Cuz llamas bite nuts

[Where's Bruce?]

After reading the posts about pack animals grazing on each other's balls, I decided to go another way.
While lots of public land is off limits to ebikes (something I wholeheartedly support) their application for hunting on private property is clearly advantageous. Since I spend a great deal of time (particularly during the calving season) performing ADC services on sprawling ranches, I wanted something silent to ride. I've ridden my mountain bike many times and it's ideal for running the property and quickly dispatching predators even without a caller. I see em running around in the morning and evening, brake and shoot. But at 60 I'm starting to run outta steam on the hills so I thought a little technological assistance would be a good thing. Just pulled the trigger on my first ebike after doing nearly two years of research. After looking at all the makes and models, motors, batteries and other options I got a demo model (used) Bakcou Mule Elite w/ 21ah 1000 watt battery. May get up to 60 miles outta it without any ped-assist on flat ground. Has the torque to climb anything...the manufacturer says it will climb very steep terrain...said the problem may be in getting back down. I have no firsthand experience with ebikes but did enough homework to write a thesis on em. For hunting application i think this is the apex bike on the market...superior to even QUIETKAT and RAMBO.

Anyone else using an ebike? Haul a trailer with yours? Got any tips for a noob? Saddlebags? Trailers? Other accessories?
This is the one I just bought.





[video=youtube;WaS0jyYYhjU]

[video=youtube;cTP2YaxKRRo]

 

[Dust Rider]

That is a sweet ride! Are you going to fit a rifle scabbard on it? The trailer also looks nice for pronghorn or deer hauling.

 

[swampthing]

I bought a fat bike to access a vehicle closure grizz hunt a few years back. Had an absolute blast peddling in with a loaded backpack. Never got a grizz that hunt but sure had fun!

 

[swampthing]

Make sure you carry a tire repair kit!

 

[Downeaster]

Nice! And to piggyback off Swamps idea, dont forget to bring the pump. Dont ask how i know.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Yeah, Kevlar reinforced tires with Goo inside and a patch kit and basic tools. Haven't looked at any scabbards yet but love the idea. Plan to bow and gun hunt using it. Open to recommendations on accessories.

 

[Rob5589]

I use this pump for my fat bike tires https://www.topeak.com/global/de/products/mini-pumps/245-mountain-morph-
A chain breaker tool and repair links is a must have. An extra tube is a good idea since you'll be away from civilization; patches can't repair a ripped off stem.

 

[squirrel]

 

[Where's Bruce?]

That single wheel trailer looks pretty handy for packing in a camp and/or packing out a critter.

 

[Werty]

Be careful, some places I hunt, I have trouble walking the trails.

 

[Mike Islander]

$5000!

At 58 and healthy, I'll have to stick with this for a while longer.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

$5000!

At 58 and healthy, I'll have to stick with this for a while longer.
View attachment 161497

I bought a demo that was 2K off retail. More than covered the cost of accessories. The Mfr says everything I will ever need is in these kits: https://www.bakcou.com/product-page/...epair-kit-13pc
https://www.bakcou.com/product-page/...nance-kit-27pc Grabbed a fork pump (shock) too: https://www.bakcou.com/product-page/fork-shock-pump

Was planning to strap the bike down inside the bed of the truck which is not ideal if i wanna take my big ice chests, then I discovered this. Pretty cool rack. I'll be able to open the tailgate if I need to and know both bed and bike are locked up. A retractable steel cable in the KUAT rack to lock up the bike is a cool feature.

Now I just need some open country and free time.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Just got a bigazz box.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I just took delivery yesterday and am starting to assemble it. I will do a detailed review after properly testing it. The motor is EVERYTHING! Part of the reason I selected this bike is the smart motor with torque sensor. As you can see in this video, the Mule's motor is serious compared to most. The torque sensor connects the rider to the motor (things like cadence, shifting, braking, etc) to provide a smooth and natural ride that maximizes power and prevents the types of failures lesser "conversion" bikes experience. The chain is one of those heavy duty models that are harder to damage. Everything about this sucker is overbuilt. The tires look like they belong on a motorcycle. Slowly coming together.

FFW to 1:30 mins to see motor comparison:

My homework into various models revealed most of the "hunting e-bikes" on the market are merely fat/mountain bike conversions that often failed to live up their hype. Reading the reviews and hearing about first day failures in the backcountry and buyer's remorse quickly deflated my desire to buy one. Few companies seemed to have built a true hunting e-bike from the ground up. Of those few, none (that I have found) remotely compare to the Mule and those that come close (Rambo, QUIETKAT) still come up short but not by much. Newer models may include upgrades that will put them on an even footing with Bakcou but for now...only the Mule is actually proven to function has promised and has a consumer history of success rather than failure. I prefer to learn from the mistakes of others...buy once-cry once often means reading consumer reviews. There are a lot of bad choices out there so if anyone is going to consider investing in a hunting bike...read the reports from users NOT FOUND ON REVIEW SITES. Review sites can be manipulated...posts from hunting forums and youtubers are more reliable.

This is the Bakcou story:
https://bulletsnbroadheads.ca/bakcou

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Almost done...bike is fully assembled and appears to work just fine. Have a local bike shop making some minor modifications to the bike & trailer. The plan is to add a couple more masterlinks and replace the stock bolts with quick-disconnects for the trailer's tire. My Ram is a short bed. Soon as the weather clears I'll hit the nearby hills and try to break the Mule's back.

 

[tdot]

Yeah, Kevlar reinforced tires with Goo inside and a patch kit and basic tools. Haven't looked at any scabbards yet but love the idea. Plan to bow and gun hunt using it. Open to recommendations on accessories.

Get one of the CO2 inflators. Way easier and a fraction of the size of the pump. Plus, if you unseat the tire from the rim, you may not get it to inflate with just a pump. You often need a burst of air to get the tire to set the bead against the rim.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

How does that work exactly?

 

[flyinsquirel]

They use CO2 cartridges, same as BB guns. Search CO2 bike pump and you'll find a ton of options.

 

[tdot]

I tried to find a decent youtube link, but they are either excessively long or overly dramatic for some reason. This is probably the quickest, jump to the 1:00 mark.

Essentially they are the same CO2 cartridges that pellet guns use. A small adapter allows you to connect them to a tire inflation valve. The quick burst of CO2 forces the tire beads against the rim and fills the tire.

I hope that makes sense, let me know if it doesnt.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Cool!