Some people like to gamble and are prepared to win or lose. If it was a sure thing? Why charge more for insurance? I don't care what anybody say's this is a total gamble so be prepared to lose.
Say Hello to Storm
- Thread starter biknut
- Start date
Looks like my prediction that this bike is the china girl of eBikes is hitting pretty close to the mark. Someone found what looks like the stock controller. The Motor is an 8fun 350w geared motor.
Storm said 99% of the parts are off the shelf.
http://www.szktdz.com/en/news_show.php?article_id=361
Storm said 99% of the parts are off the shelf.
http://www.szktdz.com/en/news_show.php?article_id=361
I'm sure this will put a lot of people on an electric bike that wouldn't normally be there. When the battery or motors dies, some of the bikes will be in the garage gathering dust and some will have the battery or motor replaced.
If the Sonders bike is offered with bigger and more powerful motors and stronger batteries current owners will just trade up over time. My bet is that we will see a lot of competitors watching very closely to see what happens and I'd guarantee there are copy cat bikes on the drawing boards of a lot of companies at this very moment just waiting to cash in on the now obvious need for an inexpensive electric bike.
On the other hand I would have loved to have been sitting in Sonders office as they watched the funding go through the roof and the emails, faxes and phone calls to suppliers and shippers as they saw what they had going.
Steve.
If the Sonders bike is offered with bigger and more powerful motors and stronger batteries current owners will just trade up over time. My bet is that we will see a lot of competitors watching very closely to see what happens and I'd guarantee there are copy cat bikes on the drawing boards of a lot of companies at this very moment just waiting to cash in on the now obvious need for an inexpensive electric bike.
On the other hand I would have loved to have been sitting in Sonders office as they watched the funding go through the roof and the emails, faxes and phone calls to suppliers and shippers as they saw what they had going.
Steve.
Keep in mind that they're selling these bikes world wide, and in many country's even 350w is illegal. I've read a lot of good reports about these little 8Fun geared motors. They're expected to last 5000 miles before the first servicing, which for a lot of people would be a lifetime.
We are lucky here in the U.S. and Canada. You have 750W and we have 500W. So many other countries are tied to 250W and you have to pedal to make the engine work. I would imagine a large part of their business is going to be North America since so much of the world has been cut off from this bike unless they go to a 250W and pedlac.
When I say that there are other companies watching this they are looking at the North American market. There is a minimum of government red tape here unlike Europe and other countries
Once people get a sense of the joy of electric bikes they will want bigger and better and I'm sure that the Sonders company will provide.
Steve.
When I say that there are other companies watching this they are looking at the North American market. There is a minimum of government red tape here unlike Europe and other countries
Once people get a sense of the joy of electric bikes they will want bigger and better and I'm sure that the Sonders company will provide.
Steve.
In my local situation here in New Zealand 250watt is supposed to be the max. On the other hand though I've never been stopped by any of the Police guys and gals around our little township and asked any questions about the power rating of any of the e-trikes I've built so far. The Police attitude seems to be that if you are sensible and are riding according to the traffic regulations they aren't interested in pulling you over.
But if I did a 'Back to the Future' blaze through town on my dear old Hercules trike that would be another thing entirely
But if I did a 'Back to the Future' blaze through town on my dear old Hercules trike that would be another thing entirely
In my local situation here in New Zealand 250watt is supposed to be the max. On the other hand though I've never been stopped by any of the Police guys and gals around our little township and asked any questions about the power rating of any of the e-trikes I've built so far. The Police attitude seems to be that if you are sensible and are riding according to the traffic regulations they aren't interested in pulling you over.
But if I did a 'Back to the Future' blaze through town on my dear old Hercules trike that would be another thing entirely
That seems like a kind of universal, and reasonable policy, because that's exactly the way the police handle eBikes here in Dallas, and even regular China Girl bikes too for that matter.
A woman of genteel birth and proper upbringing stopped while sedately going about her rounds by the local constables? Absolutely unthinkable. It's just not done.
Steve.
Steve.
A chap I know bought a new electric bike from an electric bike shop that was closing up here in Vancouver. He bought it at a fire sale price with the understanding that the battery may not be any good since it was a floor model and the battery hadn't been charged in a very long time.
The battery charged right up and the 350W motor gets him around very well with him pedaling when he want to. He travels in his motor home a lot and it's perfect to get around with. He says he has to charge the batter fairly often though because when he rides around the RV park he can't go a block without someone wanting to try it.
I told him to print out flyers from the Sonders Storm ad because it would be the perfect bike for riding the desert roads. Wide tires for the sand and they can get exercise as well while they do it.
Steve.
The battery charged right up and the 350W motor gets him around very well with him pedaling when he want to. He travels in his motor home a lot and it's perfect to get around with. He says he has to charge the batter fairly often though because when he rides around the RV park he can't go a block without someone wanting to try it.
I told him to print out flyers from the Sonders Storm ad because it would be the perfect bike for riding the desert roads. Wide tires for the sand and they can get exercise as well while they do it.
Steve.
BA, I've been posting your graphs around, and the potential Storm owners are very interested in them.The rolling resistance of properly inflated tires on motorized bikes is effectively irrelevant, regardless of width...
Wider isn't worse;
Speed reduces rolling resistance on pavement;
There are far more profound forces to contend with;
I bet lol, again given the reactions I get from HPV roadies with even just my 2.125s
All the info is out there with jus' a bit of searching, those aren't my graphs ofc - I grabbed those in particular as they're straight to the point, which seems somewhat uncommon with bicycle tires in particular. It's far too easy to get lost in the deluge of detail, much of which is highly conditional and not really relevant for the majority of riders.
"and let the hairsplitting begin!"
Note how I very carefully phrased this lol: "rolling resistance of properly inflated tires on motorized bikes is effectively irrelevant"
Doubtlessly there's be debates & disagreement and rightfully so, there'll be even valid counter-points brought up like the weight & profile of a larger tire including rim, knobby vs slick, compound & etc.
...but we're not only motorized, we aren't all exactly the same & riding on a treadmill in a hermetically sealed laboratory so it's highly unlikely these differences are noticeable. While arguable, in the end it's likely we're debating the difference of perhaps a few hundred yards in range, a fraction of a mile an hour. Sure, these things add up but we shouldn't disregard other aspects of preformance for such minor considerations - like rider environment & satisfaction.
The roads & shoulders I ride are oft paved in name only, I don't feel a need to convert to a fatbike but I'm uneasy with the thought of putting 20mm roadbike tires through that kind of abuse, pretty sure I don't wanna ride that ride as mine's jouncy enough as it is lol - but even were I mistaken, I just like my 2.125s & that's a preformance aspect oft forgotten in such discussions.
A great example of relevance heh: http://youtu.be/FkmCLOjk2h8
Here's a article in the L.A. Times about Storm Sondors that I think you'll find very interesting.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-autism-entrepreneur-20150228-story.html#page=1
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-autism-entrepreneur-20150228-story.html#page=1
Looks like the manufacturing of the sonders ebike is in full effect. If you click on the indegogo web page for the ebike. It has mfg. updates with picts.
