The mudguard wirs will eventually break you will need new breaks disks and pads around 2000 miles and new chain and freewheel around 2800 miles, and get a set of kenda krusadeds tyres much better and makes the bike more efficient, the bike is definitely waterproof even in the hardest rain, the regen is only OK if you have a big hill to go down, battery is still strong at 3090 miles even in the winter UK, overall very decent bike for the price.
It's ridiculous how much motor vehicle laws favor drivers. If you hit a cyclest or a pedestrian it's always there fault. It's never the one in the 2-3 ton metal box's fault.
In the US bicycles are required to follow standard motor laws, with the exception that they must ride as far to the right of the outside lane as is safe to do so. There are two main exceptions to the exception: If there is a designated bike lane, or if there are bicycle designators painted in the middle of lanes or at intersections to mark bike sensors for traffic lights. In those cases you are permitted to be in the middle as long as you don't impede traffic.
The handlebars look like they are positioned good for an older person....we cannot lean over the bars like you can Steve....Upright seating position is preferable for us....
I like a decent about of range and like pedal assist over throttle because I do more trail riding than road. I do crank the assist up to max when I'm sharing the road though but can mostly ride without assist and build up my strength with the heavier bike. Headwinds and steep hills are when I really engage the assist. I would like to get a bike with wider tires for the gravel trails, but I don't see me going with tires this fat.
Can you do an update video taking about - Dealers selling this. Something about the company that sells this? - Servicing and spare parts. Who do you contact in case of issues? - Any US certification done or this is a direct China import by a Trader company? - Warranty Info - You did mention made in China but if they plan to localize here. - Some shots showing the charging. Is it a removable battery? Keep up the great work. Maybe next reviews can have these.
I like my bars up high on both of my folding bikes. I wish they would go higher but there is a point where I worry about the stability and I don’t want to break them. I’ve never liked bikes that require you to tuck into an aerodynamic stance. In the last decade I’ve found my hands go numb if I am leaning on them, but they don’t if I have the bars up high. That’s also why I mostly ride recumbents in addition to more comfortable seats. The fact that the battery moves is not good for long term durability. It should be fixed in place when the battery compartment is closed. The bikes with batteries inside the frame are not going to have any aftermarket replacements if anything happens to the manufacturer. However with mine inside the plastic case are standard 18650 cells. One of mine is Panasonic and the other is Samsung, so technically you could build your own, although some people could burn their house down doing that, so it’s not without some risk. I read an article from someone in Europe complaining about model specific motor mountings and batteries in bikes that die or are discontinued, so I think they were looking for some sort of standardized designs. On my builds I use Hailong battery cases which are pretty standard among many manufacturers and my motors attach to the bottom bracket and then a brand specific connection to the frame so the motor doesn’t move under torque. Hub motors can break spokes from the torque, but on smaller wheels like the 20 inch I don’t think it’s a big problem, and you can oversize the spokes. I’ve watched videos about lacing wheels, but I’ve never tried it aside from replacing a spoke here or there and trying to tension it to keep the wheel true. Once you find a shop that will do things on e-bikes it’s worth giving them the business
I have the Lectric XP that looks a lot like the Engwe, and i have my handle bars up most of the way to have a more relaxed ride, if one were to have the bars a foot shorter as you suggest, then it would be more like a traditional bike that you lean over on, and i would just be too tall and the bars would be in my chest. while with this layout, i sit upright and ride casually.
My Lectric E-bike also has that key-in lock/drive feature, plus it locks the battery in, so you can't remove the battery (and steal it) without the key.
It think you can remove the steering post and cut it down. A couple suggestions for bike riders. Get a quality rear view mirror for the left side. Looking behind you can throw off your steering and cause a loss of control. Wear high visibility something, shirt, helmet, vest etc. Cars have trouble seeing a dark rider ion a dark bike. I agree that some drivers are too cautious. They should just get out of the way. I don't blow through stop signs, the way you did in the video, I slow way down and go if no cars are coming. I got a written warning from a meter reader cop once when I was on a regular 10 speed.
Amen Steve! Please treat bicycles as if they were cars. "I'm in a hurry and don't want to play the "I can be more polite than you game" which many of us interpret as a power struggle far more than "I'm nicer than you are". It's even worser for trikes. Neat bike. The mag wheels really pushed my little gray cells into high sugar mode. Why is no one doing disk wheels? These mag wheels demand a significant manufacturing facility. The carbon material the Aptera is being made with would really drop the weight whether on an ebike or our Aptera. Spun aluminum?
Nice bike, i was going to buy that same bike and instead bought the lectric 3.0 last year just because the lectric is a us based company. I do like the bike you have there a lot, though
So it begins..EOC (Ebike Owners Club).😄I'd prefer your Vetanya Pika though. Steve, I hope you can review some ebikes of Luna Cycle. They're local, based in El Segundo, CA. They have a cool $1,495 Gates CDX Belt Drive folding ebike called, Luna Eclipse.
You should really start a different electric mobility channel rather than keep mixing these two, especially as Aptera gets closer to production so this can serve as the true community hub for upgrades, repairs, etc. The audience that is interested in electric mobility will move over with you for sure.
Please just skip the videos that don't interest you. I try to make the titles very clear so that everyone knows what the video is about. We cover other EVs, battery tech, solar tech, mining and processing, EV fud, pollution and environmental issues on this channel too. Many of those things will not be interesting for everyone as well.
I rely on Steve for honest reporting. And I do blow by a video if it has little interest to me. I don't mind the slow Aptera news days at all. Almost a break.
Can you get a second battery to double the range. Carrying the second battery on the rack. Then just swap it out. I plan on taking the Aptera to Colorado up to say the flat tops. Campout in the Aptera. Then have more charge when you leave. But would like to have backup. After riding away from camp. Then Swap battery and come back. The Flat Tops have trails that go about 100miles in each direction. But do not loop. So you have to come back the same way.
@@ApteraOwnersClub looks like they sell a rack with an integrated battery also. I would think the odds of needing more range would be quite low. Ps: really suprised California hasn't regulated power/speed yet. Hopefully if they do people wirh existing bikes will have some grandfathering.
Which bike keys do you use when you’re traveling? The only one that seems to bypass getting dinged by airline pilots is the Orucase ninja I’m hoping other companies will come out with something like it. It Hass to be 62 linear inches.
I bet these larger style ebikes are going to get regulated some how. I know it is such a controversial topic in the cycling communities but out in the mainstream I'd be surprised if they eventually don't consider them closer to being motorized scooters than bicycles etc. Remember the old gas scooters which required a pedal to start? A whole new gen is out there that has no idea about those I am sure.
Depends where you are in the world, I presume. Here any e-bike which goes over 15mph on motor power (or goes over power limits) needs to be registered + have insurance, and the rider needs helmets & an appropriate license (basically they are treated as motorbikes).
@@WyndStryke in romania they just passed a law. if the bike assists you over 25 km/h and it weights over 25 kg you have to pay some tax as in to pay the roads you are using it on, but if you use the said bike only in forests mtb ing and not on public roads you are not obligated to pay nothing. i don t remember on the insurance tho
Eight provinces of Canada allow electric power assisted bicycles. In all eight provinces, e-bikes are limited to 500 W output, and cannot travel faster than 32 km/h (20 mph) on motor power alone on level ground. For comparison this bike is 1000w. Even with a plush fat tire 500w is tons to hit 20 mph so that is definitely the trend. 20 mph is about what a reasonably fit person can sustain on a narrow tire road bike. Ps: never understood why battery ratings in ah is still common. Watt hours or kwh are just better since chemistries impact voltage and its a more easily usable number.
In my state, ebikes are treated much like mopeds. They are limited by watts and speed. Anything over 20 mph and 750 watts is considered to be a motorcycle which requires a motorcycle license and registration.
yes but its difficult because the bike is heavy and has fat tires. I can make it do about 10mph on flats and 5mph up a slight grade with moderate effort.
I was taught that bicyclists are required to walk their bikes through intersections using the crosswalk. I've long felt that non-motorized bicycles should follow pedestrian rules and go against the flow of motorized traffic. Motorized bicycles should be considered as motorcycles and follow motorized traffic laws. Alternately if non-motorized bicycles are to follow motorized traffic laws, then they and their operators should be required to be licensed and insured just like motorized vehicles.
Ebikes are not visually distinct from bikes to see at a glance and having different rules ; confuses drivers. A 20 mph limit on flat with its own power is an increasingly common standard
Despite shaming bicyclists for running through stop signs, you repeatedly blew through many of them doing 25 mph as indicated on your speedometer. At least practice what you preach on a public forum.
Okay, here's a secret. Fat tire bikes with 4 inch tires are chick magnets. I am not kidding you. I can't even count the times I've had attractive young women stop and admire my ebike with 4 inch tires. When I stop for a traffic signal they will pull up beside me and roll down the window and chat. If I'm riding in a park same thing. I also have an ebike with 3.5 inch tires. They completely ignore me when I ride it. It just goes to show you how much difference a half an inch makes.
I think they're "Old Fart" magnets as well. One day I accused a somewhat mature woman of using her T-bird for that exact purpose. She just grinned innocently and drove off.
