Qulbix Q140MD - any experience?

benjamin84

100 W
Joined
May 20, 2010
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177
Hi all!

Long time member, first (second) time poster. I have finally come to accept that riding my BMW R1200GS in the forest in Norway is both socially and legally unacceptable, so I've decided to invest in an e-bike. Coming from the world of motorbikes I want something with enough power for some hill climbs and a proper motorbike style throttle.

The Qulbix Q140MD seems to be a good option for such use, however I can't find a single owners review online which makes me a bit sceptical. Do any of you have any experience with this bike, or even with Qulbix in general? Handing over 6000+ Euros is a big leap of faith for something I won't be able to test.

Edit: Swapped out for a picture of my bike, first impressions on page 3! Spoiler: It's amazing ;)
dRbUbVlh.png
 
Unfortunately I need something that looks as much like a regular bike as possible, with pedals and a proper bicycle seat (which is an option for the Qulbix). The goal is to stealthily cruise through the forest with a bit of camping gear on the bike and a small-ish backpack. All the stuff I would have liked to do with my motorbike but simply can't due to the law in Norway.

Mind you this bike (or a Stealth Bomber) would be borderline with respect to being legal too, but with an eco mode and assuming I don't ride it like an idiot I should be fine. If it was up to me I'd be riding an Alta Motors Redshift but this should be the next best thing ;)

Qulbix with bicycle seat for those who may be interested:

image_5aae44bd7ef2e_Qulbix-2018-Ebikes_reprezentativne_4-cr-805x529.png
 
I think I may have watched them to death ;) It looks really good, and surprisingly slim for what it is! Curious to hear some actual user reviews though, being an early adopter for about 8k Euro's including taxes is a bit scary :p
 
Wehey, a new video! I think I just have to get myself one of these... totally silent, plenty powerful, and should have a huge range at normal pedelec speeds through the trails.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wtb4DhdM1o
 
If you are Viking84 on youtube riding the BMW R1200GS at that pace in the video's you'll be much better of with an ebike on those trails. Even a Qulbix Q140MD seems overkill...
A Cyclone 3000W kit on a full suspension MTB with a large battery (or 2) would give you a very lightweight bicycle with enormous range that will climb anything. And cost less than half the Qulbix. Or go for the Sur-Ron and keep the price difference in your pocket to pay any fines you'll get...
 
SlowCo said:
If you are Viking84 on youtube riding the BMW R1200GS at that pace in the video's you'll be much better of with an ebike on those trails. Even a Qulbix Q140MD seems overkill...
A Cyclone 3000W kit on a full suspension MTB with a large battery (or 2) would give you a very lightweight bicycle with enormous range that will climb anything. And cost less than half the Qulbix. Or go for the Sur-Ron and keep the price difference in your pocket to pay any fines you'll get...

Riding off road in Norway you have to keep the pace down sadly as the law is ridiculously strict. Essentially if the road can't be driven on by a regular car it is no longer a road - so if you are stretching those definitions it pays to ride nice and slow to avoid pissing anyone off :) I reckon I will be much better off with something electric, especially if it can pass as a bicycle to the untrained eye.

I'm hoping the Q140MD will provide a motorbike like riding experience in a neat compact package with great range, and won't offend anyone / draw too much attention in the forest assuming I keep the pace down. It should also allow me to explore some proper single track trails that would result in a televized police chase if I chose to bring the 1200GS down them ;)

As an example the trail in this video is way outside of what is legal, doesn't matter that there is nobody using this trail for hiking, and it just connects two gravel roads:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-FM602-kjc

Edit: Sounds like I'm being defensive about my riding skills here - for the record I'm a pretty careful and relaxed rider, so even if I could I wouldn't be tearing up the tracks too impressively ;) I do enjoy the odd powerslide and jump though, so hopefully a high powered e-bike will let me be a bit more of a hooligan than I'm prepared to be on a motorbike!
 
If that be the case, you should be really looking at regular traditional bicycles from brand name manufacturers.
You can still have a large battery pack in those bicycles, you just need to look for the right bike.
Buy a triangle bag, imprint some well known bicycle name on that bag.
Buy a triangle battery.
There are of course other options going this route.
One in the bag category is a bag that can be swung over the top tube and placed near the handlebars.



If you require the Qulbix type of bicycle for battery space for a large pack, then I can see your point in wanting one.
Those are not very stealthy because regular people dont go out of their way to see if you have pedals or a bicycle seat, all they do is a quick glance and see something is off, and if you are going doing wheelies going up hills, or scaring people in the slightest then they will be concerned.

Oh and another thing about 99% of the public and the quick glance/look, to them, with a "not very stealthy" or "something is not right" with that persons mode of transportation (meaning your bicycle) what do you think a beat Fuzz (with as you say it strict laws) will do coming across you?
 
No doubt a regular e-bike would be the sensible choice, but I simply don't enjoy riding them, so it will just end up sat in my garage I'm afraid. I even tried an Exess HP-E180 earlier today, and it still just felt like a bicycle despite the 1000W Bafang motor.

As I said further up, if it were up to me I'd be riding an Alta Redshift EXR, but that is quite obviously a motocross bike so I'm hoping the Qulbix will be a nice compromise :) I've seen some similar home-made e-bikes out in the forest here while I've been hiking, and none of the other hikers have seemed to care. I'd assume that is because he was cycling along at a moderate pace and not bothering anyone, which is precisely what I plan to do when I meet other people on the trail.

Who knows, 4 years from now people might be more aware of these things, but if I can get four years of trail riding out of this thing then I'll be more than pleased with the investment ;)

Anyhoo, I think this trail may have derailed a little - my main concern is finding out if anyone has any experience as a Qulbix customer, good or bad. Suggestions for other similar mid-drive high powered e-bikes are welcome of course!
 
If it wasn't for the stealthy looks of the exess hp-180e, I would probably go for a Sur-ron bike with upgraded controller. Seems like a good 'bike', relatively cheap and powerful, but sadly a bit on the small side..
 
I considered the Sur-Ron but the lack of a proper pedal option and surprisingly loud motor put me off it. Currently I'm trying to decide between the Exess and the Q140MD. If Exess can make a "moto" setup with a proper twist grip throttle on the right, gear shifter on the left, and the brakes the "correct" way around it could be a good alternative. Much less power than the Q140MD of course but much stealthier, and much lighter.
 
Well it seems the Qulbix mid drive is the best bike for your purpose. Maybe try to get it in all black or forest green without all the flashy decals so it blends in more with the background of the trails. And report back your experience with it as soon as you bought and rode it 8)
 
I think it might be - as for colours I reckon the black bike with white and yellow from the first post isn't too bad, but I've also considered going full stealth and opting for their carbonfiber-look finish ;) Whatever I choose (Qulbix or Exess) I'm sure there will be quite a few youtube vids once I get a chance to ride it! :)
 
Thanks for the tip, that is considerably cheaper than the Q140MD! Not sure about the rear hub motor though for off road use.
 
Thanks for the links :) From what I gather the Q140MD comes filled with Ferrofluid to aid in heat dissipation, which is promising for prolonged hillclimbs. If it's one thing we do have a lot of here in Norway it's hills! Gnarly, technical hill climbs are one of the things I'm looking forward to the most with an e-bike... I've driven past loads of cool trails on my motorbike wishing I could try them out but it would just result in a huge amount of noise and me tearing up the track and/or my drivers license.

Regarding the rear hub motor I am more concerned about the weight distribution and unsprung mass, but it's hard to gauge how much that will actually affect me in real life without trying one.
 
The beauty of a mid drive set up is that you can change to a lower gear to climb better with less heat. Although in the case of the Q140MD you can only do that in the workshop by changing sprockets by hand. And a lower gearing will also result in lower top speed. So you'll have to find a compromise between those before heading out to ride.
 
That is true. One of the things that appeals to me with the Q140MD is that they have gone for motocross components at the rear which shouldn't have any trouble handling the power from the motor. The Exess and other more "normal" e-bikes with high powered motors are running quite a bit of torque through drivetrains that aren't really designed for it - could be a recipe for disaster/broken components?

Edit: On the other hand, if something should break on the Exess it will be easy to find replacement components from Shimano at any local bike shop. If something breaks on the Qulbix I'd imagine I'm out of luck and would have to get new parts from them directly.

Regarding the gearing Qulbix suggest an off road gearing of 26 tooth front to 38 tooth rear, giving a top speed of 55 kph. According to them that should essentially never overheat or have issues with hill climbs, but that remains to be seen. 55 kph top speed is more than enough for me in the forest, and I can't ride that fast on the road without attracting unwanted attention anyway :) What I am a bit concerned about is the pedalling though, if that is geared so high that I can't realistically pedal at lower (15-25 kph) speeds it might become a little pointless.
 
Great!
What is the estimated delivery date? Please update this thread with your review of the bike and maybe some video 8)
Enjoy!
 
Videos and reviews will certainly be posted once I've got it! They reckon between 4 and 6 weeks production, and a week or two in transport to Norway :) So some time before Christmas I hope ;)
 
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