should i buy this sondors?

[buick]

a guy bought this bike when the company first started where you could invest and get a bike,he rode it once and put it away,he never put the charger on all those years,do you think the battery would have a short life,or am i better off buying a new sondors bike?thanks

 

[indianajo]

Li batteries die from many discharge cycles, so it might be alright unused. Charge it up fully, ride it and see how far you get. New batteries are supposed to be fully charged once anyway.
A new battery should be under $600, so it depends what price your friend is asking.

 

[buick]

ok thanks

 

[LimboJim]

Definitely make sure the battery will even take a charge after 2+ years of no usage!

I got my original Sondors in 2015 from the first IGG campaign, and ordered a 2nd battery with it. I quickly outgrew that bike when I got an eMTB, and seldom used the extra Sondors battery.

I wish I charged it monthly though, because it wouldn't take a charge last year. Most mfrs suggest charging the battery at least once a month if the bike is not ridden much, and say that the more the bike is ridden, the stronger the battery will be. All batteries, though, will deteriorate in time...

 

[jazz]

Li Batteries also die if charged then stored at 100% unused for long periods of time. If the battery was stored a 50-70%, then it will most likely be ok. However, the original Sondors are over 3 years old now so who knows. You can always charge it up full and then test the voltage to see. The original Sondors used 36v battery so even if it is shot, they are fairly inexpensive. You can always get a new one from Sondors for $300.

Your best bet f you can get a good deal on it, is to buy it, then upgrade it. There are a couple easy upgrades. You can upgrade the original controller to a 25amp controller (around $50 and easy to switch out), then upgrade to a 48v bottle battery like this one https://electrobikeworld.com/products/lb48-bottle-battery-48v-10-dot-5ah (plug and play) and you will see a huge difference in performance and speed. It is worth the upgrade.

If it is truly an original Sondors, it will not have an LCD screen and you will want want. That is another $50 or so.

Of course if the total cost starts approaching $1100-1200, you might as well just buy the new Sondors X with 7 speeds, LCD screen and front suspension for $1269 shipped - (Link Removed - No Longer Exists).

 

[buick]

ok thanks for the info,last i heard he was goin to ask high retail,if i could have bought it on the asumtion the battery might nor be good and if it was priced as such maby,ive been around mechanical things along time and batteries can be finicky,im totaly new to fat bike electricks 72 and some joint things make it not fun to ride one of my regular bikes,the more i learn it seems the sondar would need some costly upgrades to be satisfactory,so ill keep learning,at this point i think i need more than a stock sonders

 

[Ann M.]

Lithium batteries also die from lack of charging. If the voltage has dropped below 10V you will probably not be able to recover it and will need a new one. The internal protection, the BMS will have kicked in from low voltage and prevent the battery from being charged. Only a totally new, never charged battery might be able to sit uncharged for a while.

 

[LimboJim]

...72 and some joint things make it not fun to ride one of my regular bikes,the more i learn it seems the sondar would need some costly upgrades to be satisfactory,so ill keep learning,at this point i think i need more than a stock sonders

If you'll be climbing any steeper hills, you'll want at least a few gears for downshifting. The singlespeed Sondors is fine for flatter rides but requires a lot of effort on heavier inclines...

 

[MisterM]

a guy bought this bike when the company first started where you could invest and get a bike,he rode it once and put it away,he never put the charger on all those years,do you think the battery would have a short life,or am i better off buying a new sondors bike?thanks

Curious why you'd want to buy a Sondors in the first place? Just because low-end models seem cheap? Once you start adding bigger motor/battery/suspension, there's not much difference btw Juiced/RadPower and a slew of others.