I think its safe to say, that the sondors ebike for under $1000 , has been a huge success so far { despite some shipping delays and invalid performance claims] . Sondors deserves credit for bringing a great looking ebike to the masses , in a ready to ride format , at a lower price then anyone else with its specs. Unfortunately , it had several limitations , like only 1 size , low capacity battery , only 36 volt battery, low wattage motor, only 1 gear , etc.
IMHO, the next big step forward in ebikes , is for someone like Sondors to bring to market, another great looking fatbike with the following options :
1. offer 3 sizes { S-M-L}
2. use a 1000 watt motor
3. use a 48 volt battery that is 20 A/H , and mount the battery neatly within the center of the ebike { like sondors has } and not on a rear rack above the rear tire
4. make the ebike 7 speed cassette
5. have front suspension
6. have seatpost suspension
7. have built in LED headlight/tail-light
8 . include a generic voltage readout LCD display, so riders know exactly how much voltage is left in their batterys while riding.
9. have a controller that can handle up to 40 amps
and bring this to market for under $2000 . I build ebikes, and I know this can be done , and still allow good profits . These upgrades are not that much more expensive then what the SONDORs EBIKE IS OFFERING AT $799 ......In fact, the most expensive upgrade in the above list, would possibly be the higher capacity battery, which should only increase production costs by $125 .....and the front suspension forks which would be about another $75 . The other upgrades , all together, would probably run about $300 more...so in total, we are looking at around $500 in total upgrades, from what the sondors ebike was offering for $799 shipped....so you would now have a upgraded, more powerful ebike with suspension , that costs $500 more to build, then the current sondors ebike , and sell it around a $1500- $1999 price point, and be able to make decent profit. This type of ebike/fatbike , would have the ability to appeal to ALL types of riders, regardless of their weight , and give a much better ride , better top speed, and twice the distance travelled. Theres no need to make this ebike offering have a bunch of fancy options { like Bluetooth programming, leather grips , alarm systems, 21 speeds, etc} ....Keep it simple , good looking , but with better power/ battery capacity and front suspension and a simple 7 gear cassette
The time is drawing near, for someone to compete with these yuppie , overpriced ebike companies who are selling ebikes with 10 ah batterys and 36volt systems, for $4000.
