I finally realize that my brain won’t wrap around all this electrical 2 wheel locomotion stuff and I would be smarter to buy a ready made electric bike or scooter.
What I want is proven reliability, simplicity and craftsmanship; I’m not interested in blazing speed or testing new products.
In particular, I’m looking for honest opinions regarding the eZee Quando folding bike and the HCF 707 scooter. These appeal to me for being small, portable and fun to ride.
The on-line ads say they’re good but I’ve found only a few real life articles and I can’t find anything on this site.
Thanx 4 your help
PS: You’ll probably see this post at several e-bike forums
`
jerryt ,
Welcome to our V is for Voltage Community. Which eZee Quando folding bike?
eZee Quando-I Folder
eZee Quando-II Folder
Peace Out,
Gman
Now that we have clarified our beliefs, your invited to join us as we begin building on them to define our Community Mission Statement
Peace Out, <img src="http://tinyurl.com/ysafbn">
Gman
Well, I don't have the Quando (I or II) but I did buy the eZee Forte a couple of weeks ago. So far, I'm thrilled with it. I weigh about 180 and it can keep me at between 18-20 no problem on flats and moderate inclines. (With pedaling). I can also cruise at about 13 mph up the steepest hill we have in Olympia (again with pedaling.) The shop I bought my bike at was happy with the Forte, but seemed to be thrilled with the Quando. One couple who bought the Quando came to get their free post-purchase tune up while I was in the shop and I asked them how they liked it. The guy nearly jumped out of his shoes to tell me how much he loved it. He said they throw it in the trunk of their Jetta, and literaly take it everywhere with them.
Sorry I can't give you a first hand report, but from what I've seen, it's a quality bike that people seem to love owning. Hopefully some Quando owners will chime in too.
Hi Gman,
I believe I'll go for the Q II.
The rear rack is longer and is friendlier to saddlebags or side racks for groceries and such.
Someone corrected my scooter posting. It is actuall an HCF 707 not HCL 707.
Hi olyscott'
Thanks for the reassurance. I'd like to get performance similar to your Forte.
The folding aspect is what drew me to this bike. I can throw it in the back of my car or RV for cruising at the campground.
I wanted mine for a commuter bike, so top cruising speed was my number one criteria. Along with hill climbing. If I hadn't needed the 20mph top speed, I would have definitely gone with the Quando. The convenience of folding the bike and taking it with you in the RV, on the bus, boat, etc. is just too cool.
`
It's done.
Stleride
Moderator Team Captain
Moderators are community volunteers who help keep V is for Voltage Forums running smoothly, and provide forum support.
`
Stleride
Moderator Team Captain
Moderators are members of our very dedicated community volunteer <a href="http://visforvoltage.net/page/106-our-community-volunteers">V Team</a> who help keep our <a href="http://visforvoltage.net/page/251-poli
Olyscott,
The Quando dealer offers a choice between Nickel or Lithium batts so I need to make a decision (although the nickel is not currently available). A thread at the pedelec forum in the UK says this:
"On the battery choice, I have had trouble with lithium battery exhaustion on sustained climbs in my hilly area causing protection cut out operation with both Torq and Quando, so I always use the NiMh battery on my routes that have long hills. It's not the steepness of climbs but how long they go on that causes the problem, so with that lengthy climb of yours, NiMh is what I'd choose, since that won't cut out. The Liv comes with that anyway.
It's not that the Li-ion batteries are faulty, just their different characteristics. They start at a slightly higher voltage of nominally 37 volts, but drop that sharply under heavy load. The slightly lower voltage NiMh at 36 volts don't drop voltage so sharply under load, so don't get down to the protection cut out point of 32 volts as easily. In an area without very long hills I'd go for Li-ion, but not for where I am. The performance differences are small, and very small in hilly areas".
Have you experienced this with your Forte?
`
olyscott,
Nice looking E Bike.
Can we list you as the Submitter of the eZee Forte Electric Bike when we start the eZee Hand Books?
It helps others locate the information and who actually has some first hand knowledge. If you can also keep us updated on how it preforms etc. it would be greatly appreciated.
Stleride
Moderator Team Captain
Moderators are community volunteers who help keep V is for Voltage Forums running smoothly, and provide forum support.
`
Stleride
Moderator Team Captain
Moderators are members of our very dedicated community volunteer <a href="http://visforvoltage.net/page/106-our-community-volunteers">V Team</a> who help keep our <a href="http://visforvoltage.net/page/251-poli
My commute to work is 7 miles one way with some very significant hills on the return trip. (I charge at work) The longest ride I've taken to date is about 9 miles, and I haven't had any problems hitting the safety cutout. The shop where I bought my bike only carries the LiIon claiming they've had great success with them. I should also note that I'm currently obsessed with seeing how quickly I can make trips on the Forte, so I've got the throttle wide open except for the downhill portions of my trip. I'd guess that of the 7 miles I travel to work, I've got the throttle open for at least 5 miles of it. The voltage meter on the bike is pretty crude (green, yellow, red) and I have noticed that on the longer throttle-wide-open stretches, the volt-meter does sag into the yellow. (It promptly returns to green when I let off the throttle) I've never run out of juice though. So, while I've never actually ridden with the NiMh pack, I'd say unless your planning on some long rides with very long hills, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Maybe your local shop would let you test two packs on a trial basis to see if there is a significant difference. Worth asking...
StleRide,
Sure. I'm no expert when it comes to the technology, but I'll provide whatever input I can.
-Scott