E-bike review: DŌST / DOST Kope CVT
ALERT: it appears that the company went out of business some time in March 2024. I'm leaving this review up in case anyone may find a used one and wonder about it, but be warned!
------------------------------------------------------- Folks who have been on the forum for a while may remember that in 2022, I asked a lot of questions about available e-bikes and about touring with e-bikes. In June last year, I posted about a ride I had taken along the Erie Canal with my “old” ebike, while waiting for the new one to arrive. (That’s at https://m.bikeforums.net/showthread....1650&styleid=8 if you want to refresh your memory.) And then I went silent. The bike I had ordered during the lockdown period of the pandemic got caught in the global manufacturing snafu, then spent months tied up in the global shipping snafu. But I received it in September 2022. And now that I’ve had it long enough for more than first impressions, I wanted to let you know what I think about it. What I was used to: I wanted something that could handle commuting 8 miles each way on potholed city streets, plus be capable of occasional bike tours. About ten years ago, I was in the habit of taking a week-long cycling vacation – 6 summers in a row! – with 300-400 mile weeks. I started those on a city bike, then moved to a titanium touring bike as I got more experienced. And then in autumn 2015, my “check knee” light came on. After that, pushing on the pedals hurt. (My knees are stronger now than they first started hurting, but I’m not back to my baseline.) What I learned from: My first e-bike was a kit conversion from a step-through Breezer 8-speed. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fe34d45d78.jpg A grey Breezer step-through bike, modded with a Bafang mid-drive motor. A battery is attached to the rear rack.It got the job done. I could commute to work; I could get over the hills in my neighborhood (sometimes called the “Manayunk Wall”); I could go 20-25 miles confidently if I wanted a longer ride. With an extra battery carried in my pannier and with conservative levels of boost, I managed a metric century through hilly terrain (the Covered Bridge Classic near Lancaster PA). But it didn’t work as a bike for loaded touring. What I realized I wanted: Riding the Breezer for several seasons helped me understand a bit more about what I wanted in my next e-bike.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...62b9990583.jpg A heavily-built ebike with a stand-over frame, painted black with red accents. This isn’t quite the way I received it, but it’s the way I ride it: Ortlieb tank bag and pannier (brought over from the Breezer); water bottle mounts on the handlebar bag; and Crank Brothers pedals (eggbeaters on one side, flat on the other) to replace the original flat pedals. There’s one battery in the downtube (14Ah 48V), and you can see the removable secondary battery (10.4 Ah 48V) attached to that. The headlight is original equipment. There’s a taillight that you can’t see, hidden behind the pannier. I am very, very pleased with my decision. It took me a while to get used to the bike. One of the biggest differences is that because this bike frame was designed to have a motor down by the pedals, the bottom bracket is a little higher off the ground than I was used to. It took a while for me to get the seat height and the handlebars where I wanted them, and I stand on tip-toe at stops more than I used to. The secondary battery attaches to the downtube where a water bottle might otherwise be attached, so I was really happy to find a tank bag that lets me attach water bottles to it. Little things that delight me: the rack is made so that the panniers hang from horizontals that run an inch or two below the platform, so that if I strap a tent or something to the rack it won’t hit the panniers. The saddle has a handle built in, under the widest part, to give you something to grab on to when you try to muscle this 65 pound tank around. The fenders were part of the design: they attach better and give better coverage than after-market fenders I’ve had on other bikes. There are little annoyances, too. You need to change the batteries independently, and the connectors are on opposite sides. But I can deal with that. This past weekend I went back to the Covered Bridge metric century. Remember, when I did that ride on the Breezer, I carried a spare battery in my pannier. One year I didn’t have enough power for the last hill before the finish (but I did have enough juice for the flat terrain after that to the finish line, about a half mile away); the next year, with a replaced battery, I had about 2 miles worth of travel left. And the range on the Kope? Riding with minimal pedal assist on the flats (level 1 out of 9 possible), and using my gearing so that level 2 was enough for most hills (level 3 was for HILLS), I made the 65 miles and 3800 feet of rise with 29% of my battery pack left. If you’ve got questions, I’ll be happy to try to answer them. |
Secondary battery connection.
Hi i would like to know where i could purchase a secondary battery kit or mounting plate for a dost bike,or if you could post a picture of the connector on the mounting plate ,maybe i can find it this way.thank you for your help
|
nice review - good points aboutthe throttle.
|
engadini
Here are some pictures of the secondary battery. I believe you can order one directly from Dost. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9af4a5ed3f.jpg The base of the secondary battery, with a ruler for scale. (Sorry, I didn't have a banana, but at least the tape measure is the right color.) https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2453ffd547.jpg The base of the secondary battery, unobscured by any tape measure https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...242ecf0c80.jpg The long underside of the secondary battery. The text on the label says: Li-ion Battery Pack Product Model: DTW-01 Nominal Voltage: 48V Nominal Capacity: 10.5Ah Stored Energy: 504Wh Limited Charging Voltage: 54.6V Shen Zhen World Electronic Co Ltd www.wpbattery.com I hope this is helpful. |
Originally Posted by jeneralist
(Post 23230623)
engadini I believe you can order one directly from Dost.
https://www.bbb.org/ca/bc/port-coqui...s-0037-2430261 |
Originally Posted by tds101
(Post 23230713)
Unfortunately they've gone out of business, so you would need to find a company that sells a compatible replacement battery...
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:19 AM. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.