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Old 01-15-2015, 01:17 PM   #1
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Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

I figured since I own am a co-owner of a Bicycle Company I might as well start a toy discussion area.
and especially if anyone is interested in knowing more about Electric Assist Bicycles.

This is not me advertising my products- this is an open discussion for people to ask anything bicycle related & get an educated non-biased opinion of assisted bicycles & bicycles.

Bikes are such an important part of traveling and getting to see the world and so many of you haul your bikes around.


That said,
I will start off by explaining that I own a few fat-bikes that are electric assist. (you must pedal to get the motor to assist)

some of you might like to know that I regularly get 70-100 mile range of use. at roughly 15-20mph.

Here's a picture of the wife and I on our way back from a 60 mile ride.........was 30+ degrees.......that day.










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Old 01-15-2015, 04:49 PM   #2
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

Last summer I was over in Germany and Austria, where e-bikes have really taken off. I haven't tried one yet, but I saw some really nice full suspension MTBs with Bosch e-assist, as well as tons of trekking bikes. Alas, we were touring on our human-powered triplet bike, which goes up hills very slowly :-)
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Old 01-15-2015, 06:57 PM   #3
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

Great Topic !!

Who's old enough to remember Lee Iacocca ??

Did you know that after Chrysler - he started an electric bicycle company ??

And... I have two of his "Mini-e-bikes." They fold up for easier transport.

Lots of fun too !!

Steve W

(not my specific bike - an image from our friends at Google)
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Old 01-15-2015, 07:14 PM   #4
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

I've somewhat recently picked up a couple of gear-drive rear hub motors (both cassette type), a 500W bafang and a 350W Cute motor.

The 350W cute hub is laced into a wheel on the back of my 29er commuter, but I have not yet bought batteries for it. I also have a controller and throttle, etc. So at the moment, I have the worst of both worlds, a heavy rear hub/wheel and no power assist (yet). About 3 days per week, I haul this bike out of my car and onto the train then off the train then reverse the process in the evening.

This technology has come a long way in the last few years. There are some crazy E-Bike downhill type bikes around that will cruise near 40mph. At those speeds, you need full suspension and disc brakes. These bikes also weigh 60-80+ lbs so they are a no-go for me for train use.
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Old 01-15-2015, 08:32 PM   #5
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

Hi Wheelie, while I am not particularly into fat bikes or assisted motor bikes, I am a serious road cyclist putting in about 3800 miles last year. I ride carbon fiber and titanium and wear all the stretchy clothing and shoes, etc. I do ride mountain bike sometimes but not really often enough to justify my cool Ti mtn bike. Just wanted to chime in on a bike thread.

See me on Strava:

https://www.strava.com/athletes/jsipress
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Old 01-15-2015, 10:11 PM   #6
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffrey
Hi Wheelie, while I am not particularly into fat bikes or assisted motor bikes, I am a serious road cyclist putting in about 3800 miles last year. I ride carbon fiber and titanium and wear all the stretchy clothing and shoes, etc. I do ride mountain bike sometimes but not really often enough to justify my cool Ti mtn bike. Just wanted to chime in on a bike thread.

See me on Strava:

https://app.strava.com/dashboard
Hey Jeffrey, that strava link is ambiguous, but here is mine:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/612487

As for E-Bikes, as long as they are not on bike only trails, then it is good to get more people out there. They have no business on bike only trails or bike paths as they much more closely align to a moped than a bike. I do like how they certainly help those who are not as young or healthy get out and see more stuff!!!
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Old 01-16-2015, 06:27 AM   #7
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

Quote:
Originally Posted by prally
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffrey
Hi Wheelie, while I am not particularly into fat bikes or assisted motor bikes, I am a serious road cyclist putting in about 3800 miles last year. I ride carbon fiber and titanium and wear all the stretchy clothing and shoes, etc. I do ride mountain bike sometimes but not really often enough to justify my cool Ti mtn bike. Just wanted to chime in on a bike thread.

See me on Strava:

https://app.strava.com/dashboard
Hey Jeffrey, that strava link is ambiguous, but here is mine:
https://www.strava.com/athletes/612487

As for E-Bikes, as long as they are not on bike only trails, then it is good to get more people out there. They have no business on bike only trails or bike paths as they much more closely align to a moped than a bike. I do like how they certainly help those who are not as young or healthy get out and see more stuff!!!
Prally,

I completely agree about land use......very touchy subject and I am all for everyone getting along.
But I would like to set the record straight. Legally the bikes pictured are considered electric assist. There is no free ride. No throttle. You must pedal to gain any assistance.
They run a maximum of 500 watts. Legally in all aspects of the law they are considered bicycles and can be used anywhere a bicycle can ride.
Some states require a max speed of 20mph, some don't.

So the laws, manufacturers and hopefully the rest of the industry will have two separate designations.

this is a forum for positive discussion about bicycles, I am only setting the record straight about E-bikes vs. electric assist bikes
*E-bikes = fast and considered a motorized vehicle.
*Electric-Assist bikes are legal to use on pathways, state parks, state trails and anywhere a bicycle is legal to ride.
(That said a park land manager or governing body can ban whatever they want including assisted bikes)

Heath
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Old 01-16-2015, 08:41 AM   #8
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

Here are a few pics of the bike we probably ride the most: a Santana Cabrio triplet. It's a lot of fun to ride with my wife and 10-year-old son. We've even done a few tours on it, including part of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) in PA/MD, the Danube route from Germany to Vienna, and last summer three week's worth of riding in Germany, Austria, Holland and France.

We also have two tandems (one will be for sale this spring), which we had before we got the triplet/had our son, and a garage full of other single bikes that I have to pare down a lot this spring. The bikes I ride most are my road bike, a Co-Motion Nor'wester S&S, Cannondale F2000 MTB (old school, too cheap to upgrade), and I also just got a Co-Motion Pangea S&S 26" dirt touring bike.

Touring in Austria, 2012


Waiting for the Tour de France to come through, Alsace, France, 2014


Biking the GAP trail, 2012
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triplet_all.jpg   tdf_triple.jpg   matt_bike_gap.jpg  
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Old 01-16-2015, 09:55 AM   #9
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

^^^ im not into touring, but that triplet bike is pretty dang cool. looks like a really nice way to see country with the fam. with as fast as my body is deteriorating, a tandem could be in my future sooner than i realize, lol.

so not hating here and excuse my ignorance, but whats the draw to the fat tire bikes? i rode one around a bike shop over the holidaze and was pleasantly surprised at how light the bike was. i have a strong bmx background, so of course i was bunny hopping around, but cant really "ride" a bike in a store to see what they are all about. are these cycles the way of the future??
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Old 01-16-2015, 10:52 AM   #10
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Re: Fatbikes, MTB E-Bikes and more.

Wheelie,

Fixed the link:

https://www.strava.com/athletes/jsipress
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