Sondors Fact Finding. Due Diligence. Scrutiny.

Hurley said:
There is a reason why bonafide electric bicycle companies use thicker spokes due to the motors/added weight on the rear wheels as well as the front. It is not a trivial issue.
There have been many injuries and a few deaths due to a wheel coming apart and becoming grossly untrue. Spokes are especially important on electric bikes with hub motors.
First and foremost is safety not forward motion. Imagine going downhill at 25 mph and your front wheel falls apart.
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Those don;t look to be 10g or 12g spokes on the rear wheel. What is going to happen (especially as people perceive this to be an off road bike) is they are going to fail and snap. As Hurley mentioned this can be very very potentially fatally dangerous on the front wheel, and both dangerous and annoying on the rear wheel.

You might be ok with a single spoke breaking off or popping, but if they are undersigned they will fail in cascade; and you can also damage the frame. If you lose the front wheel you are going head over head.

Assuming you make it home; good luck getting a bike shop to repair this wheel or this bike. They won't want the liability, they don't want to work with cheap parts, and the shorter rear spokes won't be available.


Another issue are the disks brakes.
 
A good shop can cut and thread any spoke you'd like. Until someone goes and measures these with a proper gauge nobody knows what the thickness, please! The larger tires would naturally make any given spoke look smaller to an un measured eye balling of a photograph. You guys are being a bit ridiculous here now.

What happened to the lies, fraud and outright deceit? I haven't read that regurgitated phrase in at least a dozen posts, you are all getting off your game!
 
36 spoke double wide rim with a 350 watt motor.

And you think that is a problem?

Spokes are just fine

Btw who besides me has their masters in engineering or a bs in eng?
 
I am quite certain the factory will have tested these wheels in fairness - but remind me, which manufacturer recently had to recall 1,000,000 bikes because of an issue with the front wheel which resulted in two deaths? Anyway, the book looks good for a cheapy ebike, I cannot wait for an independent reviewer to put the bike through its tests - my guess is that they will surmise it is ok for a cheapy ebike but doesn't come close to the fanciful claims with which Sondors enticed thousands of people to part with their money.

Any news from people who donated from Europe?

@ pxpaulx - 1.5 hours battery charge, 50 miles range (without pedal assist which was added later), 45 lbs weight, 20 mph top speed - those are the key issues immediately - customs charges for EU donators and how the bike fares after the generous 30 day warranty has expired will give substance to the lies, fraud and outright deceit debate.
 
We should go back and highlight all the nasty accusations made on this thread and then visit reality.

Today the first bikes are assembled and being ridden.

So much fun looking down.
 
I suggest you look up sometime and then you might see the light - so when you have gone 50 miles on a 1.5 hour charge and reached the heady speed of 20 mph on a bike that weighs 45lbs, let me know huh?

Do I believe that 7500 bikes have been manufactured, shipped and will be received by donators? A BIG FAT NO
 
@EULITTLB thanks I'd almost forgot the list! :)

On a serious note I do agree a formal review, and that well likely be @Court , will shed some light on the reality of the bike.

Also, we have all poked fun at the suggested msrp of the sondors bike, but realistically, look around the forum and you'll see that is happening with even the biggest brands. At least at $700 to $850 they aren't pulling any punches (assuming all are delivered, which, let's be honest here, your speculation they won't is looking thinner these days).

When I see a demo top of the line haibike with fifty miles and a scratch on it for ONE THIRD msrp at (you know who) online US retailer, I have to take a step back and truly ask who is being had with the msrp and map pricing.
 
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pxpaulx said:
A good shop can cut and thread any spoke you'd like. Until someone goes and measures these with a proper gauge nobody knows what the thickness, please! The larger tires would naturally make any given spoke look smaller to an un measured eye balling of a photograph. You guys are being a bit ridiculous here now.

What happened to the lies, fraud and outright deceit? I haven't read that regurgitated phrase in at least a dozen posts, you are all getting off your game!
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I don't think one can get too ridiculous when it comes to safety. Considering all of the lies and questionable money left to build the bikes it would not be a surprise if Sonders cut a few corners but I appreciate where you are coming from. By the way, what happened to the torque sensors and computer? It would be more prudent to have the sensors installed at the factory. There goes the 50 mile range...

"LCD Display: There will be an LCD Display available for purchase as an add-on soon. It will be similar to the one we showed in the battery test, but will be specifically built to be compatible with your Sondors eBike. More information to come."
 
Is this bike being discussed somewhere by owners that can be viewed? I am curious to read the first impressions.
 
pxpaulx said:
Is this bike being discussed somewhere by owners that can be viewed? I am curious to read the first impressions.
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I think you'll have to wait for unbiased opinions. Otherwise you might as well ask kids what they think of their toys on Christmas morning.

I'm not saying that the Sondors will definitely suck, just that the "new toy syndrome" has to run its course. A machine like an ebike also has to go through a breaking in period and there will inevitably be some glitches. With my scooter there were a couple of issues which the dealer fixed right away. You'll soon hear about what happens when Sondors buyers try to approach Sondors for help or repairs after being turned away by local dealers. They will get the same response as everyone who has tried to ask inconvenient questions.

I'm still waiting for my Sondors, of course, since I invested early but chose a "wrong" colour (yellow/orange). According to Sondors updates they're not even building it yet, so I'm looking at September arrival at the earliest. I hope it comes with sled dogs included. Ironic that the Efneo gearbox I bought for it will get here first, even with recently announced delays.

Now that I've calculated the costs I will face at the door (about $400 for illegal brokerage fees, legal taxes and duties) I'm not so worried about the Sondors delay. It gives me time to save up for my $500 ebike. :rolleyes: Oh yeah and I forgot to include the cost of any additional tools I will need, like a torque wrench.

Then there are the extra batteries some of us invested in. Not one peep from Ivars about those.
 
bikegonebad said:
What I find troubling is that you cannot turn without tire hitting the pedal
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Uh... say what? Seems about right to me:

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(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
 
SamIAmNot said:
Uh... say what? Seems about right to me:

XBgTqz1.jpg
(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
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Congrats! Black and yellow looks very sharp. You'll have a full time job trying to answer all the questions posed here, but if you can keep us informed of your observations that would be great.

Thanks and welcome to EBR.
 
Pretty sure he ordered black/black... 2nd batch... about 2 weeks behind the current B/Y bikes... but that's a very rough estimate based on one of those convoluted Sondors updates...
 
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George S. said:
Phil H keeps posting this link. It might be members only.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/StormOwnersGroup/


Glad you got your RR.
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thanks! looks like a closed door for that group, too bad as i would like to see the first impressions. maybe they will open it up after some actual bike discussion begins to occur. having a closed group only hurts their ...oh wait they dont much care about their reputation over there i dont think.
 
So far, the first impressions seem to be that it hits 20mph with no pedaling. It climbs steep hills with only light pedaling.

No reports on weight or battery life yet, but nobody has reported the battery dying quickly. Or at all, actually.
 
pxpaulx said:
thanks! looks like a closed door for that group, too bad as i would like to see the first impressions. maybe they will open it up after some actual bike discussion begins to occur. having a closed group only hurts their ...oh wait they dont much care about their reputation over there i dont think.
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They're closed because they're so busy kicking out anyone who asks the wrong questions or breaks cheering squad formation. The only ones left there are being compensated to shake Ivars pom-poms around, to entertain the masses. Lots of credibility there. For an unbiased view, keep an eye on news articles or boards that tolerate dissenting points of view - like this one.
 
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