wins02

I am a new member to the forum and would like to ask the forum members some information about purchasing an E-bike.

I want to make purchase and the two that were recommended are from Sondors. The two models are the Smart Step or Fold X. I do realize the difference between the two models with motor size and battery voltage. My friend has four Fold X bikes and loves them. I do not have many requirements. It would be used a few days a week, mostly in our neighborhood in South Florida. Very flat roads. $1,000 price point is where I want to be but would be willing to spend a few dollars more on a better product. Any input about the models I am looking at and the Sonders company would be appreciated. Thank you!

streetartmadrid

following

MJH

Also interested in any info on the Sonders. Thinking about the Step through full sized folder

Bogdan_

Also interested in alternatives

Pop N Wood

Maybe someone who has either bike will answer, but looking at the spec sheets are you sure you want the super wide tires that come on both of those models? If the majority of your riding is on pavement I would get a bike with narrower tires. Such wide tires will be a drag on anything but sand.

alloo

Blix Vika+, Rad Mini, Aventon Sinch.

2old

Sondors has a huge FB following because they had a very successful crowd fund several years ago, but IMO you can find better priced bikes from Aventon, for instance. If for some reason you want fat tires, Sondors isn't a bad choice.

Doc_Wui

Fat tire bikes are like a fashion statement. Non-riders like the looks and go for it. Veteran riders mainly saw them as trainers and work-out machines in the summer. Without electricity, the masses could never ever ride these things, I bought a cheap one, intending to put a motor on it. A two mile ride on it just about killed me.

I did motorize mine, and lightened it considerably. I can ride it pretty easy now with the assist turned off. It's comfy, but it's big. More like a truck than a bike. I'm n+1, so having a fat tire e-bike is OK for me. However, I have more fun riding lighter weights.

With electricity, you can have only a 7 speed freewheel, clunky pedals, steel handlebars, cast iron stem, and steel fork. All the stuff that makes weight conscious bike enthusiasts cringe doesn't matter. I think Sondors makes a decent ebike, Their latest mid-drive offerings look like godzillas though.

trailangel

Sondors full suspension midrive coming in at 65 pounds. 7 speed with grip shifter? No thankyou.

sslonkosky

In the summer of 2017, I took a safe streets class taught by Bike SGV (who have renamed themselves Active SGV). Because I took the class and lived within 3 miles of the El Monte Busway, I was eligible for a $700 rebate on an ebike. The bike had to be new complete ebike, not a kit. They are a group who volunteers who operate out of a classroom in what used to be an elementary school. Most ebikes that you could buy online did not qualify. The only ebikes that t could afford that qualified were Sondors. (I don't know why Sondors qualified since you have to buy them online, but they did.) I found out that Storm Sondors was going to do a showing of their new Folds on a Saturday in Hermosa Beach, so I went to that event.

I ordered a Fold X7 which arrived in November and quickly submitted my paperwork for the rebate (as they were only 100 allotted and they were about to run out). For me, this was a mistake. I should have ordered a Thin instead. Because my vision is no longer correctable enough for me to have a drivers license, I need to use a bike and public transit to get around. I didn't really want a bike with fat tires and one that was so heavy as the one I got (66 lb.). And of course, fat tires doen't fit in bus racks. I lived within about 4 miles of the Metro Gold Line and was even closer to a Metrolink station and I could take the bike on trains.

The very first time I rode this bike other than to test it in from of where I lived, I acquired a goat head in the rear tire. I didn't notice this until it was time to return home. I was able to get a friend to drive me and it home. It's futile to try to inflate such big tubes with a floor pump. I tried but finally gave up and used a compressor. I did put some Stan's Notubes in the tubes after that and didn't have any more flats. (Recently, I saw a review from a British biking magazine that rated Stan's at 6, Orange Seal at 7 and Muc-Off sealant at 10 out of 10).

I think the Thin had narrow enough tires to fit in a bus rack and a web page says it weighs 38 lb., so that would have met the requirement of it weighlin <50 lb. I think it would have worked for me. I have a problem with my left leg in that I can't really mount a full-sized bike unless I lay the bike down on its left side so I can step over it. I even have to lean my Downtube Nove to the left a bit to mount it. Otherwise I tend to lose my balance.

It appears that Sondors is going exclusively for the fat tire market. Even the Smart Step has tires that are 3" wide. Those definietly won't fit in a bus rack.

My needs/wants are probably different from most people, but I really don't understand why fat tires are so popular. De gustibus non est disputandum.

EUCSALE

Hello wins02!
Look towards the InMotion brand. If you do not need fast speed, you do not need to climb hills. If you like high speed or need a powerful electric bike, then you should choose something from the Sur-Ron models. Although they are more expensive, they are much more powerful.
For e-bike inquiries, please visit our website eucsale com. There you will also find contacts to consult with experts.

Leisesturm

The Blix folder is well regarded. The Aventon models are well regarded. Look for review sites and youtube and consider a bike that is well regarded, even if it costs a couple (or few) hundred more than $1K. It's VERY hard to make a decent e-bike for $1K. I am paying that for my motor and battery alone! When I shop for an ebike I am looking seriously at bikes over $3K. A lot over $3K. No, not everyone needs a Giant Quick E+ or Raleigh Redux IE ($3300+) but an Aventon Pace 500? The Blix folder I mentioned? Those bikes will cost a little more than $1K but are worth the extra IMO.