Super Commuter Version 1.1

[Feliz]

Lol I think they are just getting the website updated etc right now

My understanding is this bike has not been out very long and it’s on the higher end of prices so may be a little bit before many people write reviews about it

Agree, but I can't even find one review,.......anywhere. And Ravi has strangely disappeared. I would have bought this bike at the proposed price!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Agree, but I can't even find one review,.......anywhere. And Ravi has strangely disappeared. I would have bought this bike at the proposed price!

Hi Feliz,

There are other things in the making. I am in the process of registering a Canadian company Supernova eBikes, born out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the mecca of Li-ion battery research.
We are also in the midst of arranging a product launch and a new Guinness record attempt in Canada.
World's top battery scientist and Tesla research chair, Prof. Jeff Dahn has kindly agreed to be part of the launch event and flag off the record attempt.

If you would like to review the bike and share your thoughts, I will arrange one to be shipped to you. You do not need to purchase one. Just ride it for 100 miles and let us know what you think

This is a poster in the making.... there will be other sponsors like Schwalbe, Gates Drive, Light and motion.. and along with the main sponsor Wattwagons. So there are lots of activities happening behind the scenes.

 

[Feliz]

Wow, you do have a lot going on Ravi. I would love to try one of your bikes but I'm in Canada and I expect shipping costs would be ridiculous. Thanks for taking time to respond, I appreciate how busy you are.

 

[Feliz]

Ravi, I guess I'll assume that for now these bikes aren't available in Canada?

 

[Deafcat]

Holy s*it that's going to be awesome! Very cool Ravi, looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Will check back soon to see how that site turns out, always glad to support another innovative Canadian ebike company.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Ravi, I guess I'll assume that for now these bikes aren't available in Canada?

Hi Feliz,

We will have few bikes during the August event and you're welcome to come and try one for a day. You will get to meet our team, Prof. Jeff Dahn and use our bike to go around Halifax for half day.

Holy s*it that's going to be awesome! Very cool Ravi, looking forward to hearing how it goes.

Will check back soon to see how that site turns out, always glad to support another innovative Canadian ebike company.

Thank you @Deafcat . Appreciate the support

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

The website is up: https://wattwagons.com/

The ride quality of this bike is totally amazing. Very powerful, yet quiet.
Keeping an open and modular platform provides room for further refinement and upgrades.

It is apt to call this an "automotive grade" E-bike. Every single component is chosen carefully to provide long service life and it is built for heavy-duty use.

 

[opimax]

As I look for new ebike I have decided this will not work for me. While most of the bike does I have 2 deal breakers that I cannot get by. I come from 8 years of Stromer ownership for 2 people, my wife and myself. The bike screams ebike , no question about it this is a ebike. I won’t buy a pre made bike that has the battery sitting on the frame. The 2nd issue is is the service. My Stomers had multiple year warranties. The company and dealers tended to extend that on many parts. Btw this is my problem with Stromers I needed this and more! The price point is similar but nationwide service could be an issue but the length is way too short for the price point. If you say you won’t need it because the bike is well made with great components then a longer warranty won’t be a big issue from a new unknown company to make the consumer feel safer with their hard earned money.

Not much on fancy electronics but to me that is a good thing. I just want to ride a bike on long trips I don’t need doors that open by Bluetooth, not even the gps for anti theft. These items don’t do much for me when pedaling 4 hours at a time and the return home another 4hours.

Anyway the battery on the frame is the bigger issue, I can’t do anything about it, I ride rails to trails as much as I can and most of the trails no e bikes are allowed but I ride them anyway, no battery on the frame for me. service may be nothing and I can pay for service if I want to but I just can’t hide the battery.

As I know Ravi a little from the past I really wanted to like this enough to buy and the features are really awesome. He is a stand up guy and i could and have purchased from in the past, this product is not for men,hope it does well and help set some quality standards others will try to meet

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

As I know Ravi a little from the past I really wanted to like this enough to buy and the features are really awesome.

Thank you, Mark!
You were one of my first eBike friends back in 2014 and have enjoyed few of the rides we shared.

but the length is way too short for the price point.

A warranty of 2 years is standard and I think this is an industry practice. I am always on the lookout for smooth and powerful motors. If we upgrade the motor to TQ for 2020 or 2021, we may be able up the warranty 3 years but until then, it is 2 years. Why do you think 2 years is too short?
Except Yamaha and BH, everyone else has 2 yrs (Bosch, Brose, Shimano).

The bike screams ebike , no question about it this is a ebike.

I fully get it. I am a Stromer owner myself and I know it. This is a conscious sacrifice we had to make. It is easy to get aluminum frames that take the reention style batteries but there are plenty of bikes out there. My main concern is: form factor of a battery should not be a limiting factor for future upgrades.
Look what just happened to Bosch! The new 625whr batteries are not compatible with 500whr PowerTube and that is terrible. People who spend 3K or 4K should be able to upgrade their bike components.
For most people, 880whr pack is enough to get 50mile range but we are designing a much nicer looking pack with 1250whrs and we wanted to keep everything backwards compatible.
So, this is a conscious decision to let go of elegance for pure performance.

nationwide service could be an issue

nationwide service is not a terrible issue. Since everything is modular, it is easy to diagnose and being a small start-up, it is easier to be agile and quick-responsive. Partnering up with Velofix is on the cards but if you see on the website, there is something called commuter companion. It is a program like iPhone plan, the details of which will be announced shortly.

 

[opimax]

Hi Ravi, I thought I read the warranty was shorter, my apologies! 2 years is good! Always take more but no issue with 2

I have not mentioned all the issues we have had. We have an st2s which has been in the shop for more than 8 moths of 13 months of supposed use,mostly brakes ...I think I am done with them.every shop that I have dealt with has quit selling them after all the issues....

If you have a bike in the DC area or in Atlanta area let me know I would like to ride one

 

[Deafcat]

This is a conscious sacrifice we had to make. It is easy to get aluminum frames that take the reention style batteries but there are plenty of bikes out there. My main concern is: form factor of a battery should not be a limiting factor for future upgrades.
Look what just happened to Bosch! The new 625whr batteries are not compatible with 500whr PowerTube and that is terrible. People who spend 3K or 4K should be able to upgrade their bike components.
For most people, 880whr pack is enough to get 50mile range but we are designing a much nicer looking pack with 1250whrs and we wanted to keep everything backwards compatible.
So, this is a conscious decision to let go of elegance for pure performance.

Honestly with an "automotive grade" ebike, the design choices you guys took make perfect sense. Stealthy battery packs don't go with long range commuter bikes, an open form factor is the only sensible route.

Thanks to the essentially "industry standards" based configuration, any bike shop in the world should be able to service most of the bike, besides the Rohloff (essentially maintenance-free), and the Ultra motor (not quite maintenance free but extremely reliable). The chain and external gear wear has been taken out of the equation, everything has been distilled down to it's most refined state of the art.

Someday, probably soon, there will even be a mid-drive motor as reliable as the Rohloff. Then you've got something beyond automotive grade... a 21st century commuter.

 

[Feliz]

Hey Ravi,

That's quite a bike, I prefer an exposed battery and could care less about having a futuristic look. I just got rid of my Haibike with its Bosch battery which was built in due to the hassles getting the battery on and off the bike. I'll never buy another bike with a proprietary batter I've learned my lesson. Six of my seven bikes now use Reention batteries (or their form factor) with the exception being my Elby which has BionX equipment and I won't change that for anything.

I've been conversing with Rashkar about getting a bike into Canada, I may end up with the bike you're going to ride for your record attempt. Why don't you find a distributor in Canada.........what about Grin Technologies?

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Why don't you find a distributor in Canada.........what about Grin Technologies?

Hi Feliz,
That is a great suggestion. I have communicated with Justin @Grin. He just had his first baby and is not in a position to get involved with further responsibilities.

I will be working with Prof. Jeff Dahn starting next summer (and moving to Canada!) and I hope to have a E-mobility start-up based out of Nova Scotia.


We can certainly work with you to get the bike after we attempt the world record. Please stay in touch!

Honestly with an "automotive grade" ebike, the design choices you guys took make perfect sense. Stealthy battery packs don't go with long range commuter bikes, an open form factor is the only sensible route.

Thanks to the essentially "industry standards" based configuration, any bike shop in the world should be able to service most of the bike, besides the Rohloff (essentially maintenance-free), and the Ultra motor (not quite maintenance free but extremely reliable). The chain and external gear wear has been taken out of the equation, everything has been distilled down to it's most refined state of the art.

Someday, probably soon, there will even be a mid-drive motor as reliable as the Rohloff. Then you've got something beyond automotive grade... a 21st century commuter.

Thank you, @Deafcat for the encouragement!
It is a long, uphill road ahead but with a good team and strong work ethic, I know it is possible to bring to the market some wonderful ebikes.

For anyone reading this thread, if you can make it.. please do attend this event on August 3rd.
We would love to meet you.

 

[Feliz]

Hi Ravi,

It's too bad Justin can't do it right now. Have you thought of speaking with Virginia the owner of Amego Electric Vehicles, they're based in Toronto and are the largest ebike distributor in Canada. They sell a full range of bikes including their own Infinity brand. They sell Stromer as well as other high end brands. Virginia is pleasant and delightful to deal with as well as being progressive, they just purchased the entire remaining BionX inventory, there's videos about it on utube.....no I'm not a relative.

Edit, just read where they're the largest ebike dealer in North America.
Edit, Court has done some videos with Amego/Virginia and could offer some insight if you wish to pursue this, I'll get out of your hair now.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Edit, just read where they're the largest ebike dealer in North America

Unfortunately, they are not! Videos do not provide comprehensive understanding of the whole picture.
They are a medium-sized store operating out of Toronto who are also dabbling into consumer-direct bikes made by a company called Leisger & Leon ycles (sold under Magnum brand in the US).
I visited AmegoEV in September 2018 and have spoken to Virginia couple of times but our product visions are different.

Given my move to Halifax to work with Prof. Dahn, it makes sense to build something there. It is truly the mecca of Li-ion research and Tesla Canada is based out of there.
Prof. Dahn is supportive of this idea and he agreed to flag-off the event and launch the product. It is a true privilege that someone of his stature agreed to be part of this.

Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[Feliz]

I understand, thanks for enlightening me. I just want one of your bikes I don't care how I get it Maybe I'll build one.

 

[Captain Slow]

Would love to get one of these bikes from Grin sometime in the future. I can keep riding my Juiced for now, but this bike seems so amazing.

 

[Feliz]

Would love to get one of these bikes from Grin sometime in the future. I can keep riding my Juiced for now, but this bike seems so amazing.

Ya, don't hold you're breath. I've been talking with the owner and no matter how you look at it it would cost your first born to get a bike into Canada. They don't appear to be making any arrangements for distribution in Canada. Strange that it's a lot easier and cheaper to buy a similar product from China!

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Ya, don't hold you're breath. I've been talking with the owner and no matter how you look at it it would cost your first born to get a bike into Canada. They don't appear to be making any arrangements for distribution in Canada.

Feliz,
Where do you get these statements from?

@pushkar , the owner of the company you have been talking to, will be in Halifax on August 3rd and you can get the bike handed over in person.
If you can't make it to Halifax, Pushkar is willing to ship you the bike from Halifax and it doesn't cost an arm or leg.

Rohloff hub, ABUS locks and Maugra brakes are made in Germany
Gates drive, Light and motion lights are sourced from USA
Axiom rack and Satiator charger comes from Canada
Frame and suspension are made in Taiwan
Brooks saddle is made in England
If you find a product like that in China, you should buy it and report the experience on the forum.

I sent you a private message inviting you to come to the world record event in Halifax, I do not hear a response but you seem to make statements here.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

If you have a bike in the DC area or in Atlanta area let me know I would like to ride one

Mark,

@pushkar will be happy to arrange a demo bike in August. If you are ever in the midwest area, you are welcome to try the bike I have.