The Stride is a commuter style class 2 E-Bike that has both throttle and pedal assist, top speed of 20 MPH and 40 mile range.
The Groove is a foldable fat tire bike that can go a little more off-road riding and can fold into a trunk and has a 45 mile range, also class 2 with 20 MPH max speed.
Bafang motors are considered more reliable hub motors and the li-ion battery packs are CL certified.
About this deal:
Refer to the forum thread for additional information & offer discussion.
No longer available:
Also available, GEN3Ride.com has their GEN3 The Groove 500W Folding Fat Tire E-Bike for $1199 - $300 w/ coupon code SUMMER = $899. Shipping is free.
Note: Currently out of stock. more to become available by September 30, 2022.
This collaborative space allows users to contribute additional information, tips, and insights to enhance the original deal post. Feel free to share your knowledge and help fellow shoppers make informed decisions.
The Stride is a commuter style class 2 E-Bike that has both throttle and pedal assist, top speed of 20 MPH and 40 mile range.
The Groove is a foldable fat tire bike that can go a little more off-road riding and can fold into a trunk and has a 45 mile range, also class 2 with 20 MPH max speed.
Bafang motors are considered more reliable hub motors and the li-ion battery packs are CL certified.
About this deal:
Refer to the forum thread for additional information & offer discussion.
No longer available:
Also available, GEN3Ride.com has their GEN3 The Groove 500W Folding Fat Tire E-Bike for $1199 - $300 w/ coupon code SUMMER = $899. Shipping is free.
Note: Currently out of stock. more to become available by September 30, 2022.
It seems that staff has taken over the edits since this went front page. Soo here is my update in comments:
Package arrived today 7/5 via FedEx
It took me about 35 minutes to assemble (I am experienced so take that into account)
*One odd issue was the derailleur protector needed to be bent outwards to allow the bike to shift into lower gears. There was a tag zip-tied to the derailleur to let you know that this step might need to be done.
*Another tip, the disc brakes cable needed to be tightened to create a better stopping power with less effort. There was no warping of rotors or any issues with brakes.
The build quality and parts were much better than I had anticipated for a $900 e-bike considering the price for a replacement battery is $350, they did a good job with the other parts to keep the price down. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Bafang motor which are high quality motors specified as well as the entry level Shimano shifter.
I had test ridden a friend's similar model (KBO Breeze) to the Stride but with a 750W motor and 50miles range, the motor was almost too powerful and the bike was heavier making it a bit unwieldy at first, I like how the 500w on the Stride doesn't make you feel unsafe as you take-off, the 750w was a bit extreme. This is our first e-bike so the 20 mph top end seemed like a good place to start. My son an my wife both tested the bike after I safety checked it and both commented on how much they liked it and it was great to se a big smile on my wife's face as she returned to the driveway after her test ride of her new bike.
In Summary, at $900 I believe there are not many options in the market that will come close to the value of this bike. I am very exited that my wife will now be more willing to ride with the family when we go on bike cruises. She was reluctant to go as we (me and the boys) were 'too fast' and always felt like she was holding us up. Now we will probably be the ones holding her up
About me: I have 13 bikes at my house between my wife and children. I have been working on bikes for about 15 years as a hobby, and necessity, with my small fleet of bikes. I have bikes ranging from about $450-$5600 (Ibis Ripmo Carbon Fox Factory).
FedEx delivered the Groove today. It was packaged well (tons of foam) and there was no damage. There is some sort of adhesive on the upper rear frame I need to clean off. Assembly was straightforward. The only thing that need adjustment was the stem alignment with the front wheel. I squared it up as well as I could, but the front tire seems to be slightly out of alignment with the midpoint of the frame. Will I return it for that? Probably not, but it is a QA/QC issue I see with lower end bicycles. It's probably much more noticeable on a fat tire bike. Here are my initial impressions after the first ride.
I rode the bike 11 miles with what I think was a fully charged battery (three bars on the indicator). The terrain was a mixture of paved bike trails, hard pack rutted out off road trails, and streets. There were some hills that nearly give me a heart attack on a regular pedal bike, not that I'm in good shape anymore following the COVID weight gain.
Motor: Lots of torque. I'm no expert with e-bikes, but was impressed with the torque off the line and up hills. I've seen others upgrade the motor, but I think this is adequate. I don't see spending another $300-400 for a few more MPH (previous posted in the thread is helpful for this point too). The only disappointment I had was it couldn't throttle me up a steep section of a trail. It's a very difficult section on a pedal bike geared down, so I'm not surprised it struggled.
Fork: Adequate, but not for off road at all. I bottomed it out terribly on the hard pack trails. It will take some minor excursions on trails if you keep it under 10-12 MPH. Anything over that and it bottoms harshly. I honestly think I broke the suspension already doing 15-20 MPH on the trails.
Brakes: Awful, just awful. I followed the break in procedure and even cleaned the rotors with brake cleaner prior to riding. I'll adjust and reassess. I might also soft wheel the rotors with a die grinder and file the pads slightly if I see any glossy areas. This is a cheap upgrade if needed. The motor's speed ability is more than the brakes can handle. That's always a nightmare on a motorcycle.
Handling: This bike has a very very light front end. On the trails, I could easily pop the front tire up going over any sort of bumps or rises in the trail (not what I'd call a jump) . There are two things I will point out with this observation. One, it wheelies easier and two, it under steers. The under steer worries me on trails and it will only be worse with a rear rack installed and loaded up. On the road, its less of an issue, but it won't like a quick turn on a wet road. This handling characteristic makes sense as the bike is long and the battery and motor sit behind the bottom bracket. The Lectric XP 2.0, based on its in frame battery, likely handles more balanced. If you watch the review of a rider taking this on the mountain bike trails, I believe the challenge the rider faced was more due to the light front end than the width of the handle bars and fat tires.
Tires: Noisy as hell on pavement. I'll get slicks if I plan to commute on this bike. Decent traction off road.
Battery Life: I throttled up and down hills, PAS 5, and generally hammered on it, and returned with the display showing full battery. The on battery indicator showed two bars. I think a reasonable commute would be doable on this range without breaking a sweat.
Fit and Finish: The seat is a better stock seat than most cheaper pedal bikes I've ridden. Upgrades are a plenty. Handle bar position is pretty high for trail riding, but otherwise okay. That's just how most of these fold up bikes seem to be designed. The one nasty thing I noticed was the handle bar rocks a little bit in the top clamp. It's a fold up, so its not going to be as firmly mounted as a bolted down stem clamp. The pedals are decent BMX style metal pedals. The controls are easy to use, although the display is very basic. The brake levers seem okay, and have nice rubber inserts. The derailleur worked okay, but I noticed some racket while riding. I think the guard is pushed up against it. Nothing pliers can't fix. It shifted through the gears okay, but I only used 6 and 7 for the entire ride. The motor has the typical RC car sound, but I don't have much to compared against. I think the front chain ring is too small for a faster commute. Once you are up to 18 MPH and PAS 4 or 5, you are racing to keep the pedals turning fast enough to match the assist. The last item I'll mention is the motor controller location. It is not water resistant at all. I do not recommend riding in the rain or even through a minor puddle. The electronics will get wet. This is the biggest design flaw I noticed. The in frame battery bikes are likely much better suited for wet weather and puddles.
Would I recommend, yes, but consider what is important to you. It's a good a multipurpose bike without a major strength or weakness.
The motor controller is at the bottom end of the battery compartment. There are two small screws that hold the black plastic part that houses the contacts. Remove the screws and carefully pull the wiring out. You'll see the motor controller stuffed in there and you'll need to pull that out carefully as it's connected to the wiring harness on the side closer to the bottom bracket. Once you pull the motor controller out get enough, you can access the yellow and green cable to disconnect without needing to disconnect any other wires. You'll need to push the harness back into the tube along with the motor controller being mindful to not pinch the cables out damage the charge port. Place the black plastic part with the contacts and fasten with the screws. Note that one screw is a wood screw style thread and the other is a machine screw. Test all the functions after reassembly (charging and power on/off).
Tires, air pressure, brakes and chain maintenance. Should always check screws/bolts for tightness and all areas for cracks.
I help coach a youth mountain bike team and we use the ABCDE method:
A - Air in tires
B - Breaks
C - Chain (clean and lubricate)
D - Drive Train
E - Everything else
Based on my multiple years of amature bike maintenance, the bike appears to not need anything special. No hydraulic brake fluid to bleed, you will likely get some cable stretch over time, but it's easy to tighten cables. Seems like pretty robust equipment on the Stride. The only wild card for me will be the battery. I live in the Northern climate, so I think the biggest thing will be to remove the battery and store it inside during the winter like I do with all my battery powered items that I keep in the garage.
I read up that these packs can be opened and cells replaced by professionals. I am guessing as we see more battery powered bikes, lawn mowers, etc., etc. it may be a business opportunity to refurbish the more expensive battery packs. It's also good to see that the batteries are interchangeable amongst at least a couple of suppliers so if we need a new pack they should be available.
Guessing a few more options are going to be out there. It sure would be great to develop an E-Bike battery standard size so more replacement options would be compatible between brands and available.
FedEx delivered the Groove today. It was packaged well (tons of foam) and there was no damage. There is some sort of adhesive on the upper rear frame I need to clean off. Assembly was straightforward. The only thing that need adjustment was the stem alignment with the front wheel. I squared it up as well as I could, but the front tire seems to be slightly out of alignment with the midpoint of the frame. Will I return it for that? Probably not, but it is a QA/QC issue I see with lower end bicycles. It's probably much more noticeable on a fat tire bike. Here are my initial impressions after the first ride.
I rode the bike 11 miles with what I think was a fully charged battery (three bars on the indicator). The terrain was a mixture of paved bike trails, hard pack rutted out off road trails, and streets. There were some hills that nearly give me a heart attack on a regular pedal bike, not that I'm in good shape anymore following the COVID weight gain.
Motor: Lots of torque. I'm no expert with e-bikes, but was impressed with the torque off the line and up hills. I've seen others upgrade the motor, but I think this is adequate. I don't see spending another $300-400 for a few more MPH (previous posted in the thread is helpful for this point too). The only disappointment I had was it couldn't throttle me up a step section of a trail. It's a very difficult section on a pedal bike geared down, so I'm not surprised it struggled.
Fork: Adequate, but not for off road at all. I bottomed it out terribly on the hard pack trails. It will take some minor excursions on trails if you keep it under 10-12 MPH. Anything over that and it bottoms harshly. I honestly think I broke the suspension already doing 15-20 MPH on the trails.
Brakes: Awful, just awful. I followed the break in procedure and even cleaned the rotors with brake cleaner prior to riding. I'll adjust and reassess. I might also soft wheel the rotors with a die grinder and file the pads slightly if I see any glossy areas. This is a cheap upgrade if needed. The motor's speed ability is more than the brakes can handle. That's always a nightmare on a motorcycle.
Handling: This bike has a very very light front end. On the trails, I could easily pop the front tire up going over any sort of bumps or rises in the trail (not what I'd call a jump) . There are two things I will point out with this observation. One, it wheelies easier and two, it under steers. The under steer worries me on trails and it will only be worse with a rear rack installed and loaded up. On the road, its less of an issue, but it won't like a quick turn on a wet road. This handling characteristic makes sense as the bike is long and the battery and motor sit behind the bottom bracket. The Lectric XP 2.0, based on its in frame battery, likely handles more balanced. If you watch the review of a rider taking this on the mountain bike trails, I believe the challenge the rider faced was more due to the light front end than the width of the handle bars and fat tires.
Tires: Noisy as hell on pavement. I'll get slicks if I plan to commute on this bike. Decent traction off road.
Battery Life: I throttled up and down hills, PAS 5, and generally hammered on it, and returned with the display showing full battery. The on battery indicator showed two bars. I think a reasonable commute would be doable on this range without breaking a sweat.
Fit and Finish: The seat is a better stock seat than most cheaper pedal bikes I've ridden. Upgrades are a plenty. Handle bar position is pretty high for trail riding, but otherwise okay. That's just how most of these fold up bikes seem to be designed. The one nasty thing I noticed was the handle bar rocks a little bit in the top clamp. It's a fold up, so its not going to be as firmly mounted as a bolted down stem clamp. The pedals are decent BMX style metal pedals. The controls are easy to use, although the display is very basic. The brake levers seem okay, and have nice rubber inserts. The derailleur worked okay, but I noticed some racket while riding. I think the guard is pushed up against it. Nothing pliers can't fix. It shifted through the gears okay, but I only used 6 and 7 for the entire ride. The motor has the typical RC car sound, but I don't have much to compared against. I think the front chain ring is too small for a faster commute. Once you are up to 18 MPH and PAS 4 or 5, you are racing to keep the pedals turning fast enough to match the assist. The last item I'll mention is the motor controller location. It is not water resistant at all. I do not recommend riding in the rain or even through a minor puddle. The electronics will get wet. This is the biggest design flaw I noticed. The in frame battery bikes are likely much better suited for wet weather and puddles.
Would I recommend, yes, but consider what is important to you. It's a good a multipurpose bike without a major strength or weakness.
13 hours later my battery is not fully charged , hopefully my generic batteries have not failed.
Thought this only took 8 hours to charge?
Did you fully charge the batteries before using them for the first time? Mine have never taken nearly that long to charge. I would unplug it for a minute and try again.
Did you fully charge the batteries before using them for the first time? Mine have never taken nearly that long to charge. I would unplug it for a minute and try again.
Made a mistake thought I plugged it in last night. Power adapter will light up even when not plugged in when you plug into battery
Anyone here recommend a bike rack that holds these ebikes . I got two thanks
I came across this[bikeradar.com] when looking for ways to upgrade the brakes. Thoughts?
Nice find, but looks like $150 per wheel, so $300 to upgrade. For safety, you can't put a price tag on that, so might be worth it. For anyone who is budget conscience there was a post above about a $42 pair that may be a little more pocket-book friendly: https://a.co/d/73On097
I have never installed cable actuated hydraulic brakes, so I am unsure of this new tech, but it looks promising. After a couple posts mentioned it, I read up on the brake controller that is part of the brake lever. It would seem it's best to keep the stock brake levers so the brake sensor built into the lever doesn't have to be modded.
Last edited by BML6182 July 11, 2022 at 09:05 AM.
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Made a mistake thought I plugged it in last night. Power adapter will light up even when not plugged in when you plug into battery
Anyone here recommend a bike rack that holds these ebikes . I got two thanks
I posted a photo of my tray rack on the GEN3 Owner's Facebook group, it will hold 2 or 4 e-bikes depending on if you buy the 2 or 4 bike model. If you join the Facebook Group I posted about it a couple days ago. Here is a link to the one I purchased a few years ago and it's been holding up nicely the 4 bike model will support 240lbs of bikes so 4 x 60lbs: https://a.co/d/bz3H0TI
I have fat bikes for winter biking so I wanted one that supports fat tires, but it does fine with road bikes, etc.
I posted a photo of my tray rack on the GEN3 Owner's Facebook group, it will hold 2 or 4 e-bikes depending on if you buy the 2 or 4 bike model. If you join the Facebook Group I posted about it a couple days ago. Here is a link to the one I purchased a few years ago and it's been holding up nicely the 4 bike model will support 240lbs of bikes so 4 x 60lbs: https://a.co/d/bz3H0TI
I have fat bikes for winter biking so I wanted one that supports fat tires, but it does fine with road bikes, etc.
need a recommendation for no hitch version , basically attaches to trunk when closed
Anyone have any issues with the front suspension lock out? Mine completely bottoms out as soon as any weight is placed on the bike. The lock out mechanism also won't adjust, it springs back to its original location after moving it. Currently the bike is unrideable after assembly yesterday, and I have no clue how to fix the suspension. Opened a ticket with support.
Anyone have any issues with the front suspension lock out? Mine completely bottoms out as soon as any weight is placed on the bike. The lock out mechanism also won't adjust, it springs back to its original location after moving it. Currently the bike is unrideable after assembly yesterday, and I have no clue how to fix the suspension. Opened a ticket with support.
The lockout has really only two settings, it's not progressive, it's either fully locked or fully open. You should be able to tell when it's locked out it basically makes the fork fully rigid.
The other adjuster on the top of the other side of the fork is the pre-load. Based on the rider's weight and riding preferences, you can adjust the pre-load to the right or left (clock-wise or counter). I noticed that I wanted to tighten up the pre-load to make it as firm as possible. So I keep the lock-out unlocked and the preload as tight as it goes and I get a good fork feel (For a heavy $900 e-bike). Do they make better forks out there, yeah, there are plenty of better options, but this one does the job for trails and paths that my wife rides on.
If you turn the lock-out to fully locked and the fork is not completely stiff, then I would say there is an issue with your fork.
I was thinking about buying the Gen3 Groove but after looking at the Wallke website I noticed the H2. Isn't that very similar to the Groove? I like that it comes with a rear rack to carry things. I did notice it says the battery is slightly less powerful but I'm not sure if their are any other differences.
The lockout has really only two settings, it's not progressive, it's either fully locked or fully open. You should be able to tell when it's locked out it basically makes the fork fully rigid.
The other adjuster on the top of the other side of the fork is the pre-load. Based on the rider's weight and riding preferences, you can adjust the pre-load to the right or left (clock-wise or counter). I noticed that I wanted to tighten up the pre-load to make it as firm as possible. So I keep the lock-out unlocked and the preload as tight as it goes and I get a good fork feel (For a heavy $900 e-bike). Do they make better forks out there, yeah, there are plenty of better options, but this one does the job for trails and paths that my wife rides on.
If you turn the lock-out to fully locked and the fork is not completely stiff, then I would say there is an issue with your fork.
Okay thanks for the reply. Yeah the lockout adjustment won't even move (it springs back to original position). I tried tightening up the pre load too and it made no difference. Fork just bottoms out.
Nice find, but looks like $150 per wheel, so $300 to upgrade. For safety, you can't put a price tag on that, so might be worth it. For anyone who is budget conscience there was a post above about a $42 pair that may be a little more pocket-book friendly: https://a.co/d/73On097
I have never installed cable actuated hydraulic brakes, so I am unsure of this new tech, but it looks promising. After a couple posts mentioned it, I read up on the brake controller that is part of the brake lever. It would seem it's best to keep the stock brake levers so the brake sensor built into the lever doesn't have to be modded.
I thought that was for a pair and not just for one set. Thanks for linking the ones you found on Amazon, it seems to have a very small reservoir though.
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I thought that was for a pair and not just for one set. Thanks for linking the ones you found on Amazon, it seems to have a very small reservoir though.
Here is maybe the middle ground $169 - https://a.co/d/iLSLnXR
You get two brakes and two rotors, might be a slightly bigger reservoir.
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Package arrived today 7/5 via FedEx
It took me about 35 minutes to assemble (I am experienced so take that into account)
*One odd issue was the derailleur protector needed to be bent outwards to allow the bike to shift into lower gears. There was a tag zip-tied to the derailleur to let you know that this step might need to be done.
*Another tip, the disc brakes cable needed to be tightened to create a better stopping power with less effort. There was no warping of rotors or any issues with brakes.
The build quality and parts were much better than I had anticipated for a $900 e-bike considering the price for a replacement battery is $350, they did a good job with the other parts to keep the price down. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Bafang motor which are high quality motors specified as well as the entry level Shimano shifter.
I had test ridden a friend's similar model (KBO Breeze) to the Stride but with a 750W motor and 50miles range, the motor was almost too powerful and the bike was heavier making it a bit unwieldy at first, I like how the 500w on the Stride doesn't make you feel unsafe as you take-off, the 750w was a bit extreme. This is our first e-bike so the 20 mph top end seemed like a good place to start. My son an my wife both tested the bike after I safety checked it and both commented on how much they liked it and it was great to se a big smile on my wife's face as she returned to the driveway after her test ride of her new bike.
KBO Breeze for comparison: https://kbobike.com/products/step...uting-bike
In Summary, at $900 I believe there are not many options in the market that will come close to the value of this bike. I am very exited that my wife will now be more willing to ride with the family when we go on bike cruises. She was reluctant to go as we (me and the boys) were 'too fast' and always felt like she was holding us up. Now we will probably be the ones holding her up
About me: I have 13 bikes at my house between my wife and children. I have been working on bikes for about 15 years as a hobby, and necessity, with my small fleet of bikes. I have bikes ranging from about $450-$5600 (Ibis Ripmo Carbon Fox Factory).
I rode the bike 11 miles with what I think was a fully charged battery (three bars on the indicator). The terrain was a mixture of paved bike trails, hard pack rutted out off road trails, and streets. There were some hills that nearly give me a heart attack on a regular pedal bike, not that I'm in good shape anymore following the COVID weight gain.
Motor: Lots of torque. I'm no expert with e-bikes, but was impressed with the torque off the line and up hills. I've seen others upgrade the motor, but I think this is adequate. I don't see spending another $300-400 for a few more MPH (previous posted in the thread is helpful for this point too). The only disappointment I had was it couldn't throttle me up a steep section of a trail. It's a very difficult section on a pedal bike geared down, so I'm not surprised it struggled.
Fork: Adequate, but not for off road at all. I bottomed it out terribly on the hard pack trails. It will take some minor excursions on trails if you keep it under 10-12 MPH. Anything over that and it bottoms harshly. I honestly think I broke the suspension already doing 15-20 MPH on the trails.
Brakes: Awful, just awful. I followed the break in procedure and even cleaned the rotors with brake cleaner prior to riding. I'll adjust and reassess. I might also soft wheel the rotors with a die grinder and file the pads slightly if I see any glossy areas. This is a cheap upgrade if needed. The motor's speed ability is more than the brakes can handle. That's always a nightmare on a motorcycle.
Handling: This bike has a very very light front end. On the trails, I could easily pop the front tire up going over any sort of bumps or rises in the trail (not what I'd call a jump) . There are two things I will point out with this observation. One, it wheelies easier and two, it under steers. The under steer worries me on trails and it will only be worse with a rear rack installed and loaded up. On the road, its less of an issue, but it won't like a quick turn on a wet road. This handling characteristic makes sense as the bike is long and the battery and motor sit behind the bottom bracket. The Lectric XP 2.0, based on its in frame battery, likely handles more balanced. If you watch the review of a rider taking this on the mountain bike trails, I believe the challenge the rider faced was more due to the light front end than the width of the handle bars and fat tires.
Tires: Noisy as hell on pavement. I'll get slicks if I plan to commute on this bike. Decent traction off road.
Battery Life: I throttled up and down hills, PAS 5, and generally hammered on it, and returned with the display showing full battery. The on battery indicator showed two bars. I think a reasonable commute would be doable on this range without breaking a sweat.
Fit and Finish: The seat is a better stock seat than most cheaper pedal bikes I've ridden. Upgrades are a plenty. Handle bar position is pretty high for trail riding, but otherwise okay. That's just how most of these fold up bikes seem to be designed. The one nasty thing I noticed was the handle bar rocks a little bit in the top clamp. It's a fold up, so its not going to be as firmly mounted as a bolted down stem clamp. The pedals are decent BMX style metal pedals. The controls are easy to use, although the display is very basic. The brake levers seem okay, and have nice rubber inserts. The derailleur worked okay, but I noticed some racket while riding. I think the guard is pushed up against it. Nothing pliers can't fix. It shifted through the gears okay, but I only used 6 and 7 for the entire ride. The motor has the typical RC car sound, but I don't have much to compared against. I think the front chain ring is too small for a faster commute. Once you are up to 18 MPH and PAS 4 or 5, you are racing to keep the pedals turning fast enough to match the assist. The last item I'll mention is the motor controller location. It is not water resistant at all. I do not recommend riding in the rain or even through a minor puddle. The electronics will get wet. This is the biggest design flaw I noticed. The in frame battery bikes are likely much better suited for wet weather and puddles.
Would I recommend, yes, but consider what is important to you. It's a good a multipurpose bike without a major strength or weakness.
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Thought this only took 8 hours to charge?
A - Air in tires
B - Breaks
C - Chain (clean and lubricate)
D - Drive Train
E - Everything else
Based on my multiple years of amature bike maintenance, the bike appears to not need anything special. No hydraulic brake fluid to bleed, you will likely get some cable stretch over time, but it's easy to tighten cables. Seems like pretty robust equipment on the Stride. The only wild card for me will be the battery. I live in the Northern climate, so I think the biggest thing will be to remove the battery and store it inside during the winter like I do with all my battery powered items that I keep in the garage.
I read up that these packs can be opened and cells replaced by professionals. I am guessing as we see more battery powered bikes, lawn mowers, etc., etc. it may be a business opportunity to refurbish the more expensive battery packs. It's also good to see that the batteries are interchangeable amongst at least a couple of suppliers so if we need a new pack they should be available.
As far as I know the two so far are :
GEN3: $350 https://gen3ride.com/accessories/...tery-pack/
Wallke: $380 (Stride, Flex, outcross) https://wallkeebike.com/collections/battery
Guessing a few more options are going to be out there. It sure would be great to develop an E-Bike battery standard size so more replacement options would be compatible between brands and available.
I rode the bike 11 miles with what I think was a fully charged battery (three bars on the indicator). The terrain was a mixture of paved bike trails, hard pack rutted out off road trails, and streets. There were some hills that nearly give me a heart attack on a regular pedal bike, not that I'm in good shape anymore following the COVID weight gain.
- Motor: Lots of torque. I'm no expert with e-bikes, but was impressed with the torque off the line and up hills. I've seen others upgrade the motor, but I think this is adequate. I don't see spending another $300-400 for a few more MPH (previous posted in the thread is helpful for this point too). The only disappointment I had was it couldn't throttle me up a step section of a trail. It's a very difficult section on a pedal bike geared down, so I'm not surprised it struggled.
- Fork: Adequate, but not for off road at all. I bottomed it out terribly on the hard pack trails. It will take some minor excursions on trails if you keep it under 10-12 MPH. Anything over that and it bottoms harshly. I honestly think I broke the suspension already doing 15-20 MPH on the trails.
- Brakes: Awful, just awful. I followed the break in procedure and even cleaned the rotors with brake cleaner prior to riding. I'll adjust and reassess. I might also soft wheel the rotors with a die grinder and file the pads slightly if I see any glossy areas. This is a cheap upgrade if needed. The motor's speed ability is more than the brakes can handle. That's always a nightmare on a motorcycle.
- Handling: This bike has a very very light front end. On the trails, I could easily pop the front tire up going over any sort of bumps or rises in the trail (not what I'd call a jump) . There are two things I will point out with this observation. One, it wheelies easier and two, it under steers. The under steer worries me on trails and it will only be worse with a rear rack installed and loaded up. On the road, its less of an issue, but it won't like a quick turn on a wet road. This handling characteristic makes sense as the bike is long and the battery and motor sit behind the bottom bracket. The Lectric XP 2.0, based on its in frame battery, likely handles more balanced. If you watch the review of a rider taking this on the mountain bike trails, I believe the challenge the rider faced was more due to the light front end than the width of the handle bars and fat tires.
- Tires: Noisy as hell on pavement. I'll get slicks if I plan to commute on this bike. Decent traction off road.
- Battery Life: I throttled up and down hills, PAS 5, and generally hammered on it, and returned with the display showing full battery. The on battery indicator showed two bars. I think a reasonable commute would be doable on this range without breaking a sweat.
- Fit and Finish: The seat is a better stock seat than most cheaper pedal bikes I've ridden. Upgrades are a plenty. Handle bar position is pretty high for trail riding, but otherwise okay. That's just how most of these fold up bikes seem to be designed. The one nasty thing I noticed was the handle bar rocks a little bit in the top clamp. It's a fold up, so its not going to be as firmly mounted as a bolted down stem clamp. The pedals are decent BMX style metal pedals. The controls are easy to use, although the display is very basic. The brake levers seem okay, and have nice rubber inserts. The derailleur worked okay, but I noticed some racket while riding. I think the guard is pushed up against it. Nothing pliers can't fix. It shifted through the gears okay, but I only used 6 and 7 for the entire ride. The motor has the typical RC car sound, but I don't have much to compared against. I think the front chain ring is too small for a faster commute. Once you are up to 18 MPH and PAS 4 or 5, you are racing to keep the pedals turning fast enough to match the assist. The last item I'll mention is the motor controller location. It is not water resistant at all. I do not recommend riding in the rain or even through a minor puddle. The electronics will get wet. This is the biggest design flaw I noticed. The in frame battery bikes are likely much better suited for wet weather and puddles.
Would I recommend, yes, but consider what is important to you. It's a good a multipurpose bike without a major strength or weakness.That concerns me.
Aren't most protected?
Thought this only took 8 hours to charge?
Anyone here recommend a bike rack that holds these ebikes . I got two thanks
https://a.co/d/73On097
I have never installed cable actuated hydraulic brakes, so I am unsure of this new tech, but it looks promising. After a couple posts mentioned it, I read up on the brake controller that is part of the brake lever. It would seem it's best to keep the stock brake levers so the brake sensor built into the lever doesn't have to be modded.
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Anyone here recommend a bike rack that holds these ebikes . I got two thanks
https://a.co/d/bz3H0TI
I have fat bikes for winter biking so I wanted one that supports fat tires, but it does fine with road bikes, etc.
https://a.co/d/bz3H0TI
I have fat bikes for winter biking so I wanted one that supports fat tires, but it does fine with road bikes, etc.
The other adjuster on the top of the other side of the fork is the pre-load. Based on the rider's weight and riding preferences, you can adjust the pre-load to the right or left (clock-wise or counter). I noticed that I wanted to tighten up the pre-load to make it as firm as possible. So I keep the lock-out unlocked and the preload as tight as it goes and I get a good fork feel (For a heavy $900 e-bike). Do they make better forks out there, yeah, there are plenty of better options, but this one does the job for trails and paths that my wife rides on.
If you turn the lock-out to fully locked and the fork is not completely stiff, then I would say there is an issue with your fork.
The other adjuster on the top of the other side of the fork is the pre-load. Based on the rider's weight and riding preferences, you can adjust the pre-load to the right or left (clock-wise or counter). I noticed that I wanted to tighten up the pre-load to make it as firm as possible. So I keep the lock-out unlocked and the preload as tight as it goes and I get a good fork feel (For a heavy $900 e-bike). Do they make better forks out there, yeah, there are plenty of better options, but this one does the job for trails and paths that my wife rides on.
If you turn the lock-out to fully locked and the fork is not completely stiff, then I would say there is an issue with your fork.
https://a.co/d/73On097
I have never installed cable actuated hydraulic brakes, so I am unsure of this new tech, but it looks promising. After a couple posts mentioned it, I read up on the brake controller that is part of the brake lever. It would seem it's best to keep the stock brake levers so the brake sensor built into the lever doesn't have to be modded.
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You get two brakes and two rotors, might be a slightly bigger reservoir.
These TRP have a big reservoir but still $125/ea:
https://a.co/d/7B90zQW
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