wives still kicking in their eighties.
Some years later I had several mini-bike types and Dad would help me offload at the various marinas we would visit and I would ride them all over those islands. EVERYWHERE. Not once did anyone ever say 'no' or 'you can't go there'. EVER. Man, those were the days!
My dad got me my first mini bike when I was eleven. Before that I would ride a unicycle everywhere, up and down the docks, the boarding ramps, I even delivered newspapers on a uni. Remember those paper hauling white cotton canvas bags with the front and back pocket? Our paper routes were generally 25-30 homes, which was no problem on weekdays, but the Sunday paper was huge. I was lucky to be able to even lift the thing - all hundred-pounds of weakling that I was.
And there's your history lesson for the day.
That Spark Mini really pings some old neural-traces.
I guess a few hung on to them things cuz it wasn't hard to find an archive pic of one just like my first. It was 8hp and had a 'jack-shaft' with two centrifugal clutches for a very basic two-speeds.
Check out those 'shocks'. LOL I remember when 'folding footpegs' became all the rage. Just so you wouldn't tear your calf up when your foot slipped off, or if you hit an obstacle it wouldn't rip the peg off.
There is a posh resort on East Sound of Orcas Island in the PNW, San Juan Islands, called Rosario Resort. We would go there every summer by boat when we were kids. Back in the sixties they rented those 'tote-goat' mini bikes for visitors to ride up to Mount Constitution - the highest point of the entire area, with 360* astounding views of the entire San Juan Islands and to the north into British Columbia.
One weekend we were there with non-boater family friends, it was common for 'landlubbers' to take the ferry and go there and we would meet up with them. Mom and Dad and this couple rented a pair of those minibikes, which were more or less unsafe as hell, no one wore protective clothing, no helmets, no boots. They swapped wives and rode them the half-dozen miles up the windy road to the observation point up on top of the mountain.
On the way back my father, the hellion that he was, dumped his with our friend's wife on the back. She got skinned up a bit but nothing broken and no stitches. We were actually all quite lucky we all lived through such 'dangerous times'.
Worth noting - both of the men are long gone, cancer claiming them both, the old wives still kicking in their eighties.Some years later I had several mini-bike types and Dad would help me offload at the various marinas we would visit and I would ride them all over those islands. EVERYWHERE. Not once did anyone ever say 'no' or 'you can't go there'. EVER. Man, those were the days!
My dad got me my first mini bike when I was eleven. Before that I would ride a unicycle everywhere, up and down the docks, the boarding ramps, I even delivered newspapers on a uni. Remember those paper hauling white cotton canvas bags with the front and back pocket? Our paper routes were generally 25-30 homes, which was no problem on weekdays, but the Sunday paper was huge. I was lucky to be able to even lift the thing - all hundred-pounds of weakling that I was.
And there's your history lesson for the day.
That Spark Mini really pings some old neural-traces.
I guess a few hung on to them things cuz it wasn't hard to find an archive pic of one just like my first. It was 8hp and had a 'jack-shaft' with two centrifugal clutches for a very basic two-speeds.
Check out those 'shocks'. LOL I remember when 'folding footpegs' became all the rage. Just so you wouldn't tear your calf up when your foot slipped off, or if you hit an obstacle it wouldn't rip the peg off.
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Dallant
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- Region
- USA
I was always jealous of kids who were allowed to have mini bikes or go carts! Heck my mom said I was lucky to have a bike!Now for a little sidebar...
There is a posh resort on East Sound of Orcas Island in the PNW, San Juan Islands, called Rosario Resort. We would go there every summer by boat when we were kids. Back in the sixties they rented those 'tote-goat' mini bikes for visitors to ride up to Mount Constitution - the highest point of the entire area, with 360* astounding views of the entire San Juan Islands and to the north into British Columbia.
One weekend we were there with non-boater family friends, it was common for 'landlubbers' to take the ferry and go there and we would meet up with them. Mom and Dad and this couple rented a pair of those minibikes, which were more or less unsafe as hell, no one wore protective clothing, no helmets, no boots. They swapped wives and rode them the half-dozen miles up the windy road to the observation point up on top of the mountain.
On the way back my father, the hellion that he was, dumped his with our friend's wife on the back. She got skinned up a bit but nothing broken and no stitches. We were actually all quite lucky we all lived through such 'dangerous times'.
Some years later I had several mini-bike types and Dad would help me offload at the various marinas we would visit and I would ride them all over those islands. EVERYWHERE. Not once did anyone ever say 'no' or 'you can't go there'. EVER. Man, those were the days!
My dad got me my first mini bike when I was eleven. Before that I would ride a unicycle everywhere, up and down the docks, the boarding ramps, I even delivered newspapers on a uni. Remember those paper hauling white cotton canvas bags with the front and back pocket? Our paper routes were generally 25-30 homes, which was no problem on weekdays, but the Sunday paper was huge. I was lucky to be able to even lift the thing - all hundred-pounds of weakling that I was.
And there's your history lesson for the day.
That Spark Mini really pings some old neural-traces.
I guess a few hung on to them things cuz it wasn't hard to find an archive pic of one just like my first. It was 8hp and had a 'jack-shaft' with two centrifugal clutches for a very basic two-speeds.
Check out those 'shocks'. LOL I remember when 'folding footpegs' became all the rage. Just so you wouldn't tear your calf up when your foot slipped off, or if you hit an obstacle it wouldn't rip the peg off.
tomjasz
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- Minnesnowta
Unfortunately, they are. $300! $10 suspension components.
Here in Trek country, Wisconsin and states bordering are crawling with deals on used trek bikes.
They have a budget line as well.
The smaller triangles on dual-suspension bikes are often too small for a battery. In my experience, 2012 and earlier MTB are idea kit bikes.
Browneye
Well-Known Member
My kid got a atv quad when he was four and a half. He loved it, he was a husky little guy. But he kept bugging me for a 'real motorcycle', like dad had. LOL. He couldn't even ride a bicycle, so I told him when he learned to ride a bike I would get him a motorcycle. That finally happened on his seventh birthday.
So out to the dez, got him geared up, and he didn't get 100' out of camp and the front washed out in sand, down he went. After a couple of weekends of this he didn't want to ride anymore. It was about seven years before he rode again, and he had finally grown up and built up some muscle strength and stamina, and became quite the riding buddy for me. Ended up loving it. School of hard knocks.
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My parents told me I could have a motorbike if I earned the $ BUT after a year of paper tounds they changed their mind and made me spend those $ on a new bike. It's been a long wait for the chance to select their nursing home......
I was lost with the term "motorbike" - it sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember when I heard that before. I was thinking of those small motorized bicycles initially. I did a search on the term, and apparently, it's used in some countries instead of the word, "motorcycle".
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