Electric fat tire bikes ?

ckelly78z · 05:32 AM

I am looking at several Fat tired electric mountain bikes for buzzing around the farm, and several trails. The one I am leaning towards is a RadPower Rover which has a rear hub 750W 48V motor with 5 levels of pedal assist, and 7 Shimano gears. It also has a switchable twist throttle for no pedal action, or no pedal assist for pedaling only.

The other bike I am looking at is the Xtreme E-Grizzly with a front wheel 750W 48V hub, so when pedaling, would be 2WD.

I have a compromised lung/heart capacity, and get winded easily (though I am still very active, and normal weight). This bike would get me out there with some excersise, and would allow me to ride local bike paths without having registration/licensing/insurance like I do for my KLR250 enduro...any thoughts ?

BTW, both bikes are in the $1500-$2000 range. Sorry, I have trouble posting links at work.

ckelly78z · 05:06 AM

www.radpowerbikes.com/Models/Electric

https://fattirebikeparts.com/index.php/xtreme-e-grizzly

http://https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radrover-electric-fat-bike

Lets see if these links work.‎

John Rogers · 07-20-2018, 05:58 AM

If it were me I would ask some questions: where can I test ride one, how long do the batteries last, are the batteries easily replaced or are they standard, how available is running gear, is there a rear rack for small saddle bags or a rifle rack and such? The ability to carry a rifle is handy as we have a shooter at our range who rides a motorcycle and carries two rifles with ammo/gear in a bag on top of the rear rack.

flatbutt · 07-20-2018, 06:03 AM

Can you get an e-bike with less radical tires? If you experience an issue and need to pedal those balloons you may not have the "oomph" you need to get home. AMHIK

1990C4S · 07-20-2018, 09:38 AM

I would try to borrow one, rent one, or get a shop loaner before I spent that much on an e-bike.

Or I would buy an eBay conversion kit.

ZAMIRZ · ZAMIRZ's Garage

Between those two, I'd go with the Radpower. The FWD seems like it would get a little hairy in certain situations.

Good for you for trying to get back out there, just please respect the rest of us that are only using pedal power

masraum · 07-20-2018, 11:21 AM

Looks pretty cool. There's a guy that lives in my complex that has something that looks similar. Sorry, I don't have anything to offer other than my first thought was the same as what 1990C4S said, I wonder if there's anyway that you could try before you buy?

Also, maybe find a forum for them and see what sort of complaints there are.

ckelly78z · 07-20-2018, 02:06 PM

I wouldn't consider just ordering one without riding. I did ride my BIL's folding E bike with the same BAFANG 750W 48V motor, and was duly impressed. RP is located in Seattle, and I live about 2000 miles away, so maybe someone more local has a rental.

The higher amp hour battery (13 AA) on the 2018 RadPower is good for about 900 full recharges, with a charge length depending on usage, and conditions, but generally noted to be 20 miles plus (more if using pedal assist). This won't be a commuter, so mainly used on back country roads, farm lanes, and organized MTB trails, but not every day, so battery life should extend for a few years, and are available on ebay, or from RP.

herr_oberst · 07-20-2018, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

I would try to borrow one, rent one, or get a shop loaner before I spent that much on an e-bike.

Both of those are cheap-charlies. One of them weighs 65 pounds. Good luck getting things fixed when they start to break down. Where do you take them? (Or, maybe you're handy with mechanical and electrical things?)

Do you really need those gigantic tires? Handy for snow or deep sand, but way overkill for anything else, and the parasitic loss does nothing but drain the battery.

gtc · gtc's Garage

I rode a friend's Radwagon and was impressed. It was the first e-bike i've ridden, and i was surprised by the amount of assist available.
I think it would be great for commuting.

john70t · 07-20-2018, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtc

I rode a friend's Radwagon and was impressed.

I really like the radwagon but there were a few quirks with it:
1). The frame geometry is weird. There are four ladder bars where there could be three, the foot rests are heavy and solid but could be optional for weight, and the support around the rear hub (which holds great weight) is not only only curved but in the middle with zero suspension.

2). Flat large hole racks where everything falls off the side. Really? Bungee cords don't work in real life. They could at least sell a plastic milk crate with a solid floor.

3). The carry bags looked neat but why not make them 2 inches longer and touch the footrests?

4). Need more solid accessory mounts for lots of lights or a kid tow package or cup/2L holders or tool boxes and things like that.

rcooled · 07-20-2018, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatbutt

If you experience an issue and need to pedal those balloons you may not have the "oomph" you need to get home.

Except maybe for a VERY short distance on level ground, you really don't want to be pedaling an E-bike w/no boost...no matter what kind of tires it has. They're all heavy as hell.

ckelly78z · 07-23-2018, 04:28 PM

I bought an aluminum frame Iron Horse 3.2 Warrior 29" MTB with shimano 24 speed, dual disc brakes, and suspension on the front, and back today for $300 new at a big box store.....no doubt the best one they had on hand, but I'm sure it is sub-par compared to what most of you ride. It was a far step up from a 10 year old Walmart $80 special that I rode casually for all these years.

I may look at doing an E-bike conversion with a hub motor, and battery like what is found on ebay. I like this route better than a dedicated E-bike...with the quick disconnect front wheel, I could switch back and forth if needed.

ckelly78z · 03-19-2019, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

I bought an aluminum frame Iron Horse 3.2 Warrior 29" MTB with shimano 24 speed, dual disc brakes, and suspension on the front, and back today for $300 new at a big box store.....no doubt the best one they had on hand, but I'm sure it is sub-par compared to what most of you ride. It was a far step up from a 10 year old Walmart $80 special that I rode casually for all these years.

I may look at doing an E-bike conversion with a hub motor, and battery like what is found on ebay. I like this route better than a dedicated E-bike...with the quick disconnect front wheel, I could switch back and forth if needed.

I ended up putting a 36V 500W Ebikeling front hub kit on this bike, so the combined cost (plus battery) is less than half the price of the fat tire bikes I was looking at. I'm at work now, but will post pics when I get home.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Get one of the Harley Davidson bikes like this!

ckelly78z · 03-19-2019, 01:11 PM

A couple of pictures of before/after. I still all 24 gears, and is now AWD.

masraum · 03-19-2019, 03:10 PM

Very cool, thanks for checking back in and letting us know what route you went.

porsche930dude · porsche930dude's Garage

do you have a link to the kit? that looks very tidy. I have a gas bike but I always fear getting caught they are illegal here. I only use it to climb the hills. Electric is probably about the same weight maybe less?

LWJ · 03-19-2019, 04:27 PM

I will be buying one. Question is: when is it something that provides a long term, usable and serviceable bike?

I want drive train parts that can be replaced. I would hate to drop 2k+++ for something that was a boat anchor in a few months / years.

I am waiting.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

I ended up putting a 36V 500W Ebikeling front hub kit on this bike, so the combined cost (plus battery) is less than half the price of the fat tire bikes I was looking at. I'm at work now, but will post pics when I get home.

That looks great! Looking forward to test ride results.