Sonders Experience and modding

[Ravi Kempaiah]

SONDORS STRESS TEST::::::
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

Hit some muddy stuff today.... all was cool until I hit a shale washed out river bed....... nasty muck stuff...... overheated the controller, got stuck, chain fell off..... walked out of it...... let controller cool off....... took most chunks off with a stick and rode home............ then hosed the bike off........ vigorously..... still works fine..... lubed all up and battery on charge for next adventure.

It's amazing what Sondors has done to people...
You started with a Sondors and now own few Stealth bombers, some heavy duty off-road bikes + heavily modded sondors.

Perfect example for the consequence of myoscopic vision of some of the existing E-bike companies.
They kept the entry price so high and the sticker shock drove many prospective people off.... anyhow..
Awesome stuff. Kinaeye is now selling complete bikes - Vector : http://kinayems.com/Products/Vector

 

[flymeaway]

It's amazing what Sondors has done to people

As more people get involved, the customer base grows and more vendors emerge. In 10 years I'm sure the industry will be very different with a very large selection of quality bikes in every price range; that's a "good" thing !!!!

Crazy looking bike from Kinaeye!

Court J.

 

[one4torque]

Ravi - I never really ever considered an ebike........ never knew they existed...... never really cared.......

Then one night I had a few beers, and someone spammed me with the gen 1 Sondors Storm campaign..... and I thought what the hell.... it's $499........
I forgot about it.... then 6 mo's later this huge BOX arrives......... I put it together..... and this little spark emerged...... it clicks many switches for me..... 1) mod bug, 2) independent transport (freedom), 3) kool gear, BMX..... 4) mtn biking, and 5) rehabbing my bum knee......

I'm selling off my rc cars and racing jet-skiis.... and focussing on ebikes... I'm building my 2nd custom frame-up stealth...... 1st was a FLUX alpha.... 2nd on order is a FLUX beta......

I've also got an ebike adventure trip planned to the UP of Michigan.... (my home-land) this summer...... we'll hit the miles and miles of multi-use trails this summer on our Stealth flux and fighter and bomber.
Sorry sondors will stay home


My next round of mods for the blue sondors:
1) kinyeye MS 3000 watt mxux, custom battery 20AH 67 volts.
2) I'm going to bolt a spare downhill front fork to the sondors with a 24" stealth wheel, and the wides dH tire I can source.
I'm trying to build the ultimate muddy/sloppy single track machine....... reliably.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Ravi - I never really ever considered an ebike........ never knew they existed...... never really cared.......

Then one night I had a few beers, and someone spammed me with the gen 1 Sondors Storm campaign..... and I thought what the hell.... it's $499........
I forgot about it.... then 6 mo's later this huge BOX arrives......... I put it together..... and this little spark emerged...... it clicks many switches for me..... 1) mod bug, 2) independent transport (freedom), 3) kool gear, BMX..... 4) mtn biking, and 5) rehabbing my bum knee......

I'm selling off my rc cars and racing jet-skiis.... and focussing on ebikes... I'm building my 2nd custom frame-up stealth...... 1st was a FLUX alpha.... 2nd on order is a FLUX beta......

I've also got an ebike adventure trip planned to the UP of Michigan.... (my home-land) this summer...... we'll hit the miles and miles of multi-use trails this summer on our Stealth flux and fighter and bomber.
Sorry sondors will stay home


My next round of mods for the blue sondors:
1) kinyeye MS 3000 watt mxux, custom battery 20AH 67 volts.
2) I'm going to bolt a spare downhill front fork to the sondors with a 24" stealth wheel, and the wides dH tire I can source.
I'm trying to build the ultimate muddy/sloppy single track machine....... reliably.

Awesome!
It's life changing in many ways. I am glad you're having fun.

If you have a caught the mod bug and building a ultimate single track machine, take a look at this great Qulbix build thread: http://www.ebikereviews.com.au/news/qulbix-raptor-165-project-build/

 

[Palmspringscruising]

It's amazing what Sondors has done to people...
You started with a Sondors and now own few Stealth bombers, some heavy duty off-road bikes + heavily modded sondors.

Perfect example for the consequence of myoscopic vision of some of the existing E-bike companies.
They kept the entry price so high and the sticker shock drove many prospective people off.... anyhow..
Awesome stuff. Kinaeye is now selling complete bikes - Vector : http://kinayems.com/Products/Vector

Can anyone give me some advise on my Sondors?
I own 3 sondors since jan 1rst 2016 Found VELOMOBILE and ordered the 48 v upgrade battery and the 25 amp control. After a few rides of 10 miles the rear motor(36v)started making a grinding noise on take off (when there is maximum torque) then after getting going the noise stopped. I bought new gears from Luna cycle and installed them and it still made the same noise. So I took the back wheel off my other brand new sondors bike and installed that with my new upgraded battery and controller. After one 5 mile ride the brand new (36v ) motor started making the same noise. Can anyone give me advise on making this right with the upgrade or do I have to go back to the 36v.
Kyle at Velomobile is very slow to return messages and has not offered any kind of solution. I am out over $700 on the battery upgrade and I now have 2 bad motors.
Any advice o links to fix this problem?
I love these bikes and just want to upgrade them correctly. You guys have some great bikes and I want to do the same thing
Thank you
Alan

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Can anyone give me some advise on my Sondors?
I own 3 sondors since jan 1rst 2016 Found VELOMOBILE and ordered the 48 v upgrade battery and the 25 amp control. After a few rides of 10 miles the rear motor(36v)started making a grinding noise on take off (when there is maximum torque) then after getting going the noise stopped. I bought new gears from Luna cycle and installed them and it still made the same noise. So I took the back wheel off my other brand new sondors bike and installed that with my new upgraded battery and controller. After one 5 mile ride the brand new (36v ) motor started making the same noise. Can anyone give me advise on making this right with the upgrade or do I have to go back to the 36v.
Kyle at Velomobile is very slow to return messages and has not offered any kind of solution. I am out over $700 on the battery upgrade and I now have 2 bad motors.
Any advice o links to fix this problem?
I love these bikes and just want to upgrade them correctly. You guys have some great bikes and I want to do the same thing
Thank you
Alan

Alan,
I am glad that you learned about E-bikes via Sondors.
Sondors is a great entry level bike but once you start riding more, you realize that you need a sturdier bike that is engineered to do well under different conditions.
If possible, try to get those motors fixed and use them. If not, return it and use that money towards buying a bike with 1yr+ warranty.
1 yr down the line, you will be happy you made the right decision.
People who buy Sondors, purchase something else within one year. Because you quickly realize the potential of these bikes and start looking for something better.

 

[Palmspringscruising]

Alan,
I am glad that you learned about E-bikes via Sondors.
Sondors is a great entry level bike but once you start riding more, you realize that you need a sturdier bike that is engineered to do well under different conditions.
If possible, try to get those motors fixed and use them. If not, return it and use that money towards buying a bike with 1yr+ warranty.
1 yr down the line, you will be happy you made the right decision.
People who buy Sondors, purchase something else within one year. Because you quickly realize the potential of these bikes and start looking for something better.

Thank you for the quick reply. I don't know where to fix them or why it happened. I see luna sells a new motor for

Alan,
I am glad that you learned about E-bikes via Sondors.
Sondors is a great entry level bike but once you start riding more, you realize that you need a sturdier bike that is engineered to do well under different conditions.
If possible, try to get those motors fixed and use them. If not, return it and use that money towards buying a bike with 1yr+ warranty.
1 yr down the line, you will be happy you made the right decision.
People who buy Sondors, purchase something else within one year. Because you quickly realize the potential of these bikes and start looking for something better.

I don't know what to do about rectifying this problem I see luna sells the new motor for $149 but if I install the new motor I will have the same problem. Do they make an upgraded motor to go with the 48v and 25 amp controller?
Are there any links to purchase ugraded motors for these bikes?
Are these bike low grade pieces junk?

 

[Palmspringscruising]

Has anyone tried a 48v lithium battery on the Sondors yet? Just curious of the gain performance and if there are any issues with a higher voltage.

Yes I have ruined 2 motors (36v) they make a horrible grinding noise when taking off VELOMOBILE has not given me an answer why

 

[one4torque]

Once i inc v to stock sondors rear motor i had same issue.

I then have been upgrading in steps to:

750 watt
Then 1500 watt,
Then now ro 3000 watt mxus rear hub motor.

You can buy a complete laced up rear fat wheel 75o watt from china for $500.


You will need a goid battery to match each upgrade motor cont.

The sondors is a solid plarform..... Njoy

 

[Palmspringscruising]

Once i inc v to stock sondors rear motor i had same issue.

I then have been upgrading in steps to:

750 watt
Then 1500 watt,
Then now ro 3000 watt mxus rear hub motor.

You can buy a complete laced up rear fat wheel 75o watt from china for $500.


You will need a goid battery to match each upgrade motor cont.

The sondors is a solid plarform..... Njoy

Could I trouble you for the link? Did you have any clutch noise problem before the last upgrade? so my 48v system won't work with any of these? I am sorry I am new to this and have been reading all the posts here trying to figure out my next step. I like these bikes and just want to figure out what is best for them with upgrades

 

[George S.]

The gears are cheap. They generally go before the motor melts. Did the motor melt? Do the gears look shredded or melted. Gears are cheap.

People who are very experienced say this works, the 48v thing.

https://electricbike-blog.com/2016/...-12t-mac-1871-74lbs-with-12-5-ah-25r-battery/

This is a Bafang motor so it's not like you would get something a lot better on a higher priced bike. I asked Karl, at the end of this article, what the motor could handle. For semi continuous duty he says maybe 800 watts. That is only 15 amps, so you are pushing things. Maybe you should dial things back on take-off.

If you are tearing up the gears you are tearing up the gears. You might try the pedal assist and put it on a low setting. There are more powerful motors, but I don't know if you really want them.

I think Eric and Luna are more reliable, have more experience. He's committed to the Sondors bike and the Bafang mid-drives.

 

[one4torque]

Latest round of mods for my gen 1 sondors: Mxus 3000 watt rear hub motor kit from Kinye, 6 turn high tq motor, 76volt battery with 18ah. I have to take it easy on standing starts... as this motor is super tq'y, and the little dropouts on the sondors even with 2 tq arms allow the nuts to loosen up. will run 30mph with no pas...... due to light wgt of sondors, motor and controller run super cool. Not sure of max range yet.... did 20miles today.

 

[Ann M.]

What brand of torque arms and a 76V 18ah battery? Questions here... that requires a controller that can handle more than 76V and a bunch of amps. Reason I say that is that there is a very sleek off-road bike in my shop right now for installation of a different system because the original motor system company overvolted their mid drive kit and it popped controllers several times wasting the owner's time and $$$$.

 

[Donny]

 

[cranberry]

I have the same Sondors and have upgraded to a 52v 20.3Ah battery and a 25a controller. Got 30mph top speed with throttle only and still using the stock motor. Took me 4 days but I recorded 55 mile total using throttle only before battery died at 45v.
Palmspringcruising - grinding noise you're getting is from loose magnets inside your motor. I have developed the same grinding noise on my other bike and repaired it by re-gluing the magnets together using high temp epoxy. No more grinding noise and a permanent fix.

 

[Palmspringscruising]

I have to take I apart and see where the magnets are I am sure I can figure it out. It's not the gears because I replaced them and it still did the same thing. I will buy the high temp epoxy and see what I can do Thanks man I will be so happy if that fixes it. I was really bummed after buying the 48v battery upgrade and the 25 amp control. I still thing I should buy a 48v rear motor do you or anyone else have any link where I could buy one. or maybe anymore details on the epoxy repair. thanks for your time

 

[Palmspringscruising]

I have the same Sondors and have upgraded to a 52v 20.3Ah battery and a 25a controller. Got 30mph top speed with throttle only and still using the stock motor. Took me 4 days but I recorded 55 mile total using throttle only before battery died at 45v.
Palmspringcruising - grinding noise you're getting is from loose magnets inside your motor. I have developed the same grinding noise on my other bike and repaired it by re-gluing the magnets together using high temp epoxy. No more grinding noise and a permanent fix.

View attachment 8106
View attachment 8112

Your epoxy repair works perfect already rode 20 miles no problem hitting about 1075 watts Thank you I learned a lot doing this repair.

 

[BALLZ]

I've had my sonders ebike for over 1 month now, and have logged about 275 miles to-date.
I try to ride 20miles/day, more on weekends.

Mods to date:
1. Added a frog-style seatpost 2nd battery to double my range. It's a 36v/12ah from China. I added a DTDP switch 15amp, so I can switch between the two on the fly. I chose not to run them in parrallel, not knowing the qualify of the chinese frog-battery. I'm 205lbs, riding @ 17.5mph avg, I can get 17 miles out of one battery with alot of p-assist. I generally ride 10 miles out, switch batteries, and ride 10 miles home with plenty of charge left.

2. Added some fenders. I bought some 29er plastic fenders for mtn bike tires, cut them in halt, and added an al strip in the middle to make them fit over the 4.9" tires. They help alot with puddles, etc..

3. Bike Tech - when you rec'v your sonders bike be sure to go over all the bolts.... axles where too tight causing friction, chain was too tight causing friction, all tweaked and lubed up she runs great.

4. GIzmo's.... gps, head-light on bars and helmet, tail light, drink holder for the latte's.

5. Back-pack: spare inner tube, patch kit, 18mm/15mm wrenches, mini-pump, lock, cell phone, etc..
I had a flat 1 mile out....... this bike is a tank to roll on a flat.

I will eventually upgrade to either a higher voltage rear wheel motor, and possibly a front wheel motor.... but we'll see.

I've got the bug now..... I'm turning the wife's old trek single track 920 into a hub drive.... with a lightening rods sm block kit. Should climb very well, and run out at 40+ but we'll see when it's all done..... the hub kit is being built now.

Cheers,
Jeff

BTW - I deleted my thread below with my full name, as I was getting spammed already. so new acct... handle is one4torque.

 

[BALLZ]

YO Mr Torque

Can you tell specifics on the Gizmos you added..
Are the headlights/tail lights run by the LCD controlled.??
I bought 2 drink holders already and dont like either one...what did you end up buying??

Do you really need a GPS??


4. GIzmo's.... gps, head-light on bars and helmet, tail light, drink holder for the latte's.