Kingofgreens

I've been looking into getting an ebike for a few months now. I've looked all around & think I came up with 1 sweet deal.

I contacted hipowercycles about these ebay adds.
https://cgi.ebay.com/Lamborghini-35-M...3A1|240%3A1318
&

https://cgi.ebay.com/Mongoose-1600W-L...3A1|240%3A1318

I eamiled them & managed to get the mongoose with a 600w bmc high torque "striker" 51.2 LiFePo4 10 ah, crystalyte 40a 36-72v digital contorller.

This rig look like $2000.00 USD ?

Abneycat

Barely. This is just about a bike you would find in a department store, Wal-mart is selling a similar model right now. Granted, it'd be a "high end department store bike", but don't let them fool you.

The bicycle in those photos is a 2006 Mongoose Wing Elite

https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/B...lite&Type=bike

similar model at wal-mart looks just like this bike's successor:
https://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5585806

In the mountain biking world, this would be a low end model. As a plus, it's largely made with components that will not fall apart immediately, like some of the other "full suspension" mountain bikes you'll see in department stores.

But, this bike is hardly exciting. And its 3 years old now.

The BMC 600w motor is as nice as they claim it is though, without a doubt. That controller is quite nice as well, you should confirm that the LiFePO4 battery they are selling will handle the amp rating of that setup. Some batteries of that size wont!

I definitely think you could do better on the bike, and the bike itself definitely drags down the deal a bit, but the electric components themselves are quite nice. Not an amazing deal, but its acceptable, in my opinion.

Will they negotiate the price a bit, with the knowledge that they're selling a 3 year old model? or comparatively, how much could you just buy the electric parts themselves for?

Ypedal

https://www.hi-powercycles.com/produc...5&productId=12

The website says :
"The 20AH pack will have a BMS for 60A continuous."

The ebay add says :
" Our exclusive 51.2v 10AH LiFePo4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) Battery system with built in BMS for up to 60A discharge (weighs only 10.2 pounds!)- Good for 1500-2000 Cycles! "

And what's a 51.2v pack ? How many cells ? 3.65v would be 14 cells.. ( assuming that's correct ) 10ah x 51.2v = 510wh / 30 miles = 17wh/mile ( at 20mph, that's possible.. but not at 30+ )

However, LiFePo4, at 10ah pushed with a 40 amp controller, will sag below 3v per cell, so that's 42v ( being generous here.. ) 420wh / 30 miles = 14wh per mile..

Too much drama.. not enough data...

And don't get me started on the LiPo .. that's another ball of wax.. Lipo should only be used by people who know what they are doing, like.. people who own DVM's and know how to use them..

JinbaIttai

That Lambo bike has RST 191 Omni front shocks.
My $150 MTB came with the same shocks when it was purchased from Walmart about eight years ago, to add to what Abneycat wrote.

Kingofgreens

I know the bike itself isn't top end, but it looks like its also far from junk. The drive kit I put together would be about 1800 & I guessed the bikes worth at about 300 so it seems to me to be a good deal. It was by far the best I've seen in a complete hi-pro bike.

I asked for the upgraded controller so that I could get a much better battery sometime down the line & be able to make full use of it. I'm under the impression that the 51.2v LiFePo4 10ah should drive that rig just fine but please let me know if the combo I asked for doesn't look right before I send payment & I can adjust it.

Abneycat

Personally, I would just go for a different bike. In some ways it isn't junk, that is to say that for the most part the components aren't 1-month throwaways. The Spinner OS may be a dog of a fork, but most cheap suspension is.

What makes me classify the bike as being a real drag on the deal is this:

Are you buying this bike to do off-road riding? As in, cross country riding on a recreational scale? If so, this bike would be decent if you were planning on doing this, primarily.

The full-suspension will do you little to no favours if you are primarily city riding. Not unless your ideal route is up and down staircases. Lower quality suspension forks will simply add weight, maintenance and additional risk of breakdown to your bicycle, and are simply unneccessary. For regular road riding, your worst enemies to comfort such as potholes can simply be dealt with using good, high volume tires.

In other words, the suspension will not prove its worth on the asphalt unless you're an urban assault junkie, and the flashiness of a full suspension bike with dual disks will place it at high risk for theft. Very high.

For carrying goods, the full-suspension bike will not be ideal. It is harder to fit racks to these bikes, and while possible, good racks for full suspension designs are harder to find. Off the top of my head, it looks like that bike may not accept a good rear rack like the Old Man Mountain racks, as it has no brake bosses. That seatpost rack will be no good for anything other than holding the battery. I suppose if you don't intend to carry things using racks, this may not concern you too much though.

To me, it seems as though it would depend on your riding circumstances. But since most people are using their e-bikes for urban use (I typically base my advice on this, expecting that at worst, people will be facing potholes and the odd gravel road), this bicycle is not practical. It has everything you don't need, and little that you do, to make a good urban bike.

If you truly wanted the full suspension design for reasons such as light urban assault / cross country use, then this bike could do "acceptably", but it isn't a performance ride. The suspension is likely to leave you wanting in particular, I think.

ecowheelz

Great insight on choosing a rear suspension! People are definitely attracted to full suspension models, but most aren't aware that they can be such a hassle in normal conditions! I bought my first full suspension bike years back, thinking it would provide a more comfortable and enjoyable ride. On heavy trails it was OK, but since most of my riding was city riding, it proved useless and annoying. Forget about standing up and forcefully pedalling your bike to build up speed - the whole rear end dips and sways - making you feel very unstable. Even after tightening the rear shock extensively, I felt like the bike was "giving out" and much of my pedalling momentum was lost. NO MORE REAR SUSPENSIONS FOR ME! I'M STICKING TO 'HARD TAILS'!

borland

No warranty and .....

Orders that have not been shipped may be refunded for a 15% restocking fee.

Kingofgreens

The battery has a 6 month warranty & 1 year on the rest, their customer service is highly acclaimed & that 15% charge is only if the consumer cancels their order.

Iheartbicycles

It seems as though a 'real' bicycle enthusiast would not enjoy this bike. Sure it might go (an illegal) 34mph and have a nice plush suspension, but it takes the real joy out of riding a bicycle. Like the others stated above it is NOT fun trying to pedal on asphault when a full suspension is absorbing most of your efforts.

Does anyone know exactly what the consequence is IF a police officer does catch you riding an illegal electric bicycle at an illegal speed? I am aware of the laws but I could not find what hte consequences are. Is it the equivelant to a speeding ticket? Would you be charged for riding a 'vehicle' without registration and insurance? If so, that seems like it could add up to a pretty hefty chunk of change.

Abneycat

If your e-bike isn't within the legal guidelines for an E-bike / PAB in your region, it can be legally classified as a different class of vehicle altogether. That could be a moped or motorcycle, depending.

Either one of those would be bad. Yes, you could then be charged with driving without license plates, insurance, registration, a helmet, signal lights, and some other possible surprises. I don't know if it would be pursued to that extreme, but it certainly could be.

I believe that there is a fair amount of flexibiliy to this. There are a lot of e-bike riders out there who push the limits of the guidelines by a degree with success, there isn't a lot of enforcement education on them, and I don't know if an officer would even care. Its a new field, but there is that possibility that it could go ugly for some e-bikers pushing their luck.

unime

For the record, high end full suspension bikes ride pretty well on the street. There are a bunch of enthusiasts (including me) riding full suspension Opibikes, and I haven't heard anything but whoops of joy - even from those who ride on the street. Of course, the Fox suspensions (which cost as much as two or three department store full suspension bikes) have an easily adjustable "Pro Pedal" feature.

La Bicyclette

i wonder how do they ship that for only $90? it comes in 2 packages...one for the bike + and one for the battery? how do they make the entire bike fit into a box? unless u have to assemble it... i'm surprised tehy don't say

Kingofgreens

2 packages at about 45ish pounds each sounds like about $80.00 shipping to me

I'm just waiting for my bike to be shipped now. So far its been a good experience with these guys but we'll see what happens when the bike gets here.
They did give me a good deal I think. I essentially took pretty much the best elements they have to offer & had them put on a cheaper bike. I haven't seen anything else like this on the market anyplace else & I'd be hard pressed to get it all seprately for under 2k.

I want to get a 60v 30ah battery next summer & by then, I may have decided to get a quality used hardtail. I've noticed that people tend to favor Specialized & I see them all the time for a few hundred. I've also seen a few Trek bikes as well in the same price range.



Anyone know a good site for fender kits & pantiers?

Kingpin 1

That price is very high. If you were to build your own ebike with a kit, you could save substantial dollars. A 36v. 350 watt kit from worldwide electric bikes is only about $695 plus freight and can be installed in one afternoon. This include a LiFePO4 battery good for about 1000 + charge cycles. This is a phenomenal kit. Take a look at it online.

Kingofgreens

I know I could of done a build myself a lot cheaper, however I was not going for a cheap build .

I could also drive a Geo but I'd have a lot more fun with a Corvette.

La Bicyclette

But that box has to be the size of a bicycle. I think they're losing money at that shipping rate.