All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Oh I agree 100% about getting stronger. Only so much time for biking for me though. No point making it harder than it needs to be.

You and your riding area are clearly harder on tires than me though. I put 600 miles on my last set of 2.3 EXO Minions and they had very little visible signs of wear when I sold my bike with them.

 

That's my truck!

Someone else should probably get cover photo honors though since I don't Strava...

 

lol. simple mic drop. hahah

 

My favorite shoes (Five Ten Impact VXI) have seen better days. I've probably fixed it half a dozen times with an insane amount of Shoe Goo and badly executed leather repair. I have a pair of Hellcat Pros as a backup but these are not as comfortable (or as light) as the old Impacts. I guess its time to break the new shoes in. In this case, new is not necessarily better. I just ordered the new Hellcat as a backup. Hopefully, it's closer to the Impact than to the Kestrel.

 

I worked in an eBike only shop for a while and still follow them, though I don’t own one. We sold only “name brand” bikes and I’m not familiar with the ones you mentioned, as they seem to be more of a niche brand for that fat tire/hunting use. Both brands seem to use Bafang motors which are fine, but not used by any major bike brands as far as I know. Bosch, Shimano, and to a lesser extent Yamaha and Brose are the suppliers for most major bike companies. The benefits of those four are better parts availability, service support, software updates etc. That’s important because the rest of the bike is pretty generic; wheels, brakes, drivetrain, forks etc are off the shelf. Bikes are expensive and the motor, battery and controller add cost on top of that. So, my advice is to buy a brand that has a local bike shop behind it, and avoid hub motors. They add rotating weight, are harder to service, and don’t benefit from the gearing in the same way as a mid-drive motor. Finally, thanks for sticking to 750W and following local regulations. Though I’m still an analog (acoustic?) bike guy, I’m not an eBike hater. But people that flaunt the rules, even riding electric motorcycles with no pedals in non-motorized areas that only allow pedal-assist eBikes, create a lot of haters that make things difficult for all mountain bikers.

 

^^ what he said. but also, for following local regulations. So many people riding ebikes or even e-motobikes in areas they aren't allowed in.

as for the original question, i have a radpower fatbike that's 750W. it's fun as a commuter but the components on it are so low quality it's not worth much now. You'll find that a lot of the similarly hub-motored e-bikes are similar. "cheap" bikes with cheap components that just get the job done. It might be worth it just to build your own from an understanding standpoint but it might suffer from the same problem as the other "cheap" brands...they don't really have quality long lasting components on them. the major traditional bike manufacturers all have e-bikes but obviously, MUCH more pricey and MUCH more dedicated to mountain biking rather than what you're trying to go for.

 

Thanks for the recommendations.
I’ve used regular peddling bikes for hunting in the past with mixed results. The problem is I’m in SW Fl and it’s hotter then hell lol. Even peddling at 5 a.m., I’d arrive sweating like crazy. Walking in I would sweat less, but it just takes forever to get there. I’m hoping this will be a nice in between. Cheers

 

Looks like there have been a couple of answers, but the basics to address are:

1. count the number of links (this will give the length, a given chain might sell in 3 different lengths), use a chain tool to break new chain and match the count, find a youtube vid if needed.
   
2. match rear cassette sprocket count (12, 11, 10 or less, and single speed), this is matching tooth width to width spacing on chain.
3. match manufacture if it is a shimano or sram 12 speed
4. make sure it comes with something to join the chain (quick link) or pins on older shimano. quick links are easier to deal with

 

Just a heads up: This thread moves faster than I ride, carry on.

 

For sure! April POW is available in Colorado as well... just missioned down to Silverton for some very winterlike spring turns.
That being said, bike is highly maintained.... Still need to get out and see how that rear Dissector does so I can chime in on the tire conversation.

 

You forgot 8, just saying.

 

And 13

 

well 8 is included with 7-9. i did forget 6 but idk if thats a thing.

dang yea i missed that one too, but i also just learned about it last week so its still not really a thing to me.



BBBUUUTTTT we all forgot to mention 1 so RIP

 

I learned about 1x13`s last week also

 

Meeting some locals in the N. GA mountains.

 

Salamanders rock!

 

Holy Jeebuz! I think the most I get is 500 miles before the rear tire looks like shit. I can usually squeeze 600 from the front.

 

hahah. yeah, same! I'd be lucky to get a whole season out of my tires. But by the time i'm ready to replace them, it's rock riding season so I don't want to put some freshies on them just to ruin them. :/

 

Good quality tools always make a huge difference in any rebuild.

 

Niiice! That ACS3 is the shiz in the 36 platform, especially with the G2 damper. I've been itching to try the Zeb w/Smashpot though.