US ebike Company: Hi-Power Cycles

I went with a 2000w thunderbolt motor, and a 52v 12.5ah battery. It was a hard decision choosing the power I think I'll need while also staying under my budget. I am somewhat concerned about the actual range I'll achieve on this system I'm getting. Glad to hear you're still in love with your bike!

That's a great bang for the buck system. 2000 watts should get you anywhere you need to go. The Thunderbolt motors have a faster wind so you'll get some decent top end speed too. Range is fully dependent on how much throttle you use. The mileage ratings you see are calculated using a 180 pound rider going on a flat surface @ 20 mph. In the real World you'll get much less. I have the 5000 watt motor with the 13.5 Ah 90V battery and I ride it like I stole it. Even with that style of riding, I still get about 24 miles on a full charge.
 
Last edited:
Man, you have an awesome bike! Lol, that's exactly how I plan to ride this bike, like I stole it. I think you are right, I'll be lucky if I get 15-17 miles on a full charge (which isn't quite enough for me). I might consider upgrading the battery or getting a spare if I find the range is not good enough.
 
Man, you have an awesome bike! Lol, that's exactly how I plan to ride this bike, like I stole it. I think you are right, I'll be lucky if I get 15-17 miles on a full charge (which isn't quite enough for me). I might consider upgrading the battery or getting a spare if I find the range is not good enough.
Chris is really great in that regard. I changed my mind multiple times during my build, and they were always really cool about accommodating me and getting me exactly what I wanted. I've got nothing but positive things to say about the whole experience.
 
Hey bareby, I have bbs02 motor with a 13 amp battery from lectriccycles company in Tempe Arizona, my fat tire bike is only 3 weeks old. I love it, get a lot of looks.....
 

Attachments

  • 20150825_233553.jpg
    20150825_233553.jpg
    817.1 KB · Views: 639
  • Screenshot_2015-08-24-23-45-32.png
    Screenshot_2015-08-24-23-45-32.png
    1.8 MB · Views: 658
Nice looking build, Sal! bet that's a comfortable ride. What kind of speed and range on your bike?
 
Nice looking build, Sal! bet that's a comfortable ride. What kind of speed and range on your bike?
Ann, I am still trying to wear out the 6 bars on battery, I can't yet. I already ran it hard 6 miles in 100 degree weather, a lot up hills, PAS 4-5 and full throttle 1/2 the time, and only lost one bar out of six.... I have 750 watt bbs02 w/ new 13 amp battery.... ur guess as good as mine, 30 -35 + maybe? And yes the ride so comfortable now, I upgraded with Thudbuster and selle-royal gel seat.... I now comfortably getting the chance to explore local trails: Bay Area, California, specifically Mt. Diablo trails....P.S. I have total respect for Hi-powercycles builds ( great quality kits) despite my decision to choose lectriccycles build.....
 

Attachments

  • 20150910_001715.jpg
    20150910_001715.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 641
  • 20150910_001748.jpg
    20150910_001748.jpg
    612.8 KB · Views: 672
  • 20150910_001730.jpg
    20150910_001730.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 669
  • 20150910_001735.jpg
    20150910_001735.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 675
Last edited:
l contacted Chris about getting a BMC V4S instead of the Thunderbolt as l wanted the lighter geared motor. He said the V4S is unavailable because of hall sensor problems. I presume the move to Crystalyte direct drive motors was from the problems with the BMC. Tried finding out about the problems with these hall sensors, but have come up with nothing. Must l stay away from BMC?
 
I wanted to report my experience with HPC. It has been less than perfect :(
In the beginning, when I was looking to buy a bike from HPC, they were very pleasant with helping me decide on motor size, battery, etc. I had many questions, and after a few phone calls, they asked for an initial deposit of $200. Since I was seriously considering buying a bike from them, I didn't see a problem with it. What they didn't tell me was that the $200 was for a custom paint job and non-refundable. They held onto my deposit for an entire month before eventually refunding it (more on that later).
They have been extremely difficult to get in touch with afterwards, but to be fair they have a relatively small staff and were preoccupied with the Interbike event last week. However, I only needed a few simple questions answered and was ready to go through with the purchase. Had we been able to connect, confirm the bike build, and negotiate a final price, it would have been a done deal. Instead, weeks later they build a bike using components unbeknownst to me and attempted to charge me for their labor/bike at some arbitrated price. This seemed unfair and I was no longer comfortable with doing business with them, so I asked them to refund my deposit while I consider it. At that point, they told me that the deposit was for a custom paint job and refused to refund it. They said "no refunds" and continued to press me for compensation on their labor (they wanted to charge me an additional $750 if I don't buy the bike). Of course I refused to pay since I did not authorize them to build the bike. Heck, I didn't even know what components they were using to build the bike! Apparently, they just made that decision for me.
Since they already labored to build the bike, they were very eager to sell it (understandably) and offered me upgrades to higher-end bike components in order to complete the sale. It was very tempting (as I think HPC makes great bikes). However, I became worried that if I ever had any issues with the bike and had to exercise their warranty, the type of resistance/lag I would run into with HPC during the warranty process. In my interactions with them, I felt that they were a little aggressive and seemed to care more about retaining their profits than helping a customer.
In the end, after numerous emails back and forth, they did the right thing and refunded my money. However, I am a little sad in the way things turned out. I would've loved to have purchased a bike from them, and promoted them to a couple of my friends that are also looking to buy an ebike.
In hindsight, I believe the whole thing started with a misunderstanding, was exasperated by their slow response time, and ended very badly due to their aggressive approach with me towards the end. I don't necessarily think that you will have/had a similar experience as I did, and I am not telling anyone to not consider them as a merchant. I think HPC bikes are overpriced, but they are no doubt good bikes.
 
I wanted to report my experience with HPC. It has been less than perfect :(
In the beginning, when I was looking to buy a bike from HPC, they were very pleasant with helping me decide on motor size, battery, etc. I had many questions, and after a few phone calls, they asked for an initial deposit of $200. Since I was seriously considering buying a bike from them, I didn't see a problem with it. What they didn't tell me was that the $200 was for a custom paint job and non-refundable. They held onto my deposit for an entire month before eventually refunding it (more on that later).
They have been extremely difficult to get in touch with afterwards, but to be fair they have a relatively small staff and were preoccupied with the Interbike event last week. However, I only needed a few simple questions answered and was ready to go through with the purchase. Had we been able to connect, confirm the bike build, and negotiate a final price, it would have been a done deal. Instead, weeks later they build a bike using components unbeknownst to me and attempted to charge me for their labor/bike at some arbitrated price. This seemed unfair and I was no longer comfortable with doing business with them, so I asked them to refund my deposit while I consider it. At that point, they told me that the deposit was for a custom paint job and refused to refund it. They said "no refunds" and continued to press me for compensation on their labor (they wanted to charge me an additional $750 if I don't buy the bike). Of course I refused to pay since I did not authorize them to build the bike. Heck, I didn't even know what components they were using to build the bike! Apparently, they just made that decision for me.
Since they already labored to build the bike, they were very eager to sell it (understandably) and offered me upgrades to higher-end bike components in order to complete the sale. It was very tempting (as I think HPC makes great bikes). However, I became worried that if I ever had any issues with the bike and had to exercise their warranty, the type of resistance/lag I would run into with HPC during the warranty process. In my interactions with them, I felt that they were a little aggressive and seemed to care more about retaining their profits than helping a customer.
In the end, after numerous emails back and forth, they did the right thing and refunded my money. However, I am a little sad in the way things turned out. I would've loved to have purchased a bike from them, and promoted them to a couple of my friends that are also looking to buy an ebike.
In hindsight, I believe the whole thing started with a misunderstanding, was exasperated by their slow response time, and ended very badly due to their aggressive approach with me towards the end. I don't necessarily think that you will have/had a similar experience as I did, and I am not telling anyone to not consider them as a merchant. I think HPC bikes are overpriced, but they are no doubt good bikes.
I too almost bought hpc bike, good stuff, but in the end I went with lectriccycles.com, 1/3 less and advanced stuff, including mid drive shift sensor instead of shifting with awkward break, stop peddling combo, sucks. Talk to Chris at lectriccycles.com, he is fair and non residents to do this fair with customers. ... I bought my fat tire bike 1 month ago, by the way.
 
I'm dealing with them now on a Full Suspension build and so far it's been a great experience. I've changed my mind several times and swapped out different parts etc. and they've been great about it all.

We've been waiting for some Tektro Brake adapters for about a week now. Talked to Chris yesterday, and they have Magura Dual Caliper Brakes in stock so they are going to upgrade me to a set of MT-5s which they can mount today. So great customer service there. These are significantly more expensive than the Tektros.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
I like your bike, but could you tell me because I don't get clear if this system recovery charge on downhill/pedaling or is just an electric-motor-cycle = eMotorcycle?
Thanks for you answer.
 
I like your bike, but could you tell me because I don't get clear if this system recovery charge on downhill/pedaling or is just an electric-motor-cycle = eMotorcycle?
Thanks for you answer.

This is an old thread... bareyb hasn't been on in about a year.
 
Ann, I am still trying to wear out the 6 bars on battery, I can't yet. I already ran it hard 6 miles in 100 degree weather, a lot up hills, PAS 4-5 and full throttle 1/2 the time, and only lost one bar out of six.... I have 750 watt bbs02 w/ new 13 amp battery.... ur guess as good as mine, 30 -35 + maybe? And yes the ride so comfortable now, I upgraded with Thudbuster and selle-royal gel seat.... I now comfortably getting the chance to explore local trails: Bay Area, California, specifically Mt. Diablo trails....P.S. I have total respect for Hi-powercycles builds ( great quality kits) despite my decision to choose lectriccycles build.....
BBs02 w/ nu Vinci...nice.
 
I bought a bike from HPC about a year ago and have put 1200 miles on it. Everything about my customer experience with them has been excellent, especially the awesome product which has worked flawlessly and exactly as advertised. This includes their installation of a torque sensing bottom bracket to create a pedal-assisted bike in addition to the throttle. This is not something they normally do, in fact it was their first such build. So they took on some risk in being able to deliver my request, and they did a great job. I have had long talks with Chris about ebikes, and he is always generous with his time in answering questions, as are their other knowledgeable employees. I hear that others may have had a different experience...but I would recommend them to anyone looking for a good buying experience and wanting to ride what I believe are the best performing ebikes around. Oh, and I am a very happy owner who hasn't posted a video to youtube.
 
Back