RX or RX Pro Belt Drive?

[TinManVT]

Is there any chance that the 2021 models of the RX or RX Pro have an options for belt drive and internal gear hub?

I like the bikes and am in the market for one.

Thanks if anyone has this information.

 

[AHicks]

I haven't seen or heard anything from Rize on the topic.

I seriously considered a belt/internal geared hub set up when shopping for this last bike (bought in Oct. of 20 (Rize RX Pro). My final decision was to stay with a derailleur.

I don't need 14 speeds for my purposes (that's WAY over the top/beyond the needs of an electric motor with a super wide power band), and I'm going to take a wait and see regarding reliability of the others considering there's an Ultra in use (the only mid drive I would consider). Will check back in on this call when it comes to the next bike. -Al

 

[PedalUma]

I haven't seen or heard anything from Rize on the topic.

I seriously considered a belt/internal geared hub set up when shopping for this last bike (bought in Oct. of 20 (Rize RX Pro). My final decision was to stay with a derailleur.

I don't need 14 speeds for my purposes (that's WAY over the top/beyond the needs of an electric motor with a super wide power band), and I'm going to take a wait and see regarding reliability of the others considering there's an Ultra in use (the only mid drive I would consider). Will check back in on this call when it comes to the next bike. -Al

This "bike" is a bit too heavy and has too much torque for most drivetrains including internal hubs. The seat stay would need to have a gap welded in for a Gates. It is also unlawful as a "bike" because it is a motorcycle that requires a license plate and cannot be ridden on bike paths or in bike lanes. The liability is not insurable as a bike and it does not meet the standards of a road motorcycle.
How big is your private ranch?

 

[TinManVT]

for me it's less about the number of speeds, it's more about the maintenance and longevity especially with the torque that the drive puts out. Along with being able to gear change from a standstill

thanks for your reply.

 

[AHicks]

This "bike" is a bit too heavy and has too much torque for most drivetrains including internal hubs. The seat stay would need to have a gap welded in for a Gates. It is also unlawful as a "bike" because it is a motorcycle that requires a license plate and cannot be ridden on bike paths or in bike lanes. The liability is not insurable as a bike and it does not meet the standards of a road motorcycle.
How big is your private ranch?

Absolute nonsense.....

 

[PedalUma]

for me it's less about the number of speeds, it's more about the maintenance and longevity especially with the torque that the drive puts out. Along with being able to gear change from a standstill

thanks for your reply.

I like internal gears best. Without the frame modification you could use a Split Belt from Veer, but their rear cogs are too large and you would over-spin cadence.
A pro rider can put out 300Watts. Drivetrain components for bikes are engineered with this in mind as their standard.

California Code, VEH 312.5.

 

[TinManVT]

is 330 Acres enough?

i'm not looking to modify or rebuild a bike. I want to purchase one that already has the feature.

I do like many of the things with the RX or RX Pro but just wanted to know if they would be adding a belt drive option for 2021.

 

[PedalUma]

Five acres is enough. I do not know about the RX plans. Watt wagons has the Ultra with a Gates. I did not yet read about which sealed hub of gears. And you can get this bike officially and legally as a bike that is allowed in National Parks and on bike paths and public trails. It would be nice to have a bike that is versatile and usable without legal liabilities.

 

[AHicks]

Five acres is enough. I do not know about the RX plans. Watt wagons has the Ultra with a Gates. I did not yet read about which sealed hub of gears. And you can get this bike officially and legally as a bike that is allowed in National Parks and on bike paths and public trails. It would be nice to have a bike that is versatile and usable without legal liabilities.
View attachment 81705

You really do need to read up on the Bafang Ultra (and BBSxx) motors prior to passing an opinion or advice like this.

For instance, please explain how the Ultra equipped WattWagon might be legal where the Ultra equipped Rize would be illegal. There are a couple of bike manf's that are trying to pass off the Ultra as a 750w, but I'm pretty sure they could be called out on that pretty easily. Not that it would ever happen......

 

[PedalUma]

I do not 'need' to anything.
Did you go to the Watt Wagon site yet? Bet not.
I built a Sondors last week. The sticker said, well see the photo. The website said 750W. Now view the actual top speed on the display. It has a throttle. Unlawful bike. It is not a Class 3. And not for people who care about laws or about losing their tail in court or getting busted by a Federal Law Enforcement Park Ranger with extraordinary enforcement powers. If you have a 330 Acre Ranch, fine.

 

[Bubba zanetti]

I do not 'need' to anything.
Did you go to the Watt Wagon site yet? Bet not.
I built a Sondors last week. The sticker said, well see the photo. The website said 750W. Now view the actual top speed on the display. It has a throttle. Unlawful bike. It is not a Class 3. And not for people who care about laws or about losing their tail in court or getting busted by a Federal Law Enforcement Park Ranger with extraordinary enforcement powers. If you have a 330 Acre Ranch, fine.

So you are a purist, an activist and an obedient servant of adherence to the law. Good.
Yet you built that “unlawful” bike, charged a fee, “unlawful or just unethical ?” and remain quite comfortably, it seems, the voice of moral conscience on an ebike forum?
You have created for yourself quite a podium and yet display some economic/moral gymnastics along the way.
Perhaps sermonizing is not your first best destiny given your convoluted set of values and principles. Hmmm?

 

[AHicks]

I do not 'need' to anything.
Did you go to the Watt Wagon site yet? Bet not.
I built a Sondors last week. The sticker said, well see the photo. The website said 750W. Now view the actual top speed on the display. It has a throttle. Unlawful bike. It is not a Class 3. And not for people who care about laws or about losing their tail in court or getting busted by a Federal Law Enforcement Park Ranger with extraordinary enforcement powers. If you have a 330 Acre Ranch, fine.

Agreed, you don't need to "do" anything. If you would like to be helpful though, in providing useful information for those that don't know any better and are here to learn, an attempt at keeping your information accurate would be a fair expectation. NOBODY likes being the victim of bad information.......

So I'll ask again. Please explain why you beleive WattWagon can build a bike using an Ultra legally, and Rize cannot?

 

[TinManVT]

I'm just looking for some useful information on an Ebike, not trying to start any kind of feud between folks that clearly know more about this than me.

The Sondors bike looks beautiful

I feel like I have been to dozens of sites including Watt Wagon to look at bikes, if that question was directed to me.

I am not familiar with what is being talked about for legal or not legal bike for state or federal parks. If there is a good place to get the crib notes that would be appreciated.

 

[AHicks]

I'm just looking for some useful information on an Ebike, not trying to start any kind of feud between folks that clearly know more about this than me.

The Sondors bike looks beautiful

I feel like I have been to dozens of sites including Watt Wagon to look at bikes, if that question was directed to me.

I am not familiar with what is being talked about for legal or not legal bike for state or federal parks. If there is a good place to get the crib notes that would be appreciated.

Sorry for wandering off topic. What you need to know is that the e-bike laws are a mess. There's no uniformity. Here in Florida we can ride any class e-bike anywhere a bicycle is legal. That's just one extreme though. Other locations can/will be way different.

Then there's the 750w rule. That's supposed to be the max legal amount of power allowed on an e-bike here stateside. The Ultra motors discussed above (WattWagon vs. Rize), are often rated at 1600w - another extreme. Canada has a 500w limit, and Europe 250w!

The biggest issue is the lack of enforcement in MOST areas. I believe that's because law enforcement isn't interested in causing a commotion. Any bike ridden in a sane manner is not going to be messed with 99.99999% of the time.

To be sure though, knowing what your local laws are (or any place you plan on riding), and the degree to which they are enforced, would be a good plan. Then you can let your personal level of paranoia be your guide.

My riding over the last several years in Florida and Michigan have taught me there's little reason for concern. Other places may be way different, though you see very little in the way of news indicating that may be a big issue. -Al

 

[PedalUma]

Bubba, What I like is different that what other's may like. My go to rides are 350W. Pro riders can produce about 300W and bike components are engineered with that in mind. I used to think that bigger is better and I made a lot of mistakes and wrecked stuff. The Ultra Sondors is a newer friend's bike. He knows the laws. He ordered it before he met me. I owed him a favor so I built it for free, also doing things he cannot do such as dialing in the warped rotors. What I saw on the Watt Wagon's site is that you can order an Ultra pre-programed and configured as a Class 1 bike. I can not vouch for their site.
Over the weekend a single mom dropped of a bike for me to build for her 11-year-old who had gained weight with the lockdowns. I talked her into allowing me to disable the throttle with a set-screw. I cannot make people do anything. But maybe I can help people make informed choices that they feel good about.
Here is the kid's bike with set-screw. Then the cargo bike I made yesterday that has room for a case of local beer. Notice the lack of ugly wires on the blue bike.

 

[Ebiker33]

What is on the law books and enforced is two different things, if you are riding like a fool with 750W Ebike with no throttle you are more much likely to be tagged by police, than if you are respectfully riding a 1500W Ebike with a throttle at 20 mph. Or on mixed trails keeping it even slower and not riding like bat out hell ringing your bell or screaming "on your _______" every 10 seconds as you almost knock people over as they scramble out of the way.
I personally feel if you are riding mixed trails we should do ourselves and everybody around us a favor by locking our maximum allowed speed on the display screen. If we get questioned by police you can show them we are in compliance with the local law.

 

[ElevenAD]

i would be very,very shocked to see a Beltdrive Ultra powered bike from Rize in 2021, Watt Wagon and Bolton EBikes i believe have belt driven Ultra Bikes.
that said, i was out on my Rize RX on Monday for the first time in over a month and man i had forgotten just how sweet a ride they are,really nice bikes imo.

 

[ElevenAD]

I'm just looking for some useful information on an Ebike, not trying to start any kind of feud between folks that clearly know more about this than me.

The Sondors bike looks beautiful

I feel like I have been to dozens of sites including Watt Wagon to look at bikes, if that question was directed to me.

I am not familiar with what is being talked about for legal or not legal bike for state or federal parks. If there is a good place to get the crib notes that would be appreciated.

you can check out a full video review of that New Sonders right here at EBR in the review section!

 

[Bubba zanetti]

What is on the law books and enforced is two different things, if you are riding like a fool with 750W Ebike with no throttle you are more much likely to be tagged by police, than if you are respectfully riding a 1500W Ebike with a throttle at 20 mph. Or on mixed trails keeping it even slower and not riding like bat out hell ringing your bell or screaming "on your _______" every 10 seconds as you almost knock people over as they scramble out of the way.
I personally feel if you are riding mixed trails we should do ourselves and everybody around us a favor by locking our maximum allowed speed on the display screen. If we get questioned by police you can show them we are in compliance with the local law.

Exactly what I do. I also unplug the throttle If riding areas restricted to certain ebikes.
As I get stronger, I have less use for the throttle. But it is a great tool to cross busy roads/ highways in a flash. But I will always have it with me.

 

[Geo1950]

But it is a great tool to cross busy roads/ highways in a flash.

Exactly !....I need that surge to avoid the crazies on Long Island.