Tmayer13
Well-Known Member
I decided this year I wanted an E-bike. I have heard so many great things about entry and exits with them that I felt it would "up my game". I also decided I was not going to spend thousands to get one. I agree that on SOME things you get what you pay for but I was not totally convinced of that on an E-bike. I was at my gun builders shop the other day and he had one. I looked it over and he explained that they had put about 100 miles on it the year before with zero issues. It did everything that he could have possibly wanted at what I would call an "affordable" price. So I started my search. I watched YouTube videos for hours on end(My wife was very impressed). I finally decided on this model. What sold me was that all the reviews and videos I had watched said it was built very "tough", also it came with a rear rack; where most of the "hunting" industry bikes they are an add on and frankly they want way too much money for them.
I chose a RidStar 1000W rear hub bike. I know its not a mid drive bike so I wont get all the torque but frankly all I want it for is to get to and from my stand and if I had to pedal a little then so be it. And at this price point if I went through one every 3-4 years, it would take a LONG time to equal the price of a QuietKat Ranger. So I ordered it from E-Bay and it showed up in exactly one week from purchase. Came in a very large box. The only assembly that was required was the installation of the handle bars, front wheel, front fender, front light(which those 3 all go on at one time) and installation of the pedals. It actually came with its own tool for assembly and repairs. And frankly the tool is very nice(I own about $30K worth of Snap-On tools so I know a good tool when I see one). It did also come with a wrench but its a POS. I timed my assembly and it took me exactly 39 mins and 40 seconds. I could have probably set it up in about 25-30 mins but I was watching March Madness, answering 1 billion questions from my 5 year old about E-Bikes and chasing my 15 month old who continuously kept stealing my tool(she thought it was quite amusing). I turned it on and the battery had one bar less than a full battery.
This model is foldable which I think is cool (especially for people who hunt out of Subaru Granola Getters). It has an adjustable front shock that you can lock out and can also adjust the ride and also a rear shock. Has 5 modes for the electric portion and 7 speeds on the pedal bike. Adjustable seat up and down. Front light with red tail light. Horn (which I plan to disable), front and rear fenders. and a rear rack (big and heavy duty rack). Comes with a light up display that is very easy to read but it does read in kilometers but I don't really care how fast I am going. Also comes with a cell phone holder on the handle bars which actually seemed pretty neat. It has a motorcycle type throttle and not a thumb lever which I think is better so your thumb doesn't get tired.
Ok so after I put the bike together my first thought was "Wow this thing is actually pretty heavy duty". The frame seems very well built. Everything as a whole I would say is built well. I was quite impressed. I work around half million+ dollar equipment everyday, I've been a John Deere technician for 15 years and am now the Service Manager for a location, so I feel like I know quality and there was nothing that jumped out at me as being "low" quality.
The one thing that I do not necessarily like (which is pretty minor) is the bike takes 2 different keys. One locks the folding portion with a pin lock (I don't actually think you need to lock it because it has a locking lever) and the other one turns the battery on (although you still have to turn the display on after the key switch is turned). So the bad part is you will have to keep track of 2 separate keys, I plan to attach them to the bike so there is no chance of losing them.
I took the bike on its initial ride immediately after setup without charging the battery. It was very fast and seemed to ride just fine with me on it. I am a larger guy at 6'3" 250lbs of real deal and sex appeal. Although I do not have a real test of it yet so far it has impressed me with its torque and top speed. The ride assist is pretty responsive in my opinion. I truly believe it will perform just fine in a hunting scenario.
I do plan to add a bow holder of some sort and also rig something up to carrying my mobile setup.
I know this is not a $3000-$6000 bike, I do probably believe some of these other bikes are maybe better (maybe). This bike also has 20" tires whereas say the QK or Rambo bike have 26" tires. As I mentioned before I not a small guy at all and I did not feel this bike was "small" while I was riding it.
I have also ridden a QuietKat ranger. I thought it was a nice bike but when riding my new bike last night I did not notice much difference. I have not also done a very "fair" comparison of the 2 side by side testing. Which I may try and do. I am planning to ride this bike a lot this spring and summer so if anyone has any questions feel free to ask, I will give my honest opinion on how it lasts!
Here are some pics of the bike, the box and the tools that it came with.
Here is the E-Bay website I purchased from: https://www.ebay.com/itm/134147379735
I chose a RidStar 1000W rear hub bike. I know its not a mid drive bike so I wont get all the torque but frankly all I want it for is to get to and from my stand and if I had to pedal a little then so be it. And at this price point if I went through one every 3-4 years, it would take a LONG time to equal the price of a QuietKat Ranger. So I ordered it from E-Bay and it showed up in exactly one week from purchase. Came in a very large box. The only assembly that was required was the installation of the handle bars, front wheel, front fender, front light(which those 3 all go on at one time) and installation of the pedals. It actually came with its own tool for assembly and repairs. And frankly the tool is very nice(I own about $30K worth of Snap-On tools so I know a good tool when I see one). It did also come with a wrench but its a POS. I timed my assembly and it took me exactly 39 mins and 40 seconds. I could have probably set it up in about 25-30 mins but I was watching March Madness, answering 1 billion questions from my 5 year old about E-Bikes and chasing my 15 month old who continuously kept stealing my tool(she thought it was quite amusing). I turned it on and the battery had one bar less than a full battery.
This model is foldable which I think is cool (especially for people who hunt out of Subaru Granola Getters). It has an adjustable front shock that you can lock out and can also adjust the ride and also a rear shock. Has 5 modes for the electric portion and 7 speeds on the pedal bike. Adjustable seat up and down. Front light with red tail light. Horn (which I plan to disable), front and rear fenders. and a rear rack (big and heavy duty rack). Comes with a light up display that is very easy to read but it does read in kilometers but I don't really care how fast I am going. Also comes with a cell phone holder on the handle bars which actually seemed pretty neat. It has a motorcycle type throttle and not a thumb lever which I think is better so your thumb doesn't get tired.
Ok so after I put the bike together my first thought was "Wow this thing is actually pretty heavy duty". The frame seems very well built. Everything as a whole I would say is built well. I was quite impressed. I work around half million+ dollar equipment everyday, I've been a John Deere technician for 15 years and am now the Service Manager for a location, so I feel like I know quality and there was nothing that jumped out at me as being "low" quality.
The one thing that I do not necessarily like (which is pretty minor) is the bike takes 2 different keys. One locks the folding portion with a pin lock (I don't actually think you need to lock it because it has a locking lever) and the other one turns the battery on (although you still have to turn the display on after the key switch is turned). So the bad part is you will have to keep track of 2 separate keys, I plan to attach them to the bike so there is no chance of losing them.
I took the bike on its initial ride immediately after setup without charging the battery. It was very fast and seemed to ride just fine with me on it. I am a larger guy at 6'3" 250lbs of real deal and sex appeal. Although I do not have a real test of it yet so far it has impressed me with its torque and top speed. The ride assist is pretty responsive in my opinion. I truly believe it will perform just fine in a hunting scenario.
I do plan to add a bow holder of some sort and also rig something up to carrying my mobile setup.
I know this is not a $3000-$6000 bike, I do probably believe some of these other bikes are maybe better (maybe). This bike also has 20" tires whereas say the QK or Rambo bike have 26" tires. As I mentioned before I not a small guy at all and I did not feel this bike was "small" while I was riding it.
I have also ridden a QuietKat ranger. I thought it was a nice bike but when riding my new bike last night I did not notice much difference. I have not also done a very "fair" comparison of the 2 side by side testing. Which I may try and do. I am planning to ride this bike a lot this spring and summer so if anyone has any questions feel free to ask, I will give my honest opinion on how it lasts!
Here are some pics of the bike, the box and the tools that it came with.
Here is the E-Bay website I purchased from: https://www.ebay.com/itm/134147379735
