Hunting Ebikes

[capitol]

Anyone use a fat tire Ebike for getting in and out when hunting?

Ive been thinking about buying one. From my research these are the brands I found to be worthy.

In no particular order there is Rambo, Mule or M2S.

Im thinking a 1000 watt mid motor from either Mule or M2S.

[180ls1]

I use a Giant full suspension E-mtb. Just got it. Works great.

Those hunting-specific ones are cool too. Just make sure you get a mid-drive motor. The hub drive has the same torque as a hampster on a wheel.

[K001]

My HPC Titan has been bullet proof over 3 years so far - https://hpcbikes.com/

[capitol]

Well dang. Im liking the HPC Titan too.

[180ls1]

By the way, you can save a couple grand and get a Frey ebike. It's the same builder that bacou uses without the rebranding.

[Big Chudungus]

I wanna "E-Bike" plug-in hybrid sorta like Prius Prime where it has lawn mower engine but you can charge the battery when cruising with ICE but also has useful EV mode.

Prime is nifty but you still have to park it like a car. Hybrid E-Bike could legally LARP as "just a bicycle" when needed (except maybe taking on subway or airliners due to gas tank).

[Irishfisher]

Fat tire bikes are useful in sand and mud in order to not get bogged down. The rest of the time, the extra width creates more roling friction and actually slows you down, especially when climbing hills. Unless you are using the bike in those conditions, normal mountain bike width tires may serve you better.

You should also consider whether or not you need full suspension. Unless you are going off-road or on trails, you likely can get away with just front shocks.

If you are pretty much using it on dry dirt roads, you might be happy with one in the $2500 range from Bikes Direct.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/ebikes-electric-bikes-at-near-wholesale.html

[180ls1]

Fat tire bikes are useful in sand and mud in order to not get bogged down. The rest of the time, the extra width creates more roling friction and actually slows you down, especially when climbing hills. Unless you are using the bike in those conditions, normal mountain bike width tires may serve you better.

You should also consider whether or not you need full suspension. Unless you are going off-road or on trails, you likely can get away with just front shocks.

If you are pretty much using it on dry dirt roads, you might be happy with one in the $2500 range from Bikes Direct.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...wholesale.html

Have you ordered from them? My dad is in the market.

[capitol]

What Im liking about HPC bikes is there made in California, they actually have an address and give a three year warranty.

[Dano3467]

Would rather see in this thread are, power ratings, & torque values, & max speeds, load ratings, in these E-bikes

You know, the stuff that matters.

[DaveInOroValley]

Maybe a dumb question but a really quiet 250 Yamaha enduro is right around the same price and seems to be overall more of a value especially if you get stuck somewhere with no charging possibilities.

[180ls1]

Would rather see in this thread are, power ratings, & torque values, & max speeds, load ratings, in these E-bikes

You know, the stuff that matters.

The problem is they lie and there is no standardized testing. I saw a review where a bafang motor had something 30% more torque on paper but got out climbed by the other company (I forget who, one of the main ones).

I also saw where a guy saved $$$ by going with a china bike only to take a trip to the ER when his frame broke and it ended up costing him a broken arm and way more because of that.

I went with the Giant Trance E+ because I dont have to worry about them or Yamaha who have both been in business 50+ years.

[capitol]

Would rather see in this thread are, power ratings, & torque values, & max speeds, load ratings, in these E-bikes

You know, the stuff that matters.

Thats your job. Go research it.

[peekay331]

Have you ordered from them? My dad is in the market.

I ride e-bikes a lot - around 3000 miles last year. There are three guys in my group that had the Bikesdirect Motobecane with the Shimano E7000 motor. The bikes have been great, especially for the price, and I don't think I would hesitate in buying one if that were my price point.

Also, we have a good mix of bikes in our group - Shimano, Bosch, Bafang, and Specialized (Brose). The worst one, by far, is Specialized (Brose). Those motors are fine when they work, but nothing special. But they break like crazy. One person in our group is on her fourth motor. She's a competition level rider that 90 percent of men on the trail cannot keep up with, but still. Others on the internet have had similar experiences. In fact, for those that have over 1000-1500 miles, I think it's pretty rare to have never experienced a broken motor. The upside is that apparently Specialized is awesome about warranty coverage. But still.

The Shimano is more reliable and I would say over/under on problems is around 1500-2000 miles. The Bafang is similar to the Shimano in reliability, possibly a little better. But if the Bafang breaks, nearly every part is readily available for the consumer to fix on their own -- same cannot be said for the other brands. The Bafang, however, is the most "unnatural" feeling. When you peddle, it just starts to hammer on, whereas the others, ease the power in more so it doesn't feel as abrupt. Bosch is probably the best all around.

I have had all of them except for the Brose, and for OP's use, I would suggest a Bafang or Shimano. One thing that Bafang has that the others won't, is a throttle on many of their models. That can be nice if you're looking for a utilitarian bike.

BTW-torque, power ratings, etc., are pretty useless numbers. All of the big brands except for Bafang, will be at 250watts. I have a Bafang 1500watt and 750 watts, as well as Shimano E8000 and Bosch CX gen 4, and although the Shimano and Bosch are rated at only 250 watts, they are only slightly less powerful than the Bafang 1500watt. In fact, I would say my Bosch is probably comparable, if not more powerful, than my Bafang 750w.

[capitol]

Great info, thank you!