[bikedumpdave]

this project has been around for some time ,

web site ; http://www.motopeds.com/buy.html

and if you want to buy it ; http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2106946212/motoped-motorized-bicycle

along the same lines as the http://www.fxbikes.com/

light , durable , but with pedals, and possibly street legal

 

[blindboxx2334]

i like my bike to be a bike and my motorcycle to be a motorcycle. never in my mind have i ever wanted to mate the 2..

although, it is kinda refreshing to not see an electric bike.

 

[bdamschen]

i like my bike to be a bike and my motorcycle to be a motorcycle. never in my mind have i ever wanted to mate the 2..

although, it is kinda refreshing to not see an electric bike.

I agree. I've seen the motoped dudes out on my local trails before. They looked kinda fun, but I was having more fun on my DH bike.

 

[Tomasz]

The electric bikes will be incredible once they are a bit more reliable.

Hell, they already are incredible. I challenge anyone to ride the Nomad or V10 from Kranked and not say that it's the future of mountain biking.

 

[bdamschen]

The electric bikes will be incredible once they are a bit more reliable.

Hell, they already are incredible. I challenge anyone to ride the Nomad or V10 from Kranked and not say that it's the future of mountain biking.

oh wow, those are nice and light. How long do the batteries last?

 

[BigHitComp04]

http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/Ronnie-Renners-Stealth-Electric-DH-Bike,19679/sspomer,2

I thought this electric DH bike thing that Ronnie Renner is promoting LOOKS fun as hell, not that id ever buy one but i bet its tons of fun to ride.

 

[Tomasz]

oh wow, those are nice and light. How long do the batteries last?

A long time. 10-35 miles, depending on how you are with the throttle and what conditions are like. And once the battery dies, you've still got a perfectly normal - albeit heavier - bike to ride.

They're located right near you, right? In SC? You should check them out. Literally blow your mind out of your head.

 

[Tomasz]

http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/Ronnie-Renners-Stealth-Electric-DH-Bike,19679/sspomer,2

I thought this electric DH bike thing that Ronnie Renner is promoting LOOKS fun as hell, not that id ever buy one but i bet its tons of fun to ride.

The hub motor ebikes blow compared to what Kranked is doing.

 

[FlipFantasia]

<sigh> motors on mountain bikes need to go away.

 

[blindboxx2334]

^couldnt agree moar

 

[blindboxx2334]

i would not mind to throw a little motor on this guy!

 

[Tomasz]

Haha, you're going to be disappointed

 

[Jeremy R]

Those things are instant panty dryers.

 

[FlipFantasia]

people who think these are good ideas clearly have not been a part of the advocacy battle on the part of mountain bike clubs for the last 25+ years where we've gone to painstaking lengths to convince the powers that be that we aren't anything like motorbikes....this does the sport a huge disservice.

 

[Jm_]

Hybrid (regen braking/battery) AM and XC bikes. They are coming.

 

[CBJ]

people who think these are good ideas clearly have not been a part of the advocacy battle on the part of mountain bike clubs for the last 25+ years where we've gone to painstaking lengths to convince the powers that be that we aren't anything like motorbikes....this does the sport a huge disservice.

Judgning by the recent pictures from Eurobike and the general laziness of the population I am sure they will start to show up more and more.

 

[Tomasz]

I think of these as working around trail advocacy, which has failed in many parts of the US. If all of your local trails have been shut down (common in some areas) then these make pirate trails more accessible and easier to build / maintain.

 

[WestCoastHucker]

rode this once after meeting the guy at a trailhead. it was kinda fun. you had to wear a small backpack that contained the batteries...

 

[FlipFantasia]

to concede one point, I guess for a lot of people this could potentially be a better alternative to a typical 2/4 stroke dirt bike, on trails that are designated for motorized use.

 

[Jeremy R]

to concede one point, I guess for a lot of people this could potentially be a better alternative to a typical 2/4 stroke dirt bike, on trails that are designated for motorized use.

Plus, think of all the character it will build when all the moto guys are pointing and laughing at your electric bike and their girlfriends will be passing you all day on a XR 100.

 

[Tomasz]

Why would you ride this on a dirt bike trail?

First, do dirt bike trails even exist any more? The communists don't even want mountain bikers out there, let alone dirt bikers.

Second, these things don't make any noise and no one's going to think they're anything but bicycles. No one's riding these on anything but regular ol' MTB trails. Ever.

 

[FarkinRyan]

No one's riding these on anything but regular ol' MTB trails. Ever.

That's the problem.

I can say, from watching those videos that yes, if I'm honest with myself that looks like a fun thing that I'd probably enjoy doing. I can also say that from a trail builders point of view, if those Kranked kooks showed up at my trailhead and starting ripping sh1t up with a bunch of tourists on e-bikes I'd probably see red and be inclined to do bad things.

It's going to cause more damage to trails, it's going to cause trail access issues specifically because they are silent, faster and difficult to distinguish from normal bikes, it's going to cause conflict among user groups that already have an uneasy truce at best. It's a fvckfest waiting to happen.

 

[sethimus]

http://www.ktm.com/freeride/freeride-e/highlights.html

this > those other things

 

[FlipFantasia]

I stand corrected, they're useless and FarkinRyan is on point.

 

[Tomasz]

It's not going to cause much/any increased trail damage. There isn't enough power to spin the wheels on acceleration.

It's still just a bike, but easier to climb with.

 

[blindboxx2334]

It's not going to cause much/any increased trail damage. There isn't enough power to spin the wheels on acceleration.

honestly though, its only a matter of time before they get refined and make a mo fasta/mo powerful model that can spin the wheels (if not spin, atleast a 'chirp'). also, im not sure how much they weigh with all that crap on it, but i think if they were heavy enough, it could cause more damage to the trail than a normal bike would.

then suddenly everyone who liked these will realize its a terrible idea and these stupid bikes will not help our 'trail advocacy'

 

[bdamschen]

http://www.ktm.com/freeride/freeride-e/highlights.html

this > those other things

only 30lbs lighter than my 250. Cool that they are quiet though.

 

[FlipFantasia]

It's not going to cause much/any increased trail damage. There isn't enough power to spin the wheels on acceleration.

It's still just a bike, but easier to climb with.

so basically people who are too too lazy to pedal their asses up to trails that require fitness to get too will now be able to throttle their downhill bikes up to trails that normally don't get that kind of use, on trails that aren't typically designed for downhill bike style riding....with lots of extra weight thanks to the motors/batteries....yeah, it's totally fine

 

[FarkinRyan]

It's not going to cause much/any increased trail damage. There isn't enough power to spin the wheels on acceleration.

It's still just a bike, but easier to climb with.

Pretty sure that one of those ego videos makes a point of showing that is possible to spin the wheels on acceleration and do lame e-moto donuts in the gravel.

I think the KTM Freeride is pretty cool though and definitely more of a step in the right direction than just slapping electric assist motors onto regular MTBs. If I remember right they've even stuck it in the mixer at a few enduro races and it's done pretty well, albeit with a pro rider sandbagging on it in C-grade or the like. Quiet, powerful motorbikes made to be used in areas where motorised recreation is already allowed are A-OK with me.

 

[Tomasz]

Pretty sure that one of those ego videos makes a point of showing that is possible to spin the wheels on acceleration and do lame e-moto donuts in the gravel.

He's not putting his weight on the bike when he does that. Trust me, you can't spin the wheels whilst riding it.

No more trail impact than a regular bike. It IS a regular bike.

 

[Dogboy]

He's not putting his weight on the bike when he does that. Trust me, you can't spin the wheels whilst riding it.

No more trail impact than a regular bike. It IS a regular bike.

Sorry, but no. A bicycle with a motor is a motorcycle.

 

[blindboxx2334]

im with dogboy on that.. a bicycle is HUMAN powered.

 

[shirk007]

Slap the Kranked kit on a fat bike and you have a pretty useful tool for trail building.

 

[buildyourown]

These things look fun in a vacuum. In the real world, there is no place to ride them. You would get run over on any moto trail and they wouldn't have the power to thru the loose stuff. Bike trails are just that. No motorized vehicles.
Maybe in super rural areas but even in rural parts of WA, trails are becoming segragated. It's what has to happen for 4 user groups of different speed to coexist. Everybody gets their own trail.

I'll admit. My biggest deterrent to getting a moto is the noise. I like riding around the woods on quite bikes. Even when riding DH. I would probably get an ebike if it meant I could explore 50-60mi a day in quite. But the reality is there are very few places to do that.

 

[Tomasz]

When I was building and riding my own Ebikes, I never got a single sideways glance from other bikers - as in no one ever noticed that I was on a converted ebike. Ever. And that was in a very populated area with few trails and lots of other riders.

 

[FarkinRyan]

When I was building and riding my own Ebikes, I never got a single sideways glance from other bikers - as in no one ever noticed that I was on a converted ebike. Ever. And that was in a very populated area with few trails and lots of other riders.

Wasn't that in like, Poland though? Most of them probably didn't have electricity in their houses, let alone realise that you could attach electricity to a mountain bike.

 

[Tomasz]

San Diego, Poland

 

[buckoW]

Ignoring social do's and dont's those Kranked bikes are super fun. You can ride it like a normal bike on the downs bunny hoping and hitting doubles as you would then shuttle yourself back up. It is much more like an mtb than a moto and you have to really know what you are doing to shred the trail more than with a normal bike. I wasn't super open to the idea until I tried one. It would be great for trail building. E bikes are allowed on the trails around here and the tourism offices even have a fleet and push it pretty hard. It is just another way to have fun on 2 wheels and a handlebar.

 

[sethimus]

Pretty sure that one of those ego videos makes a point of showing that is possible to spin the wheels on acceleration and do lame e-moto donuts in the gravel.

I think the KTM Freeride is pretty cool though and definitely more of a step in the right direction than just slapping electric assist motors onto regular MTBs. If I remember right they've even stuck it in the mixer at a few enduro races and it's done pretty well, albeit with a pro rider sandbagging on it in C-grade or the like. Quiet, powerful motorbikes made to be used in areas where motorised recreation is already allowed are A-OK with me.

check out the trailer for a new series we did for ktm, to showcase the new freeride line