Looking for something....electric

[breakdirt916]

saw a Nicot eFox for $7k, full street legal, for sale on craigslist:





clutch, 4 speed transmission, top speed 68mph, 176lbs, 72V50a battery, on 19"/16" rims

The Nicot eBeast is also on their website with the same battery on 21"/18" rims...both are listed at 12k watts, but the youtbe video suggested the eFox is 7.5k watts

Ultra Bee is: 74V55a battery, 12.5k watts max power, 186lbs, top speed 56mph on 19" front and rear

good to have options

I really wish I could ride all 3 although the question I have is:

do I want a clutch and a gear box on an ebike?

it won't stall, but I like the idea of a handlebar front/rear brakes, and no gears to think about

Ultra bee also has a lower top speed and higher advertised range.

[tls25rs]

do I want a clutch and a gear box on an ebike?

This question has come up a few times in conversation. When riding single track, on the more technical side, the lack of a clutch lever can cause issues with getting the bike to do what you want it to, WHEN you want it to, with the amount of power you want it to. The consensus from the group I am speaking of was that an e-bike with a clutch would be pretty bad ass.

Admittedly for 85-90% of the riding everyone does the e-bike without the clutch would do just fine. It's that last 10-15% of riding where the clutch lever would come in handy.

[breakdirt916]

indeed, plus I'm wondering if a gear box helps the motor stay cool using a lower rpm at 50mph vs. the ultra bee spinning furiously at near max RPM to do the same speed. I may have to do 50mph to get to the dirt

on the other hand, I'm a janky crappy "dirt" rider on mellow "C" level rides that can't unlock beyond 40% of what a bike can do. Maybe it won't matter as much for me

[breakdirt916]

His favorite bike is still, the ultra bee

The storm bee, although it has 21/18 and has the feel of a full size dirt bike, is heavier and not particularly the best of the 3 on aggressive MX track rides…and it’s $2k more than the ultra bee

[Paul_E_D]

This question has come up a few times in conversation. When riding single track, on the more technical side, the lack of a clutch lever can cause issues with getting the bike to do what you want it to, WHEN you want it to, with the amount of power you want it to. The consensus from the group I am speaking of was that an e-bike with a clutch would be pretty bad ass.

Admittedly for 85-90% of the riding everyone does the e-bike without the clutch would do just fine. It's that last 10-15% of riding where the clutch lever would come in handy.

The gearbox is interesting to me I *think* I would prefer for the mere rider engagement factor. But I'd love to test one.

[Kurlon]

The electric drive on my 4XE Jeep goes through the transmission, and you can feel/see it work the transmission. Electric motors have torque curves, and a gearbox can widen the usable spread of power so... I can see a gearbox making an improvement in the ride.

[tls25rs]

My earlier response forgot to mention the gearbox. With the available torque and RPM of an electric motor a gearbox may not be "necessary". To Paul's point it may be nice from a rider engagement point of view.

In theory an electric bike could be like an automatic transmission vehicle with a clutch as opposed to a torque converter. Use the clutch to have the manual control over engagement point and "power level"/motor RPM applied to the wheel at any given time. Once the clutch is fully released/engaged a single wide range of use "gear" is what you have to work with.

The clutch would have to interact with the torque curves, that whatever motor controller device is used for the motor output has, similar to how the torque curve of an ICE changes with throttle/RPM.

[FriskyDingo]

Not sure if anyone cares about the Metacycle anymore, but i've been getting sale e-mails, $2,500 OFF resulting in a $4,000 price, almost up 3/15:

https://sondorsx.com/products/metacy...-Promo%20blast

[breakdirt916]

^^ very cool if you needed a cheap e bike commuter! The e-motorcycles are just way too expensive for a commuter

@Joel - so what we need is an ultra bee with a clutch no gearbox

@Paul - I asked the guy for a demo ride, and he would do it if I was a serious buyer (at this time, I am not)

He also has storm bee-esque bikes branded as an “Agama” that is far more aggressive than the eFox.



Full size bike with KYB forks, CNC hubs/triple clamps, high rise handlebars and eventually oversized adjustable pegs

I honestly kind of like that idea too…if the bike has hot parts out of the box, you won’t have to spend a lot to mod it afterwards

EDIT: and he’ll sell this bigger bike for $8,500

[tls25rs]

@Paul - I asked the guy for a demo ride, and he would do it if I was a serious buyer (at this time, I am not)

Sales people/brand ambassadors like that SUCK!

Maybe if you rode one you would become a serious buyer.

Manufacturers have demo bikes so they can be ridden.......let people ride them. If they don't buy today they might buy in 6 months but if you don't let them ride them they might not buy at all.

[TheIglu]

Not sure if anyone cares about the Metacycle anymore, but i've been getting sale e-mails, $2,500 OFF resulting in a $4,000 price, almost up 3/15:

https://sondorsx.com/products/metacy...-Promo%20blast

Watch Zach Court's "Daily Rider" episode on youtube with this thing before you seriously consider one.

It's Slooooooooow.

[Point37]

Watch Zach Court's "Daily Rider" episode on youtube with this thing before you seriously consider one.

It's Slooooooooow.

well it's really an electric scooter sooo...i was into this thing when they first came out due to the price and promises...was on their facebook page...then came all the design changes, range changes, battery size changes, easily removable battery turned out to not be easy, delivery delays, lack of communication with buyers who put down the full amount and wanted their money back, etc...i got out of there

[FriskyDingo]

Watch Zach Court's "Daily Rider" episode on youtube with this thing before you seriously consider one.

It's Slooooooooow.

Originally I liked the looks and for what it is, an electric GROM, Specs seemed OK but I was never a fan of the hub motor. They're fine for cheaper E-bikes, but for a vehicle of this size/speed always seemed like the wrong application.

[FriskyDingo]

bit opposite of the recent talk, but if anyone is looking for a cheap electric bike and want something a step up from Walmart, semi-Brand name Sondors have a sale on a refurbished folding bike for $499

https://sondors.com/products/sondors...40050300682306

[PinHead]

The new Talaria is looking real good! If I didn't already have a SurRon I'd be looking into one.
https://youtu.be/LPJaUAxtBvQ

[Point37]

SONDORS unveils MetaBeast 50 mph e-bike and 75 mph electric trail bike
https://electrek.co/2023/04/04/sondo...ic-trail-bike/

[FriskyDingo]

Been getting the release e-mails on that for a while, I notice one large, interesting change from the Metacycle: Mid-drive with chain VS hub-drive.

That's a pretty big drivetrain modification....

Didn't see it mentioned in the story.

[Point37]

Been getting the release e-mails on that for a while, I notice one large, interesting change from the Metacycle: Mid-drive with chain VS hub-drive.

That's a pretty big drivetrain modification....

Didn't see it mentioned in the story.

the question is can they deliver it without modifying too much

[FriskyDingo]

[Point37]

https://www.rideapart.com/news/65993...hydrogen-bike/