THE NEXT BREAKTHROUGH IN EBIKES- SONDORS STYLE

Heres the facts .

I bought a NEW. 22a/h - lifepo4 battery , 48 volt with BMS installed for $420 shipped to my house. This can handle 30 amps continuous and
60 amp bursts. 20 mph may be federal law, on STREETS.,...but many of us will ride on trails, beaches , sides of the road, etc...so we wont always be restricted to 20 mph. In my location, you wont get 30-=35 miles distance on a 11 A/H battery , unless you plan on pedaling ALOT. I have 3 large inclines on our main roadways , that will quickly deplete a 11 A/H battery with a 185+ lb rider.

I build ebikes, so I have a pretty good idea on this stuff .

If I can purchase a brand new 48 volt/ 22 a/h lifepo4 battery, with charger and BMS , for $420 shipped to my door , then we can be assured they are
building these batterys for under $350 ...and possibly cloer to $250....These are mass produced overseas by workers who make pennies per hour.

Great. You bought the cheapest battery you could find in that size. Super. Hardly reflects the "normal marketplace" where at 20ah battery is 700+ and is much larger than normal.
The CHEAPEST Chinese Sh*t DOESNT" MAKE THE MARKET. ;)
I have 3 ebikes and ride them daily, so I have a pretty good idea on this stuff too.
And yes, I ride 30+ miles on my 11ah battery ALL the time. Never NOT achieved that (or much more)
It IS an E BIKE, so yes I peddle all the time. Like a bike.
There's the "facts" ;)
 
30mi - 32mi is the range I get with an 11.6ah battery on my EVO Street. Sure, they say it can get up to 60mi, but that's if you weigh 90 lbs, on a flat road, with heavy winds to your back.

you need to pedal more, or if you do, your battery isn't "great". :) Rode 24 miles last night on my Haibike, range showed 30 miles left, which was probably optimistic. (11ah)
Only time I've only gotten 30 miles on a charge was a buddy on the Stromer running it in Tour mode (3d hightest of 4) and we raced a bunch. 28 miles and said 6 miles left.
Even among batteries with the same spec, performance gonna be all over the place. Age, cells used, dead cells, etc etc
 
Now...for a person that weighs 135 lbs, like Court...he may be able to go 30+ miles distance on a 11 AH battery...especially if its driving in a area like florida, on flat surfaces.

I am TWO hundred and 25 lbs. ;) 30+ ALWAYS. It is flat here (Midwest)
You guys need to get some legs!
 
Great. You bought the cheapest battery you could find in that size. Super. Hardly reflects the "normal marketplace" where at 20ah battery is 700+ and is much larger than normal.
The CHEAPEST Chinese Sh*t DOESNT" MAKE THE MARKET. ;)
I have 3 ebikes and ride them daily, so I have a pretty good idea on this stuff too.
And yes, I ride 30+ miles on my 11ah battery ALL the time. Never NOT achieved that (or much more)
It IS an E BIKE, so yes I peddle all the time. Like a bike.
There's the "facts" ;)


No , I didn't buy the cheapest battery I could find in that size....There are other elements to a battery like continuous discharge , max discharge , composition, etc.

If people wish to peddle, all the time, like you do, then of course they will get more distance out of a 11A/H battery...but not everyone is like you, or has the desire to peddle all the time , and for those people , a 11A/H battery will not always cover a distance of 35 miles.

Theres a big difference between people who just ride ebikes, compared to those that ride them and build them.

Your quote of " the cheapest Chinese shiit doesn't make the market" , is also more baloney from you. Many times, the cheapest Chinese stuff, is what makes the market, because consumers are often only concerned about price.

Go try and bull crap someone else.
 
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I am TWO hundred and 25 lbs. ;) 30+ ALWAYS. It is flat here (Midwest)
You guys need to get some legs!


and like I said in a earlier, post...

if the terrain a person is riding, is almost all flat land, then they can get away with a lower A/H battery.

Comprehension is a beautiful thing.

You bring your ebike with its 11 AH battery to my area , and I GUARANTEE you wont get 35 miles distance out of your 11 A/H battery , unless you plan on pedaling home or pedal assisting the majority of the time. Ive got 3 hills on our roadway system, that would eat up your battery pack in no time . I like to have more A/H "S then I need, that way im not in a position where I have to peddle ....im in a position that if I want to peddle, I can, but I don't have to.

Just because you like to peddle, doesn't mean the rest of us have weak legs .
 
Agreed mostly with delights list. Had the Sondors Ebike. Road it for a little while then sold it. Paid $700 ($500 +$200 ship). For the price I paid I was very satisfied with it. Took me 30 minutes to put together with some minor adjustments on the front brake. Bike was heavy, but expected with a steel frame and big heavy tires. Speed was ok but once I hit a hill the motor was useless and pedaling was tough with single speed. Biggest help would be to improve the motor and drop the bikes weight. Here's what I'd like to see with Sondors next ebike:

1. 1000 watt motor sound pretty sweet.
2. Rear derailer 7 speed would be really nice for hills
3. Aluminum frame with tapered steering stem, so you could fit a Rockshox Bluto suspension fork, but ship with aluminum standard fork to keep the price down
4. Seatpost in standard size 31.6, so you could run a dropper post if you wanted
5. Lighter wheelset. (customer can move to tubeless to drop more weight)

Head lights/tailights, LCD displays, seat post suspension, hydraulic brakes (200mm rotor compatible) are nice but have those as add on that could be easy installed. Leave the Sondors bike pretty simple to keep the price as low as you can. I think with the change over to Aluminum frame, lighter wheels setup, bigger motor, and a rear derailer the bike could still make the under $1000 mark. I'd probably buy that.


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.
 
Hey guys, here's a bike that seems appropriate to the Sondors "upgrade". The specs looks decent and the price is only $1400 with shipping included. Also comes with a 1 year warranty. Any inputs or comments welcome.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

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Thread is heating up...

Clearly a case of one size does not fit all. Notice how many models of E-bikes there are...

I like the Sonders, especially that big battery box. And it just hides the junk nicely.

I can certainly see the point the OP was making. And I can certainly agree that with some more upgrades would appeal to a much wider market.
"Personally" I'd like to see "some" more motor especially on a fat bike, Say a 500W or 750W, maybe make them as options, and yes a 1000W too.
No question at least some gearing would be a huge bonus. (little cost too)

Again, "personally", I could care less about suspension, I feel it is unnecessary weight, which brings back the point not one size fits all.
 
Storm Sondors is sending out teaser ads, suggesting the next model will be half the weight... our Sondors experts identified the tire at a 700c x 1.5" or so.
 
I added a front dir drive 500w hub motor to my sondors. Stock gear motor in rear for tq off the line, and dir drive for top speed of 26 no pas.

I wont join the pizzing contest on range ah and level of fitness, but i have put over 1000 miles on it in this config 30 miles at a time using a 2 batt setup. Stock sondors plus a cheap china made 36v 15 ah frog battery.

The 2wd is really capable offroad. I can climb hills run single track and loose gravel is fun.

Ive also had it in some soupymud and the 2 wd and fat tires ease through np.

I rec got a stealth bomber and thought i would sell the sondors after 'upgrading' but nope.... The sondors is my exercise distance touring machine. Fun in its own way.

Of course the stealth does its trail bike stuff well, but not a replacement for the venerable 2wd sondors.

All imho.
 
What I like about the Sondors is it's a good platform to upgrade and do modification. The stock 350w Bafang motor is actually very capable and can be pushed to peak 1000w with a 48v battery, controller & LCD. I've read people who did this got really good results and are able to now climb the hills where they live.
 
I added a front dir drive 500w hub motor to my sondors. Stock gear motor in rear for tq off the line, and dir drive for top speed of 26 no pas.

I wont join the pizzing contest on range ah and level of fitness, but i have put over 1000 miles on it in this config 30 miles at a time using a 2 batt setup. Stock sondors plus a cheap china made 36v 15 ah frog battery.

The 2wd is really capable offroad. I can climb hills run single track and loose gravel is fun.

Ive also had it in some soupymud and the 2 wd and fat tires ease through np.

I rec got a stealth bomber and thought i would sell the sondors after 'upgrading' but nope.... The sondors is my exercise distance touring machine. Fun in its own way.

Of course the stealth does its trail bike stuff well, but not a replacement for the venerable 2wd sondors.

All imho.

Was wondering how you geared up your throttle, did you get like a splitter ?
2WD sounds cool.
 
@one4torque Hey, can you link the fenders you bought for your ride? I'm looking for some and I like the look. What sizes will they fit, I'm riding 4" wide roughly.
 
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