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Thread: I bought an E.V.! (... a cheap used e-mountain bike)

  1. #1
    I always figured I would wait until I was old to get an e-bike... I guess I'm officially old!

    It's a brand I've never heard of before - "Metakoo Cybertrack 100". (China makes e-bikes by the billions, so I'm not surprised I've never heard of it.)

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    I got it used (50 miles on it) for 900 CAD from a 6'3" guy who bought it online without taking the frame size into consideration -- it's WAY too small for his height.

    Cost...

    Original owner paid 1250 CAD after taxes, and he could have returned it, but opted to sell it at a discount rather than go through the hassle of re-boxing, shipping & paying a restocking fee. Hassle for him = deal for me!

    I specifically chose this bike because it's a "normal" bike with 21 speeds that has electric assist. It's rideable as a bike (though it's portly at 46 lbs), which was important to me. I've ridden several other e-bikes that were either so heavy or awkward that you would be in trouble if you ran it out of charge far from home.

    Range...


    I've owned it since August and have charged it twice so far. Even limiting the max. charge level to around 80% and not draining it empty (to extend the life of the battery pack), I was able to get 40 miles / 70 km per charge. I almost always pedal when I'm riding it - I use the "pedal assist" mode rather than the hand throttle.

    Usage...


    I already do a lot of errands around town by bike. My justification for an e-bike is for the trips where I'm in too much of a hurry or feeling too lazy to take my regular bike. So it's replacing some car trips.

    Also it's fun. I've taken it on a couple of longer recreational/sightseeing rides that I wouldn't normally do on my regular bike.

    I was worried it would make me lazy... and that risk is real!

    But so far, it's resulting in me getting extra exercise instead of sitting on my butt in the car.

    Random video review...




        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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  3. #2
    Moderator inuvik's Avatar
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    I'm interested in hearing about your real world experiences with one because I think they make a lot of sense for a lot of people including me.

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 40.5 mpg (US) ... 17.2 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.6 mpg (Imp)


  4. #3
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    Hopefully you have good places to ride that EV around all them islands. Actually my town has some good riding areas. But outside of my town, bicycling can be quite dangerous.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


  5. #4
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    Affordable, reliable, & very economical - I can see myself owning an ebike some day!

    Thanks to my used rear hitch for my Mirage & old bike carrier I've done more state trail rides with my regular bike this summer compared to past years. I see an electric bike in my future some day!

    Thanks for sharing! Sounds like you got a great deal, too!

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  7. #5
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    46 lbs ain’t too shabby. A bunch of that is in the front suspension forks. Any thoughts about switching those out for regular forks?

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  8. #6
    ^ The shock may be heavy, but most of the extra weight is in the battery & the hub motor. (Frame is made from the finest recycled aluminum beer cans.) It's probably a 28-30 lb bike without those items.

    Quote Originally Posted by inuvik View Post
    I'm interested in hearing about your real world experiences with one because I think they make a lot of sense for a lot of people including me.
    Well here's one: I took the e-bike for takeout food a couple of nights ago!

    Normally I would have driven, but it was only about 4 km / 2.5 miles round trip. I put it on max assist (20 mph / 32 km/h) and the food was still hot when I got back home.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  9. #7
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    What are your plans for your first mods? Everyone knows you want to tweak it. Will it be an aerodynamic fairing, or extended-range battery trailer? You’re not just gonna pump up the tires…

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  10. #8
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    You've got to funk it up with some aero mods. Or you'll loose your street cred with us...

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


  11. #9
    I've been dreaming of a low riding, fully faired trike style e-bike.

    I have zero use for one, but can't stop the imagination.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


  12. #10

    I just bought the Mirage of e-bikes...

    Couldn't resist!

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    I picked this up for $100 at a local thrift/overstock store. It's a 1 year-old "Jetson Bolt Pro".

    New, these things go for around $425 CAD or $300 USD (plus tax) at Costco. The store I got it from buys warranty returns from Costco and re-sells the working & easily fixed ones. The rest go "as-is" for $100 to guys like me.

    I rolled the dice, and it turned out the problem was just a broken wire to the throttle control. (This is actually the 2nd one I've bought. The first one only had a broken power switch.)

    The 36 volt / 6 Ah battery is quite a bit smaller than the mountain e-bike I got last year. Factory range specs are pretty optimistic:

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    So far, I've ridden it about 50 km / 30 miles, vs. the 750 km I've put on the mountain bike in just over a year.

    For my needs, it's about 80% as useful as the bigger bike for about 12% of the price. The compact size & lighter weight is actually a plus.

    They're cheap, efficient ... and considered disposable by some of their owners.

    All of which contributes to my impression that it's the Mirage of e-bikes!


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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