E-Bike purchase thoughts

wesfromky

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Nov 23, 2016
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Just wanted to do a quick post on my ebike journey so far, in the hopes that it will help others that are looking into them, as the threads here really helped me to decide.

I bought a M2S Ultra HT (https://shop.m2sbikes.com/collections/all-terrain-ultra-series/products/all-terrain-ultra-ht). Ordered Saturday night, delivered Wednesday. Maybe 30 minutes to setup. Like it so far, but have only taken it our around the neighborhood so far. Hoping to hunt with it this weekend.

Decision thoughts:

My use case is primarily hunting somewhat hilly private land in KY and a farm in Ohio, along maybe doing some easy single track for fun occasionally. I have ridden road bikes and MTB in the past and sometimes commuted to work via bike in the olden days before WFH became an option. So, not new to bikes in general. I have been looking at an EMTB for hunting for a couple years, but had a hard time with dropping the money and trying to decide which bike to get. Some health issues brought the need for some mobility help to the forefront, so went ahead with getting an ebike.

I sorta feel the "Hunting" ebikes are a bit over priced for what you get, though they do understand the use case well. I also took a really hard look at traditional bike companies EMTB offerings. And while I think a Trek or Specialized is probably a higher quality in general, I don't think they would have fit my use case as well as the M2S I ended up with. Since I am only hunting private land, I don't need to worry about the laws around which class of ebike is allowed on which trails, and the traditional emtb do not have a throttle option, or the kind of peddle assist power I would need to pull a cargo trailer with a deer up the hills where I hunt. The also generally do not have the really fat fires like the 4.5" my hike has.

Mid drive motor was a must have, and again, since I don't need to worry about ebike class, a 1000w made sense.

Range is also not a big issue for me, as I doubt I will be doing more then a couple miles at most for hunting, though it may become an issue if I start riding a bit more of the local single track.

The M2S I bought is roughly the same as the Bakcou mule, though it cost a couple thousand less. I will say that Bakcou has a much, much better set of instructional videos vs M2S. M2S support via email has been good so far, and they publish a phone number as well.

I will update this over the course of this season, and if anyone has questions, post or pm, and I will try my best to answer.
 
Joined
Jan 3, 2023
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An e-bike for hunting purposes? Interesting. How does that benefit the hunter? Just easier to get to your area of hunting?
 

taskswap

WKR
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Oct 6, 2021
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Great post, thanks for sharing. I did something similar with a Wing Freedom Fatty 2. I think with the cargo racks and other bits it was around $1600 shipped. It's a rear-motor 750W so "you get what you pay for" but I'm in love with it.

I hunt Elk rifle 1 in Colorado as my primary "yearly" tag and where I hunt, bikes aren't allowed - it's horses or foot traffic only. So for my main hunt it's not actually usable at all. It's the "everything else" that has me sold.

I've used this thing a ton, and it was a game changer. I've done muley muzzleloader hunts, scouting in Utah and New Mexico, gone our for antelope and dusky grouse, and even lots of out-of-season general poking-around. Most of it was BLM land, all of it was where it was 100% legal.

The thing for me is I drive a RAM 2500. That can only get me into certain places, even if it's legal to drive there. The bike is just a lot more nimble, and I'm not worried about having to air down or popping a tire bead in a tricky section. I've gotten a bunch of thank-yous (at least 4-5) from folks grateful I wasn't tearing around on a loud dirt bike or ATV, and well, let's say I'm sold.
 
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wesfromky

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Nov 23, 2016
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KY
I haven't had it out a lot over the winter, but planning on using it to shed hunt starting this weekend.

It has been great so far, and the price vs the Mule is really good for basically the same bike.
 

16Racing

FNG
Joined
Feb 4, 2023
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42
I'll definitely be looking into this bike I've been wanting to buy one but the price vs reward keeps me from buying one thanks for the post
 
Joined
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Fargo ND
Lifelong cyclist here and now owner of 2 EBikes. They are a game changer for a number of reasons but that is another discussion. On this subject here is my take: You can get the ELECTREK app or check their website for all things electric. There are daily updates on products from cars to bikes, to solar panels but lots of bikes. Many cool things out there but mainly China builds under many names.
For biking there is just nothing like a local relationship with your pro shop. I was talking to some of the guys I have known years and they were saying how all this cheap mail order stuff is giving them fits. They either cannot be fixed, are expensive for them to fix, or they refuse all together since it wasn't purchased from them and they don't have parts or understand all the controls etc.
Based on many discussions I committed to buy only from my local dealer with warranty. Currently I have a Specialized Vado for my urban fitness option when windy. My second bike for hunting and off road is a Serial 1 (harley davidson). This is a single speed belt drive bike. I wanted simplicity and ruggedness. No chain to lube, no derailleur to break/bend throwing it in the truck antelope hunting, checking cameras etc. Max speed is 20 as a single speed but in my gentle terrain I have not wanted for more. Mountain hunters would want gears.
YES, I paid more for both but have a local shop who will stand behind the bike and take care of me at all costs. I just bought aggressive tubeless tires for the Serial 1 on ebay. My shop installed them for free since I bought bike in the last year!
Lots of cool stuff coming out seemingly every day. Beware the hype. There have been many charging fires reported for example with the cheap lithium packs.
Oh....and No you don't need a folding bike!
 
Joined
Jan 16, 2023
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I bought one a few years ago. It’s a mid drive with the Bosch motor. The brand is Focus. I’m not sure whether they’re still made as they were German manufactured I believe. Great bike and a lot of fun. Zero reliability issues at all. I’m planning to gear it up for coyote calling on a 2500 acre track I hunt in TX. It should effectively eliminate the issues of hiding a vehicle. It’s quiet and rugged. They have their place for sure


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Mojave

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Jun 13, 2019
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One of the guys that works for me bought two of them. I told him to get a side by side instead.

We live in New Mexico and most of the forest is closed to them on the remote trails.

The rest of the trails that are open you can get a truck, jeep or side by side on.

At least for us in the West I don't understand the point of it.

It is the same as an ATV for the regulations, so why not just buy an ATV?

Wilderness areas are closed to them.
 
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I'm thinking a folding bike is ideal for throwing in a drift boat to run your own shuttles. Any downside to the folder?
I am sure there are specialty applications where they fit the bill. There also are likely a few good ones out there. For the most part is is a badge of cheap China junk. Adds weight, failures have been reported.
 
Joined
Oct 2, 2016
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I never dreamed these bikes would be so popular. I have zero problems with them as long as they stay where MOTORIZED atv’s and sxs have to legally stay.

I don’t know, if I were to buy electric hunting transportation, I think I’d go with a bad boy buggy or something similar. But, different strokes for different folks. Enjoy fellas.
 

sneaky

"DADDY"
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One of the guys that works for me bought two of them. I told him to get a side by side instead.

We live in New Mexico and most of the forest is closed to them on the remote trails.

The rest of the trails that are open you can get a truck, jeep or side by side on.

At least for us in the West I don't understand the point of it.

It is the same as an ATV for the regulations, so why not just buy an ATV?

Wilderness areas are closed to them.
Because they are silent. You'd be surprised on what you can ride up on with one. Don't need a trailer to haul them, smaller footprint to store. SXS have their place, so do the bikes

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wesfromky

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At least for us in the West I don't understand the point of it.

It is the same as an ATV for the regulations, so why not just buy an ATV?

Wilderness areas are closed to them.
The WMAs in KY are also closed to them, along with most of the FS land. But, most hunting I do is on private, so regs are not an issue.

My bike was way less then even a used ATV, is totally quiet, and I can transport it via a hitch rack on my Crosstrek. Don't have to deal with gas, oil, etc. Plus, riding a bike is just fun, and you get a bit of exercise in the process.

That said, my hunting partners have SxSs and I can use them when needed.
 

KHNC

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Jul 11, 2013
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I have an M2S as well. Bought 2 of them 4 years ago since M2S is right down the road from me in Arden NC. they let me ride several of their demos. I got the mid drive versions. In new mexico while elk hunting , one of them fell off the bike rack and drug down the road. It was destroyed before i realized what happened. The one i still have , has close to 500 miles on it. My wife rides it most of the time now. I have a Rambo 750 mid drive i replaced the other with. It has 300 miles as well. M2S was out of stock on the mid drives at the time or i would have gotten another. No problems at all from either one.
 

Crusader

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Yes, I would think that the cost would be very attractive compared to ATV, UTV, SXS, etc., assuming it meets your needs and is used legally.
 

Paulyester

Lil-Rokslider
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Utah
Because they are silent. You'd be surprised on what you can ride up on with one. Don't need a trailer to haul them, smaller footprint to store. SXS have their place, so do the bikes

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This is what blew me away when I started riding my electric bike. I would every now and then see game on the road, but once I started riding my electric bike, he would find game on the road almost every corner. This was in Oregon riding on logging roads open to motorized vehicles
 
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