SONDORS is releasing it's first mid-drive EBikes.

[jaizon]

jauzon, the Biktrix StunnerX has cadence sensor, not sure what the Cruiser has, do you know?. Would that make much of a difference to you?

i do not know. It is an important difference, but I don’t think it will be the deciding factor.

 

[onlineaddy]

Looks like the frame of the LX could work with a belt.

 

[Ebiker33]

Its too bad they are only offering the huge fat tires in those three models. I just chatted with rep on their site asking about a 2-3 tire version for us commuters, paved street etc. but he said not an option on those new models.

The cruiser and full suspension has three inch which is considered plus size, I would not consider that fat for an Ebike, fatties for Ebikes are 4 plus

From their website

Tires

Maxxis® 27.5 x 3.0"

I am putting a link so everybody can see, it's not found on there standard site they have it buried for pre-orders
NEW SONDORS EBIKES


"The motor is a SONDORS custom Bafang M620 Ultra. We have our own 9 step torque profile and delivery curve"
I was so shocked I also used there quick chat to verify this, he said yes.

This crushes all the competition by bringing this motor to the masses at a reasonable price.

Here is the link to the Bafang Website if you don't know about it.
BAFANG M620

Watt Wagon is selling an upgraded version of this motor alone for $1300.00 just to start it goes up from there.
The upgrade alone is $700 embedded in the price of the motor from them. Of coarse theirs is better than Sondors but still.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Really impressive if they can bring such bikes at $1999 and $2500. The computer renderings are very sleek.

They spec 7 speed grip shifter (I assume SRAM) but most Sondors owners customize all kinds of stuff. Don't know what kind of drivetrain it is.
Even if it is cheap stuff on the $1999 bike, they can purchase SRAM Eagle drivetrain drive train , Magura MT5 brakes, nicer cranks and still be within $2999 overall.

The LX and cruiser looks like designs inspired by R&M Nevo and can accept belt and IGH if done right.

RIP to brands like QuietCat, JEEP, Rambo etc

 

[byunbee]

$2k with Bafang Ultra?

The frame is made out of recycled cardboard, so they can make it work.

 

[byunbee]

They haven specified the motor brand but it does come with a 48/21amp battery and 25 amp controller here is the quote

SONDORS Mid-drive system, 750 Watts continuous power, 1152 Watts peak. Integrated 25 Amp controller. With the mid-drive motor, riding feels just like a non-motorized bike when pedaling because the system can completely freewheel. The motor includes pedal assist sensors (PAS), allowing you to choose the power level of motor assistance that you would like while pedaling. At any time, you can use the throttle instead to engage the motor.

I don't know for sure, but my guess is a custom type of M600

If they are using Bafang, the description sounds like the Ultra.

• Bafang M620 750W Nominal
• Bafang M600 500W Nominal

 

[byunbee]

That full suspension model for $2.5k is a great deal for Ultra powered ebike.

Frey EX killer?

I'd be very interested in the quality of components on the bike. The shock are call "Air Shocks!". Wondering whether they are trying to hide the component quality by removing the manufacturer labels.

 

[jaizon]

I'd be very interested in the quality of components on the bike. The shock are call "Air Shocks!". Wondering whether they are trying to hide the component quality by removing the manufacturer labels.

I am shocked. Not one other manufacturer has ever done that!!! Not!!!

 

[byunbee]

Cruiser has the same motor as the other 2 new bikes. I think Sondors will sell a lot of these. They really nailed the gap when it comes to affordable higher powered mid drives.

And they come in racing slicks for track days!

 

[jaizon]

Not sure why you guys are hammering Sonders so bad.

 

[byunbee]

We're not. I'm actually very impressed that they are able to do this. But at the same time, very curious how they are able to pull this off. This will definitely be disruptive to the ebike market if the bikes turn out to be good quality.

 

[FlatSix911]

Additional information from Electrek... Micah Toll wrote the original book on EBikes and knows his stuff.

Sondors' powerful new Bafang Ultra mid-drive e-bikes w/ 1kWh battery start at $1,999

Sondors has just revealed three new high-powered electric bicycles known as the Sondors Rockstar, Cruiser and LX. The new models...

electrek.co

Sondors has just revealed three new high-powered electric bicycles known as the Sondors Rockstar, Cruiser and LX. The new models are part of the company’s not-yet-released Elite line. They feature stunning new frame designs, huge 1kWh batteries though the low introductory prices might actually be the biggest shocker of all. The new Sondors Rockstar, Sondors LX and Sondors Cruiser appear to feature the famed Bafang M620 mid-drive motor, also known as the Bafang Ultra, which is known to put out more than 1,500W of power and a stump-pulling 160Nm of torque.

Sondors indicates that they are running 25A controllers, which would limit the motors to around 1,200W – a figure that is still quite powerful for anything with pedals.. The motor is a favorite of high-performance e-bike enthusiasts, though its sheer power and torque can be tough on bicycle components. The Bafang Ultra is known for sending countless chains and sprockets to an early grave. I should know – I, unfortunately, destroyed a perfectly good chain with this motor in less than 5 minutes at Eurobike 2019.
I think maybe the most shocking thing about these bikes is how well they are designed

These prices are pretty nuts, in a good way. For a Bafang Ultra motor and 1 kWh battery, let alone the impressive and novel frame designs, this is a great deal. But I’m approaching this with cautious optimism. On the one hand, these specs at these prices are essentially unheard of. But on the other hand, I’ve yet to see one single photograph of the bikes. All we’re getting right now are renders of what the Sondors Elite will presumably look like.

That being said, Sondors has a history of making bold claims and then mostly sticking to them. So if they say they can produce these bikes at these prices, I’m inclined to believe them at this point. I was a Sondors skeptic back in 2015, but I’ve seen them put enough bikes on the road now that I’ve become a believer. That doesn’t yet translate to their mythical $10,000 Sondors electric car, but I’m a believer in the e-bikes at least.

Between these three bikes, the Sondors Rockstar is my favorite, hands down. At $2,499 it is an incredible deal for a bike of this power and design. I’ve put around 70 miles on the FREY EX in the last week or so (seen below) and while I don’t expect the Sondors Rockstar to compete against the FREY EX on build quality, it seems to severely undercut its $4k price.

There are only two things that give me pause here: 1) we have no idea whether they are putting decent suspension or bargain basement springs on the bike, and 2) they are neutering the 1.5 kW by around 25% of its power. For the first, we’ll just have to wait and see what kind of shocks Sondors will give us at these prices. For the second, this could be an effort to make the drivetrain components last longer, or it could signify a weaker battery that can’t handle the peak power of the Bafang Ultra motor. Again, we’ll have to wait and see.

For now though, I’m quite impressed with what I’m looking at. Sondors has always made big promises and this new announcement is no different in that regard. What is different is that Sondors is now stepping out of the value-oriented e-bike space and appears to be edging dangerously close to the premium category of e-bikes.

 

[TomD]

They are "neutering" it by 25% (from 1000W to 750W nominal) to make it street legal. Sondors is a big company and they probably don't want the liability. I don't know why that would give Micah pause.

 

[FlatSix911]

They are "neutering" it by 25% (from 1000W to 750W nominal) to make it street legal. Sondors is a big company and they probably don't want the liability. I don't know why that would give Micah pause.

The reason for pause... this could be an effort to make the drivetrain components last longer, or it could signify a weaker battery that can’t handle the peak power of the Bafang Ultra motor.
Again, we’ll have to wait and see.

 

[Ebiker33]

"There are only two things that give me pause here: 1) we have no idea whether they are putting decent suspension or bargain basement springs on the bike, and 2) they are neutering the 1.5 kW by around 25% of its power. "

Here are Watt Wagons Specs for theirs(controller)

1. 750W nominal (25A continuous)
2. 1000W nominal (30A continuous)
3. 2300W Nominal / 3000W peak (45A continuous /55 A Peak)

Now theirs is upping to 52V battery so they will get more watts anyways, but at that level a 100 watts less it isn't a big deal, and they are doing that as an entry level, the law makes all these companies start at 750W to allow compliance with certain states. Everybody throttles back the ultra to some degree, but at 160nm of torque this will still crush those hills.

As for the battery it's 48V/21A ; as far as batteries go that is not a weak battery, it's still at the higher end of the scale, some famous brands are still using 36V

 

[byunbee]

I tried asking their chat support about the components since all their descriptions are vague at best. I asked about the brand and model of the components and they stopped responding.

 

[TomD]

This looks to be a prototype with the M600 motor:

 

[TomD]

Well, it won't fit because Sondors decided to use the M620 Ultra motor instead of the M600 (that video is 9+ months old). Not sure why they switched but perhaps they were put off by the lack of programming on the M600 or the obnoxiously loud noise of the M600 with steel reduction gear. Or maybe they wanted to go with the Ultra on all 3 of these new bikes.

 

[FlatSix911]

This looks to be a prototype with the M600 motor:

Send it...

 

[byunbee]

This looks to be a prototype with the M600 motor:

That's a completely different bike and looks like with top end components like Fox shocks.