RAT Electric Bikes

Reason 1: Because I sold my latest fat-tire creation and am currently experiencing fat-tire e-bike withdrawal symptoms.

Reason 2: Because the moment I was searching for a solution to my ‘condition’ I saw a discount on the Himiway Cruiser I just could not pass up (my price was $950, now the online price is $1300 – discounted from $1600 so they say).

Reason 3: My neighbor has 3 Himiway e-bikes and they seem to like them. And

Reason 4: We now have local support for the Himiway brand. Their list price for the same bike is $1399, by the way.

Is the Himiway Cruiser a ‘perfect’ e-bike?

Absolutely not, but as a DYIer, there’s nothing that can’t be fixed as long as the bones are good. And it appears the Cruiser’s bones are fine, though maybe a bit on the beefy side. My fat-tire creation clocked in at 56 pounds with battery. The Himiway Cruiser appears to be somewhere in the 72 pound range. Still not a problem. Mechanical brakes on 180mm discs are easily remedied with hydraulic calipers and larger discs should the need arise. And the front forks are pretty basic, but are easily replaced if/when needed. Other mods I already plan on making include:

• 52T 104BCD Round Oval Narrow Wide Chainring ($28)
• Thumb Throttle ($13)
• Bar End Mirror ($11.50)
• Handlebar Grips ($8)
• 3 Bearing Pedals ($25)
• Skid Plate ($29)
• FlatOut tire sealant ($20)
• Rim strip ($9)
• Origin8 Supercell Wire Bead Fat Bike Tires ($50 ea.)
• Adjustable Handlebar Stem ($35 – 28.6mm x 31.8mm)
• Suspension seatpost ($70 – 27.2mm post plus $8 for a 27.2 to 30.4mm shim)
• Seat ($19)
• Rear rack bag ($29)
• Bike Alarm Vibration/Motion Sensor with Remote ($17)
• Juintech M1 hydraulic brakes ($120), plus DP17/SP17 spare pads ($7/set)

As you can see by my list of add-ons, I’m already a little over $1400 invested in this project. Comparing that to my DIY fat-tire e-bike where I had well over $1500 invested, I’d say I’m money ahead if the Cruiser is as good as I hope it will be.

Stay tuned for the unpacking, assembly, and first ride update to this post. The bike will arrive sometime in April so check back here late April or early May for my Cruiser update.

** Update **

It’s April 4 and my bike has arrived! Here’s what’s in the (very heavy) box:

Everything was well padded and with no scratches or dents. Kudos to Himiway for an excellent packing job!

And here’s the bike as I start building it up:

I finished assembling the bike with add-on parts listed above. Here’s a picture of the final build:

Origin 8 wire-bead street tires installed with second rim strip and 8oz FlatOut each tire.

Aftermarket mods:

Handlebar, right side – grip throttle replaced with thumb throttle, plus new grip

Handlebar, left side – grip replaced, bar-end mirror added

Adjustable handlebar stem replaces fixed stem

Rack bag, suspension seat post and more comfortable seat installed

Larger chainring and 3-bearing MTB pedals installed – this also shows the Origin 8 tread pattern

Skid plate/mud guard installed

After riding 50 miles in the last few days, I wouldn’t change a thing. As mentioned in previous posts, all e-bike owners should consider buying a Luna 300w charger which allows you to control charging amps and percent charge. I charge my e-bike batteries to 80% for 6 or so charges, then to 100% (before a longer ride) to rebalance the cells. The Luna charger is a must if you’re concerned about battery longevity.

** update **

I just got back from another long-ish ride and although I really like riding this e-bike the way it’s currently configured, I think it’s still too ‘technical’ for many riders. Let me explain:

First, this e-bike has cadence, not torque, sensing. What this means is that as soon as you start pedaling, the amount of power you have set in the ‘PAS’ (pedal assist) setting is delivered to the motor. This ‘feature’ requires that you need to always be aware of your latest PAS setting when coming to a stop, or when navigating around an object (like a walker on the bike trail, etc.). If you don’t pay attention to this, you’re in for a rude awakening when you start pedaling again. With torque sensing, this is not such a big problem since the power will be delivered smoothly, and relative to the amount of effort you start putting into the pedals. Not so with cadence sensing which delivers all the power right away.

With all this in mind, I still find myself over-thinking my bike’s power delivery in each situation I encounter. Should I start out with just the throttle because I’m in a high PAS setting – yup. When I come to stop, should I knock down the PAS levels in anticipation of my next start-up – probably. It gets technical, but once you know what you must always do and keep your wits about you, things go smoothly. Forget to pay attention and you can get into trouble quickly.

My motto having put some miles on this e-bike is “when in doubt, use the throttle only and do not pedal when starting out.” This will provide a lot more control on startup, then pedal once you’re at speed and know what PAS level is appropriate for the conditions.

** update **

Ok, this is my last upgrade, I promise! I was watching a YouTube video where Kyle is describing how easy it is to install the Juintech M1 hydraulic calipers. And although the mechanical disc brakes on the Himiway Cruiser aren’t too shabby, there are a couple reasons why this upgrade makes sense. First, better stopping power without having to replace your brake levers or cables. And second, better pad wear and pad contact with the brake rotor.

For $115, which is Kyle’s discounted price at the time I’m writing this, this is a really nice upgrade to an already pretty great e-bike. Here’s an image from Kyle’s website of the brake itself. Once installed, I’ll provide before and after pictures as well.

In addition to what comes in the kit from Area 13, I ordered an additional set of DP17/SP17 pads for $7, which is a good price for these pads…

** update **

As promised, here are the before an after photos for the most recent brake upgrade. I have yet to test-ride these new brakes, so I can’t say yet how much these improve things in the braking department…

Before

After

I used the stand-off hardware that came with the bike, not the ones provided in the new brake kit. Also, the front bolts need to be longer than the ones provided in the kit, so I reused the original bolts and washers for the front assembly. Otherwise, this appears to be a really nice brake caliper upgrade. I’ll let you know if I feel differently about that after my first test ride…

Following are two presentations delivered to members of the Center for Learning in Retirement program at the Delaware Valley University on February 26, 2024.

E-Bike Presentation

Bike Trails in Bucks County

Have you found any e-bikes with 4″ (fat) tires that aren’t ‘knobby’. What’s with that? Considering that most of these bikes will never see dirt or sand, wouldn’t a quieter ‘street’ tire make more sense? So I have been on a quest to find the perfect 4″ street tire for my Northrock XC00 fat tire custom e-bike.

This 26″ x 4″ Origin 8 Supercell wire-bead tire is my first experiment. This tire was purchased from Carson City Bike Shop for $50 per tire, plus $15 shipping. It’s really quiet, and tracks well ‘in a straight line’. However, max pressure is 20 psi. Also, in profile the tire isn’t round into the sidewall which creates interesting moments when turning. I’m still impressed with the tires now that I’m used to them, but I’ll be looking for other options. Here’s a picture of this tire:

A couple of other options that might be even better due to the fact that tread-to-sidewall profile is more round than the Origin 8s, and these tire can be pumped up to higher tire pressures which are appropriate for the kind of riding I do. However, none of these have wire beads, which I prefer. These are ‘folding’ tires, which might be OK. Time will tell. Here they are:

The first one is the Hycline E-Bike Fat Tire, 26″ x 4.0″ Folding E-Bike Fat Tire available on Amazon for $41.04 each. This tire should handle well, but has a 20 psi max pressure rating which is not ideal.

This next tire is the HEB ENDUROMAX 26″ x 4″ E-Bike Fat Tire. It’s expensive at $89 each, but looks like it’ll be fairly quiet and the round profile should handle well. It also appears to have a 30 psi max pressure rating which is a good thing.

Here’s another ‘street’ tire currently on my radar. It’s the Vee Tire Co. Zigzag Tire 26″ x 4.0″ with a wire bead. These are pricey at $80.74 each, and they appear to have a 30 psi max pressure rating.

And finally, a relatively inexpensive 20 psi max pressure folding street tire. This is the EERONS 26″ x 4″ Fat Tire 60 TPI, Zero-Rolling Resistance, Folded Replacement E-Bike Tire, for the low low price of $79.99 for a pair! Not bad… Just don’t over inflate these or you’ll have problems, so I have been told.

So that’s it. I have another Northrock XC00 that hasn’t been electrified yet. I need to decide which ‘street’ tire is going to work best on this bike. But in the meantime, I plan to wear out the Origin 8s on the electric XC00. No more 4″ knobbies for me!

Here’s a list of bike shops in our area that service Aventon e-bikes:

1. Voltage Bikes Warminster – 362 Nina Way Warminster PA 18974
2. Circle Cycle – 2525 Huntingdon Pike Huntingdon Valley PA 19006
3. Newtown Bicycle Shop – 30 N State St Newtown PA 18940
4. Voltage Bikes Washington Crossing – 1077 River Rd Washington Crossing PA 18977
5. Germantown Bicycle Supply – 5901 Wayne Ave Unit 3 Philadelphia PA 19144
6. Princeton eBikes – Lawrence Shopping Center (Unit 13) 2495 Brunswick Pike, Lawrence Township, NJ 08648
7. Redline E-Bikes, LLC – 3169 County Line Rd, Chalfont, PA 18914

Notes: Circle Cycle is listed on Aventon’s site as a shop that will receive and assemble your new Aventon e-bike. However, I don’t know what level of service they’re able to provide after that. If interested, call them at (215) 938 8646. Also, Redline doesn’t carry Aventon e-bikes, but they sell and service several other brands so are familiar with the technology and might be able to help in a pinch. Their number is 267-576-2545.

** update **

I had a chance to stop by Voltage Bikes in both Warminster and Washington Crossing and I have to say “I’m very impressed”. Not only do they appear to be the go-to place to buy your new Aventon e-bike, but also your source for parts and service. Chris Arndt and his wife Mary are the owners and they’re really great folks. Also, they have plenty of bikes you can test ride if you’re not quite sure which e-bike will work best for you. So check them out if you’re in the area. For the Warminster location, call 215-962 4555 for an appointment. For Washington Crossing, call 215-377-9888 to schedule your test ride. And tell Chris “Glen sent you.”

Perhaps you have had an opportunity to read my previous post entitled “An EBike for My Wife” where I talk about her new Aventon Pace 500.3 Step-Through Ebike. Prior to taking this bike out for a test ride this morning, I knew nothing about TAP or TOD, but now I do, and I think you should (know a bit about it) too.

TAP stands for “Throttle After Pedal” which is a typical controller function whereby you need to ‘pedal at least a quarter rotation to activate the throttle’. This is considered a safety feature that stops someone from accidentally activating the throttle while walking their ebike, and having it run off on them. Personally, I consider TAP to be an inconvenience and find it’s much safer to be able to start out with some throttle, then start pedaling once the bike is up to an appropriate speed and in an appropriate gear.

It wasn’t immediately apparent in Aventon’s description of the Pace 500.3 if it came standard with TAP or TOD, but after digging a bit I discovered that Aventon customers wanted TOD as a standard feature on their e-bikes, over TAP. So as of March 2021 TOD became standard equipment on Aventon ebikes. I consider this a good thing, and am really glad the 500.3 has TOD, and here’s why.

TOD stands for “Throttle On-Demand” and is very handy while starting out on a slight incline where obtaining the quarter rotation may prove to be difficult or the rider has neglected to gear down before stopping (which happens a lot). Therefore, TOD removes the regulation to pedal a quarter rotation to activate the throttle, allowing you to use the throttle from a dead stop. Yeah, good move Aventon!

Still, ALWAYS think about what you’re doing and don’t accidentally tweak the throttle or you might find you have launched your shiny new e-bike into space without you onboard. Better still is to simply put your ebike into PAS 0 when you’re walking it and the throttle will be disengaged. That’s what I would do.

I hope this clears up the question about TAP and TOD. I’m definitely a TOD fan and wouldn’t think of leaving home without it…

Just a side-note about the Pace 500.3, TOD and torque sensing: TOD and torque sensing used together provides the smoothest and most predictable acceleration I have seen with any ebike. It works really well and makes this ebike a joy to ride!

As you may know, I really like building e-bikes. Well, when faced with the prospect of creating an e-bike for my wife, I took the easy way out. I purchased a factory-built e-bike. More specifically, an Aventon Pace 500.3 Step-Through Ebike – Blue Steel:

For the kind of trail riding my wife and I will do together, this is (almost) the perfect e-bike for her. The 500.3 has torque sensing, which I think is important, especially for less-experienced e-bike riders. And all the other tech specs look good. In fact, I would be hard-pressed to build a bike for her for the price I paid for this bike.

Having completed the set-up process for the new e-bike, I’d like to share the ‘unboxing’ experience, and my first impressions. First, unboxing:

Here’s what the FedEx driver will deliver to your home (all 78.2 lbs of it).

Once the white retrainer plugs at the bottom are removed, the box can be lifted off its base, and this is what you’ll see.

And I am very impressed! The packaging engineers went above and beyond to create a compact package with excellent protection. And in addition, everything used to protect the bike is recyclable. Good job Aventon (or whoever does your packing).

When inspecting each item as I broke down the packing materials, I noticed this, which is not the fault of the packers. This is mostly a cosmetic issue related to the way wires need to be fed through the rear axle to power the hub motor. I have seen worse, and functionally this is a none issue. Also, a plastic cap is provided that covers this up when the bike is assembled.

And now for the final unpacking step before assembly begins.

Again, great job Aventon! The bike arrived in excellent condition, and it looks great too…

Assmbly is straightforward, with good instructions provided. I also found that the brakes and rear derailleur were well adjusted. This demonstrates that care was taken during bike construction and tuning prior to shipping. This isn’t always the case with factory bikes, so it was good to see that Aventon cares, and went the extra mile for their customers.

Here are a couple pictures of the final assembly. Additions to what Aventon provided include a handlebar mirror (left side only), and a jell seat cover. The only other thing I’m still searching for is an inexpensive fender set. Maybe something like this… And I’ll add the essential bell to the right side of the handlebar. For some reason I thought this bike came with one integrated into the right handbrake – not so. Oh, and I’ll be adding 4 ounces of FlatOut to each tire to help prevent flats while we’re out and about…

So here it is, ready to roll!

And an image of the handlebar layout.

Thumb throttle and control buttons on the left. Headlight and display in the center. Shifter and soon-to-be-added bell on the right.

One last thing before I end this. I’m a firm believer that charging your Lithium-ion battery to 80% five or six times, then to 100% periodically is best for the longevity of your battery. To do this effectively, you’ll need to buy a different charger than the one provided with your e-bike. This is the charger I have been using for some time and can recommend highly:

https://lunacycle.com/luna-charger-48v-advanced-300w-ebike-charger/ ($99)

Knobs on the side adjust rate of charge and percent for max charge. Most of the time, I have this set to 2 amps and 80% charge. This is a 48 volt charger. If your battery is different than this, you’ll want to buy the specific voltage charger that works with your battery.

By the way, it’s important to note that if you do decide to purchase the 48v Luna charger shown above, you’ll need to build an adapter cable to charge the battery that comes with your Pace 500.3 e-bike. You’ll need two parts to do this. First, order a 12v DC Power Cord 5.5mm x 2.1mm Male Plug to Pigtail Cable Adapter 6″ from eBay for $3 plus tax. This is what it looks like:

And your charger should come with a spare female XT60 connector that you can use to build your adapter cable. This is what the connector looks like:

A little solder and electrician’s tape, and test to verify proper polarity and you now have an adapter cable for your Luna charger that will work with your 48 volt Pace 500.3 battery.

This is an ‘-ish only because this XC00 is not yet ready to be electrified. It’ll stay a plain old fat-tire bicycle for a while, and what a great bike it is. I bought this bike a while back, while it was still on sale at Costco for $400, and just now got around to putting it together. The photos below show to unboxing process and the parts I added, which was pretty minimal considering what I add to most of my bikes.

Photo 1 – Fatty III’s box and the parts I added. Here’s the list of add-ons:

• Adjustable stem
• Slime – 8oz for each tire
• Mirror
• GUB cell phone mount
• Seat – need a bit more padding for my bum
• Peddles with half toe clips
• Fenders
• Lights (rechargeable) and bell

Photo 2 – A look in the box before unpacking to make sure everything looks original and undamaged. The outside of the box looks a bit crinkled, but everything inside looks fine.

Photo 3 – The bike is out of the box and is ready to be assembled. Assembly is fairly easy, though replacing the handlebar stem required reconfiguring the headset spacers to provide proper tension on the headset.

Photo 4 – Also, the rear brake cable (this bike has mechanical disk brakes) had a nasty bend that I corrected by rerouting the cable, which required removing the brake caliper. This is what the cable looks like after rerouting.

Photo 5 – And thankfully they use great care (and a whole lot of padding) to make sure the bike arrives in good condition. The only downside is you’re left with a whole lot of trash (and a really big box) to dispose of.

So, now you’re probably interested in seeing the end result – me too! Introducing Fatty III – pre-electrification…

Photo 6 – Left-side profile

Photo 7 – Right-side profile

This is a great bike! It would be a shame to mess it up with a 1000w Bafang rear-hub motor.

Thanks for listening!

Not long ago, I wrote a post entitled ‘The E-Bike Rack I Would Buy!‘. That rack was the Hollywood Racks Destination E Bike Rack for 2 e-bikes. It’s a great rack with a loading ramp and everything. Even the weight of this rack is reasonable at 46 lbs. The only reason I didn’t buy this one was because of the $700 price tag.

So the rack I DID buy is this one:

Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE Bike Rack for 2 Electric Bikes – 2″ Hitches – Frame Mount for $500. This rack is $200 less expensive, is 8 lbs heavier than the Destination E rack, and does NOT include a ramp. For me, this rack will work fine and I’ll reinvest the money saved in a future e-bike build. But for one who is less concerned about finances, cares more about their back, and still want a great rack, stick with the Destination E. Your e-bikes are heavy enough. You shouldn’t need to worry about hefting a heavy rack onto your receiver, then your bikes up onto your rack. By the time you have done all that, you’ll have gotten your exercise and might decide you really don’t need to go for that bike ride after all.

This 2″ hitch bike rack makes it easy to take 2 standard or fat e-bikes to the trail. Ratcheting hooks hold bikes securely by the frame and lock to deter theft. Wheel hoops adjust for different wheelbases. And the anti-rattle system reduces wobble and sway.

Features:

• Platform bike rack carries 2 standard tire or fat tire e-bikes using your vehicle’s hitch receiver
• Ratcheting hooks on center mast hold bikes securely by the frame
• Adjustable wheel hoops with ratchet straps slide back and forth to eliminate bike-to-bike contact
  • Hand knobs allow for easy adjustments – no tools required
  • Adapter included for 20″ bike wheels
• Spring pins and removable snapper pin allow rack to tilt and fold
  • Tilts down with bikes loaded to access cargo area
• Welded stop plate automatically aligns shank and hitch pin holes
  • Eliminates need to get on your hands and knees to align hitch pin holes
• Anti-rattle handle reduces movement of rack in hitch receiver – no tools required
• Keyed-alike hitch lock, frame hooks, and security cable deter theft of your bikes and the rack
• Bolstered steel construction with black powder coat is rust resistant

Specs:

• Application: 2″ x 2″ trailer hitch receivers
• Carrying capacity: 2 electric bicycles
• Weight capacity: 80 lbs per bike
• Maximum tire width: 5.0″
• Maximum wheelbase: 60″
• Distance between bikes: 10″
• Shank rise: 7″
• Distance from face of hitch to:
  • Closest part of rack when folded down: 7-1/2″
  • Closest part of rack when folded up: 5″
  • Farthest part of rack when folded down: 27-1/2″
  • Farthest part of rack when folded up: 16-1/4″
• Carrier weight: 54 lbs
• Limited lifetime warranty

This is a 3-session seminar being offered by the Center for Learning in Retirement at Delaware Valley University during the Spring 2023 semester. Slides in .PDF format will be provided below prior to each session.

Slides for session 1 of 3: https://ratelectricbike.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Trails-in-Progress-041023.pdf

Slides for session 2 of 3: https://ratelectricbike.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Bike-Trails-in-Bucks-County-041723.pdf

Slides for session 3 of 3: https://ratelectricbike.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Bike-Trails-Resources-and-Demos-042423.pdf

And a (silent) video that walks through the ‘Resources and Demos’ links one by one on the web: https://ratelectricbike.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Biketrailsites2023-1.mp4 (~24 minutes)

Oh, how I miss my Northrock XC00 e-bike conversion! A friend asked if I would sell my Build #4 fat-tire e-bike (aka Fatty I) to him, so I did. Then I waited for Costco to put the XC00 on sale again, which they did last week. It’s on sale for $399.99 (plus tax, free shipping) until 2/28/23, then the price goes back up to $499.99 (which is still a pretty good deal for this bike).

This will be my sixth custom e-bike build, if you consider the Silver Phoenix frame swap as Build #5 (which I do). And although it’s too early to tell if I’m actually going to receive the Bafang 1000W rear-hug motor instead of the Sutto motor, this build will mostly follow the same path as Build #4. As I get going on the build, I’ll let you know if I make any significant changes. But really, why would I if the original Build #4 was so good? I loved that bike and now I get to build another. I’m a lucky guy!

Starting point:

And, as of March 6, 2023, this was the end result (and yes, I did receive the Bafang 1000w motor this time):

Since this picture was taken, I have upgraded the headlight and taillight. Turns out this headlight was DOA so I replaced it with a rechargeable Blitzu which I think I’m going to like a lot better. Fenders were the other change from the Fatty I build. I thought I would try out a budget fender set from Vbestlife, and so far I’m impressed. Installation was easy, they seem durable enough, and I think they look great on this bike! Granted, coverage isn’t as good as you would find on say a RadRover 6 Plus, but it’s good enough for the kind of riding I do.

Final build cost, including PA sales tax was $1524.54. Note, this is also a ‘throttle-only’ build, which is my preference. At this point, only Build #3 (Blue Wave) with its mid-drive motor uses PAS (which I have mostly disabled). I just find that PAS gets me into more trouble than without it.

Here’s my build parts list for those that find this sort of stuff interesting:

** Update **

One and a half upgrades to report. The first upgrade was this:

BAFANG Twist Throttle for eBike ($20)

Here’s a photo of it installed:

Looks nice enough, BUT not only is the downshift trigger no longer accessible but I just really dislike the twist throttle action. It’s hard to use effectively and still have a positive grip on the hand grip. So off it came shortly after my test ride and I’m back to the left-hand thumb throttle pictured above, which I like a lot and have on all my e-bikes. So that’s the half upgrade.

The full upgrade which I have yet to install and test is this:

Suntour SR SP12 Suspension Seat Post (~$90)

This is not a cheap upgrade but one that my back will thank me for since Fatty II has no suspension to speak of. I’ll take a picture of this installed and give you first impressions then. I expect it will make a big difference in ride comfort and, if so, will be well worth the price.

** Update **

Well, that didn’t work. Turns out a 31.6mm seat post won’t fit into a 30.9mm hole. Go figure! So, what to do. Well, here’s your justification for having several self-built e-bikes. 31.6mm is the standard for most mountain bikes, just not the Northrock XC00 fat-tire bike, and Suntour doesn’t make a suspension seat post between 27.2 and 31.6mm. So this amazing suspension seat-post is going on my Trek 4500. It fit perfectly, and here’s the proof:

My quick test ride was enough to convince me that this is a good upgrade for the Trek, perhaps better than using it on Fatty II which already has the benefit of large, low pressure tires.

** update **

After a bit more investigation, I found a 30.9mm Suntour SR SP12 Suspension Seat Post on eBay. It shipped from China so took some time to get here. But it was almost $20 cheaper than the one purchased on Amazon, and it fit without the use of a shim. Turns out there is no source for the 30.9mm version of this seat post available anywhere in the US. And the post length is 350mm, which is fine for my application, though 400mm might be better if you can find it. Here are some images of this suspension seat post:

I’ll provide a picture of the seat post installed on Fatty II in the future, but suffice to say, if you have back problems that are exacerbated by your bouncy bicycle, this seat post is for you. It makes a big difference in the quality of the ride and is well worth the money!