Trike short list and why...

[Dave P]

I'm not going to beg to buy something. Imagine what it would be like trying to get any customer service. It is on to the next trike store.

In fact, I'm taking another look at Mobility4Less. I'm learning they're not any worse communicators than any others I've recently contacted. And their trikes have all I'm looking for for less money.

You come back to them periodically. Most of their website looks like an alibaba advertisement but they do have the FT-1900 which has been mentioned in the past...It does look a lot like the one Colin purchased used. Have you moved yet or do you still have a couple weeks to go before you can purchase an etrike?

 

[Gfmucci]

Yes I'm ready to buy. In fact I attempted a web purchase through Mobility for Less yesterday. They give 3 payment options: fax a blank check, provide account and routing numbers, or a credit card w/+3% surcharge. I chose the credit card route despite the surcharge because I still thought it was a good deal and I liked the features on the trike. I even called my credit card company to clear my account for a +$2,000 purchase. Some guy from Mobility4Less with a hidden phone number phoned me yesterday afternoon and said the credit would not go through - despite the fact that my credit card was cleared for them. My bank confirmed there was no declined effort to charge a large amount. The guy on the phone gave me every indication he was a BS artist. Mobility 4 Less said the only options now available were photographing a blank check or giving them my routing and account number. Not on your life.

I am convinced that they only allow non credit card purchases so that if there is a problem the customer has no recourse.

 

[Gfmucci]

So now my favorite is the old stock Emojo Caddy with the 7 speed. I like the fenders and front basket. I was told by a dealer that it has no parking brake, front suspension, or motor cut off. [The manufacturer subsequently told me it has both a motor cut off and parking brake but only 1 speed tranny.] In considering a trike that has no motor cut off, a car has no motor cutoff when we slam on the brake. We learn to use the right foot for both. Of course there is the occasional old guy who crams his foot on both and runs his car through the 7-11. ?

Aside from that rare event, a similar learned technique would apply to the trike so as to not apply power when stopping. Suspension - I'm not sure how important that is.

A good retailer appears to be Journey Bikes. It is a real store, I think in Delaware, owned by a husband and wife who are into bikes. They offer $200 off the price most places charge for the Caddy plus free shipping. And they are easy to contact - 180 degrees from Mobility4Less. Stay tuned.

 

[Dave P]

So now my favorite is the old stock Emojo with the 7 speed. I like the fenders and front basket. It has no parking brake, front suspension, or motor cut off. But I was thinking about that. In a car there is no motor cutoff when we slam on the brake. We learn to use the right foot for both. A similar learned technique would apply to the trike so as to not apply power when stopping. Suspension - I'm not sure how important that is.

It looks exactly like the used one Colin purchased. Maybe they felt the front fork was placed too far forward to use any suspension although in that case they usually use a steel front fork which tends to be more forgiving when used in that way. I guess you'll find out. I like the two baskets and the build for the baskets. On my M-330 I find them rather handy. Keep us updated.

 

[Gfmucci]

It looks exactly like the used one Colin purchased. Maybe they felt the front fork was placed too far forward to use any suspension although in that case they usually use a steel front fork which tends to be more forgiving when used in that way. I guess you'll find out. I like the two baskets and the build for the baskets. On my M-330 I find them rather handy. Keep us updated.

Actually, the person at Journey Bikes I spoke with indicated the Emojo Caddy is simply a lower end bike when I expressed my surprise that it didn't have a motor cut off. So as much as I would like to believe that there is some design element in the frame that somehow cushions the ride a bit, I think the absence of fork suspension is due more to cost cutting than anything else.

 

[Dave P]

Actually, the person at Journey Bikes I spoke with indicated the Emojo Caddy is simply a lower end bike when I expressed my surprise that it didn't have a motor cut off.

I'm sure we can have another one of our discussions on this but I disagree even though Addmotor has the cutoff on its bikes. To me, a lower end bike would have a Shimano Tourney derailleur rather than a Shimano Altus derailleur (I don't think it states either way on the Emojo). The Tektro hand brakes are good. The 500W 48V 15ah is very good. If they had a 250W then we might be looking at lower end. The motor and battery are the most expensive parts of the etrike and the Emojo has decent stats in that regard. Yes, not having a motor cutoff is a design flaw but I don't know if I would characterize it as lower end---maybe middle of the pack.

 

[Gfmucci]

Well, since I often let curiosity get the best of me, I called the emojo caddy manufacturer. A very helpful lady told me that indeed the caddy has a motor cut off and a parking brake. However unlike the advertisement at the bike shop I spoke with [and 2 sellers on Amazon], she also stated that no distributor has a multi-speed transmission on that trike anymore. They are all single speed. So another call to Journey bikes is in order to see if they really have old stock with multiple gears as their website indicates. Confusion reigns. Does anyone convey the straight scoop?

 

[Dave P]

Well, since I often let curiosity get the best of me, I called the emojo caddy manufacturer. A very helpful lady told me that indeed the caddy has a motor cut off and a parking brake. However unlike the advertisement at the bike shop I spoke with, she also stated that no distributor has a multi-speed transmission on that trike anymore. They are all single speed. So another call to Journey bikes is in order to see if they really have old stock with with multiple gears as their website indicates. Confusion reigns. Does anyone convey the straight scoop?

Somewhere along the line you'll get a straight answer.

 

[Gfmucci]

If you had a choice between a trike with:

Motor cut off, parking brake and front basket, but single speed, 500 watt system, and no fork suspension,

or

No motor cut off, no parking brake, no front basket, but 750 watt system, 6 speed, and front suspension...

Which would you prefer and why?

 

[Dave P]

If you had a choice between a trike with:

Motor cut off, parking brake and front basket, but single speed, 500 watt system, and no fork suspension,

or

No motor cut off, no parking brake, no front basket, but 750 watt system, 6 speed, and front suspension...

Which would you prefer and why?

You're leaving some things out in your comparison such as pedal assist (PAS). In any case I would not buy an etrike with single speed---deal breaker. No PAS is also a deal breaker and I am not aware of a single speed with PAS... The LibertyTrike (LT) had single speed and no PAS (just throttle). I had a 5 speed internal hub installed but PAS is another story and I am selling the LT. There are just too many variables you are leaving out. If I had to choose between the two the second one is a no brainer choice but without PAS (I imagine it has it installed) I wouldn't consider it.

 

[Gfmucci]

Emojo Caddy (the first option) is advertised on several websites as having 5 levels of pedal assist (PAS). But then those are the same sites that advertise the Caddy as having 7 speeds despite the manufacturer stating that 7 speed Caddys are not available anywhere - only single speed.

Is there any technical prohibition to have PAS on a single speed bike?

 

[Gfmucci]

Is there any technical prohibition to have PAS on a single speed bike?

Here's the answer to my question from Emojo...

"Hello and thank you for contacting us, the Caddy is a single speed in terms of gears but the pedal assist is related to the electric motor settings and has 5 different levels.
Some dealers may still advertise old information in terms of specs."

 

[Dave P]

Emojo Caddy (the first option) is advertised on several websites as having 5 levels of pedal assist (PAS). But then those are the same sites that advertise the Caddy as having 7 speeds despite the manufacturer stating that 7 speed Caddys are not available anywhere - only single speed.

Is there any technical prohibition to have PAS on a single speed bike?

I suppose you could have both but when you increase your PAS you have to increase pedaling. If you have additional gears you can increase the gears so that when you pedal the cadence sensors continue to be activated because of the pressure of pedaling otherwise you tend to find that you're pedaling without any resistance and thus the cadence sensors aren't activated. At that point you would use the throttle instead.

 

[Gfmucci]

Well, Dave, I think the "table experiment" I conducted at the furniture store today (see post titled 'Revelation") convinced me which trike I should get.

It is now between the Addmotor semi-recumbent ant the same style that electrictrike.com sells.

They are each within a few $$$ of each other with the current Addmotor sale (yes, I know you paid a lot less in the the crowdfunding sale). But looking at the specs of both, the Addmotor seems like the better equipped bike for the same money, especially the 750 vs 500 watt motor.

Any observations to share concerning the pros and cons of these options? I'm not concerned with the seat/pedal reach.

 

[Dave P]

Well, Dave, I think the "table experiment" I conducted at the furniture store today (see post titled 'Revelation") convinced me which trike I should get.

It is now between the Addmotor semi-recumbent ant the same style that electrictrike.com sells.

They are each within a few $$$ of each other with the current Addmotor sale (yes, I know you paid a lot less in the the crowdfunding sale). But looking at the specs of both, the Addmotor seems like the better equipped bike for the same money, especially the 750 vs 500 watt motor.

Any observations to share concerning the pros and cons of these options? I'm not concerned with the seat/pedal reach.

I read your "Revelation" post which has lead to your decision on the type of etrike to purchase. Interesting thought process.

You're right about the cost of each. The M-360 and the Electric Fat Delta (EFD) are exactly the same price factoring in shipping on the Electric Fat Delta. The EFD boasts a "rapid-fire" shifter which may mean the "Acera" which would be an upgrade from the Altus on the M-360 but I have never had a problem with the Altus whether it was on the M-330 or M-360 but it is a difference. The EFD also has a 17ah cell battery compared to the 14.5ah of the M-360 although the M-360 has panasonic batteries which are supposed to be better than samsung. You already mentioned the more powerful motor of the M-360 (750 vs 500). The M-360 has a few more bells and whistles than the EFD (e.g. loud horn, turning signals, high and low ftont lights---all controlled on the handle bar). The frame is chrome (7075) and fork is steel on the M-360 whereas there is no mention what the frame or fork is made out of for the EFD.

It was the Trivel E-fat Azteca review by Court which sold me on the M-360. Very similar design. If you haven't seen it you might want to watch the video review. I was never crazy about the Trivel because they had too many gears as far as I was concerned and a couple other things which bothered me about their design compared to the M-360. Of course the cost of $3900 was definitely a turn off.

The EFD and the M-360 are almost mirrored images of each other. The EFD is sold by a company in Pennsylvania although it's hard for me to believe that it is manufactured in Pennsylvania (although you could call and ask). I am fairly confident both of them are manufactured in China. In any case most of the issues are a wash depending on your preferences. They both have brands which can be easily fixed or replaced (e.g. bafang, shimano, tektra, kenda etc). Not exactly sure who manufactures their controller and this may be where there may or may not be an issue if EBT is manufacturing their own controllers. In any case, if something goes bad you can call EBT and they will help you on the spot. Addmotor will help you but it is by email for the most part although I have contacted them by phone and they were helpful. On the other hand, I have not had an issue with either of Addmotor's trikes and the display went bad on the Liberty Trike which is made by EBT (they immediately sent me a new one). All in all I don't think it is an easy question but I don't think you can go wrong with either etrike. If you read all the reviews on Addmotor etrikes they are mostly all positive. Pull the trigger and go for it and love your choice.

 

[Gfmucci]

I just pulled the trigger on the M-360, Used the same card as I did at Mobility4Less which was approved in 3 seconds for a larger amount, which tells me what a deceitful POS Mobility4Less is.

 

[Dave P]

I just pulled the trigger on the M-360, Used the same card as I did at Mobility4Less which was approved in 3 seconds for a larger amount, which tells me what a deceitful POS Mobility4Less is.

Glad to hear you finally were able to find something that works for you. What color did you decide on? I bought the green one. I guess that was one other factor for the M-360--pick one of four colors.

 

[Gfmucci]

I'm partially color blind. I bought the green one thinking it was yellow. Maybe it's a yellowish green? How far away from the point of origin are you and how long did it take to arrive?

 

[Dave P]

I'm partially color blind. I bought the green one thinking it was yellow. Maybe it's a yellowish green? How far away from the point of origin are you and how long did it take to arrive?

They shipped on April 27 and I received it within a week or so. They are in LA and I am in Florida and there was a mixup when it was received in Orlando. The shipping company sent it out to a business rather than residential and so it took a couple days longer than it should have. They tend to be very prompt so it may well go out tomorrow and depending on where you are located you should receive it this week. You'll receive an email with a tracking number when they ship it.

No, it's not a yellowish green. It is a very colorful green but very green.

 

[Gfmucci]

Ocala