E-LUX FAT TIRE ELECTRIC CRUISER

[Rat Rod]

I've got a friend who's a sales rep for a company in Costa Mesa, CA called E-Lux Electric Bicycles. He lives about 15 minutes away and recently received one of their bikes as a sales demo. He asked me if I wanted to check it out for a couple of days and ended up dropping it off for me test it.

These fat tire cruisers of theirs have an MSRP of $2199. They come with an aluminum frame and a steel fork. It's a very low and long cruiser and the geometry makes for a pretty comfortable ride. This is one of the few E-Bikes out there on the market that doesn't look like a mountain bike or some weird mutant moped.

I rode it around a few times and it seemed to do pretty good. You can choose between full throttle without pedaling or you can choose from 5 different levels of pedal assist on the computer. Supposedly you can ride 30 miles per charge at around 20mph and up to 40 miles on pedal assist. The bike is fairly heavy so you wouldn't want to get stuck too far from home with a dead battery. Fortunately the computer shows you the battery life level.

The specs on the bike are as follows...

Frame: Aluminium
Fork: Steel
Tires: 26" x 4"
Wheels: 26" x 57mm Aluminum
Headlight: LED powered by main bike battery
Motor: Bafang 750 Watt Peak Brushless Geared Motor
Battery: 48V 13Ah Samsung Lithium Ion
Controller: 48V 15A
Power: Pedal Assist and Thumb Throttle
Display: LCD Screen, MPH, Battery Range, USB Charger and Odometer
Derailleur: Shimano 7 Speed
Brakes: Front and Rear Tektro Disc Brakes
Charge Time: 5-6 Hours
Range: 30+ Miles
Speed: 0-23mph

The overall quality of the bike is nice and there isn't really anything that looked cheap or flimsy. It's pretty fun taking this thing for blasts down the bike path. People just stare at you when you go flying by without pedaling. You can really get hauling with pedal assist which looks crazy when you're riding a bike with such fat tires. The bike almost has an old Harley or India stance about it and the big fat tires give it that motorcycle look as well.

My only complaint with that the chain wanted to bang up agains the chainguard due to the rear derailleur slack. I think if I bought one I'd ditch the chainguard and switch to a front chainring that had a built in guard.

Here's a quick walk around video of the bike...

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Looks cool. It does have an old Harley vibe to it.

 

[Rat Rod]

Looks cool. It does have an old Harley vibe to it.

I was thinking someone could give it the vintage Indian treatment with matte finish dark red weathered paint....maybe create a fake tank, etc.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I know just the guy for the job! You do still have my shipping address, right?

 

[Rat Rod]

I know just the guy for the job! You do still have my shipping address, right?

Unfortunately it's no longer in my possession [emoji853]

 

[spinningmagnets]

I understand why they put the battery there in a vertical orientation, but by doing that they also had to give the frame a little "stretch". doing that makes the bike a little more stable at its higher speeds, and I like the proportions better. These hardtails really benefit greatly from a suspension seat-post (suntour NCX or Thudbuster), and if the frame is low enough to fit, a leather covered hairpin seat would definitely top off the "Harley/Indian" vibe...

 

[nicochise]

Hi, do you know if they sell just the rear fat tire wheel and electronics. I would like to do the rest of the build myself. Thanks for all the info I have picked up from your website. This place is the College of Rat Bike Knowledge.

 

[spinningmagnets]

If you just want the motor, here is that exact model http://lunacycle.com/sondors-upgrades/sondors-replacment-fat-bike-hub-motor/

Here is a bigger version of a geared hubmotor http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=50_40&product_id=207

If you want a full kit, and you want a hot rod motor, here is one option: https://kinayems.com/store/kitbuilder