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Quiet Kat Mtn bike


norseman

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That's something I've wanted for a while, though I hadn't seen that brand before. There are similar units made near me in Vancouver, BC.

 

On an extended back country outing, you'd need a generator to recharge the pack overnight, and/or several extra battery packs. Both options will cost a fair bit of extra money.

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A 100 watt solar panel puts out many times what the fold up panels are capable of and cost the same.      Those little fold up things are intended to charge cell phones and would not have the voltage output necessary to charge the electric bike batteries.    The folding panel listed one above puts out 2.5 amps and 5 volts which would make it totally unable to charge the bike battery.    Most electric bikes use a 48 Volt battery.     If you intend to overnight you would need some sort of trailer to get the charging gear and camping stuff there.   

Edited by SWWASAS
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The above setup looks interesting if the terrain would accommodate it. Where I go the forest is thickly vegetated, trails are narrow, rocks of all sizes, and there's endless streams.

 

That setup would not work where I go but would be sweet if it does. Having said that, the bike, trailer, battery packs, and other items could set you back $5,000. 

 

Me...I prefer to backpack things in using human horsepower. Nothing to break down or need charging. Of course that bike is going to cover a lot more ground than I am but I'll still take the tortoise over the hare.

 

Thanks for sharing.

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Been doing some research. You definitely want a mid drive system and not a hub drive. Mid drive mounts the motor close to your pedals and allows you to run that electrical power through your gearing. A hub drive replaces the front or rear hub and simply spins the wheel when you apply power.

 

Another option is to retrofit a mid drive kit onto your existing mtn bike. Depending on the model for 500-600 bucks and some elbow grease you could be running squatch country in stealth mode.

https://lunacycle.com/mid-drive-kits/

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Ebikes are considered motorized vehicles in many areas, and are illegal for use on many public land. Check your local laws first.

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1 hour ago, EABiker said:

Ebikes are considered motorized vehicles in many areas, and are illegal for use on many public land. Check your local laws first.

 

True........and it's a bucket of goo. On paved bike paths in urban & suburban areas, any bicycle with an internal combustion engine on it is "motorized", but in a spirit of global warming, electric and electric-assist bicycles are considered "green", and are smilingly blessed. 

 

Check your local, state, federal, and international laws first........on everything you door think. Then hire a lawyer to cover your behind. If he's wrong, you can always hire another to sue the first.............

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Quite a machine!  I have thought it could be interesting to take a well lubed coaster brake equipped beach cruiser, slick tires, waxed up chain, low gear and slow, and cruise a valley road at night, no lights.  Just use NV or Therm.  Such a single speed bike would be ultra quiet, much quieter than a MTB with the noise of shifting, knobby tires humming, and cassette pawls clicking away...

 

You could cover 40 miles in a night, quiet as a mouse.

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Part of the E bike attraction for me is getting in day trips into places that cannot be reached on foot.    With my fat tired pedal bike I can double the distance in I get and still make it out before dark.    The problem being that the interesting places are all up.     Grinding up a hill in granny gear at a speed slower than you can walk is not pleasant.   That is what I was doing when the cougar jumped down in front of me.    The assist of the Ebike would probably quadroupal the distance and help with the climbing.     Just like hiking, an E bike because of their quiet operation might catch a trail crossing BF by surprise.     As far as legality most trails in the areas I frequent are multiple use and anyplace you can ride a standard bike is open to ebike use.        Forest service rules state that anything street legal is legal on federal forest roads.    That prohibits me from using my Bad Dog off road motor cycle because it is not street legal and gasoline powered.    Those tires are ATV tires.   The places Bad Dog can be used are very restricted.    I might be interested in selling Bad Dog if anyone is interested.  I can see if someone has a ranch or big farm that it would be very useful to check on things.   That is a brand new Honda Motor.    I built it up myself so it is one of a kind.       But an Ebike is street legal.  

IMG_0891[1].JPG

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They're expensive toys.  And they're just that....toys.  

 

people who want these things are probably better off getting in shape and using just a regular mountain bike with a pannier rack.

Edited by RedHawk454
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25 minutes ago, norseman said:

There is some sort of break point at 750 watts correct?

http://wabikes.org/2018/06/06/heres-need-know-washingtons-new-e-bike-law/   Here is the new Washington State Law that addresses the 750 watt issue.     

 

In reality unless you are in some urban trail system,   there is no one out in the boonies to enforce trail use law.    I would ride an ebike anyplace I would ride a normal pedal bike.    I have to warn you about my one and only ebike experience.    I rented one, just to see how I liked it.      The top speed of an Ebike is considerably higher that I achieve on flat ground on a pedal bike.      I got distracted by a passing car,   decided to stop and check a map,   and because of the speed overshot where I intended to stop.     The Ebike is supposed to disengage the motor when you apply the brakes.   This one malfunctioned and I hit a sandy patch on the shoulder of the road doing about 20 MPH.     Departed the road and hit face first in the bank of a 4 foot ditch by the road.   To add insult to injury the bike hit me from behind after I catapulted over the handlebars.     My face had gravel embedded injuries,  one rib was broken in 2 places, and one knee was abraded and bleeding,  the entire back of one thigh was bruised.    I was a medical mess clear across the continent from where I lived.      The trip back home was hell, flying for 5 hours with the broken rib.     

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