Scaliboy62

I purchase this R Martin a couple weeks ago from the company's website, bike was $ 2000.00 including shipping
I still own a Prodeco Storm 500 which is "OK" but not for me & will be sold soon.
I needed a better quality bike with more range & Prodeco doesnt offer the 12 AH battery upgrade for the Storm.
The MiPower is built in Taiwan, looks like R.Martin imports & rebadges them.
A quick review,
Avid BB7 brakes are excellent, the front forks are high quality, the headset dosent squeak or creak, The motor & battery handle hills with ease, bike has a powerful feel, I hardly need to shift out of 7th gear, battery placement in the frame balances the bike better then I've ever experienced.
I unplugged the crank sensor & use thumb throttle only. 200 miles on her & love this bike, worth the extra money from entry level bikes.
I think I hit a home run this time, I need a quality bike for my health, I'm 50 & have stage 2 hypertension I'm battling & need a bike I can rely on. I believe this one is a keeper , I just wanted to share some pictures & a quick review on my MiPower. Any questions feel free to ask

ambroseliao

Do you have a link to the this bike on the R. Martin website?

Scaliboy62

The websites RMartinltd.com , then click on " Electric Bikes " ..I'll try to link..https://www.RMartinLTD.com

I thought I'd add this-- I think these bikes seem to come in 17" frames only, I'm 5'8" it's a good fit for me but this information would be important for people over 5'11 or so.
Also the upgrades in my photos include a better seat {Velo Bio Logic** The original really hurt, this one is great.
& of course the air horn, RMartin includes a wireless speedo/computer but I installed a Cateye basic I had.
They sell cheaper on the website then Amazon. I dont work for or even know anyone @ Rmartin , thought I'd throw that out there. I'm going to take some closeup pictures & post them that show some more build quality. soon..

Check out the alloys, the axel is quality steel, the Motor is nicly machined aluminum with a logo. The connecters are top quality, the controller is encased in a cast metal of some sorts, the wire to the motor dosnt thread through the end of the axel , the thumb throttler isnt a 5 dollar kit special.. The charger has a built in fan & charges in under 3 hours to full. The rims have nice detailed machined edges.
Edit- from more research I discovered Bike is built by EMaxi for what its worthhttps://WWW.Emaxi.com.tw

crackerdog

Wow, looks like someone actually gave it some thought instead of just throwing some crap on a Walmart bike. This looks pretty nice. If it turns out to be reliable, the price is reasonable too.

Scaliboy62

Yeah I agree also the battery placement is a unique thing to this bike but the fact there's zero slop in the forks & headset has me going, no noises doesnt feel like it's a rattle box POS. Not even spoke noises after I trued up the wheel a bit.
Feels like a Toyota or Lexus sumpin like that

powell

Maybe comparision to Lexsus of bikes in terms of quality is exxageration for sure, you got carried over.
You see, example: rim does not have eyelets like high quality ones example Alex rim.
Fork is decent but still not in Rockshock or Marchocci over $500 type.
But battery NOT over rear wheel is HUDGE advantage of Martin over Prodeco, especially for us over 50 who need to swing leg over battery on rear rack and it can be pain. Somebody seem to forget that luggage rack is FOR luggage and Podeco went lazy/easy way here.
At least theoretical capacity of Martin battery is another adventage, but, but,
tell me, is it geared China brand motor or gearless on your Martin???
For me silence of drive is very important. Simple you don't want to draw any attention to you wherever ebikes are not allowed and simple annoying sound is what is it.
Example
Papamotor ebike kit covered here VEEEERY extensively is not silent there are many China brand kits like that.

Scaliboy62

Motor is gearless, it's marked- TDCM, 500 Watt, 270 RPM, Made in Taiwan. It's Silent whisper quiet, I'll do a video next

https://www.tdcm-motor.com Here i found link to motor manufacturer in Taiwan, it's the same motor used on Stromer, Sram, Kymco, Grace which is a super high end German bike- Maybe I should of compared it to a Mercedes not a toyota or Lexus. OK maybe a Hyundai but it's a great bike thus far.

CigTech

looks like a nice bike, I see on the R Martin web site they have a layaway program. Nice. And they are in Austin TX.

Scaliboy62

I'll tell you what man, i needed to know the seatpost size as i couldnt make out the stamping & they got right back to my emails, nice people . I cracked 300 miles on this puppy so far & she just continues to impress me, loves the grass, trails, I got the stem / handlebars adjusted just right today got that nice feeling when your chest muscles/upperbody gets a workout & you feel more in control of the bike, stem fully erect & handlebars following their line basiclly, I rode 33 mile today 10 through cut grass on the side of the highway working the path, woods etc. , Bike just eats it all up.

powell

The motor is what place it apart from other ebike,
It is not your average typical China brand but something much more civilized than crude China technology
Just looking at covers of this motor tells me that it is quality built motor
Of course Martin is analog system-no communication between components
How linear throttle is?
I mean isit well modulated? but to tell me this you must try other high end bikes
Like Eplus
Martin is only ebike which uses throttle used on Eplus and Tidal Force bikes
I have been pushing such throttle for thousands of km on my E plus and TF
No problem with water entering,rock solid

Ypedal

I recognize the logo on the motor cover " UM " Ultra Motor ( exact same as on my A2B Metro ) .. it's basically made in the BionX factory, same company.

Ypedal

Those torque arms are a bad joke, the size of the hole vs the size of the mounting hardware , huge amount of slop would not do much in helping a loose axle nut.. minor gripe considering the power level.

the black box with ridges, is that hooked up to the pedal sensor ? ( I assume it is ) . and, does the throttle wire go directly to the motor or also thru that box ?

Scaliboy62

Hi Ypedal, I sent you an EMail earlier was on your site, the thumb throttle wire goes to the black box or controller, it screws into one of those connecters.
This bike allthough has some nice components has recently given me some trouble @ the 400 mile mark, 2 broken spokes { they are 15 G. I believe, really small ** . The bike has an annoying surge @ WOT like the speed limiter is kicking in & out, annoys the heck out of me I wish I could smooth that out the top end feels a little slow compared to my Prodeco 36v 500 Storm as well . & yes, the pedal sensor screws into a connector to the black box
Heres some pictures of the controller

CigTech

So looking at the controller, it can run 24v or 36 v but only at standard 15A and peaks 25A. thats a little lite don't you think?

Scaliboy62

Yup, I was thinking the same thing, I think it needs an upgrade , I'll be honest I'm no Electrical wiz & dont know where to start..Edit- controller replaced much better now ! Yippie

pjtait

What did you replace the controller with? Please post details!

Scaliboy62

I didnt mean to mislead- it's a stock controller replacement , it was not 100% right from the factory it seemed then the rear wheel locked as the Hall sensors were fighting each other ** I have 840 miles on the new one & has been perfect. Thats 840 miles in the month of july.

CigTech

Nice to hear that Martin is standing behind they bike. whats the top speed on that bike on a flat road?

Scaliboy62

Yes, RMartin are the nicest people & a fine company they are quite a contrast to Prodeco but thats for another thread {I cant get into that now but will one day.**
. I thought an adjustment or upgrade to the controller may correct an issue- the bike which seems to surge @ WOT . What is happening is the speed limiter kicks in & out so theres a slight surge of .5 MPH's or so. I do run with the pedal assist feature unplugged on thumb throttle only & the battery may be designed for this pedal assist feature { they claim a feature called TSS also I believe the acronym is Torque Sensing Sensor something like that.
Also it only happens is when the battery is fully charged the bike wants to go over 20 MPS's @ WOT but when the battery discharges a bit maybe after riding 5 miles it goes away, also I learned how to feather the throttle to 19.6 MPH's , it's a really light touch. But 3/4 of the ride/charge after the battery discharges a little I can just floor the thumb throttle & it doesnt surge. It took me a while to learn how to feather the throttle.
To answer your question bike will do 18.6-20 MPH's throttle only on a flat road, you lose a tiny amount of top speed when the battery discharges but will never go below 18.6 MPH all the way till battery is flat/dead { I'm 195 lbs. ** with a steady pedaling with not too much effort you can easily do 21-23 MPH's for a long strech I'm talking 40 miles.
I dont hold the fact I had a controller fail against the bike these things are rare but happen with electrical components as most people will attest to, I'm very impressed with this bike still, above average Eibike here folks !
Quick summery on my ebiking savings , I sold my second vehicle which costed me $4500.00 per year to operate gas,insurance, repairs for 8000 miles I was logging on it. I'm 6 months into E-biking I'm looking @ logging over 8000 miles on the bike per year. Thats a savings of 4500 bucks first year & that is conservative. They pay for themselves very quickly, my advice to someone seriously devoted to riding one of theses things to work or school is dont buy a cheap one go for a quality one even bikes a tad more in price range like Stromer are worth it as they pay for themselves so fast you need a good one if your going to use it hard.

I forgot to add I lost 18 lbs & my blood pressure is in normal range since getting into E-Biking 6 months ago & have met a lot of nice people on my juants but also got chased by a Pit Bull once too !
Edit, new pictures taken today show bike with Tamer Pivot Plus suspension seat post, & handlebar bag, note the neat place for my mace, & the 850 miles shown on ODO is from the last 30 days ! !

pjtait

I've done 50+ miles so far on mine, very pleased with it. What's the make/model of your handlebar bag?

I've been using the pedal assist so far, turned full up. I'll try adjusting it to minimum and play with the throttle, since others on the forum seem to recommend that.

Scaliboy62

The handlebar bag was a freebie when I bought my Prodeco - you can get one @ Bike-Smiths on E-Bay, decent quality, nice look & works well as far as storing things.

zydeco

I just bought this bike based partly on your reviews. I also bought a second battery as I have a long ride. I will let ya know how it works out.

Scaliboy62

Geeze, you must have one heck of a ride to need another 14 AH battery as a backup. I bet you got a white one, I noticed they ran out of the orange bikes, sometimes I wish I went with the white. Keep an eye on the spokes, I believe they could be a bigger gauge , actually relating to that advice keep an eye out for potholes . I'm @ 1900 miles now, recently I replaced the tires & went with 26x 195's over the 175's. The wider tire really makes a difference. There's a little bit of a surge @ WOT that occurs when the speed limiter kicks in which goes away after the battery discharges, but it's less prominent with the wider skins, also the handling is much better. The only issue with the wider tires is you have to re route the cables from the inside of the frame's chainstay to the outside, it doesnt look quite as clean having the cables there & not seated in those little guides but the wider tire is just what the doctor ordered for the bike so the trade off is worth it..
Let me know if you have any questions, I love this bike still it's a passion for me & I've had the rear wheel off a few times & have adjusted the brakes a few times as well as other things. Oh & depending on your weight you might need a new saddle, I bought a Brooks leather saddle to go with the Tamer Pivot plus seatpost, I flattened the rails of 3 saddles before springing for the Brooks, was about $ 130.
These Brooks saddles are built like tanks made in UK company's been around for 130 years or so & come with a warranty I believe 2 years, so between the airhorn, saddle, seat post I'm into mine for about $ 2300.00 total not including tires ..Still alot cheaper then me having a second car, LOL

zydeco

I have to make 28-30miles round trip. I weight more than you and I am sure I am shorter as well. I have issues with my knees+weight while riding. I will be happy if I don't need the other battery. 15 years ago I rode a 20 mile round trip commute daily and I wish I had never stopped. When I moved to my current home everything was 20 miles away so I never rode again. I spent the past month reading about ebikes and looked at hundreds of options. I was willing to pay up to 3500 for the bike. I really liked the A2B metro and the Elmundo. However they lacked pedal assist. Extra battery capacity was either very expensive or unavailable at this time. There is not allot out there about this bike but via your various posts online I was able to get a pretty good idea of what to expect. I spent just under $2700 with the battery. I still have room in the budget for a Brooks and some serious bike lock gear. I ordered the bike late on the 26th. The bike shipped a little slow because ups took 3 days to pick it up. Even with the delay they bike will be here tomorrow. I am now looking for a rear rack, saddle, and tail light on amazon.

Scaliboy62

Yes, I would go the Brooks saddle route right away also the suspension seat post, it's a hardtail & really needs these. The Brooks is a no brainer because of the warranty & The Tamer Pivot plus seat post is a high end unit as well that comes with a good warranty. Your 30 mile commute is a piece of cake with a little peddling. I did 39 miles on a really windy day that was the one & only time I rode it till I ran out of juice but I didnt use the Pedal assist feature I keep this disconnected & thumb throttle it only, so with the assist set on low it should go further then the 39 miles I clocked .. . Let me know how you make out..
Alan