E-S Stealth Electric Bike Owners

[voicecoils]

Great stuff Kepler. Glad to see the I didn't hold the modded Stealth record for peak power too long You've got a larger motor and if you had a lower winding (with the same pack voltage) you'd probably be pulling even more current from a dead stop (and for longer as you got up to speed).

Mine was holding more like 6-7kW as the speed ramped up under acceleration compared to your 8 kW.

Who's first to 30kW?

Re your tyres: Yours look much like the 2.5" hookworms in profile but with a bit more tread. Schwalbe Big Apple's are another good choice, also 2.35" and same load limit but a bit lighter. Not sure they have quite the same sidewall strength as the Crazy Bob and the tread does not wrap around as far.

 

[full-throttle]

Finally weighted my Bomber:

43.8kg (incl. 1.2kWh of LiPo)

 

[manitu]

About building a better handling ebike than the bomber..

Now , I will not challenge you on the drivetrain stuff , I'm an absolute beginner in the e-bike world.

But the suspesion , it's honestly not cutting edge at all.
The head angle seems to be around 63-64 degrees , same as new DH-bikes. opimal for handling at speed and plowing over babyheads, but not for jumps and twisty tracks.
The rear suspension on the other hand , single pivot with a moderatly high pivot point , now that's old-school. Allmost as old-fashion as the unified rear triangle design. On the other hand , It's still the only design around wich is used on real motorbikes. (strength)
If money was no object , I would use a horst-link rear suspension wich has a much better weelpath.

I'm not saying that it's not a smashing bike , it problably is , but there are newer and better suspension designs around.

Another thing , wich nobody has mentioned is the shock-tuning. You can bet your arse on one thing: The custom tuned fork and rear shock on the bomber makes a MASSIVE difference to 3-10 year old , untuned used forks and shocks wich many of the e-bike crowd are using. (you know that the forks and shocks should be rebuilt once a year , right?)

I'm no rich guy , if I could buy the bomber, I would. No , I'll have to settle with the Giant DH-team , wich is lying in a corner at the bike-shop, never sold. I know I can't beat the bomber in raw power , but on the handling , At least I'll try.

The Dh-team has a conservative head angle of 66 degrees , not optimal for fast riding over rough ground , but perfect compromise between high speed and lower speed handling and jumps.(xc bikes are 69-71degrees) The rear susp is a faux-bar with a beautiful, progressive curve.

The rear shock's going to TFTuned http://www.tftunedshox.com/ for a custom shim-stack and to have the pesky pedal-platform valve removed.

The fork is a 2006 Marzocchi 888RC2X , wich is known to be one of the best downhill forks ever. If I'm not satisfied , I'll switch the cartridge to a AVA. http://www.avalanchedownhillracing.com/
The best suspension tech I know of in the states is Push Industries. http://www.pushindustries.com/2009/index.php

But still , there's no guarantee that I will beat the bomber. I cant change the head angle or move the pivot point to experiment, nor do i have the time to dismantle the fork and shock 500 times to try out different shims and oil weights. (40-50 times maybe ).

But I'll try!
And remember , mountain biking (even motorised) is'nt measured in miles per hour but smiles per mile.

.manitu

 

[manitu]

I hope I didn't step on any toes with my last post.. If he OP thinks I'm out of line , I'll remove it.

The point I'm trying to get across , is this:
The geometry on modern downhill bikes is allways advertised , and different rider benefit from different geometries.
Example: only WC riders like Sam Hill and Cedric Garcia really benefits from the geometry with <64 degrees HA and insanely low BB. Low CoG and suspension setup Is more important to create universal good handling, than having the perfect geo (wich does not exist.)

.manitu

 

[Dlogic]

Well, i use the bomber on road and it sticks to it like glue. The tight curves on our bike tracks here can be taken with such a crazy inclination that my knees sometimes scrape the asphalt. The bike never gets nervous or starts to feel insecure. What i also like a lot is the way the single pivot swingarm behaves. When pedaling only, it doesen´t rock you up and down like most DH bikes do. The back stays stable and only sags in when i hit some bumps. A friend of mine owns a Santa Cruz with VPP suspension. When he saw the bomber he started to laugh saying that this type of construction could never compete with his baby. Well, after a short ride he changed his opinion. Sorry, some things might look outdated, but the fancy stuff is usually just there to distract from other issues. I´ve ridden this bike for more then 2400 Km now. It´s fast, handles perfectley and takes curves like nothing i´ve ever had before.

 

[manitu]

I bet it does!

I would really love to try one , but here in europe ,I guess they will be rare.

The reason it does not rock up and down when pedaling is because of the gearbox. Single pivot bikes bob if the pivot point is higher than the chainline , and squat if the pivot is lower than the chainline , + the movement of your body when you pedal.
Whith the gearbox the chain goes real close , and paralell to the swing-arm. this gives the same result as a pivot point just above the chainline, for the perfect amount of anti-squat. Exept , with the gearbox it does not change trough the travel.

The problem with single pivot , is the braking. There is no way to make a single-pivot brake well over rough terrain and still keep good traction in rough turns , when not braking. A rear shock with high-speed and low-speed compression adj. is essential to make the best of it. This said , the hekler is one of my all time favortite bikes , a dead siple single pivot bike. you just need to learn a good braking-practice.

The bomber looks like a hell of a bike , but the angles are not revolutionary , and if you believe you could make a better bike by just copying the angles , you would miss by a mile.

.manitu

 

[full-throttle]

Good discussion manitu,

I strongly agree re: 2006/07 is the best year for Marzocchi and Giant DH is one of the best convert candidates, mostly due to the space in the front triangle. I do also prefer low bottom bracket, slack head angle, and progressive linkage (just like my Avanti D8 build) for a 8" DH bike. Bomber is not a DH bike! Just compare them uphill

You'd be surprised how well the Bomber handles on tight singletrack.

Single pivot sus might be old school, but there's nothing wrong with it - Giant DH uses one. Macpherson strut incl. VPP are better for pedaling and isolate the rear brake by adding more complexity. BTW a floating brake arm solves the issue of suspension stiffening.

mountain biking (even motorised) is'nt measured in miles per hour but smiles per mile

You nailed it!

 

[manitu]

If you prefer the new style DH frames, riding down hairy downhill tracks you must be fast!
I've tried going fast down the slopes , but I'll never be a pro racer. So extreme low BB and raked out fork is not for me.
Those guys just skimp along the top of the rocks , flying over the hairy parts , with no worries for the landing!

You know , tecnically , the Giant DH-team is a faux-bar.. the doubble link wich connects frame-shock-swingarm makes a damper movement/travel curve wich is incredebly plush the in the beginning of the curve , before it smootly progresses in to a firm , linear deep stroke. Not at all bad starting point for making a heavy hub-motor stick to the ground , while still not bottoming out from hard hits.

Yeah , I would really really love to test-ride the Bomber, or the fighter even. I think I would bought the fighter if I could. But Next year , when the loan on the house is paid off , then its time for a real vacation! Wanna se whistler!! I'ts been a dream of mine for a year or so. Then maybe I could try to get to the factory for a testride! Where is the factory , by the way??

Is it a floating rear brake on the bomber? That would cure a lot of the brake jack but at a weight penalty .. oh.. talking ebikes here.. no worries..

Edit : Removed a statement wich I must check out before posting..
.manitu

 

[full-throttle]

re: faux-bar - same as single pivot, with all the cons and pros, plus added progressiveness. Great for 8" and below, doubt if its all that necessary on a 10"-travel ebike.

re: floating rear brake arm - I was going to have it on mine, but decided not to. Don't come as standard, can be retrofitted I guess.
On a similar subject - I tried Hopey steering damper for a couple of month and also decided to give it a miss.

The factory is in Australia, there are distributors in other countries http://stealthelectricbikes.com.au/contact.html

I really like the Fighter, its well suited for cross-country epics. Bomber is more of a motorbike a real head-turner too!

 

[lian]

What`s up wih 2011 prices? the price tag have doubled since last year! Major setback for me

Email i received:

"Dear Bikers,

I need to give you information on the bikes which you have seen on http://www.stealthelectricbikes.com .
We are the distributor of the bikes in Benelux ( Belgium , Netherlands, Luxembourg) and we give information to the manufacturer of the bikes in Australia if there are requests for information for countries which are surrounding us in Europe, for example Germany, France, UK and Spain.
As you have noticed there are 2 kinds of bikes the Bomber with a 4,5 KW engine and the Fighter with a 2.2 KW engine.
Stealth standard bike starts at € 8490 ( excl VAT) for the Bomber and € 5990 ( excl VAT) for the fighter.
You can have upgrades if you want.
We have to charge you for Air Freight ( Delivery at the Airport the nearest to your Home) about € 500. There are also costs for handling at the airport and in some countries " Duties" . Next to all this there is VAT.
Delivery time is about 8 weeks.
If you want more information please let me know !"

2010 pricelist:

View attachment stealth.zip

 

[DimGr]

couple of days ago I asked the German dealer for prices,here's his answer...

'Dear Sir,

thank you very much for your interests in our bikes. We can give out the bikes to you to a special price at the moment because we are celebrating the fact that we have got a view new countries in which we are able to deal to now. And we want to celebrate that with you.

The Bomber is 7.703,49 € instead of 9.990 €. The Fighter is 6.315,47€ instead of 8.190 €.

This price includes 19% of German VAT. The delivery time is about 6 – 8 weeks. The shipping to other countries then Germany is about 100€ - 200€, depending on where you are from. All bikes are handmade in Australia. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask anytime.'

very nice bikes indeed but...

 

[kifaru]

Time I posted something in here. I have a Fighter. Extras on it are a rear derailleur to help preserve the battery on the hills and 5" drop Gravity Dropper seat-post, which I wouldn't be without. I use it as my main commuter to work and back. Always get home grinning!

 

[knoxie]

Hey 8) 8) super nice! now if you can afford one of those you can afford a Gopro camera and feed us with some ride footage 8) 8)

No wonder you have a grin on your face thats one beautiful machine

 

[deecanio]

Nice fighter Kifaru and welcome to the forum!!

i was just going to have a little moan here
I think you guys all own the best currently available ebike money can buy ( calm down diy'ers i said can BUY) but im a little dissapointed you guys aren't posting more vids, are you riding at all?? :lol:
Come on stealthers show us your bits

bed time knoxie


D

 

[knoxie]

Hey D

I am off all week bro 8) got a nice bottle of red open been on some long rides for the last few days and been loving it in the sunshine, I can push 40 miles on 7AH easy with some peddling (OK a fair bit)..great for losing a few lbs = nice!

I would love to see more videos from the Stealth boys as well although I am just as guilty with 5 different rides too :lol: I just need to pull my finger out and get a Gopro, once you see the quality of the those damn things its hard to live with anything else, also the wide perspective and the 60fps hmm, I missed a total opportunity my girlies aunty just flew in from Kansas anyway I can still get her son to send me one over or may ask Greg as I know he loves me so much ha ha

We must get together this year Deec, soon as you get your bike sorted give me a shout, I can book a few days off we can make the mother of all videos (I can use Adobe after effects to make use look better than we actually are) ha ha...Hyena has laid down the gauntlet with regard to the videos...when are you going to get your bike back? and is Jozzer still posting? if not why not?...tell him I said hi!

 

[deecanio]

Hi Mate,

what???? lucky bugger riding in the glorious weather 8)
Im itchin for a go pro too, keep looking but stopping just short of buying one just incase the little lady has picked up on my hints LOL
remember Jay and Gordo kindly offered up so we dont get stiffed on price so if your really getting the itch and commit could be enough for me to get one too, LMAO im sure if we get one Y will bite the bullit too - damn, amount of go pro's on the forum they should offer up some discount!!!!!
Group buy go pro anyone?
yes your welcome over anytime mate, im on shift these days so i dont get too many weekends but boy do i love having the place to myself during the week!!
Yep bike is still with Jozz but will be done soon, we are being held up by Bob (what's new) - he needs to lace the 3540 but he may have a slot for us on Weds, fingers crossed i'll be picking up in the next two weeks or so.
Anyway have derailed enough threads, back to the bomber boys!!! more vids please guys, and sign up for a group go pro if you dont have cams, seems a shame not to be seeing these bikes in action no?


D

 

[full-throttle]

I hear ya deec and knoxie - had an awesome ride today, took some footage.. But this Windows Live Movie Maker gives me the $%^&*

So no video

EDIT: Found out a copy of PowerDirector preinstalled on my new laptop, will give it a try later

 

[QuietRush]

G'day all, I've been given a prod to come on over here and drop in a quick post. I'm the guy behind QuietRush and the yellow fighter, bought it as a demonstrator for a business venture that I'm talking about with John/Stealth. Most of the writing I do about it is based over in my blog at http://quietrush.blogspot.com, have just posted an update today with some snaps of the bike in some autumn colours. Nice contrast. See http://quietrush.blogspot.com/2011/04/autumn-exploration-on-new-stealth.html

Planning to do some more off-road based shoots in the coming weeks, including video, so I do hear you ..just have a lot to squeeze into a day..

FWIW I've come from a background of lots of dirtbike riding (GasGas200 (also yellow), KTM300. HuskyWR360, TE610IE) and MTB riding/touring/racing (including24hr events), so I know my rides and what works in geometry. I'd been so impressed by the Fighter a couple of years ago, it's just got better since..

 

[Kepler]

Welcome to the forum QuietRush. I have been eyeing off that yellow Fighter at the factory for some time now. One of the best looking machines to date IMO. Good luck with the business venture. I think you could be onto a winner there especially with so much magnificent country side to ride in. The Blog looks great too and the pictures are first class. Looking forward to seeing the bike really put through its paces.

 

[Hyena]

Yeah nice ride quiet rush, and welcome to the forum.
So you have hookworms on your fighter ? How do you find those for offroading ? I tried them on some trails once and with a decent amount of power under you I found them a bit lethal. Fun if you're messing around in the dirt but no so fun when they break traction unexpectedly, or under moderate braking (esp the front)

I'll be in Canberra this time next year for a conference so hopefully your business is in full swing by then and I'll drop in and see you

 

[full-throttle]

Had another awesome ride yesterday. Got chased by an afghan - big hairy dog, prob bigger than myself. Wasn't sure if was friendly or not, wasn't really interested in finding out so just flicked the throttle - that thing was still chasing me at 50-55 kph! Luckily it hasn't got the acceleration and top speed of the Bomber

Re: video - its not working out, for some reason I end up with blank frames.
The original is in H.264 format, I've read about it and followed every advice there is: enabled shadow files, updated to the latest codecs, etc. And my PC is not too shabby either: i7 sandbridge, 8G of ram, Nvidia GT540M.. Any ideas? Cause I'm sick of wasting time on this

 

[remf]

G'day full-throttle...Afghan's are Like Great Danes, usually big, goofy puppy dogs. It's the Rottweiller / Doberman / Pitbull mix you gotta watch out for...they're very quick, though still no match for the Bomber.

Are your white frames a result, attempting to convert formats? From H.264 to what? Have you tried either MPEG Streamclip or FFmpeg?

 

[deecanio]

mmmm was thinking the same thing remf.
I take it you can see the ids in their original format no problem??
must be an issue with what your trying to out put, what software are you using to make the vid?
i use straight up movie maker on win7 and find it trouble free, if a little restricted on size, have you tried dropping the files straight into movie maker?
Dont give up FT, really looking forward to seeing some stealth footage - if you have a very small clip you can email it to me and i'll have a look for you?

D

 

[full-throttle]

Cheers, will give it another go tonight. I tried using the Movie Maker and the PowerDirector - same thing, splitting/trimming results in black vid with sound. Have read to convert using Streamclip first and then edit, isn't enabling shadow files does the same?? I could always just upload the raw footage..

PS the other videos were done with MediaExpressions, works fine just a bit lossy and lacks a few options

 

[deecanio]

upload a small raw clip if you get stuck, i'll have a look and see if i can get it sorted.

D