Recently, these 3 guys (Jesse, Tommy, and Daniel) built a custom trailer and headed out west to California, where I got a chance to meet with them and test ride their creation…the 422 Trike. We met in Fairfax California, a town known for its bicycle culture, and rode from noon until sunset (a total of 40 miles),  and climbed to the top of Mount Tamalpais (2600 feet).  This ride was very close to the companies target “adventure ride” which they are huge advocates of. After the ride I had a really good idea of what this trike was all about.

The 422 Alpha

The “4″ in 422 stands for 4000 watts. That is 5.3 horsepower. The motor is a highly efficient Astro 3220 mid drive (read our story on Astros: Terrifying Speed). The 422 is an ultra-clean all-belt drive, but with a single speed. It can climb anything, and has a top speed of about 45-MPH.

The 22 stands for 2200 watt hours. (read our story on watt hours and calculating range) That is the most massive pack offered on any production electric bike. 2200 watt hours is enough to get you an honest 100 mile range, if you’re riding at a reasonable 20-MPH.

The Alpha stands for Astro….the mack daddy of lightweight ebike drive systems.

The 422 Alpha costs $12,000 and has earned its spot on our list of  10 most expensive electric bikes.

This is a hard bike to describe, because it isn’t really an electric bike…this is definitely a tadpole trike.  The 422, like all Outrider trikes, is based on a KMX recumbent trike. It is basically a conversion (the frame is not built custom) but a very involved conversion, with lots of custom CNC parts and machine work, and one of the most elegant drive systems ever put on an electric bike…..errr electric trike.

The Astro Drive System

That 5 horse power is being cranked out of an RC motor that weighs only 5 pounds, and fits in the palm of your hand. To do this requires an elaborate gear reduction system made up of belts and pulleys, and a lot of custom configuration to both hardware and software, to make sure that little motor does not fry at 4,000 watts. The guys at Outrider USA have successfully made a reliable vehicle out of this sexy piece of ebike porn. See our list of 10 pieces of ebike porn.

Read Astr0 Motor on ebike, terrifying speed

Pikes Peak Proven

If you are wondering if the Outrider Trike is reliable, two of these things crushed the Pikes Peak bicycle race in 2012, Conquering a grueling 10-mile climb while averaging over 30-MPH, and finishing 7 minutes ahead of a team of Optibikes who until that year dominated this race.  It is an impressive feat to climb a mountain on an ebike, but to do it at high speed is pretty incredible to see.

This achievement really impressed the members of Endless Sphere who thought RC motor set ups were finicky and not a good set up for climbing mountains…especially at high speed. Remember the motor of the Outrider Trike only weighs 5 pounds and fits in the palm of your hand. The Outrider trike guys made believers out of the doubters.

Read our story about the Outrider trike victory on Pikes Peak.

During my test ride, I rode the trike up some fairly steep hills, and the motor and controller only got warm to the touch. In case you do happen to get your drive system too hot (a killer for ebikes) there  are auto shut down features in the Outrider system. It seems very difficult to set those off however (maybe riding with the brake on?)

Service and Warranty

The 422 Alpha indeed seems like a reliable machine that is unlikely to break down on you, even riding in grueling hilly conditions. It has a 2 year warranty, although…unless you buy in North Carolina it is going to be hard to get full warranty support.

Reliability is extremely important on a ride like this, because it is going to be hard to service if something does break on it. Accessing the battery pack is a real pain, and if you have to send the trike to North Carolina expect  super high shipping fees both ways. More realistically you will have to do your own service on this vehicle with Outrider’s phone support, or find someone mechanically skilled in your area (preferably an ebike expert) to help.

The 422 Alpha is a complicated machine, far more complicated than a hub motor ebike, and honestly things are bound to go wrong with it eventually through the years.

Inevitably this trike will need service and you should think in advance how you will deal with that. The Outrider trike is only sold direct from North Carolina.

Why a trike?

Outrider USA has been specialized in building electric trikes for 3 years now. The  company founders agree that they want to focus on building  trikes, even though building and offering an electric bike would be relatively easy for them since they have figured out and dialed in one of the lightest, sexiest, and  most efficient power systems available (the Astro motor drive). They are convinced that a trike is the right platform for this kind of high performance build. After building and riding a trike they are not interested in offering an electric bicycle because they feel that the recumbent trike is the perfect platform  to carry such a  large battery packs at high speed.

With this much power, they feel the E-trike is safer than a ebike. Better balanced, more comfortable, more fun and more capable. They are true believers in what they are offering as the ultimate electric machine.

Read Outriders comparison between recumbent vs upright bike 

It seems that they made a believer out of one reknowned  ebike builder, Matt Shumaker (ES member recumpence) who helped them develop  their Astro drive system. After helping with the Outrider Trike, Matt decided to focus on trikes in his own builds, and built this 50mph trike also based on the KMX platform.

A learning curve

An Outrider Trike takes a little time to get use to when riding. It is totally different from riding a bicycle.  Because of its immense power, a first time ride can be an intimidating experience.

According to Jesse, he spends a good deal of his time educating new riders on how to ride the trike. I watched this first hand when a local Marin man asked for a test ride while we were there. It took a good half hour of patient guidance to get the man acquainted with the bike. Nothing at all like a test ride on an ebike, where you show them the throttle and they go. Even watching this man ride for the first time on a electrified trike  was a frightening experience. But once he got through the initial uncomfortable stages he seemed  happy and cozy on that bad ass 422 Alpha trike.

When you are learning to ride the trike you set it to 750 watt mode which makes it a much more docile machine that is much easier to handle.

According to the Outrider Trike guys, they have a one in four conversion rate…meaning out of 4 people who seek out a test ride with the trike, one buys. Pretty good considering the high buy-in price of this vehicle.

The E-bike Grin in 3 levels

The Outrider Trikes utilizes a V3 CycleAnalyst (read review) with 3 different programmed  modes to ride in. 750 watts (street legal), 2000 watts (safe and sane) and 4000 watts (racing).

When you get into 2000W and 4000W modes, the Outrider USA trikes are definitely a thrill ride…a rare feature in todays production ebike market. The only ebike on the market that compares to the Outrider trike in terms of performance would be the Stealth Bomber (read review). The Outrider Trike obviously made our list of 10 fastest production electric bikes. The acceleration on the Outrider Trike (even in 750 watt / one-HP) mode is pretty good compared to most production ebikes, and at the 4000W watt mode  (5+ horsepower) it is practically obscene! The power on the trike comes on nice and smooth, so it is very controllable. I actually found the 2000W level to be the “sweet spot” with just the right combination of power and efficiency. If it were mine I would ride in 2000W-mode about 80 percent of the time.

The 422 Alpha actually has enough power and range to make it a serious candidate for a car replacement.

Is it possible that this $12,000 could actually pay for itself? It definitely could if you used it instead of a car….and be much more of a thrill ride.

Part of the ebike grin effect is getting away with riding fast and saving money at the same time.

Read our story on how an ebike can save you money

A legal go-kart  getting away with it

Riding through the hills of Mount Tamalpis on this wonderfully powerful machine, leaning into and powering through the corners, I really felt like I was on a go-kart…something you could never get away with riding on the street if it were gas powered. When you ride  these high power trikes on the street, they are silent and unassuming (they look like a recumbent bike) and you can easily get away with riding at 30-MPH speeds without being hassled.  Its really a sensation that’s hard to describe, except imagine being able to take out a 5-HP Go-kart out on the street for ride any morning you feel like…so much fun!

But wait…is the Outrider Trike Legal? Outrider made out list of Illegal Electric Bikes, and technically it can be illegal if you ride it in the higher power settings. You do have the choice to ride it in 750 watt mode which is totally legal in the US.  Wink Wink.

When heavy weight is a good thing

The 422 Alpha weighs in at about 100 pounds, which is not bad considering how much battery (2,200-WH) and power that this thing is packing. See weight comparison chart

The key feature to a recumbent electric trike is that the battery weight is as low as possible, under the rider, and it actually serves as a ballast. According to Tommy, the Outrider trike handles better at high speed than a stock KMX trike (pedal drive only) which is 50 pounds lighter. The added weight makes the trike much more stable.

This is not the case with electric bikes, where adding weight is always bad for the handling of the bike, because of the weight being up high trying to tip the rider over. With the Outrider trike you can go with a battery pack as big as you can afford with little consideration for having to carry a heavier battery. The 422 Alpha, since you sit on top of all the weight, feels light and nimble. Again think riding on a go-kart to imagine what the trike feels like.

Having a big battery pack is a real luxury. Not only do you have the capacity to do some exquisitely long rides.  Even if you don’t use all these watt hours, having such a large pack really improves the longevity of the battery when you only discharge it partially on most rides.

No Suspension

The only suspension you have when riding the 422 Alpha is the air in the tires. This is different from an electric bike which often comes with some kind of active suspension, plus you can always stand on the pedals to minimize the effect of heavy bumps. While riding the trike you have all your weight on the seat which you cannot wiggle out of, and feel the bumps through out your body when you hit them. I really felt the road when riding the 422 Alpha and some bumps were downright scary at high speed.

Off-road riding would be a bumpy ordeal that is not recommended on a recumbent trike.

Pedal Cadence

Outrider trikes has installed a very expensive and elegant Swiss-made Schlumpf Planetary crankset on the front of the trike to ensure the right pedal cadences. One key to the Outrider Trike is the motor will not kick in until you get the trike up to 5 -MPH. This is for safety, and to prevent stuttering in the motor, which uses a sensorless controller so it will sputter if you try to power-up from a stop. Sometimes it is a pain to get to 5-MPH, and you need low gearing to accomplish this especially when starting on an up hill. At the same time you need high gearing to have pedal cadence at high speeds.

The Schlumpf accomplishes this by offering a 2.5 to 1 reduction. When in its low mode, you have in effect a 40-tooth front chain ring to help you pedal to 5-MPH…when you kick the button on the center of the Schlumpf with your foot, you have in effect transformed it into a massive 100-tooth chain ring…giving you a sweet pedal cadence even at speeds as high as 45-MPH. With the 422 Alpha I was able to get exercise at my choosing…no matter how fast or how slow I was travelling.

In the picture above you can see the silver button shifter at the base of the crank. You kick it with your foot to shift. Such a sweet piece of ebike porn.

Lovingly Built in the USA

Each Outrider Trike is built by hand, by the 3 company founders in their North Carolina shop. It takes a week of full time work to build a single trike, most of this going into the assembly of the battery pack. You can tell these guys really love their creations, and each of them have their own trike for their own adventure. Each time they build a Trike they improve slightly on the Trike built the last time. When you buy an Outrider Trike you are definitely buying into a rare piece of American craftsmanship, and you will own something really special. This is a refreshing change to most imported from China production bikes. Of course this US craftsmanship does not come cheap.

Very nice wheels

Speaking of American made craftsmanship, Outrider USA had custom trike wheels built for them by Industry 9 in North Carolina. These are expensive wheels with thick burly spokes and top grade everything.  Industry 9 wheels utilize an innovative design that minimizes spokes coming loose etc.

On a wheel carrying a 100-pound trike at high speed, you want the highest grade bicycle tire as possible. Industry 9 wheels are as rugged as bicycle wheels get, and the fact that Outrider has outfitted them on their trikes shows their commitment to excellence, safety and performance…no matter what the cost.

Built for adventure

The Trike is named Outrider because it is meant to get you outside and into an adventure. This is the adventurer’s dream machine, with a huge battery pack capable of incredible range, a powerful motor for adrenaline-packed top speed, and the capacity to carry significant cargo, camping supplies, etc. This is a serious transportation and recreation machine, that can take you places and transform your life and mindset into a dream-like state. Very few store-bought electric bikes have the capacity to transform your life to the extent that this vehicle can.

Riding Impressions

What can I say…these trikes are totally awesome. This counts as my favorite test ride of any production electric bike ever. This is also my longest and farthest test ride. I rode the 422 trike a whopping 40 miles, and we were out for 7 hours and still had battery to spare at the end of the ride. Having a massive battery pack is a great luxury, even if you don’t use it all.

Outrider Trikes are so much fun to ride, that anyone spending a day on one in the right terrain on a good day  will probably not forget that day for the rest of their life. Everyone should have one…and then a second one for when friends visit….if only they were not so damn expensive.

The Outrider Trikes  are not silent, but are also not too loud (unlike the annoyingly loud noise of an Optibike). The Astro motor has an awesome electric roar to it, and the all belt drives minimizes clatter noise so all you hear is that sweet Astro singing….

The Outrider Trike is single speed but has ample power for acceleration and climbing. I can honestly say this Trike has as much power to go as fast as I could ever want and all the torque I would ever need.

Riding a high powered electric recumbent is an entirely new experience, and  its hard to describe all the sensations in words. You are in a completely comfortable riding position, nearly lying down. You feel safe when you are cornering hard because you are  so close to the ground. If you forget to lean into a corner you can tip over, but once you are accustomed to riding the trike, leaning into the turns becomes second nature.

Because of the nature of the trike, it is not a ride-anywhere vehicle such as a bicycle.  It is not a very practical offroad vehicle and is not as maneuverable as an electric bike for example riding on single track or just getting around obstacles on a tight bike path. The Outrider trike seems best suited for road riding….especially when void of traffic.

Are trikes safe?

Recumbent riders all have the same problem of not being as visible in traffic as a bicycle, and being in a more vulnerable riding position in the event of an unfortunate run-in with a car.

I do not like the feeling of riding in traffic in a recumbent trike, because of the fear of getting run over (on a bicycle I would get hit, which seems better). Because the trike is so strange looking, you will get a motorists attention faster than if riding on an ebike, and may even get a motorists respect if you take the full lane. Because of the trikes 40-MPH top speed you can safely take the lane in most road riding conditions.

I really like the lighted LED whip light that the Outrider trike uses…it is  proof that the designers of this vehicle put serious thought on what would make this vehicle ride-able and safe. I would estimate that the LED-lit flag pole doubles the visibility of the 422 Alpha  trike.

However I do feel safer on the trike than a bicycle, in that I am closer to the ground and have more control when cornering even on slick surfaces.

A full-faced helmet is advised when riding this machine.

Why so expensive?

The Outrider models start in price at $6,000 with a smaller battery pack, a smaller motor, and less fancy components. The top of the line 422 Alpha Outrider trike which I tested will cost you $12,000. This may seem like a lot of money but its on par with what other top performance electric bikes cost such as the M55,  Optibike, Stealth Bomber, and Hanebrink.

In my mind this trike is a better value than the other bikes I just mentioned.

Why so expensive? For one thing this trike  is hand-built in the United States, and it takes many hours of skilled labor  to build.

In addition, the 422 Alpha  has some very expensive components, and these costs add up quickly…more expensive components in fact,  than I have seen on any other production ebike. Here are some of the expensive components I noticed:

Industry 9 custom Trike wheels (made in North Carolina) – $1200

Astro 3220 Motor Custom built (made in California) – $800

2-Kw high output lithium battery (assembled in North Carolina) – $2000

Castle HV-160 controller (USA company)  - $300

High output lithium charger and balancer units – $900

Cycle Analyst and  Cycle Luminator light (made in Canada) – $320

Not an idiot-proof BMS

BMS stands for battery managment system and is a circuit board built into the battery, which makes sure the battery is never over-charged, or discharged too much. Lithium batteries can be ruined or even become a fire risk if over or under charged.

A BMS can serve as a redundant protection system, since all lithium electric bikes are charged with a smart charger designed specifically for lithium.

The Outrider is the only commercially available electric bike I know of without an idiot proof BMS built into the battery. This means if you hook the wrong charger to the trike or accidentally change your charger settings,  or your charger malfunctions, you could feasibly set your Trike on fire. The Outrider charges at 1,000 watts, which is no joke. The battery is enshrouded in a metal case so even if the pack does catch fire it should be contained. Low battery level shut-down is controlled by the V3 Cycle Analyst, but if you happen to reset your setting, and do not keep an eye on your voltage…you could ruin our battery pack by discharging it too low.

Basically you would have to do something very idiotic to set fire to your trike or ruin your battery pack, but because the pack does not have its own BMS, it is possible.

When you charge the pack you also have to hook up a separate unit which handles the cell balancing….another spot for possible user error.

DIY’ers have been running electric bikes in this manner for years with few problems, and the Outrider Trike is using some really cool charging technologies to ensure safe charging. It is still something a new owner should be aware of…that a 2,000 watt-hour lithium pack is nothing that should be taken lightly, and if you were to own this trike, you would really want to understand what is going on with your lithium pack. This is not as much of a plug and play system as all the other ebikes on the market, which you can just plug in and forget about…

Pros and Cons

This trike has some magnificent “pros” and then on the other hand  some pretty awful “cons”. This is an extreme vehicle and has extreme benefits and drawbacks. If you are weighing on whether to buy or not…if you can afford one buy one…you won’t regret it, and it will probably end up being one of your most prized possessions.

Pros

Fun as hell

Fast…VERY fast

Long Range

Super Stable

Reliable

Comfortable

Unique and special

Belt Drive

One of the coolest ebikes available

2 year warranty

Cons

Expensive! These things are too sweet to be cheap.

Bike will have to be shipped to North Carolina in the event of a break down

More dangerous than a bicycle in traffic

Jarring going over bumps with no suspension

Much harder to park and store than an ebike

Not as maneuverable as an ebike

Mechanical disc brakes (Avid BB7′s), not hydraulic.

Not a plug and play battery with a BMS

Technically illegal in the higher power settings

I’ve always been a purveyor of All-Wheel Drive (AWD) systems and it probably comes from time spent off-roading with my cousins as a squirt. Both my uncles have 4x4s, and buggies, and ATVs, and on and on… When I grew up, ordered up my 4×4 truck exactingly from the factory. It pulls the moon! There’s just one problem: Mileage… which is in the ditch.

But damn I love the feeling of control and power at all wheels when conditions are dodgy!

When I set out to build my second electric bike in the winter of 2009, I ordered a full-suspension frame and two full ebike conversion kits (F & R rim brake) from ebikes.ca. Excited too when the packages arrived shortly after Christmas! But the Engineer in me couldn’t be repressed and I took apart a controller and the rear hub to see how it worked: They’ve remained that way since, although serving a purpose as a frequent model for measurement and contemplation.

Began with the 2009 Felt Compulsion-1 Frame purchased off of eBay for about $800 USD.

With only a front hub system left, my AWD ebike would have to wait, instead converting my 19-yro Specialized Rockhopper MtB into a Front-Wheel Drive (FWD): Rode it hard and aggressive right into the ground, lasting barely a year. Much was learned from this wild tangent, namely working through the um… “unique characteristics” of Chinese engineering, and applying mods along the way. Joining Endless-Sphere (ES) was immensely helpful with collective minds solving everyday problems, and especially rising to interesting challenges. For my part, I was on a mission to ride (pedal) from Redmond Washington to California and back – fulfilling a childhood quest.

For where I live in and around hills and forest and city, there was no hesitation: I desired a 2WD ebike because we have dodgy winter conditions that make it very difficult to get beyond this little Redmond hamlet up over the steep hills to work. Plainly my 4×4 could do it and I wanted that out of my ebike too!

As such, the first year (2010) was spent sorting out basic noob issues: Batteries, charging, charging in the field, packaging batteries into ever-increasing assemblies, controller mods for more power, try every tire, every seat, every light, every gadget, every garb, and even every helmet. By Christmas, the MtB shocks were blown out – and without parts I finally made the move to the Felt Compulsion frame.

“P0″ started out as a 1991 Specialized Rockhopper conversion. The variant above was used for the February 2010 Chilly Hilly event with two battery packs and a range > 75 miles.

Being completely new and late model there were lots of great choices for building up what has become my favorite bike to date. It started out as a leggy FWD pony with the over-sized frame adopting every electrical component from the previous ebike. Although I took the path of rugged aggressive urban assault very seriously and embraced new disc brake versions of the same 9C 2806 hub motors, ordered about February though arrived late May of 2011. That delay put a crimp on the summer schedule.

Sidebar story: In the first year – 2010, I ran out of time for my California challenge trying to assemble the full-suspension ebike. With no time left I used the FWD Rockhopper instead, threw it onto Amtrak in Seattle – riding it down to Klamath Falls and saving 4 days. Over the next two weeks, I traversed 458 miles over 3.5 days in the saddle down to Sacramento and then caught the midnight train back to Seattle. The trip was a partial success, although the hardtail frame beat me to death… and I swore never to wear a backpack again.

Back to 2WD build: The 2011 trip to California would require extra planning and capacity so I built this custom trailer using a “jumper” style BMX bike frame with a pusher RWD motor; together I’d have this “push-me pull-you” system. You think 6 months would be enough time for planning and assembly, but the last 6 weeks was intense, working from sunrise to 1 AM trying to finish it up. Finally, all appears ready, committed to leaving, jump on the bike, hit the throttle – and nearly died from the torque and oscillation that was running through the frames. Failure: Back to Square One.

The delay to re-engineer fixes cost about 3 weeks, though solved the basic problem by moving the RWD onto the bike – thus creating the original 2WD dream! Other issues were corrected as well: When you have a bike & trailer loaded up with 100 lbs. of LiPo and tools and supplies and clothes and food… well it gets pretty heavy and that load has to be placed precisely otherwise the slightest wind or divot in the road can cause a spill. Fortunately I live in and around one of the steepest plateaus of the region and was able to model progressively larger loads, learning how to drive it at the same time, discovering the tipping points, and the limits of both man and machine. Make no mistake – that bike was loaded to the gills, and then I headed on down the road to California leaving Redmond about Noon – in the rain.

P0 Opportunity-charging beside a vending machine: July 1st, 2010 – my first road trip to California and ran out of power.

I didn’t get very far before thinking this was a crazy mad idea and by the time I reached Renton 30 miles away I was certain I was crazy! At least the rain quit. But from then on, like emerging from under a cloud, the sky brightened as did my disposition, and the Great Experiment proceeded to unfold mile after mile beneath two electrically driven wheels. Not without a hitch; there were constant problems and some critical fixes along the way. Several kindred Friends of ES gave safe harbor to my passage and provided illumination, as well as timely adjustments to my ride. Without that, I certainly would have failed.

The power afforded by 2WD is incomparable to single-wheel of similar measure because there are two wheels turning against the ground, digging in traction, and moving the bike forward. As Samwise Gamgee said to Frodo Baggins in LotR: “Share the load!” And that’s what 2WD does: It splits the load between two motors, it divides the heat of strain – and the motors run cooler because of it. Now we can apply more power, climb hills faster without fear of sag or roasting wires, and we don’t have to pedal as hard. When the road becomes really dodgy, we’ll have two wheels pulling us through the muck. Don’t get me wrong, single wheel drives have their place: They get better economy, they are simpler to install and maintain, and the cost is about ½ as much.

The 2010 road trip had all the single-wheel benefits described above as well as the issues, especially the heating problem. That bike, counting myself weighed about 350 lbs. plus 33 lbs. of LiPo. For 2011, the load was closer to 450 lbs. with 100 lbs. of LiPo. By the end of that trip I had traveled 2515 miles over 28 days, exceeding the official world record by 600 miles. It was tense and stressful at the beginning, though by the end I had mastered control over this heavy assembly using feather-light touch… literally finger-tips to maintain balance. It was an engineering gamble as much as a personal journey and an adventure, with thrills, chills, happy smiles and frights all rolled up. Every day you meet someone new from all walks of life who want to know more about your odd-looking ebike. The rich unique experiences cannot be distilled easily, just as it is difficult to summarize the genuine contribution and help each ES member invested to see me onward. The coin of friendship and camaraderie in this field of study is the best symbol of wealth I have ever collected.

P0 on the road, July 3rd, 2010 about midway through the Sierras pausing to review relics of the past.

I have only told part of the story about this ebike.

There was in fact a profound opinion held in my circles of discovery that the pursuit of 2WD “is flawed”, that Rear-Wheel Drive reigned supreme in all forms now and forever. Learning how to coax both motors to cooperate thus was a tangled affair with experience gained in fits and spurts. The biggest challenge was unifying the controllers and instruments. Initially I had a Master-Slave arrangement where instruments went to the primary controller and the slaved controller got what was left. The connections in-between were crude, exposed to the elements, and perhaps under-driven. To make matters worse, the cross-over cable between the controllers was placed directly behind the seat-tube and directly in front of the rear fender with a good deal of dirty overspray.

Assuming knowledge of the preceding year – it is by sheer luck that I was able to complete the 2011 road trip! Two pesky motor issues dogged me the whole way: The first was “contention”; where one motor works against the other. The Naysayers said it could not be resolved using my techniques, however it was managed by making the two wheels different sizes (26” on the front, 24” on the rear), by programming slightly different power outputs with the front down-rated by 10%, and by fortune of environment where rarely was the land level and without wind. Using Cruise Control effectively self-managed load to the wheels: One motor hanging back and contributing as needed.

P1 as FWD with an early version of the front fairing. I was at a Teriyaki restaurant when a man entered and said “Who owns that ebike?”. I waved so he comes over and says “I understand the model name is “Hot Wheels”, but who’s the manufacturer?”

The second and much more annoying problem was loss of power during hill climbs on twisty roads. The rear hub tended to drop out when load reached a certain level… not on a straightaway, but when turning up a winding road – like Hwy 1 along the west coast. The solution was not simple and would have to wait until summer of 2012. Indeed, I cataloged a list of fixes, but the worst developed two months after returning to rainy Redmond when both of these new motors rusted out solid by mid-November 2011.

Imagine Oliver Hardy saying: “Well this is another fine mess!” How is a person living in the Pacific Northwest supposed to get on down the road if their motors rust right out? Instead replacements, I set out to correct the obvious production flaws. The heart of the issue is that Chinese manufacturers cut costs and didn’t bother to varnish iron stators like you’d normally expect with an automotive starter or alternator. Not the case here: When the motor becomes hot, pressure builds and vents; when the motor cools, water vapor from rainy conditions wicks back in creating Amazon-like conditions which precipitate rapid rusting and ultimate failure. The problem was solved during spring/summer of 2012:

Began by with discussing the issue with my local body shop and they suggested using a product called Rust-Mort which has a high-concentration of Phosphoric acid. Applied in thin coats, the thick acidic gel penetrates rust, converts it into Iron Phosphate crust which is easily removed, and finally seals the surface in preparation for immediate varnish of which several light coats of automotive-grade were applied. Scale on the inside of the Aluminum covers was blasted clean and a set of weep-holes was added along the perimeter so any new moisture would have an exit route. Finally the cheap low-end bearings were replaced with top-flight high-speed stainless steel, with new seals, and upgraded the phase wires to 12-AWG. In brief –the condition of the motors was revised from “dodgy low-end” to “high-speed high-torque and all-weather”.

Beneath the skin: P1 in July 2011 displayed without fairings during conversion from FWD to 2WD.

Moving into summer 2012, I replaced the troublesome Master-Slave controller arrangement into one of equal paring; both controllers were replaced with late models and modified identically, ripping out the redundant GND wires of instrumentation and unifying into one connector (leaving Cycle-Analyst and Programming leads unaffected). In addition, converted the Hall Effect wires to USB, the APP Battery connectors to high-current EC5, and the APP Phase wire connectors to HXT 4mm.

The 2012 upgrades solved two issues: First, removal of the problematic Anderson Power Poles (APP) – the source of charring and melting and highly resistant connections, and second, redesign of the entire battery harness from 10-AWG to Marine-Grade 6-AWG wire with stringers of 8-AWG to each battery assembly. This work greatly increased integrity of power throughout by simplifying connecters and the count of connections, exchanged soldered joints for copper-swaged, and lastly – by lowering the resistance of the harness for higher throughput. In brief, the pesky source of sags was eliminated for the win.

The last item which gives this bike unique distinction is the fairing: It starts out as a funny story about my very first and second-to-last public bike event, which being the only electric bike – I won, although in truth it was not a race. Anyway, they assigned a “number plate” which I stuck on the front and I liked it so much that I kept it for bragging rights… but then I noticed a slight improvement in mileage. In those days the battery pack wasn’t large so it was easy to spot a couple extra miles when you only get 20 off a charge. On a lark, I created a body-fairing from HDPE for the MtB when I took it to California that summer in 2010. I really liked “the look of it” and decided in the fall season to add a front cowling, sort of a rain and wind deflector if you will. Again mileage improved 5 or 10%. About that time I crafted a custom battery bag for the triangle space which could hold a large array of batteries and extending range to about 50 Seattle miles. During the rainier season of winter the pack was getting wet, so I fabricated a water-resistant shell using a combination of marine vinyl and HDPE. This gave the ebike a very distinctive sleek look and was easier to keep clean.

P1 as 2WD with trailer (“P2″) on July 26th, 2011 – the first day of my 2nd road trip to California.

The full-suspension frame had a larger triangle. During the transition from FWD to 2WD I changed the pack from 10S (52V) to 15S (63V), and moved the controllers to reside behind the seat on the rear bike rack. The front fairing was then redesigned to be more aerodynamic. For the round-trip to California during the summer of 2011, I created an aerodynamic-looking trailer that was more egg-shaped with larger-end at the back for drag; the bottom of the trailer was completely flush, covered by a sheet of HDPE. The stability was most profound bombing down west on Hwy 88 from Carson Pass into Jackson California at 44 mph! After that second Cali trip I became more interested in speed: The 2012 rework greatly improved the top end from 38 mph to 47, and the latest fairing changes included more side-panels and flaring around the rear wheels. Right now it can coast faster downhill without pedaling than a roadie in a crouch! Let’s not forget this ebike experiences parasitic drag from two hub motors, so without question the fairings are a real boost to performance.

In all this talk about the bike, I forgot to mention charging: I started out with a 150W charger which is fine for a kit battery but not for cross-country. In summer 2010, I crafted a 350W Meanwell assembly but the 10S18P battery took nearly 12 hours to recharge. I didn’t want to go through that again, so for summer 2011 with the pack at 15S26P built a new 1kW Meanwell assembly and got those numbers down to about 8-9 hours. I’ve charged both at home, in motel rooms, and opportunistically. On the Road, I prefer to charge during downtime – like sleeping, and do so without fear. I also run without a net: No BMS. Instead I prefer to manually balance as required through occasional monitoring. I know what I built, and like an old friend I’m comfortable with it.

Finally I’d like to close by saying “Work always continues”; the refinements never stop. They say that “necessity is the mother of invention”. Well… I drive nothing else, and I am constantly thinking of things to fix or invent. The 4×4 remains on blocks collecting dust; in a couple more years I’ll be able to register it as a “classic”. In the meantime, the 2WD ebike has proven to be more fun and healthy, and not only that – but I get a kick out of it!

Stats:

P0 – FWD

P0 back in December 2010, just before the front shocks blew out. Schwalbe Marathon Winters held up well.

Frame: 1991 Specialized Rockhopper hardtail w/ original Rockshox, code named “P0”. Retired December 31, 2010.
Key features: Fairing, brake lights, good speed and range, “yellowjacket” theme.
Weight (before/after): 31 lbs/60 lbs. For the 2010 Road Trip: About 190 lbs. sans rider.
Largest Battery: 10S18P LiPo, 52V @ 90Ah/4680 Whr.
Fastest Speed: 47 mph downhill on cross-country. Preferred: 28-32 mph.
Range: Farthest was about 175 miles – mainly downhill from 5,500 feet to sea-level using a 10S18P pack + opportunity.
Motor: 9C 2806 FWD rim brake, programmed to 1.5 hp. Highly modified 36V 6FET controller.
Estimated Cost: > $2800 with a commuter pack of 10S8P.

P1 – 2WD

P1 with sporty fairings and saddlebags in April 2013 just before swapping out the winter tires. Range was about 60 miles at 35 mph; with warmer weather gear – up to 100 is possible.

Frame: 2009 Felt Compulsion-1 F/S bike, codenamed “P1”. Born on January 1, 2011.
Key features: 2WD, full-suspension, better fairing, full indicators, trailer, hill-climbing, speed and range, B&W “orca” theme.
Weight: about 110 lbs. 2011 Road Trip w/ trailer: Between 240 to 290 lbs. sans rider.
Commuter Battery: 15S6P LiPo, 63V @ 30 Ah/1890 Whr. Optional Saddlebags add 67%.
Largest Battery: 15S26P LiPo, 63V @ 130Ah/8190 Whr. About 100 lbs. with trailer.
Fastest Speed: 47 mph on a flat; > 50 mph downhill. Preferred: 30-35 mph.
Commuter Range: > 50 Seattle-hilly miles, about 100 w/ Saddlebags.
Farthest Range: With trailer, 167 miles on a single charge, and 187 miles with opportunity.
Motor: Modified 9C 2806 F&R Disc brake, programmed to 2 hp each. Highly modified 100V 12FET controllers.
Estimated Cost: > $5000. Add $3500 for cross-country pack and trailer (+ 150 lb. capacity).

Timeline

• 2009 September: Search for ebikes and kits begins. Ordered in December.
• 2010 January: Converted Specialized Rockhopper MtB as FWD 37V 10 Ah LiFePO4; range is about 22 hilly miles with the wind at my back. Max speed was about 24 mph.
• 2010 May: Upgraded to 10S10P LiPo, completed my first electric Century in preparation for cross-country, and repeated the feat again in June.
• 2010 July: First cross-country trek, from Klamath Falls to Sacramento, 458 miles total
• 2010 Fall: Built custom battery bag, front and battery bag fairing. Mounted studded tires in November. Commuting 35 miles daily.
• 2010 Dec 31st, retired FWD Specialized Ebike. January 1st, 2011 – Felt Compulsion Ebike born as FWD.
• 2011 Spring: Parts ordered for summer road trip, including custom trailer. Assembly begins in May.
• 2011 July: Felt Compulsion Ebike converted to 2WD; July-August on the road to California and back – 2515 miles in 28 days.
• 2011 Fall: Commuting 50 miles daily to Seattle. By November both hub motors rusted out solid.
• 2012 Spring: Fixed hub motors. Inched back into riding again with lots of mods planned.
• 2012 Summer: Replaced entire Battery harness and connectors. Replaced controllers and entire instrument harness.
• 2012 October. Replaced front fairing, added new side fairings. Set new personal speed record at 47 mph on a flat. Phatty studded tires mounted in November.
• 2013 Present: Upgraded saddle bags to EC5 connectors to allow for century rides. Replaced kluge fenders. Planning next mods and trips.

Click here for complete information about these bikes – and more.
Safe travels, KF

Intro

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Conclusion

Read our Stealth Bomber review

See our list of 10 fastest production electric bikes

The Stealth Bomber has all the makings of an epic video. A fast (50-MPH) electric bike,  the most heavy duty off road suspension of any electric bike on the market, a world-class sponsored rider  (Ronnie Renner), and a rare company focus on performance and speed. However, although Stealth ebike videos have been good, there have been no real stand outs…

…until now:

This video has all the making to go viral and is probably the most exciting production electric bike video I have seen.  In its first day of being live it has already gotten 30,000 views.

One thing I like about the Stealth company is they don’t inflate their performance numbers, and they let the product sell itself. In the these videos, Ronnie is humble about the bikes, and does a great job of emphasizing their benefits over the ultra powerful gas bikes he is accustomed to.

It is not cheap to make a performance bike such as the Stealth, and it comes at more costs than just financial (read our high cost of  ebike speed ). One of the biggest drawbacks of speed on an ebike is it equates to a heavy bike. It is no secret that the Stealth Bomber is not only the fastest production bike available, but also one of the   heaviest at 125 pounds. Much of that weight is in the rear wheel which contains a 28-pound Crystalite hub motor. As fast as the Stealth Bomber is, it is not as agile as a bicycle, a typical ebike, or even an off-road motorcycle which is perfectly balanced. Therefore it is laborious and difficult to do awe-inspiring tricks on it that are worthy of YouTube. However for something to blast through trails quietly and stealthily at a 50-MPH speed, the Stealth Bomber is unrivaled by any powered bike or motorcycle.

I saw Ronnie in Las Vegas at Innerbike riding his  brand new white Stealth Bomber and it seemed like he was getting accustomed to wheelying his heavy beast. This is about as high as he would get it up. But when else could a 50-MPH vehicle be allowed to ride indoors in the Las Vegas convention center?

In Ronnie’s  first video, an introduction to him and his Stealth Bomber, you can see it is kind of skimpy in terms of tricky bike maneuvers, although very good in production quality etc. You don’t see many extreme manuevers in this video…but more of enjoyable trail riding behind the house without pissing off the neighbors. The trick that Stealth seems to be focusing on is riding a high performance vehicle where no other can ride:

If you want to see what Ronnie Renner is capable of,  watch on the electric KLM motorcycle on which he seems  more in his element. Of course an electric motorcycle like the KLM or the Zero are going to have better balance with a mid drive motor with twice the horsepower of any production bike. Again this power comes at the expense of weight  and the KLM electric motorcycle weighs in at 200 pounds (Stealth weighs 125 pounds).

Actually most buyers of the Stealth Bomber will probably do most of their riding in the street (something you would not get away with on an electric motorycle)…which is technically  illegal (the Stealth Bomber is at the top of our list of Illegal ebikes in 2013). However you can always dial your Cycle Analyst down to “Legal Mode”, and ride at 20-MPH and you can at least  argue that you are legal, and you probably will not be hassled if you ride civilly and that is because of the pedals (I am an electric biker!).  Here is a video of a Stealth Bomber street riding in Columbia like a bat out of hell. Lucky Columbia is known for its lawfulness:

Stealth USA did a number of good quality videos of a Stealth Bomber that was off-road riding in its legal habitat. Stealth is well on their way to defining a new category of electric bike…which is a high performance off-road machine that can be ridden on more trails because of its silence and pedals than a gas powered MX bike.  Here is a good example and their most recent video (shot in Canada):

With such an enticing marketing ploy as a viral video, one must ask what Stealth success would mean to the industry.

Riding in SF lately, I have seen two Stealth Bombers in the wild (on bike lanes). Will it be good or bad for the ebike market if bikes like the Stealth Bomber become more popular? Please share your feelings in the comment section, I know it is a hot issue. Personally I really like the Stealth product and like how they are presenting it. It is good to see a non China-made electric bike kicking ass and demonstrating what good technology in an ebike can do.

The speed and performance will attract a younger demographic to ebikes that normally would not be interested. Does spending big money on a 20-MPH electric bike make good sense over buying a simple and affordable 20-MPH pedal bike?  To a 25 year old probably not…where as the 50-MPH Stealth Bomber could make sense. However, on the other side of the coin, it is possible that as more of these high-powered electric bikes hit the street, hard-core ebike legislation could kick in, ruining it for everyone.

Selfishly speaking,  the Stealth Bomber would be a fun vehicle to own, and Stealth has ebikes ready to pack up in fancy wooden boxes and  ship from their Australian warehouse.

Bill Stites is a former chiropractor turned talented designer and metal worker that is working on a new creation in one of the most creative ebike meccas in the world:  Portland Oregon. Portland is a combination of eco minded people, one of the best bike infrastructures in the country, and a hilly terrain that begs to go electric.  In fact Portland has been called “the ebike capitol of the country“. Portland is especially known for its electric cargo bikes.    Bill found a new nitch in taking the cargo bike to a new level with an electric cargo  bike large enough to make deliveries of large and heavy products. Bill thinks of it as one of the most efficient electric bikes imaginable.  The Truck Trike can carry up to 600 pounds and is designed with commercial enterprises in mind that want to reduce their eco foot print and at the same time save massive money on gas and parking cost.

Read how an ebike can save you money.

Rugged Frame Lovingly Built

Each frame is hand built by hand in Bill’s Portland Shop.   It is built  of  steel to be extra strong and rigid. This is the 3rd version of the frame, and each one has gotten a bit better, stiffer and stronger. If you wonder why this ebike is so expensive, you could start with an intricate steel frame that is made in America by expert craftsman.

Propulsion system

The Truck Trike uses one of the highest quality (and expensive) hub motors available which is the v2 BMC (read our review).  You can choose for your Truck Trike to have a one or two wheel powered drive. With 2 BMC hub motors, one in each rear wheel, there is a $2000 up-charge. Then you get double the torque and double the power, and double the battery.

The Truck Trike can come with one 48v 20ah battery, or 2  batteries if you go with the 2 motor system giving you a total of 40amp hours.

For the single motor system, the price is $7,850 and for the dual motor system you are looking at $9850

Unfortunately the Truck Trike comes stock with heavy lead acid batteries, but for a price you can upgrade to a lithium ion All Cell pack which I would recommend for battery longevity and weight savings. On a trike that is so heavy to begin with, forget lugging this thing up stairs etc, so running lead acid isn’t as much of a deal killer as it would be on a standard electric bike.

I would expect with 2 BMC motors you could expect a top speed of over 20mph on level ground, and can could climb just about any hill. I would expect a 20-40 mile range with the dual battery/motor system, depending on what you are hauling and how hilly the terrain.

Creative Human Input

Motorcycle Brakes

The  Truck Trike isn’t  like anything that has come before in the bike world.  While it is a “hybrid” relative to its power sources [human + electric], it also can be described as a hybrid in its overall configuration.

The front end is easily recognizable as a bike.  But the rear end – with its 600+ lb. capacity – is more like a truck.  While Bill  tried to stay on the level of bicycle components for ease of availability and maintenance, it became clear that there were no bicycle brakes – even downhill hydraulics – that were up to the task of stopping upwards of 1/2 ton of mass [vehicle+driver+payload].

Thus, motorcycle-level hydraulic brakes  were specced for the rear section.  Such technology is well-proven, and readily available. Even though they are heavier than regular brakes, on the huge Truck Trike a few extra pounds equates to almost nothing.   The motorcycle brakes  provides full confidence in the ability to stop a fully loaded Truck Trike even when trucking down steep downgrades.

The photo below shows identical wheels with a bicycle rotor on the left, and the new motorcycle rotor on the right.  Bill  designed and machined a custom adapter to mount the monster rotor on a bike hub’s standard 6-bolt pattern.

 Who Would Buy One?

The Trike Truck costs $9850 in its awd configuration.

The Truck Trike would be awesome to own for anyone except for three  huge factors #1 the cost. #2 the space it takes to park it.  #3 275 pounds makes it one of the heaviest ebikes on the planet.

The Truck Trike was designed with the business owner in mind who can actually save money by owning this  trike.  Also, it is possible that someone could base a new start up business around this Trike, for example a bicycle messenger who can deliver refrigerators, or an electric-powered  pedal cab driver, or an electric lawn care business that carts their electric lawn mowers on a Truck Trike, or a high tech newspaper deliveryman who has a helper in the back throwing out the papers while he Trike Trucks down the road. The Trike Truck is Safe, heavy duty, and clean looking, and would attract a lot of  positive attention to any business.

Fact Sheet

•Truck Trike is 48″ wide x 113″ long

•Rear Flat Bed = 48″ wide x 58″ long

•275 lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight

•600 lbs. Payload capacity

•Highly Efficient: note that Payload Capacity is greater than Vehicle

•Formidable Vehicle: 275 + 600 + 150 [driver] = 1,025 lbs. = 1/2 ton

•Saves money by eliminating fossil fuel, and requires low maintenance.

•Simple design eliminates key parts – no transmission, no differential, no

cross-axle. Wheels are independently powered – human to the front, electric

•Intended for Business and Institutional Use, including warehouse and

•Designed for increasingly dense urban environments.

•Active Transportation = Health benefits, and healthcare savings.

•Human Power input is signficant at this scale.

•Street Legal, and still qualifies as an electric bicycle under Federal and

Oregon laws, thus no license, nor registration, nor insurance is required.

•$7,850. for Standard Version [single motor].

•$9,850. for Heavy Duty Version [dual motors].

•Designed and Built in Portland, Oregon.

•Intended to contribute to Climate Change solutions and Peak Oil adaptations in particular, and the Green Economy in general.

For more information visit the Truck Trike Website.

The motor he chose is the Crystalyte motor (read our review), which he plans to run 5-10,000 watts through in gradual increments (as he works the bugs out).

Gavin decided that rectangular tubing would be much easier to weld. The swingarm shock below is a Marzocchi Roco, which is 9-inches long with 3 inches of travel.

Paint day…there’s nothing stealth about this Ebike!

“…Here’s what I’m stuffing it with. Twelve 6S/5-Ah packs, grouped into three strings of 4, with the mains and the balance taps wired in parallel, then stuffed into my bike’s extra tight hole. And I do mean tight. It took 10 minutes to squeeze these things into that hole. It’s 18S, peaking at 75.6 volts right now…”

The large 1332-WH pack Gavin wanted almost required him to make his own frame.

The tires are Surly Larry 3.8-inch fatties riding on 65mm extra-wide rims, using 12-Ga spokes laced by JRH at Holmes Hobbies. This beautiful custom red frame was left exposed, and the battery compartment panels were covered with a pebble-finish truck-bed coating. Since the bike is proportional to Gavin, it may not look that large…until you read that it has a 57-inch wheelbase! The front brake disc is 9-inches in diameter.

“…It seems my tire circumference is 91 inches, exactly. And…I’m doing 39.7-MPH top speed at 75 volts…”

The front has a full 12-inches of travel provided by a set of Marzocchi Super Monster forks. The black shape just in front of the bottom-bracket is a Lyen 12-FET controller, which is known to handle 45A well. Gavin specified cool-running and efficient authentic 4110-FETs to get the most out of this popular controller.

The centralized location of the large battery is a great place to locate the pack, and it minimizes the impact of the added weight. Rear-mounted batteries are easy to mount to an existing frame, but they make an E-bike tail-heavy, which affects the handling.

A full-sized bike needs a full-sized hub, and Gavin chose a Crystalyte 5404 (X5-series 40mm wide stator, 4-turns per tooth). Says Gavin: “…Riding the bike is Simply Amazing. It floats over speed bumps, curbs, stairs, small Hondas, the screaming fleeing masses. Its a Monster!”

For this bike to NOT be subject to scooter laws, it has to have pedals. The single-speed chain uses a 36T/22T gearing.

This is one of the first full suspension fat bikes, and the first full suspension electric fat bike we have heard of. Electric fat bikes have been popular lately in the DIY community (read our story on electric fat bikes).

Non-hub builds have the weight of the motor more centralized, so they are more nimble. Also, giving the motor some gears increases efficiency while reducing motor/controller heat. However…some builders simply love the near silence of a powerful hub. Silently gliding through an off-road path on a powerful full-suspension E-bike is an experience that I highly recommend.

Here’s the build thread for this impressive E-bike:

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=38667&start=100#p716192

BH is a European bike company that was founded in 1909, and this last year we have been stumbling across various E-bikes that they have started to carry as part of their “Easy Motion” (or E-Motion) line.

The “Neo” group of BH E-Motion models have purpose-built E-bike frames with the base battery built into the down tube. This is a very professional looking and slick design. Oddly, the many non-hub models (that we will describe here) do not currently have a Neo-frame as an option.

Read our complete review on the Easy Motion Neo Jumper

BH is not yet well-known in North America, but based on what I am seeing…they are here to stay, and are very serious about becoming a major player in the global E-bike market. We have not been very impressed by 250W hub motors. They certainly have their place as a mild-assist system that can be very stealthy, light, and easy-to-install…if you are looking for that. But…once you have ridden a 750W-1,500W E-bike, it’s hard to not embrace that as your new minimum acceptable power level…it’s just so much fun.

However, even though hub-motor E-bikes of all sizes have gotten better, frequent readers of electricbike.com know that we have been very impressed by how much of an improvement there is in an E-bikes hill-climbing ability when you give the motor some gears. If you have significant hills, you definitely want to give your motor some gears, since down-shifting allows the motor to stay in its higher RPMs…while hub-motor kits essentially have a “one speed” motor.

So far BH E-motion has only been offering their mid drives by one distributor in the United States (Pete’s  Bikes). We hope that Petes steps up its game, and we also see these mid-drive bikes offered by more dealers in the USA.

I would suggest that 3 gears is the minimum to get the full effect of this benefit, and for higher powered systems, a common external 7-speed sprocket-cluster with a derailleur is my maximum recommended gear-count to reduce any un-necessary frequent shifting. Since the models I’m about to describe are mild-assist E-bikes, the 7-to-10 speed systems (and IGH options) that they offer are very appropriate.

Features to choose from:

All frames listed are aluminum hydroformed (except for the single carbon-fiber frame).

All systems can be had as a diamond-frame or a step-through (except for the only carbon-fiber frame, which is a diamond…and the small 20-inch folder, which is a step-through).

You can choose a Nexus-8 Internally-Geared-Hub (IGH), or external derailleur systems with 7, 8, 9, or 10-speeds on the rear wheel. All models have a single chainring on the bottom-bracket, and we actually approve of that…based on our experience.

Each frame selection can be had with an IBS-Bosch drive, 36V/11-Ah battery, using Samsung cells (a couple of models have a smaller down-tube battery)…or…an IBS-Panasonic drive, seat-post battery (36V/either 8-Ah or 12-Ah using Panasonic cells)

The 650 designated models have a slightly shorter frame for smaller riders.

700c or 26-inch tires

The Panasonic drive systems have the option of an 8-Ah battery or a larger 12-Ah. Personally, I would consider the 12-Ah to be the minimum battery size for the health of the battery, even with the stock controller limiting the peak amps that can be drawn by the motor.

Here are the current BH E-Motion NON-HUB models:

Panasonic-drive Diamond frames (seat-post battery,  36V/8 or 12-Ah):

xxx

8-sp derailleur, front suspension, dual disc brakes, 26-inch wheels.

8-sp derailleur, front suspension, V-brakes, 700c tires.

Nexus-8, front suspension, V-brakes, 700c tires.

9-speed derailleur, front suspension, dual disc brakes, 700c tires.

10-sp derailleur, AL-frame + carbon-fork, 19.6-kg/43.2-lbs,  V-brakes front and rear with a front disc mounting flange for optional upgrade, 700c tires.

Panasonic-drive step-through frames (seat-post battery,  36V/8 or 12-Ah):

xxx

Nexus-8, front suspension, V-brakes, 700c tires.

10-sp derailleur, AL-frame+carbon-fork 19.6-kg, V-brakes with front disc mounting flange for optional upgrade, 700c tires.

9-speed derailleur, front suspension, dual disc brakes, 700c tires.

8-sp derailleur, front suspension, V-brakes, 700c tires.

7-sp derailleur, front suspension, V-brakes, 26-inch tires. 26V/8-Ah battery. This is their “affordable” model, which is only good for a fairly flat commute (due to the lower system voltage). This frame does not allow for the larger upgraded factory drop-in 12-Ah battery.

Xenion City, and Xenion Epoque, Bosch-drive (rear rack battery, 36V/11-Ah)

XXX

We like the welded cargo-rack, but placing the battery back there shifts some weight from the bike’s center (like the other models) to the rear of the bike, which negatively affects the bikes handling and balance. These two step-through models both have a front suspension fork, along with fenders and lights, and 700c tires. Both of them have V-brakes front and rear. The stylish “Epoque” model shown has a Brookes saddle and matching leather hand-grips

Nexus-8, White color.

8-sp derailleur, Black color. 

Xenion 650, and the 700, Bosch-drive (down-tube battery, 36V/8.4-Ah)

xxx

The main differences between these two diamond-frame / suspension-fork / dual disc-brake selections are whether you want a 9-sp with 26-inch wheels, or a 10-sp with 700c wheels.

9-sp derailleur, 26-inch wheels.

10-sp derailleur, 700c wheels.

Carbon-Fiber road bike, Panasonic-drive (seat-post battery,  36V/8 or 12-Ah)

xxx

The weight of 15.9-kg  (35.1-lbs) says it all.

Carbon-fiber frame, 10-sp derailleur, 700c tires.

“Volt” Folding 20-inch 

xxx

Sometimes a buyer needs a small folding bike, regardless of all the compromises that it may impose on their selections. This handy aluminum-framed model weighs only 21.4-kg/47.2-lbs. As soon as I saw that it was only a 26V system, I was immediately skeptical, but…after some thought, I realized that this bike gives the motor some gears (unlike BH’s similar “Smart” model with only a rear geared-hub motor). And since it also does have 20-inch wheels, it should climb better than its modest voltage level might suggest.

I noticed that the BH Smart 20-inch folder with a hub-motor is using a 36V system to make up for the fact that the motor is a “one-speed”. I suspect that if you ask the retailer, you could pay the difference and have the 36V controller and 36V battery mounted to the non-hub model shown here…but test-ride that upgrade before buying it, to ensure that the factory configuration will allow that (and also if the retailer will honor the warrantee after the mod…in writing!)

AL compact step-through folding bike with 20-inch wheels. IBS-Panasonic (seat-post battery,  26V/8-Ah), 21.4-kg

When I started chatting on the internet, I wanted a screen name to protect my identity.
So I chose Dogman because I am part dog, I speak dog fluently, and I have always had
a pack of dogs around the house. Mostly bloodhounds, Jed Clampet style dogs with the
big saggy faces and long ears. My real name is Dan, so lots of folks have known me as
Danger Dan. I can’t imagine why?

The two wheeled vehicle addiction began early. Childhood play was practice to become
a movie stunt man, so of course bikes got crashed on purpose. We “invented” vert riding
on 20” schwinns in dry irrigation ditches long before bmx came along. So did every other
group of kids in the 60’s that had an empty ditch to ride in. But I really started riding
bikes seriously during the summer in Santa Fe New Mexico at age 13. I had just gotten
a “real” bike, a ten speed, big wheel skinny tire thing. I can’t remember its brand name,
something french. But it was a solid 10 pounds lighter than a Schwinn Varsity, which
was about all you could find in 1970 in New Mexico. The summer house dad had in
Santa Fe was 5 miles of dirt washboard road out of town, and we had no TV or running
water. So every day was a long ride to town, often to use the showers at the public pool.
By end of summer I was riding to the nearby ski area in the mountains just for something
to do. 50 mph descents from the ski area were the only fun I was getting. I got the basics
of high speed cornering on skinny tires. Soon I wore that bike out, and got a new cromoly
frame Peugot 10 speed, and rode it till it wore out. Young an energetic, I rarely shifted
out of 10th gear, riding it fixie style. I tried bike racing, but disliked the elbow fight in the
peloton. I loved the training rides though, often to the top of a mountain pass, followed
by the descent of course.

Before long I got old enough to get a job, and at 15 bought my first motorcycle. A 350
pound pig of a honda CB 350. It was too much power and way too much weight for a 100
pound punk. But I survived, and never had a problem riding anything with two wheels
since. Nothing could ever handle worse. Dumping the horrible honda for a pickup truck
a year later, I still wasn’t done with two wheels. I still had the Peugot, and a mere 70
miles away was Emory Pass. Emory pass is just about identical in length and grade to
Alp d Huez in France. Except it’s got more curves. Most of the corners are big sweeping
horseshoe switchbacks posted 15 mph. Emory pass 10 miles of 8-10 % grade road in the
rocky mountains of New Mexico, and in 1973, it had just been repaved. With the truck
to shuttle bicycles to the top, and some motorcycle riding buddies to compete with, it was
gravity racing time. The idea was, pedaling the bike was not allowed, or needed anyway.
So to win the 10 mile race to the bottom, all you had to do was scream the entire descent
without ever touching your brakes. We’d hit those 15 mph corners going 40 or more.
We’d catch and pass cars, and sometimes even motorcycles. My friend Charlie was very
good at corners, and we used to race to a tie over and over, leaving the rest of the guys
who touched their brakes far behind. It was great cheap thrills. If it was raining, we’d still
do the run. Brakes didn’t work wet, but who was using any? It was 1973, so of course we
were baked as a potato the whole time. Usually we were skipping high school so the road
would be pretty empty on a weekday, which allowed using both lanes.

Years went by, and it was time to starve my way through a degree in horticulture. And
I do mean starve. Meat in the diet meant I shot a rabbit. Along the way the truck died,
and I wore out another new Peugot 10 speed, then wore out a Motobecane moped, then
finally I got a honda 125 which could not be worn out. I kept seeking cheap thrills in
the mountains, learning to rock climb in the nearby Organ Peaks. There are world class
vertical granite faces right by Las Cruces, but somehow they are still nearly unknown
to the climbing world even now in 2013. I suppose it’s the long approach hikes bashing
though cactus the whole way to the rocks, and the fact that in summer you fry like an egg
on a Phoenix sidewalk on that rock.

In 1976, I tried snow skiing, and loved it. After I graduated and got work, I started to ski
seriously and there went the next 20 years. I still had a few motorcycles along the way,
but the ski slopes were the thing for me for a long time. I progressed from “hold my beer
and watch this” skiing, to real black diamond slopes, then made the big jump to telemark
gear. Telemark skiing means beefed up cross country skis, and skiing with only the toes
attached to the ski. It’s 10 times harder than downhill gear skiing, but half the weight in
the ski and the ability to ski uphill which cannot be done on ordinary skis. Once you have
the skills, the idea is to ski up the easy side of a mountain, then ski down the steepest
avalanche chute you can find. In a ski area riding lifts, it means you shuffle a few steps
uphill and get powder the regular skiers and snowboarders can’t reach. In time, I never
skied a cut ski run anymore, too boring. I was over there off trail, dodging trees, and
hucking huge air off secret cliffs. This went on untill I crushed my lower back disks in
1995. Then I switched to windsurfing, which actually helped my back get stronger, rather
than punishing it with two to ten story drops on skis.

Backing up some, at about age 26 I was then riding a kawasaki 750 fully dressed
with a big fairing. Seems lame by todays crotch rocket standards, but at the time that
motorcycles easy zip to 90 mph seemed very fast. Remember, Carter was president at
that time, and the speed limit was 55 mph. I was riding it like a maniac, getting tickets,
always nearly dying on the thing every ride. I was getting really kook, looking for a
slide all the time, going riding right after a rain for that extra rear wheel slip and other
crazy stuff. I just couldn’t get enough of that countersteering. You know, turn right by
pointing the wheel left. Flat track kind of riding. But one fine day, I nearly died three
times in about 5 min of riding, came home, parked the thing and sold it. I went skiing in
Colorado with the money and considered myself completely done with two wheels. And
I was for about 20 years. I wanted to survive to ski more, and powder snow was so much
softer to crash in than asphalt.

So I skied a lot, I’d build an igloo in the backcountry and ski mountaineer from it on
weekends all winter. Once I wrecked my back, I switched to windsurfing, which I had
been learning for a few years by then. I never got that good on the windsurfer, but I did
get good enough go get bashed around when the spring winds got to 50mph. Even if you
just got beat up and blown to the far side of the lake it was still good cheap thrills.

By the 90’s I was also getting into a very expensive thrill. I was helping friends with
chasing their hot air balloons, being there to pick up the pilot wherever and whenever he

landed. In 2000, I took the plunge, bought a balloon, and got my balloon pilots certificate.
For the next 9 years, I sold my soul, racked up the charge cards, and spent enough
to retire on. It was worth every penny. I got plenty of thrills, but now I usually had
passengers, and when it got really sketchy landing the thing, I had extra duty of acting
like everything is fine while I was really crapping my pants thinking we were all about to
die. In some ways, flying made all that extreme skiing look like mere childs play. Sure,
90% of flights were very easy and safe, but the other 10% took the right stuff. Some of
the most thrilling flights were done solo in a cloudhopper balloon. This is a small one
man balloon with no basket. You strap it on like a parachute. Once you get aloft, you can
bounce along the earth taking 500 vertical foot steps that we called moon jumps. Time
your burn right and you land like a feather, time it wrong, and SPLAT. Great fun taking
500 foot leaps into the sky like superman.

So how does this lead back to bicycles you ask? Simple, I ran out of money. After 9
years of flying, it was the fall of 2007 and I was dead broke. My car was wearing out, and
I needed a way to stop driving it so much, to avoid buying a new one till I paid off about
$25,000 on charge cards. I was getting interested in solar, to eliminate my electric bill,
and looking at getting a cheap electric car like a converted bug. After some research, I
realized that a typical cheap 48v bug conversion couldn’t do the range I needed. Work
was 15 miles away, but the hard part was I live on the mesa 1000 vertical feet above the
valley where I worked. The kind of electric car I could afford was only going to have
about 10 mile range, less with that hill to climb home.

So I looked into motorcycles and converting them, and I looked at scooters like the
vectrix. I figured that at 50, I could be trusted to ride a motorcycle again perhaps. I was
still pretty stuck on the electric idea. This was the spring of 2008 now, and any fool could
see gas prices were going bonkers. But the cost of an E-motorcycle was still going to
be a bit high. I got the feeling that carrying heavy lead batteries on a motorcycle was
not a great idea, and lifepo4 was costly. A gas moped didn’t appeal to me that much,
the motobecane I’d had during school had fallen apart nearly immediately. That spring,
Walmart announced that it was going to build a new store up on the mesa top 5 miles
from my house. The nearest store had been 9 miles away, and down to the valley. Then
I saw an ad for a Wilderness Energy electric bike kit. A bike? I hadn’t heard of electric
bikes. I hadn’t even thought about bikes.

Read Dogman’s story on how to build an affordable commuter Ebike

The ad said 20 miles range at 20 mph. Not bad. The price was cheap, about $300
including lead batteries. Man, the light bulb over my head lit up bright. I was already
using adult trikes on my job as maintenance worker at a condo complex. With the big
rear basket, I could haul a weeks worth of groceries as easy as we hauled paint and
cordless tools at work. I was still riding bicycles some, but 50 and fat now, I couldn’t
pedal my 70’s vintage motobecane 10 speed more than 4 miles at a time. A 10 mile round
trip to the new store would still be too far for me to pedal it. But with 20 mile range at 20
mph, that trip to the new Walmart would be a snap with a motor kit. I started planning,
and soon had a Wilderness Energy brushed hub front motor kit coming to my door. I then
bought a schwinn meridian adult trike, to be shipped to the nearest Walmart. I was ON
MY WAY to having my own electric vehicle.

Then reality arrived. The kit arrived before the trike, but when it came I had an old rusty
mountain bike in the shed. I quickly got it out, and in about the 30 min it promised in the
ad, I had the motor bolted on, and rode off on my first e-bike ride! Which lasted about a
half a block…. In my haste, I overlooked the poor fit of the washers and nut on the forks,
and I immediately blew the motor out of the forks, spun the axle, and cut the wires to the
motor. The cut wires shorted the controller, and smoke came out. Oh, and the cherry on
top, the charger that came with the sla batteries never did work at all. The wife was quite
amused, “There he goes again, saving money. Uh huh.”

Read Dogman’s story on maintenance of lifepo4 battery

Quite some time passed, before the folks at WE sent me a replacement charger at their
expense, and a new controller at my expense. So by then I have the trike ready, a better
understanding of the term lawyer lips, and how to make the oversize washers that come
with the motor fit right. Happily, the trikes forks just fit better, and the torque washer
that came with the kit works fine with the trike forks. Off I go again, and this time very
happily. Soon I’m using it around the neighborhood, for runs to the dollar store, and a
nearby flea market 2 miles away from my house. I started thinking about making much
longer trips on it. But I’m disappointed by the range of the lead batteries. At top speed,
which is 25 mph, I get 5-6 miles at most. At 20 mph, I get maybe 7 miles. That’s a wee
bit short of what the ads promised, and I’m a bit pissed. I read the ads again, and notice
that I bought the cheaper brushed motor kit, which is said to go 20% less far. OK, 20
miles minus 4 miles is 7 miles right? Welcome to e-bike marketing Dan. Well, looks
like I just need to double up the battery size. Good thing I bought the trike.

About a week later, I read in the paper that the new walmart won’t be built after all. If I
was going to go get groceries on this e-trike, I would now need to have at least 20 miles
of range. And that much range means I could ride it to work too, if I charged again while
working. So I started looking at getting more batteries. I tried various things, including
adding one more 20 ah sla battery to have a 48v bike. Now it ran 30 mph, and I really
liked it, but even riding it as slow as possible, I still didn’t have the range to go as far as
I need. I could make it to work, but I couldn’t make it home up that hill hauling lead. I
knew I need more batteries, but even just 4 of those lead bricks was starting to bend the
back wheels of the trike. I was stumped and didn’t know which way to jump. I got on
the internet, and searched electric bike battery. I found a forum, called V is for voltage
and started reading.

Soon I found another forum called Endless-Sphere. More information there too, but I
couldn’t understand a word of it. So I went back to the V, and started reading about this
new kind of battery. They are calling it a duct tape pack, and you buy it from a guy in
China on ebay. Soundded awful sketchy. It’s LiFePO4, a kind of lithium battery. I’ve
heard of lithium drill batteries, and know they are much lighter and smaller than the nicad
drill batteries I’ve been using for many years. But pricy. A few weeks go by, and a few
guys get 10 ah duct tape packs and like them. But they say the bms trips if they draw 20
amps. Whatever a bms is? I decided to buy one from the same guy on ebay, named Li
Ping, but I need more range, so I click buy on a 20 ah 36v pack, thinking the 20 ah lead
plus the 20 ah duct tape should be enough. I just sent $400 to a guy I barely heard of who

is in China. I prayed I haven’t just made a huge mistake.

It takes a while to arrive, the whole time my wife is thinking, “there he goes again,
saving money, uh huh.” But a month later, it comes. It’s about the same size as the 36v
20 ah lead pack, but it’s a LOT lighter. After an overnight charge, I took it for a ride to
test the range of it at 25 mph, hoping for at least 10 miles. I ride a 5 mile circle, and then
another one. And a third. 15 miles! And it still feels strong! It’s a miracle! I keep riding,
on a one mile circle thinking it must be about done. Finally it quits, and I’ve ridden 20
miles! I have the range to ride to work, without even using the lead at all. I started doing
that 3-4 days a week. Parked, the old junky car could last forever. I really could save
some money with this crazy thing.

read our article on how an ebike can save you money

But there is still a problem. The trike is pretty awkward down in town. Up on the
mesa, traffic is light, and I have a wide bike lane to ride in. Down by the university, or
downtown, the trike is just plain cumbersome. It’s great to haul stuff, but riding fast
every bump tends to launch everything in the basket out. At work I plugged in a charger
and It spits sparks. The bouncing has bent stuff inside, and wrecked it. So I decided I
need shock absorbers, and make the switch to a cheap used full suspension mountain
bike. It works fine, much more agile in traffic or on a bike path I ride across town on. I
decide to order a second motor, and have the trike for running errands on the mesa, and
the bike to go downtown. The wife is still skeptical I was still spending money, but I’m
totally stoked on my cheap transportation. It was May of 2008, and gas prices were going
completely bonkers. I was riding past the gas stations every day and giving them the
raspberry with a huge EV grin on my face.

Then on the third ride home from work on the full suspension bike, I reached for a drink
from a bottle, and fumbled the bottle into the forks at about 15 mph. Next thing I know,
I’m really hurting, I’m on the curb, and my bike helmet is squashed flat. I could tell
instantly that I’ve broken both collarbones but at least the head is ok. My wife met me at
the Emergency room to take me home, and says, “you’re really saving money now. Uh
huh?” Sympathetic sure, but she’s also laughing her ass off. That’s about it for riding
the new e-bikes for about three months. That’s about it for working much that summer
too. Just when I still have about $20,000 left to pay for that ballooning addiction. I just
couldn’t believe I crashed in such a rookie way. I drank from bottles at 30 mph or more
for years, riding thousands of miles, and never had that happen before.

Dogman at the race track

I end up with a lot of time on my hands that summer. I was not allowed to work or do
much, and it hurts too much to do anything with my arms anyway. Nothing to do but
read and watch tv all summer. I started reading the e-bike forums all day, and signed
up to start commenting too. I told guys to be careful with a water bottle to start with.
Part of why I crashed was the funny location of the bottle mount on Y frame suspension
bikes. I told them this guy Li Ping will send you a pretty good battery. I keep reading and
learned the basics. Amps x volts = watts. I started reading the Endless Sphere forum, and
began to actually understand about 2% of it. By the end of the summer, I was hopelessly
addicted to the bike forums.

I was still a moron on the Sphere, but some are asking me for advice on the V. I tell
them get a Pingbattery. Over the next six months, I noticed the smartest and the wittiest
people are gathering at the Endless Sphere. I now understand as much as 30% of what
people write there, and I start spending more time at the Sphere. By fall I healed up
enough to ride again, and Christmas I have logged 3000 miles on the e-bike, which has
paid for its entire cost. I don’t think about the lost pay or the hospital bills.

The rest is history. I can’t believe I’ve posted 21695 comments at the Endless Sphere,
and likely read 10 times that many comments. Even more amazing is that people actually
read my comments. Mostly I just tell new guys what an e-bike can and can’t do, and
what it will cost to do what they want to do. I keep it as simple as I have to, depending
on the person, and try to advise some common sense to be used. I keep learning
every day. I might understand as much as 60% of what the real geniuses are writing
by now. At this point, my main rides are either a bike made specifically for riding dirt
trails, or a frankenbike. The frankenbike is two bikes welded together to form a long
tailed cargo bike perfect for getting groceries. In about a month they will finally open
that new Walmart. Meanwhile my health went bad, after an infection with West Nile
Virus. I can’t work anymore, or pedal a bike for very long. I have severe chronic fatigue
syndrome. Now if I ride a bike, I really NEED the electric motor. But sick or healthy,
you can’t get me to stop riding an e-bike. I have the EV addiction and the only cure is
more riding. I love that silent motor so much more than noisy stinky motorcylces.

Dan and wife Sue

Intro

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#1  Blacktrail Bt-01 $80,000 The Suspensionless blacktrail  was designed for street riding. It’s all carbon fiber construction makes it extremely light weight for an electric bike. 50lbs, half of which is battery. The Blacktrail uses an expensive  Clean Mobile gear reduction system.  This bike is one of 3 German bikes on this list. The bike comes in different configurations.  It is claimed it can hit speeds of 60mph in its fastest configuration. Beware if you are thinking about throwing down the big cash for this one…. this bike might be vaporware. Read our article about the Blactrail Bt-01 See a Blacktrail taken apart and its drive sytem exposed

Intro

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1. Live For Physic’s Death Bike This electric bike was originally built by Liveforphysics and team in one weeks time from steel tubing (not a conversion bike) with one purpose in mind: to win races against gas powered bicycles.  It served its function perfectly, winning many races,  and made #1 of our 10 Fastest Electric Bikes Ever with its 85mph top speed.  Liveforphysics is not a “car polish” kind of guy, and can care less if his ebike’s guts hang out a bit. In fact the uglier the better for this guy.  He made #1 on our list of most influential people in the ebike revolution by setting a standard for many DIY builders of raw horsepower and speed being #1 most important over beauty, safety, elegance and lightness.

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2. Amberwolf’s CrazyBike 2  (R.I.P.) Amberwolf is a hard core recycler and built his “Crazy Bike” mostly from junk yard parts welded together. He built this bike on a shoestring  budget, and showed what is possible to build on limited resources. He used this bike as his daily commuter, saving thousands of dollars. (read how ebikes can save you money). Unfortunately this bike was lost in a house fire in May 2013, along with his beloved dogs and most of his material possessions. Read the Crazybike 2  build thread  on Endless-sphere. Amberwolf  is #9 on our most influential ebike people list

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3. Naeem’s Pakistan Mid-Drive  Ebike Naeem was inspired by Amberwolf’s builds, and on just a $200 budget built a 40mph electric bike, literally scouring the salvage yards in Pakistan. This bike uses a radiator fan motor from a Toyota  tediously rewound by Naeem to provide more  power and efficiency, a complicated gear reduction system made up of recycled gears and sprockets, and lead acid batteries which are one of the few parts he had to buy new.  Naeem used this bike daily for its mission of commuting to work , and saved him thousands of dollars and also saved him from riding in a crowded and uncomfortable Pakistan buses. This electric bike got Naeem a lot of notoriety and he won several science contests in Pakistan. This is the only bike on this list to be a mid-drive that goes through the bicycle transmission. Read our story about Naeem. Read the Very Low Cost Electric bike from Pakistan build thread

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4. Justin-LE’s Canadian Trekker Justin Lemire Elmore is one of the true leaders of the ebike revolution.  He first made his mark on the ebike universe by building a rugged and comfortable ebike to take from coast to coast 4000 miles  across Canada.  The cargo bike was redesigned as a recumbent with a front 9c hub motor, a home built controller, and 1,400 watt hours of lipo battery.  It was capable of 30mph.  One of my favorites stories in this epic tale is after riding 1000 miles on rugged pot hole roads  his generic inexpensive rear wheel gave out. He spent $160 on a bike store spoked rim which didn’t last 100 miles.  He then had to comb a junk yard to find a replacement wheel which he made work for the rest of the trip. Saved by the Dump!:   Read about Justin’s Cross Canada tour Justin is #2 on our list of most influential ebike people

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5. Kingfish’s Going to California Ebike Kingfish is an engineer who spent many months designing and building the above bike to put up with the rigors of a 1500 mile road trip from Seattle to Northern California and back. It has a top speed of 40mph and has 130 amp hours of Hobby King liop giving this bike a 3oo mile range.  Notice the aerodynamic touches.  The elecric bike utilizes 2 9c motors built into the front and rear wheel (awd) Read Kingfish’s review on the 9c motor Read Kingfish’s review on saddles Read the entire thread about Kingfish’s journey on Endless Sphere

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6. Live for Physic’s  Pinky Liveforphysics deserves to have two ebikes on this list. Pinky was built in 7 days time to compete in the San Francisco Hill Climb, a race put on by electricbike.com. Of course Pinky went on to crush the race with a 70mph top speed.  Many people were injured that day, and one of the crashes was caught on tape, making the most famous electric bike video to date. Pinky was later sold for big money to a wealthy Hong Kong business man.

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7.  Itchnacker’s Pikes Peak Crusher Itchynacker converted the above bike using an oil cooled 9c motor to tolerate climbing a steep mountain grade continuously at 35mph.  It uses Hobby King Lipo in a triangle bag and a hot-rodded controller and hub motor.  Not only was this the first hub motor to climb Pikes Peak, it beat a team of  Optibikes to the top (Optibike had dominated the race in previous years). The cost for a 1100r Optibke = $15,000.  The cost of Itchnacker’s home build $1,600.  Beating a bunch of lycra clad Optibkers to the top of  mountain peek in shorts and a t-shirt = priceless. Read about Itchnackers victory at Pikes Peak

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8.  Cedric Lynch’s Feet-First Streamliner Cedric Lynch developed one of the worlds most efficient small electric motors, but small being about 30 pounds, small enough for a motorcycle but not a  bicycle . However several bikes on this list use that motor, including Pinky and the Streamliner feet first pictured above. This bike will do 60mph and because of its aerodynamic shape will do it efficiently. Cedric Lynch would do a daily 40 mile commute in this vehicle.

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#9 Shelby’s Green Cut Shelby, and engineering student,  started a lawn care business called “Denton’s Green Cut”  to help pay for his schooling. He uses an electric bike to tow his  mowers around, saving 10,000 miles on what he would normally have used on his gas burning truck. His ebike can do 30mph even while pulling a heavy trailer carrying his mower and supplies. Shelby’s next project…building a DIY electric lawn mower. iLearn More about the  Shelby’s lawn care ebike

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10. Behemoth This is the most elaborate electric bike ever to not even contain a hub motor. The electrics on this bike (solar powered) went instead to power the guys ham radio, CB radio, computer, satellite phone, etc. This ebike is definitely the most expensive on this list, costing over $500,000 to build. Read more about the Behemoth electric bike

Extra: Trike Truck

The Utilitarian ebike list would be complete without the Trike Truck which started out as a build in Bill Stites garage. It is now in its 3rd version and is being offered as a product in Portland Oregon. It features dual hub motor rear wheel drive, and a unique pedal front wheel drive. Now that’s a cargo bike!