Will those that have Ebikes post what they have, how long they had them, how they perform and would you buy it again. Trying to narrow down all the brands with opinions here instead of trusting online reviews.
E-bike
- Thread starter Laserman1
- Start date
41Magnum
Well-Known Member
Following 2
KPH
Well-Known Member
I just got a Addmoter wildtan M-5600 I haven't had it long enough to give a good opinion yet but I will say this it is a little big for me. I am 5ft 11in. Once I get use to it I believe it will be alright.
medic
Well-Known Member
I just bought 2 on the Aventon Aventure bikes, step through model. I haven't put many miles on it but I am happy with it so far.
Antioch_Hunter
Well-Known Member
Following as well
dranrab
Member
The first consideration is what kind of e-bike would you want? Full suspension, hybrid, city bike? There are a lot of different styles.
The heart of an e-bike is obviously the motor. I recommend a mid-drive over a hub drive. Like most discussion over which is best, which e-bike motor is the best can be a contentious topic. Bosch, Yamaha and Shimano are the brands I trust most. Power, range and modes are all considerations. My wife's is a 400W Bosch. It is fantastic. Do some reading and research on the various motors to see if one offers something the others don't. Brand really doesn't matter. I do recommend 400W minimum. I would not get an off brand motor.
There are different classes of motors too. They are designed to assist up to a certain maximum speed.
The frames of all of the major manufacturers come from just a few different plants. The parts they hang on them are are all similar at a similar price point. My opinion is that bike brand doesn't matter. A good dealer may matter.
My wife's bike is a Civia city bike. Her bike is fantastic, and I would recommend it, but they shut down. There are still some out there https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=94632
I still haven't gone to an e-bike, but will at some point. They are a flippin hoot!
The heart of an e-bike is obviously the motor. I recommend a mid-drive over a hub drive. Like most discussion over which is best, which e-bike motor is the best can be a contentious topic. Bosch, Yamaha and Shimano are the brands I trust most. Power, range and modes are all considerations. My wife's is a 400W Bosch. It is fantastic. Do some reading and research on the various motors to see if one offers something the others don't. Brand really doesn't matter. I do recommend 400W minimum. I would not get an off brand motor.
There are different classes of motors too. They are designed to assist up to a certain maximum speed.
The frames of all of the major manufacturers come from just a few different plants. The parts they hang on them are are all similar at a similar price point. My opinion is that bike brand doesn't matter. A good dealer may matter.
My wife's bike is a Civia city bike. Her bike is fantastic, and I would recommend it, but they shut down. There are still some out there https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=94632
I still haven't gone to an e-bike, but will at some point. They are a flippin hoot!
Mackey
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2015
- Messages
- 142
I just sold a Quiet Kat Canyon because it was just too big. I'm a little guy, 5'5" tall and I couldn't get on and off that thing without some trouble. I purchased 2 Specialized Vado's for my wife and I. They are both small size frames, and we love them. It's not the same heavy duty, giant tire monster bike my QuietKat was, but it will serve me for a little turkey hunting and a whole lot of just riding the trails here in Germantown. There are lots of good manufacturers out there. That QK was great quality. Just too much bike for me. BTW, it weighed 82 pounds which was difficult to load and unload on my Kuat hitch rack. Our new bikes weigh in at 52 pounds and are much easier to transport. Bikes are hard to get right now due to supply chain issues. But if you get on line, I'm sure you can find something that will work. Hope this helps.
PS: I came close to pulling the trigger on one of the Specialized electric mountain bikes. And I may regret that decision one day. They are really cool bikes. Some friends of ours have some and they were $14,000 each! The Vado model we chose has smoother tire tread and is better suited for gravel roads vs trails through the woods.
mackey
PS: I came close to pulling the trigger on one of the Specialized electric mountain bikes. And I may regret that decision one day. They are really cool bikes. Some friends of ours have some and they were $14,000 each! The Vado model we chose has smoother tire tread and is better suited for gravel roads vs trails through the woods.
mackey
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My brother built these 2 for us about 5 years ago…best thing we ever did for hunting. He started with a bare fat bike frame and bought, or made, every other part for the bike down to the spokes and then assembled them…our cost was about $3000 each but they would be comparable to the $5-6k Rambos that are available now. They have 1000 watt Bafang Mid Drives which he programmed to hop them up to @ 1600 watts, 56v batteries, 5" tires, hydraulic disc brakes, nice front suspension, and the best part is the internal gear 3 speed rear hub…no derailleur hanging down to get caught on stuff. He fabricated the rear racks to perfectly and securely hold a summit vipers, we put ATV gun / bow rack on the handlebars and when we shoot deer, hook a deer cart to the bike and it'll drag them out from as far as you care to go…we hunt 3-4 miles from the car in a few places. The battery will last the entire weekend, no problem…great for turkey hunting too.
I'll put another post with the bikes in action
If you have the money, get a bike with the internal gear rear hub, a front suspension, at least 1000 watt motor.
I'll put another post with the bikes in action
If you have the money, get a bike with the internal gear rear hub, a front suspension, at least 1000 watt motor.
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- Joined
- Jun 4, 2020
- Messages
- 4,104
I have a radpower.
When I retire, I'll probably buy a couple of stepthru models.
When I retire, I'll probably buy a couple of stepthru models.
Bikes in action…
Another
One more…making light work of 2 doe
My Yamaha Kodiak has not been off the trailer since we started using the e-bikes…it's really sad actually…it's just taking up garage space now.
Joe2Kool
Well-Known Member
I bought an M2S back in January. If you're looking at more than one or two brands, make a comparison chart because they all are very similar. List the motor watts, battery amp hours, hydraulic or mechanical brakes, disc brakes diameter, does it come with fenders? does it come with a rack? Thumb or twist throttle? Mid drive or hub drive?Don't be fooled by one that is $300 more, but it comes with fenders, a rack, and a higher amp battery.
Many of the base components are all the same - Bafang motor, Shimano gears and shifters.
I went with a 750 watt 19.2 ah motor, hydraulic disc brakes, 9 pedal assist levels, fenders and back rack came with it. It was $1900. What pushed this one to the top of the list was the 19 ah battery, and the thumb throttle. I want as much range as possible, and don't like the twist.
Now for what you were asking about, I've ridden mine several times on the pavement. And up some pretty steep hills. If you're looking for motorcycle-like power, this is not it. I have to pedal some to help it on steep hills.
Unfortunately I've only had it off the pavement once. And unfortunately, it made it 3 miles from the truck and quit. Making a long story short, a fuse was loose. Haven't had it off the pavement again.
But, my neighbor was with me on his bike. He rode a few miles, then built a fire (it was about 20 degrees!) and stayed at the truck while I made the rounds for my trail cams. I can't remember the manufacturer of his, or the amp hrs for the motor, but here's what I learned. Both of them did very well on gravel roads with moderate inclines. Both would go through a little mud. Some of the terrain was pretty steep and we had to use the WalkAssist. Some of the trails that I would ride with my ATV, I got off and pushed up and thru. Mainly because of ruts that I didn't want to fall in! Range? I got about 15 miles total and his battery was in the yellow, at about 25%.
A few other things, the pedal assist (on the M2S) has 9 levels. The motor output goes to 1000 watts (yes, 1000, even though it is only rated at 750). So, each PA level is about 100 watts. Level 5 is ~500 watts. His had 5 PA levels, or about 200 watts for each level. IMO, not much benefit between 5 levels and 9.
On both, the throttle is all or nothing. Push the throttle and the motor output goes to 1000 watts.
Here's how I ride it - put the PA somewhere in the middle and ride. If I start up a steep hill and need more power, hit the throttle. I sometimes fiddle with different levels of PA, but it's easier to just hit the throttle.
I bought mine mainly for turkey hunting. I mainly hunt public land and want to ride the trails while listening. Can't do that with an ATV. Based on my one ride, I think the battery is going to be good for a day hunt. I don't think it will be good for several days of camping and hunting without recharging. Then again, it was 20 degrees when I had it out.
Regarding what I think is steep, well, if you've ever hunted Oak Ridge, I think it will handle those gravel roads just fine.
And finally, I'll have it out again on the trails after turkey season starts and I'll put an update on here after that.
Many of the base components are all the same - Bafang motor, Shimano gears and shifters.
I went with a 750 watt 19.2 ah motor, hydraulic disc brakes, 9 pedal assist levels, fenders and back rack came with it. It was $1900. What pushed this one to the top of the list was the 19 ah battery, and the thumb throttle. I want as much range as possible, and don't like the twist.
Now for what you were asking about, I've ridden mine several times on the pavement. And up some pretty steep hills. If you're looking for motorcycle-like power, this is not it. I have to pedal some to help it on steep hills.
Unfortunately I've only had it off the pavement once. And unfortunately, it made it 3 miles from the truck and quit. Making a long story short, a fuse was loose. Haven't had it off the pavement again.
But, my neighbor was with me on his bike. He rode a few miles, then built a fire (it was about 20 degrees!) and stayed at the truck while I made the rounds for my trail cams. I can't remember the manufacturer of his, or the amp hrs for the motor, but here's what I learned. Both of them did very well on gravel roads with moderate inclines. Both would go through a little mud. Some of the terrain was pretty steep and we had to use the WalkAssist. Some of the trails that I would ride with my ATV, I got off and pushed up and thru. Mainly because of ruts that I didn't want to fall in! Range? I got about 15 miles total and his battery was in the yellow, at about 25%.
A few other things, the pedal assist (on the M2S) has 9 levels. The motor output goes to 1000 watts (yes, 1000, even though it is only rated at 750). So, each PA level is about 100 watts. Level 5 is ~500 watts. His had 5 PA levels, or about 200 watts for each level. IMO, not much benefit between 5 levels and 9.
On both, the throttle is all or nothing. Push the throttle and the motor output goes to 1000 watts.
Here's how I ride it - put the PA somewhere in the middle and ride. If I start up a steep hill and need more power, hit the throttle. I sometimes fiddle with different levels of PA, but it's easier to just hit the throttle.
I bought mine mainly for turkey hunting. I mainly hunt public land and want to ride the trails while listening. Can't do that with an ATV. Based on my one ride, I think the battery is going to be good for a day hunt. I don't think it will be good for several days of camping and hunting without recharging. Then again, it was 20 degrees when I had it out.
Regarding what I think is steep, well, if you've ever hunted Oak Ridge, I think it will handle those gravel roads just fine.
And finally, I'll have it out again on the trails after turkey season starts and I'll put an update on here after that.
Joe2Kool
Well-Known Member
Random edit, I thought it odd that for cleaning, a spray hose was NOT recommended. I would have thought that would have been fine since these are sold as electric hunting bikes. Hunters keeping their gear dry and not riding wet trails just ain't gonna happen!
2 years ago I decided to buy the M2S All-Terrain Ultra HT. I did about a years worth of research before I bought this bike. I paid a little over 3 k and that hurt the wallet lol. It is comparable to the high end Quiet Kat and Rambo and you will save 3-4 K.
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Joe2Kool
Well-Known Member
Looks just like mine. Except I don't have a kart with a nice buck behind it!
medic
Well-Known Member
What cart are you using?
Rambo
