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Chinese Utility e-bikes

Old 02-26-21, 06:05 PM
  #26  
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It'll hit 43.7 easily; just hope the parachute opens.
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Old 02-27-21, 07:21 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by overthebars
\

Does it really hit 43.7 MPH?
I would guess he entered the wheel size incorrectly.
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Old 02-27-21, 10:26 AM
  #28  
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Regardless of wheel size, the max speed setting is for top speed of motor control... which means the electric motor would cut out at setting speed of 43.7 mph.

I've gone over 60 mph on my road bike (without disc brakes), ride my motorcycles at triple digit speed regularly, 43.7 mph is no much of a concern to me.

Parachute is definatly not needed at 43.7 mph..

I prefer not to add overall width to my bikes, I have no problem carrying weight in the passenger area. Besides, carrying volume will be reduced when you split up to carrying items on the sides.
At the speed of travel for this cargo ebike, CoG for stability is not a priority nor concern.
My priority is to be narrow, travel between car mirrors among NYC traffic.

Going by my feel, the cargo ebike weighs around 75-85 lb. with two batteries. I don't have a scale at the school, can't get a accurate measure.

Here's the link to the manufacturer where I purchased the bike:
https://geobyke.en.alibaba.com/produ...20dc5f40IzqIBK

Last edited by cat0020; 02-27-21 at 10:38 AM.
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Old 02-27-21, 10:52 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by cat0020
Regardless of wheel size, the max speed setting is for top speed of motor control... which means the electric motor would cut out at setting speed of 43.7 mph...

My priority is to be narrow, travel between car mirrors among NYC traffic.
If your e-cargo bike is capable of 43.7mph, why the hell would you want to ride between lanes?

Please don’t get yourself killed.
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Old 02-27-21, 11:53 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by andychrist
If your e-cargo bike is capable of 43.7mph, why the hell would you want to ride between lanes?

Please don’t get yourself killed.
Just because it's capable of 43.7 mph, doesn't mean that you have to ride it at 43.7 mph anywhere.

I ride between lanes because it is safe for me to filter through stopped vehicle traffic to the front at a red light.
Over 3 decades of commuting on 2-wheel, motorized and human-powered, I haven't gotten killed yet; that's the safest way I find to travel on 2-wheel.
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Old 02-27-21, 01:49 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by cat0020
Regardless of wheel size, the max speed setting is for top speed of motor control... which means the electric motor would cut out at setting speed of 43.7 mph.

I've gone over 60 mph on my road bike (without disc brakes), ride my motorcycles at triple digit speed regularly, 43.7 mph is no much of a concern to me.

Parachute is definatly not needed at 43.7 mph..

I prefer not to add overall width to my bikes, I have no problem carrying weight in the passenger area. Besides, carrying volume will be reduced when you split up to carrying items on the sides.
At the speed of travel for this cargo ebike, CoG for stability is not a priority nor concern.
My priority is to be narrow, travel between car mirrors among NYC traffic.

Going by my feel, the cargo ebike weighs around 75-85 lb. with two batteries. I don't have a scale at the school, can't get a accurate measure.

Here's the link to the manufacturer where I purchased the bike:
https://geobyke.en.alibaba.com/produ...20dc5f40IzqIBK
Bad joke; it was meant to imply the only way to attain 43.7 mph with that motor was dropping out of a plane (although downhill it's possible). IMO, that motor would be lucky to get to 30 on flat terrain.
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Old 02-27-21, 03:13 PM
  #32  
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With two batteries, 43.7 mph may still be a stretch on the flat.. 30 mph shouldn't be much problem as PAS with a decent rider.
But cargo bike carrying enough weight heading down a nice hill, 43.7 mph is not a far fetch.
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Old 03-20-21, 06:43 AM
  #33  
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I've ridden my Chinese Cargo ebike for about 32 miles in Brooklyn this week.

In temperature in the 40 degree F, battery got down to about 70% from 100%.

The 20" fat, treaded tires are really noisy on pavement, likely not the most efficient; they also make handling of the bike rather sluggish, not very precise reaction with steering input.

PAS is very powerful, even at level 2 out of 5, not many significant hills in my area, riding on flat terrain on pavement with PAS 2 I can easily sustain 15-17 mph cruising speed and accelerate to 20+mph quickly.
It would have been more enjoyable if weather was warmer, but with wind chill the temperature felt like it was below freezing.
Since I was still getting used to how this bike handles, I didn't want to push the pace too much.

Handlebar of this bike is really wide, like trail MTB wide, not ideal for inner city commute between car mirrors, I think I will change that out soon.
I'm also thinking about changing the tires to street oriented tread, maybe that will provide quieter ride, better handling & less rolling resistance; curious how much suspension performance I would lose.
Or maybe even convert the front end to 26" wheel/fork to make the front end have more solid feel without the fat tire. Fat front tire just seems to make steering sluggish & vague.
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Old 03-21-21, 11:09 AM
  #34  
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I'd think 4" tires no matter the tread would feel somewhat sluggish on pavement. But I see tons of delivery drivers on riding on bikes that have really wide tires.
Are you sure they're fully aired up? Does
My mountain bike is a so-called 'Plus' bike, uses 27.5" x 3" tires. They're super plush for off-road riding at 14 to 19 psi compared to more the typical mtb tire 2.3" or 2.4" widths of that run 25 to 35 psi.They definitely have more rolling resistance when riding on asphalt.
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Old 03-22-21, 05:56 AM
  #35  
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Yeah, I started with 25 psi, went up to near 40 psi.. those fat tires just get louder... hopefully they wear out quick when ridden on pavement then I can get replacement with street oriented tires.
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Old 03-23-21, 07:58 AM
  #36  
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Candidate for frontend transplant, taller fork stack height to compensate for lower profile tire, not sure if more suspension travel:



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Old 03-25-21, 03:14 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by MntnMan62
No interest in anything made in China. Thanks.
Where do you think the components going into ALL the e-bikes are manufactured? Batteries, chargers, drive motors, and controls are made either in China or in Taiwan. The automobiles with the most US content are those from Toyota and even with their vehicles 30% of the content is coming from overseas. Ever since Reagan entered the White House, US manufacturers have been encouraged to move technology and capital along with jobs to Mexico or China or Malaysia or anywhere that a slave labor force is available. Guess you do not own a car or a smartphone or a laptop or a watch or use power tools or electric appliances.
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Old 04-16-21, 08:35 AM
  #38  
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I've put about 120 miles on the cargo ebike in the last two weeks.
Battery indicator gets down to 80% at about 20-22 mile mark, 60% at 42 mile mark. 20% at 80 mile mark, take about 4 to 5 hour to charge back to 100% for one battery.
I will probably leave the second battery off the bike in the future, for I don't need it for the extra range on my typical rides, save some weight.
Yesterday it was raining most of the day, I converted the front end of the cargo ebike to a more street oriented setup.


Gone are the fat knobby front tire/wheel, adjustable stem that weigh about 2 lb. & the OEM grips that are far too much cushion than needed.
I also cut 1.5" off each side of the handlebar, now the bike can fit better between car mirrors in traffic.
Front suspension fork with better damping and pre-load adjustments


Front end is slightly higher than original, but I haven't setup the suspension to test ride yet.
Will make a run to the homeless shelter this afternoon to deliver leftovers from our school for this week.
When the rear tire wears out, I think I will change to a street tread tire for less rolling nose on pavement.
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Old 04-26-21, 05:17 PM
  #39  
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Been carrying leftovers from our school to the local homeless shelter on my cargo ebike, can hold about 20 lb. in each milk crate.
Going over bumps really jars the contents, maybe need to let out some air in the tires, carrying more weight just get the
Modified front end feels more solid than the OEM fat tire front end.
So far I've only needed to use PAS 2, that gives me plenty of cruising speed in the neighborhood & among Brooklyn traffic.
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Old 05-22-21, 01:48 PM
  #40  
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Ordered on Alibaba, 14 JAN 2021. Delivered on 19 MAY 2021.



Pump up the tires, check the important bolts, torque the cranks bolts, grease the seatpost, pedal threads..
It's ready for it's first ride this afternoon:
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Old 06-09-21, 06:51 AM
  #41  
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Got caught in the thunderstorm in NYC yesterday afternoon with the cargo e-bike, rode about 8 miles in the rain.. not the torrential downpour, but still it was steady rain.
I was still using PAS & throttle all along the ride, got back to our school and put the bike away wet.
No problem this morning, I guess that's what you want in a cargo bike, able to to ride it in all weather and put it away wet without worry whether it would work the following day or after.
I have about 780 miles logged on it, getting used to the handling of extra long wheelbase and the heft that comes with the cargo bike.
I leave the PAS on level 2 ( out of 5), I'm pedaling about 20% of the time, the rest 75% I'm just going through the motions of pedaling and the rest 5% is throttle from stop to get up to speed.
I get about 65-75 miles between charge with single battery operation, when battery goes down to 1 (out of 5) bars. Takes about 4-5 hours to charge back up to 100%.
I alternate between the two battery for usage, one charge usually last about 10-12 days between charge & use.
In Brooklyn, this cargo bike has saved me lots of travel time in traffic and time looking for parking in neighborhoods.
Cargo bike with milk crates is usually too big/heavy to attract attention from thieves, I just use a simple short cable lock around the front wheel in plain sight so people don't mess with the bike while it is parked.
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Old 06-09-21, 09:52 AM
  #42  
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Those cargo bikes are a trip. I remember riding a Pedego monster around for a week or two about four years ago. Lots of fun, but a heavy beast. That one would go about 24 mph easily AIR.
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Old 07-11-21, 01:21 PM
  #43  
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My wife is 4'10", rides regular road bike, recumbent & MTB with me since 2006.
I got her a little tiny e-bike from Alibaba to try it out.
400w motor, 54.6v, 1100wh battery with max 60A.
14" wheels, chain-less, shaft-driventrain,
disc brake & drivetrain electric regeneration.
30km/h throttle cutoff for electric motor, PAS you can go faster but with single speed, you will be spinning your legs at high rpm.
Advertised 70-300km operating range, depending on usage & rider weight.
I had to change out the 170mm crankarms to 152mm to accommodate my wife, also makes it easier pedal at high rpm, with smaller pedaling circle.


Next to my e-MTB for sizing comparison:

Last edited by cat0020; 07-13-21 at 08:49 AM.
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Old 07-14-21, 07:29 AM
  #44  
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I was unaware that you could get an ebike with regeneration capability. I wonder how much range that would add in typical use.
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Old 07-14-21, 09:21 AM
  #45  
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I don't expect more than 3 to 5% gain in range for regen motor.

Article is 8 y-o, but still good info: https://www.electricbike.com/regenerative-brakes/

Video is also few years old:

Last edited by cat0020; 07-14-21 at 09:41 AM.
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Old 07-14-21, 11:40 AM
  #46  
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Not worth it to me just because the motor goes from propelling the bike to stopping it. IMO, even with a good torque arm, the dropout has force applied to it. OTOH, I'm riding mid-drives exclusively now so it doesn't matter.
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Old 07-14-21, 01:30 PM
  #47  
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Regen is worthwhile if your e-bike has a large capacity battery, 3% to 5% regen for a large battery can be up to 6 or 10 miles of travel for a larger battery.
If your e-bike has small capacity battery and short range to begin with, regen braking is likely not worthwhile.
But the interesting thing about the shaft drive is that it can also provide regen from pedaling, similar to a hand-crank generator; charge your cell phone, or other electronics.
I haven't test this e-bike to that capacity, but the bike does have USB outlet for such purpose.

Regenerative Braking on the Electrom LEV
An in-depth explanantion of how regenerative braking works on the Electrom LEV

Last edited by cat0020; 07-15-21 at 05:47 PM.
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Old 08-14-21, 06:42 AM
  #48  
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This is why I bought my cheap Chinese cargo e-bike:

https://electrek.co/2021/08/13/elect...delivery-vans/

"in urban areas, electric cargo bicycles make deliveries 60% faster than delivery vans."
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Old 08-15-21, 03:06 PM
  #49  
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A e-bike for cargo is fine if the items can get wet and one is only making a single stop and no worries about theft of the cargo and or the bike. Having a 80 lb cargo bike rig would make it less attractive to thieves.

Important in cities with drainage grates along the curbs to be careful with narrow tires that can slip down between slots. Some cities have welded cross bars along bike routes but I would not count on this being universal.
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Old 08-20-21, 07:03 AM
  #50  
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Here's the Amazon e-cargo bike delivery that I've seen frequently since spring:

The trailer that gets towed behind is the main cargo hold.
I doubt any drainage cover would swallow the wheels on it, even my cargo e-bike has 3" wide tires that can easily ride over drainage grate gaps in NYC.

They seem to take up as much space as a car, if not more.
I don't know if they would get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic; that seems to defeat the purpose of reducing congestion, but at least reduces pollution.
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