Say Hello To Storm

Ann M. said:
@JoePah did you watch Court's review with the fat tire bike from a couple of days ago? The real test range with Court riding was less than half what Storm advertised. Packed sand will provide a lot more resistance to tires than pedaling on a nice solid paved surface..
Click to expand...

I had a look at Courts test, he took the bike for (I thought he said) 5 km on the sand.. and then on the bike track. He didn't appear to change or charge the battery between the sand and the track. The bike would have been working very hard on the sand... I don't think that test gave a true representation of the bike range.. I'm very keen to hear Courts' thoughts on the Storm come and try day...

EDIT, cant seem to find an introduction thread.. so will say hello here. have had a few motorised bikes, but havnt ridden for a few years... found this place via the "storm in a tea cup"..
 
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Hi guys, thanks for your patience on this video. The event was fun but it has been a long day of driving, parking, navigating crowds and then editing the footage. This video shows my demo ride, some weighing that went on, a short interview with Storm Sondors himself and the CEO of Agency 2.0. I may be given access to the bike again in the coming days or weeks and intend to do my full review at that time but here are some more stats I picked up today getting a closer look at the bike:

  • Sondors Ebike slated for shipment in May 2015
  • 30 day comprehensive warranty
  • 350 watt rear-mounted geared hub motor by 8Fun
  • 36 volt 8.8 amp hour 316.8 watt hour Lithium-ion battery
  • Battery locks to the frame and can be charged on or off the frame (there's a neat rubber cover that can be removed on the plastic triangle to reach the battery charging port)
  • Basic LED power level indicator on the throttle with Low and Full indicator (Low flashes when battery nears depletion)
  • Total weight is 58.5 pounds and battery weight is 5.3 pounds
  • All steel frame and fork, frame size is ~17 inches (length of seat post tube)
  • Prowheel cranks, Wellgo aluminum alloy platform pedals, Mixieer stem
  • Zoom mechanical disc brakes with 180 mm rotors, "5" brake levers with motor inhibitor
  • Generic padded saddle with rubber bumpers, quick release seat post
  • Punched aluminum alloy rims, Chaoyang 26" x 4.9" tires with schrader valves
  • Single side kickstand mounted near dropout, double sided plastic chain guide
You can see the other side of this interview on the USTREAM that Joe Micalizzi shot here: http://www.ustream.tv starting at 59:12
 
Court said:
Hi guys, thanks for your patience on this video. The event was fun but it has been a long day of driving, parking, navigating crowds and then editing the footage. This video shows my demo ride, some weighing that went on, a short interview with Storm Sondors himself and the CEO of Agency 2.0. I may be given access to the bike again in the coming days or weeks and intend to do my full review at that time but here are some more stats I picked up today getting a closer look at the bike:

  • Sondors Ebike slated for shipment in May 2015
  • 30 day comprehensive warranty
  • 350 watt rear-mounted geared hub motor by 8Fun
  • 36 volt 8.8 amp hour 316.8 watt hour Lithium-ion battery
  • Battery locks to the frame and can be charged on or off the frame (there's a neat rubber cover that can be removed on the plastic triangle to reach the battery charging port)
  • Basic LED power level indicator on the throttle with Low and Full indicator (Low flashes when battery nears depletion)
  • Total weight is 58.5 pounds and battery weight is 5.3 pounds
  • All steel frame and fork, frame size is ~17 inches (length of seat post tube)
  • Prowheel cranks, Wellgo aluminum alloy platform pedals, Mixieer stem
  • Zoom mechanical disc brakes with 180 mm rotors, "5" brake levers with motor inhibitor
  • Generic padded saddle with rubber bumpers, quick release seat post
  • Punched aluminum alloy rims, Chaoyang 26" x 4.9" tires with schrader valves
  • Single side kickstand mounted near dropout, double sided plastic chain guide
You can see the other side of this interview on the USTREAM that Joe Micalizzi shot here: http://www.ustream.tv starting at 59:12
Click to expand...
Court,

As usual a great video and overview of the day. I have a yellow bike coming and see yours will be black. I was impressed with Storm and with what Chris had to say and the couple at the end about how they will only take clients with product. It all seemed genuine and I like what I see in the bike. It is what it is: a basic one speed fat bike. If they get some help with logistics, delivering the product to us shouldn't be that big a deal. Their are warehouses all over the country that will do that for them seamlessly. I think it is interesting that at this price point, most of the buyers have low or no expectations. They seem to like the look of the bike, the niche it fits and the amazing price.

I live at the beach. As Storm said, driving in the soft sand can be complicated. The fact is that it is no fun trying to ride in very soft sand, drags your battery down and the bike is very difficult to steer. I walk my bike across the soft sand using a bit of very light throttle to help it along until I get to the harder pack sand near the ocean. This way, the bike powers itself across the sand and the weight of the bike is no issue.

Thanks again for all of your hard work and investing the time, money and effort it takes to publish a video as comprehensive as this in hyper time. Always balanced and fair in your reviews and great access. Good Job. r
 
Great video Court. You're a professional at this and it shows.
Except for the bike weight creeping up 30%, the battery capacity creeping down 12%, and going from DD to geared motor, Storm has pretty much kept his crowdfunding ad intact. Seems like a really nice guy.

Now all he has to do is start delivering in May!

My problem is with the inexperienced customers who can barely afford this bike.. If there are any hiccups and they are not DIY types, the complaints will be loud.
 
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Ann M. said:
@JoePah did you watch Court's review with the fat tire bike from a couple of days ago? The real test range with Court riding was less than half what Storm advertised. Packed sand will provide a lot more resistance to tires than pedaling on a nice solid paved surface. Maybe your friend didn't tell you that it was a rough ride for her...with ebike power maybe it could've been a longer or less stressful ride.
Click to expand...

I know what you're saying Ann, but she wanted to know where we were riding next weekend, so she would have time to hit the gym!
I offered to let her ride my Stromer while i rode my single speed and she wanted to work her way into shape.
 
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Thanks Court! You're not going to have to listen to any complaints from me this time, you killed it. You're pretty amazing guy actually.

Just based on what little riding we got to see, I'm more than impressed with the bikes performance. I was especially impressed when Storm removed the battery and pointed out that after 150 rides the battery was only down 1 bar.

And LOL, OMG you mentioned me to Storm. I guess now I can tell all my friends, Storm has heard of me.
 
wa5 said:
Pffft who cares if Storm has heard of you.... you should be dancing in the street... because COURT has heard of you :) ... Priorities Bikenut... Priorities :)
Click to expand...

Can't deny, Courts video will probably sell more bikes than Storm him self.
 
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Really enjoyed the video.
For some reason, this made me feel happy. I am happy for Storm as well. This guy is not trying to push the boundaries and be the best. He just wants E-bike to reach wider demography and make it more affordable.
Whether he delivers it or not, I like the idea. I like the simplicity of the whole thing.
If they don't get carried away by all the attention and do the basic ground work and handle logistics (talk about port strikes in Long Beach!), this could reach people's hands in June. If they can provide after sales support of any kind, they have an Ebike company right there.
Re: specs, I know that Giant Twist, Schwinn Tailwind and Trek + they all promised some really unrealistic range and the same thing goes here.

@biknut , you need to organize a party at your house and invite everyone on the day you're to receive this bike :)
 
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@Court as usual, great video; timely and thoughtful. I do wonder just how far everyone was allowed to go on a test ride; still have questions about the battery life & range. And only a 30 day warranty?! that's going to be an issue. Logistics is listed as part of Storm's background on the Indiegogo site--it will be interesting to see how he manages to QC product prior to shipping to customers. The emphasis on quality control by some of the larger ebike manufacturers with plants in China has helped to keep them in business -this will be critical for Storm to succeed long term. I agree with Ravi, after sales support (which Storm didn't talk about) could be another contentious point.
Did anyone else notice how winded Storm seemed after a very short spin on an ebike? Makes me wonder how much he's been riding this bike! :D
 
Ann M. said:
@Court as usual, great video; timely and thoughtful. I do wonder just how far everyone was allowed to go on a test ride; still have questions about the battery life & range. And only a 30 day warranty?! that's going to be an issue. Logistics is listed as part of Storm's background on the Indiegogo site--it will be interesting to see how he manages to QC product prior to shipping to customers. The emphasis on quality control by some of the larger ebike manufacturers with plants in China has helped to keep them in business -this will be critical for Storm to succeed long term. I agree with Ravi, after sales support (which Storm didn't talk about) could be another contentious point.
Did anyone else notice how winded Storm seemed after a very short spin on an ebike? Makes me wonder how much he's been riding this bike! :D
Click to expand...
Good points Ann, I'm also curious about international shipping. More and more comments on YouTube are from buyers outside the US and that mist add a lot of complexity to fulfillment.
 
I'd buy one if they were available in Australia.. did ask on f/b but no answer...
 
Are the water bottle batteries that are being used on the storm a standard item.. can they be bought aftermarked?
 
I'd think that would be pretty close to how they'd do it Bikenut, If not the bike factory then they would just use a company that specialises in that kind of thing. TNT, UPS what ever that one is that stranded tom hanks on the island... theres plenty out there.. (islands and couriers :) ).
 
really enjoyed the show - hoping he can succeed looks a very interesting bike, obviously if they are manufactured in china then Europe is closer so we should get deliveries first. Seriously all power to storm.
 
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