XiongDa motor on this e bike
- Thread starter marcuspresident
- Start date
harryS
Well-Known Member
How much? If it's under $600 shipped, and if you can get spare parts and know how to install them, it you might enjoy it for a while.
Is it this one on alibaba?
If no spares, you might have a tough time in future. A cast wheel/motor is a specialty item. and having a two speed Xionga makes it even rarer. I believe it needs a special controller to use the low gear. You might need a custom pack to replace the battery in the frame, always something to think about.
In my opinion, unless you consider this a disposable item, it's pretty much a labor of love to keep an alibaba bike running. The parts are likely unavailable so you might retrofit motor/electronics/battery, but in this case, the first two are unique to this bike. Might as well have ordered a second bike for spare parts.
Is it this one on alibaba?
If no spares, you might have a tough time in future. A cast wheel/motor is a specialty item. and having a two speed Xionga makes it even rarer. I believe it needs a special controller to use the low gear. You might need a custom pack to replace the battery in the frame, always something to think about.
In my opinion, unless you consider this a disposable item, it's pretty much a labor of love to keep an alibaba bike running. The parts are likely unavailable so you might retrofit motor/electronics/battery, but in this case, the first two are unique to this bike. Might as well have ordered a second bike for spare parts.
marcuspresident
New Member
It is exactly that one
So its sounds like a no no for a first time e-bike. But any other suggestions on Alibaba? I would like a foldable one..
marcuspresident
New Member
Ok so you mean if something failure its hard to claim the warranty. I done warranty issue with places like gearbest, geekbuying and aliexpress and thats been a hazard but eventually i have got my money or item back(after re-shipping). But I understand that it is problematic to re-ship a bike.
Some dealers on alibaba have the Bafang/8Fun motor. Is that a better engine?
marcuspresident
New Member
This one, the Jolt ebike
looks exactly like this one on Alibaba https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.100.2d6929d1ePpAsz
Is it the same product? And I cant find anywhere lwhat motor it is on the Jolt bike? The review doesnt say that either.
Is it the same product? And I cant find anywhere lwhat motor it is on the Jolt bike? The review doesnt say that either.
marcuspresident
New Member
Ann M.
Well-Known Member
Marcus, a lot of the less expensive electric bikes are off the shelf product from China as you have noted above. Sometimes a "manufacturer" like Jolt or other companies will customize their products with upgraded bike or electronic components while using the same frame as the generic version. If you dig a bit the differences could be simple things like heavier, better grade cables or better pedals or a higher grade controller or a same brand motor that's wound differently for Jolt. We don't know this without very detailed specs from both the generic Alibaba bike and Jolt. Right now, we don't know whether it's the same brand of motor since the exterior of the motor case has no label or brand etched onto it. I also checked Jolt's Indiegogo page and the motor size and watts are listed but no brand.
The Asian ebike manufacturers have a lot of capacity and will produce customized ebikes for other companies. There's a lot of specialized equipment and labor involved to build a bike, so very few ebike manufacturers actually own their plants; they contract with these bigger international companies.
The Asian ebike manufacturers have a lot of capacity and will produce customized ebikes for other companies. There's a lot of specialized equipment and labor involved to build a bike, so very few ebike manufacturers actually own their plants; they contract with these bigger international companies.
marcuspresident
New Member
I understand that. But for me a Indiegogo "project" is a hole new idea. Not just a simple change of cables, stickers and a controller. Then I think the Jolt company is misleading their crowdfunders.
Then its caveat emptor also for Jolt @JRS.
Then its caveat emptor also for Jolt @JRS.
What Ann said - better known ebike brands (not the top brands but still more expensive than this one) rarely manufacture anything. At the very best, they design the frame and tweak with motor and controller a little - and then some Chinese plant starts making it. Then 50 other plants start making clones of it that look identical but have unknown quality components.
Don't ask whether anybody knows this or that Alibaba motor, in most cases you'll get no answers. What people don't realize is how big a crowd is 2,000,000,000 people, all cramped in that limited space. There can be dozens or hundreds of factories and motors like this one, with different names (and varying quality).
Don't trust pictures, either - they copy each other pictures the same as they do it on Ebay and Amazon, hundreds of identically looking pictures, especially for low-priced items, because the purpose is to sell, not to build a name. Chances are, the seller and the very item won't be there in a few years, so my advice would be getting a design as standard as possible, so that you could repair/replace the parts later. Cast wheels is not a common or standard design. Battery on folding bikes is often a proprietary shape too, unfortunately.
Don't ask whether anybody knows this or that Alibaba motor, in most cases you'll get no answers. What people don't realize is how big a crowd is 2,000,000,000 people, all cramped in that limited space. There can be dozens or hundreds of factories and motors like this one, with different names (and varying quality).
Don't trust pictures, either - they copy each other pictures the same as they do it on Ebay and Amazon, hundreds of identically looking pictures, especially for low-priced items, because the purpose is to sell, not to build a name. Chances are, the seller and the very item won't be there in a few years, so my advice would be getting a design as standard as possible, so that you could repair/replace the parts later. Cast wheels is not a common or standard design. Battery on folding bikes is often a proprietary shape too, unfortunately.
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My view is that its going to be a poor build quality bike with little or no features. It will likely have a Bafang hub motor, and the fork and suspension will be almost unusable. Also check for little things like quick release hubs (forget about that on the rear wheel), weight, and over all stability.
Bafang is one of mainstream manufacturers, parts are easy to locate. With these nondescript ali-baba/express babies you usually don't know what you're getting.
D
Deleted member 4210
Guest
stay away from...
- Motors built into the 5 or 6 spoke magnesium or other alloy rim. You wont be able to replace the motor without buying it in an whole new rim. These rims can get bent and aren't truable. These are very stiff riding.
- Folding ebikes that are priced less than $1000. You simply cannot build a quality ebike with good components for under that price.
-Batteries inside frame tubes- these are very specialized, and will be very hard to replace. And expensive since they are very limited quantity in their builds. Also if the BMS fails it likely will be hard to access, and of a unique shape to fit inside the tube.
- Kickstarter or Indiegogo ebikes. While the ebikes might be priced attractively initially, these are not companies that have thought through a well designed distribution plan, and they usually cannot build any sort of dealership quickly enough to keep their business models from failing. What they might offer in terms of design novelty, they will seriously lack in follow through support and service, bc they are operating on a shoe strong budget, that can't possibly be funded properly via a crowdfunding business model. The jury is still out big time, on how any of these crowdfunded companies are doing, and whether they survive beyond 3 to 5 years. Virtually anyone can start an ebike 'company' and contract with these dime a dozen chinese factories, and white label anything they want. Manufacturing is essentially dead here in the US except for all but the most expensive of products, and further there is literally no supply chain here for everything from the motors, to brakes, to cables, to frames, to seats, to rims, and its all overseas, primarily in China. To deal with China and make products there successfully you have to have US people on the ground there. You cant do it via occasional visits, or emails or telecom, and expect any sort of success. Companies like Apple can do that, but starting up any company, let alone an ebike company, takes VERY deep pockets, that wont come from crowdfunding. I'll give you one example of a firm that is struggling mightily, called Geo-Orbital, who had one of the most successfully crowdfunding campaigns in history. The reliability issues they are having and total lack of a field support structure, is costing them a lot of money. Their design is very complex. And its just for a motor in a wheel. And they are trying to do it 'locally'. Tough row to hoe.
- Motors built into the 5 or 6 spoke magnesium or other alloy rim. You wont be able to replace the motor without buying it in an whole new rim. These rims can get bent and aren't truable. These are very stiff riding.
- Folding ebikes that are priced less than $1000. You simply cannot build a quality ebike with good components for under that price.
-Batteries inside frame tubes- these are very specialized, and will be very hard to replace. And expensive since they are very limited quantity in their builds. Also if the BMS fails it likely will be hard to access, and of a unique shape to fit inside the tube.
- Kickstarter or Indiegogo ebikes. While the ebikes might be priced attractively initially, these are not companies that have thought through a well designed distribution plan, and they usually cannot build any sort of dealership quickly enough to keep their business models from failing. What they might offer in terms of design novelty, they will seriously lack in follow through support and service, bc they are operating on a shoe strong budget, that can't possibly be funded properly via a crowdfunding business model. The jury is still out big time, on how any of these crowdfunded companies are doing, and whether they survive beyond 3 to 5 years. Virtually anyone can start an ebike 'company' and contract with these dime a dozen chinese factories, and white label anything they want. Manufacturing is essentially dead here in the US except for all but the most expensive of products, and further there is literally no supply chain here for everything from the motors, to brakes, to cables, to frames, to seats, to rims, and its all overseas, primarily in China. To deal with China and make products there successfully you have to have US people on the ground there. You cant do it via occasional visits, or emails or telecom, and expect any sort of success. Companies like Apple can do that, but starting up any company, let alone an ebike company, takes VERY deep pockets, that wont come from crowdfunding. I'll give you one example of a firm that is struggling mightily, called Geo-Orbital, who had one of the most successfully crowdfunding campaigns in history. The reliability issues they are having and total lack of a field support structure, is costing them a lot of money. Their design is very complex. And its just for a motor in a wheel. And they are trying to do it 'locally'. Tough row to hoe.
marcuspresident
New Member
It seems like there is like 5-6 different types of folding e-bikes in/from/made China. It cant be that hard to get spare parts for them thou. It seems pretty standard for exampel that 20” with fat tires and rear Bafang motor. And this example I gave previously in the thread.
Its seems like theres no chain for repairing any product (bikes, mobiles, cars etc.) outside China. Same everywhere, its expensive to have any kind of storage of spareparts. Thats the downside of cheap China products. Thats why we buy and throw, buy and throw. Why fix it?!
So the Q is why I should pay four times the price in my homecountry for a bike when not even the resellers have spareparts or they also order those direct from China? If my bike will brake (exuse me
) I just buy a new one. So lousy quality it can´t be.
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harryS
Well-Known Member
By the way, that Xiongda motor is a typical geared motor, and you can buy a replacement in a cast wheel. They're good about selling single units. I was going to buy their two-speed motor and was given a reasonable price. A replacement battery is more tricky. You could look for a battery builder or see if an existing battery fits.
An Ejoe Epic probably uses a similar battery. Also the Voltbike Urban. The latter is $1128 shipped. I suppose you could buy two of the Xiongda's for the same price. At that price range, they're all using similar components. I test rode an Ejoe last Spring. Fun bike, but they wanted $1400. Too much for me.
At the moment, you can get a 20" Ancheer folder for $535 on ebay. Except for disk brakes, that sure looks like a Voltbike frame. The top speed of a 20" folder is about 16-18 mph on 36V. Rim brakes will stop OK in my opinion. Is an Ancheer any good? I don't know. With a folder, you do want some reassurance that it won't snap in half. When safety is involved, I'd be looking harder.
An Ejoe Epic probably uses a similar battery. Also the Voltbike Urban. The latter is $1128 shipped. I suppose you could buy two of the Xiongda's for the same price. At that price range, they're all using similar components. I test rode an Ejoe last Spring. Fun bike, but they wanted $1400. Too much for me.
At the moment, you can get a 20" Ancheer folder for $535 on ebay. Except for disk brakes, that sure looks like a Voltbike frame. The top speed of a 20" folder is about 16-18 mph on 36V. Rim brakes will stop OK in my opinion. Is an Ancheer any good? I don't know. With a folder, you do want some reassurance that it won't snap in half. When safety is involved, I'd be looking harder.
