for starters

The Hovsco Hovcart came with SO MUCH STUFF! We’ll get into that more down in the options section, and if you want to see what I’m talking about then go check out the video above. It took me about an hour to assemble the bike, and put on my desired accessories. This bike arrives as a class 2 e-bike (throttle & 20mph max), but you can unlock the class 3 (throttle & 28mph max) potential in the app. This can be unlocked without the app see description within my YouTube video.

design & comfort

The high-rise bars on the Hovcart put you in a nice, upright position. On the ends of those bars are ergonomic, dual lock-on grips. The left side is where you’ll find the thumb throttle and the control pad for your pedal-assist levels, lights, etc. It comes with front and rear plastic fenders, and what I consider to be a name brand – but budget friendly fork. It’s a Zoom fork, and it’s an entry-level spring fork, but it’s going to be just fine for this bike.

The kick stand is a two-foot kickstand like a scooter, as opposed to just the one side/leaning kick stand. This is important because when you’re loading your cargo…especially if it’s your kids, you don’t want the bike to be leaning. This will keep your bike upright and steady while you’re loading until you’re ready to take off. The seat was pretty comfortable, and it has a built-in handle to help you maneuver it when your off the bike.

but can this cargo bike haul???

Yeah! It’s got a max payload capacity of 450lbs (204kg), which includes rider weight. The front rack is attached to the frame, and it’s rated to hold 22lbs (10kg).

motor power

The Hovcart has a 750 watt rear hub motor. Hovsco claim that it will put out 1300 watts of power, but there is nowhere on the display that shows max or current output, so we just have to take their word for it. Now, I will say, for a 750 watt motor, it was really quiet. This bike did great on the hill climb test. The throttle was great to get up to speed and the torque sensor kicked in quickly to keep me going up that 19% grade. Speaking of the torque sensor, it performed adequately giving a little assist when I was pedaling lightly and more assist as I put in more pressure to the pedals.

lighting & safety

The Hovcart does come with a head light and a tail light. The headlight was as good as any other e-bike headlight I’ve reviewed which is to say, not great. If you are going to do much dawn, dusk, or night riding then for your safety, I absolutely recommend getting a quality headlight from MagicShine. Use Code “RunBikeMike15” to save 15% on your Magicshine light purchase. As for the tail light, it is a single LED on top with a large reflector underneath. It does not have any turn signals, but it does double as a brake light.

brakes & tires

The Hovcart does come with hydraulic disc brakes, which are a much better system than mechanical disc brakes. However, I’ve never heard of the company – Radius, but they have some nice features like a reach-adjust knob, so you don’t have to have an Allen key to adjust that. The rotors are 180mm front and back.

drivetrain

The Hovcart comes with a 7-speed Shimano thumb and trigger shifter, and an entry level Shimano derailleur. I found that it shifted well under load during my hill climb test.

battery

The Hovcart is a 48 volt system. The battery is Samsung cells, and a total of 15Ah. It’s not huge, but they claim 60 miles on flat ground in pedal assist 1. I have found that with cargo bikes, I tend to stay within about 5 miles of my house. So, for me, a 15Ah battery would be plenty big, but this is something you’ll need to consider. This is a step-thru style e-bike and something I always look for on this style frame is a battery that loads from the top side of the down tube. The Hovcart has that. It’s just so much more convenient for removal.

options

The Hovcart came stock with a really long rear rack with a wooden top. The Hovcart comes in several package options, so you may want to take advantage of any offers they currently are running. You can replace the wooden top with a cushioned seat, add foot boards, and depending on how small the people you’re hauling are, there is also a padded bar wrap-around to keep your toddlers where they belong. The setup I’m going with is a basket that sets on top of the wooden plank. This is great as a grocery-getter and errand runner.

conclusion

If you are looking for a cargo bike, I think the Hovcart is a great choice at $1700. If you are interested in the Hovcart, I’d really appreciate it if you used my links. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it really helps out my channel. https://hovsco.com/RunBikeMike

for starters

The Discover 2 is the second iteration of the extremely popular Discover 1 from Velotric, and it offers some really nice upgrades at an affordable price. It comes in four different colors and two different sizes. I reviewed a Large in Pine Green, and you can check that out in my review linked above.

design & comfort

This is a hybrid style e-bike with a step-thru design. The riding style will be very upright and comfortable for a lot of people. The bars are slightly swept back for a comfortable reach and the grips have a nice, subtle paddle design. DID SOMEBODY SAY CRUISE CONTROL?!?! Watch the video to see that in action. It’s super easy to engage and disengage. The color screen is large, bright, and super easy to read. The front fork has 80mm of travel with lockout and a little bit of preload adjustment. This has Apple Find My built in, and is weight rated for 440 pounds of total capacity.

motor power

The Discover 2 comes with a 750W rear hub motor providing 75Nm of torque output. In fact, if you’ve watched many of my e-bike reviews, you know I always put them through my hill climb test. This bike outperformed a lot of other bikes that claim to have even more power than what this bike says it offers. The motor is triggered by either the throttle or the torque sensor. I found both to be super responsive.

lighting & Safety

The Discover 2 came with a decent headlight; it’s very much on par with other bikes I’ve reviewed. If you’re going to do much dusk, dawn, or night riding, I would absolutely recommend getting a quality light from MagicShine. The taillight is pretty bright and doubles as a brake light when you squeeze the brakes. It also has integrated turn signals.

brakes & tires

The Discover 2 comes with Tektro brakes, and you know I’m a big fan of these. The front wheel is held in place with a thru-axle. The wheels are a standard 27.5. The Kenda tires are 27.5 x 2.4″ and were super smooth and quiet on the road.

drivetrain

The drivetrain is an 8-speed groupset from Shimano. The rear derailleur is Shimano Altus. This is a nice middle-of-the-road derailleur to keep you cruisin’ mile after mile. The crankset has a Velotric-branded narrow|wide 46T chainring.

battery

Velotric prides themselves on having every single battery UL certified, and the individual registration label is on the downtube of each bike. This battery provides 705Wh of output – good for 75 miles of range in pedal assist 1 in eco mode. Conveniently, the battery removes from the top side of the downtube.

options

The Discover 2 can be set up as a class 1, 2, or 3 e-bike. The top speed can be set up in the app or in the menu on the bike’s display. Set the top speed at or below 20, and you’ve got a class 2 with the throttle or class 1 without. The throttle is hinged for easy removal without having to take everything else off the bars. This all makes it really easy to stay compliant wherever you want to ride.

The Discover 2 ships with metal fenders and a rear rack. The rack is rated to hold 66 pounds (30Kg).

conclusion

I’m impressed with this bike. I’ve ridden a lot of hybrid bikes over the last year and this one just feels really premium. I can tell that Velotric has made a lot of the right kind of tweaks to their second iteration of this bike. To some, the 750W motor might seem like overkill on a hybrid, but if you live in a hilly area you’ll really like having that extra power. If you’re interested in purchasing the Discover 2, I’d really appreciate it if you used my link. It doesn’t cost you any extra, and it really helps out my channel. https://velotricebike.pxf.io/QyD3YA

for starters

The Aventon Ramblas is a class 1, mid drive, hardtail eMTB (e-mountain bike). This bike is absolutely loaded with big brand bike parts, and I can’t wait to share it with you! Let’s dive in.

design & comfort

The Aventon Ramblas has boost spacing and thru axles front and rear. Size small is a 27.5 while M, L, & XL are 29er. The crank arm length on my Large was 165mm. A size Large MTB usually comes with 175mm. Having that 10mm reduction is huge for reducing pedal strikes. The Ramblas comes equipped with a 150 mm dropper post on the M, L, & XL while the S gets a 125mm dropper. I didn’t see any branding on it but it performed well out on the trail. The bars are 760mm wide and the cockpit is super clean. The frame design is perfect in my opinion with a 66.5 degree head tube angle and a 74.5 degree seat tube angle. This geometry allows you to get rowdy when you want, but also have good climbing ability when you need it.

motor power

Aventon helped design the A100 mid drive motor that comes on this bike. They didn’t just grab an off-the-shelf motor and make it work. The A100 puts out 100Nm of torque and it’s fully customizable in the app. The power output blows away any Shimano motor I’ve been on. Class 1 means no throttle, 750W or less power output, and 20mph max. That’s exactly the stats of the Ramblas.

BRAKES & TIRES

The Ramblas has SRAM DB8 4-piston brakes with a 200mm rotor in the front and 180mm in the rear. They had great stopping power, and unlike other SRAM brakes, this setup takes mineral oil. The hubs that came stock on the Ramblas are Novatec, which you guys know I really like. The 29″ tires that came on my size Large were Maxxis Rekon, great tires but this version is a lower end Rekon. I actually got 2 pinch flats out on the Back 40 in Arkansas, but the 2.4″ width felt super grippy.

drivetrain

The drivetrain on the Ramblas is a full SRAM Eagle setup. The shifters and rear derailleur are SRAM NX. This is a 1×12 setup with a 34T SRAM chainring and an 11-50 Eagle cassette. This bike incorporates the new SRAM UDH which means you can find a derailleur hanger in any local bike shop, OR… you could upgrade to the new SRAM Transmission down the road. Last step in the drivetrain is the chain. A lot of bikes I review will have a full drivetrain the same and then throw on a 3rd party chain. Not so with the Ramblas. It’s a SRAM Eagle chain with a quick connect.

BATTERY & OPTIONS

The battery is 708Wh, and Aventon claims it will get you 80 miles of range on the lowest setting. So far, I’ve ridden this bike really hard and I feel like I’ve gotten really good range out of it.

Front fork

The Ramblas come with a RockShox Silver 35, which is a coil fork instead of an air fork. However, I quickly found out that its 130mm of travel was really capable and really responsive. The Ramblas has a tapered head tube, so if you do decide to upgrade your fork later you totally can.

conclusion

Okay, so now you know everything there is to know about the Aventon Ramblas, and why I think that this bike could be the bike of the year. The fact that Aventon builds their own frames, they came up with their own motor design, and this is their first iteration of an eMTB and they’ve completely knocked it out of the park… I haven’t seen any other brand be able to do this. AND, I don’t think the big brands are getting anywhere close to these specs for this price ($2,699 May 2024). If you want to pick up your own Ramblas, please use my link! It really helps the channel and it doesn’t cost you any extra.

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For starters

E-bikes are becoming a more prominent part of the biking industry, especially among those that might not otherwise be bike riders. If there’s one major problem, though, with the electric mountain bike industry, it’s the cost. The barrier to entry on an EMTB is super high because they typically all have an expensive mid drive motor. I think Velotric might be proving that doesn’t have to be the case.

design & comfort

The Summit 1 is a hardtail with a 120mm hydraulic fork. It felt good out on the trail, even if I wished it was an air fork, but I am happy that it has 34mm stanchions and a lock out. It does not come stock with a dropper post, but the frame is set up to run an internally routed dropper if you want to add one later.

motor power

The Summit 1 has a 750 watt rear hub motor that is Velotric branded. Typically, rear hub motors are triggered by a cadence sensor. Not so with this bike. It has a torque sensor, and I found it to be pretty responsive. It produces 90 nm and I was super impressed at how hard it pulled.

brakes & tires

The Summit 1 has 27.5 hoops and a Novatec hub on the front wheel. It also has 2.6″ Kenda XC tires but without a specific model. The rims are 30mm internal width to hold some pretty beefy tires. The brakes are Shimano MT200s, which I’ve seen on $3k+ bikes, so you should have no issues stopping.

drivetrain

The Summit 1 comes with an 8-speed Shimano Altus rear derailleur. This derailleur doesn’t have a built in clutch, but it is going to be super reliable (and upgradeable).

battery & options

The Summit 1 has a 14.7 aH Samsung battery and is ipx7 certified, while the whole bike is ipx6 certified. So you don’t have to be worried if you go splashing through a low-water crossing… or just rinsing it off after a great day on the trails. Velotric claim a range up to 70 miles.

accessories

The app on this bike is fantastic. It makes this bike fully customizable with presets to get you riding in a hurry. This bike can also be set up as a class 1, 2, or 3. As a reminder, class 3: 28mph + throttle. Class 2: 28mph no throttle. Class 1: 20mph no throttle. My local trails are class 1 only, and I was pleased with how easy it was to remove the throttle, and set the top speed in the app to 20mph, making me fully compliant. This bike has “Apple Find My” built in, so you can track it whether you let a friend borrow it… or if someone borrows it unannounced you can get it back. This bike has an optional rear rack so you can commute or bike pack, wherever the adventure takes you.

conclusion

The Summit 1 is an entry level bike at a really solid price point that is just begging for down-the-line upgrades. I was really impressed with the ride quality and playfulness of this bike because I really didn’t know how an $1,800 EMTB with a rear hub motor was going to perform. If you’re interested in purchasing the Summit 1 from Velotric, I’d really appreciate it if you used my link. It doesn’t cost you any extra, but it really helps out my channel. https://velotricebike.pxf.io/q4d7vg

for starters

MHS stands for Modular Hitch System, meaning that there is a lot of versatility in this system. The rack in this video is the Saris MHS Single Bike tray on the 1+1 base with the Duo tray design. This rack is $549 in this setup and can be expanded to a two-bike rack for around $350 more.

rack ratings

• Duo tray holds up to a 5-inch (127mm) wide tire – Uno is 3 inches (76mm)
• Uno tray will handle up to a 50-inch (127cm) wheelbase – Duo is 53″ (134.6cm)
• Will hold a wheel anywhere from 29er (700c) down to a 20″
• 115 lbs (45.3 kg) max weight when attached properly to a vehicle (1+1 version)
• ***RV Certified*** when equipped with Duo trays. Max weight varies by base, check the website for specifications.

ease of use

The arms on the Duo are one hand operation. They have a ratchet mechanism as you lock in your bike, and there is a squeeze trigger to open it back up. The wheel size adjustment is tool-less and operates similar to a thru-axle on a bike, but the sizes are not labeled so a little trial and error may be necessary. Cable locks are integrated into the tray and keyed the same as the hitch pin lock. Triggered handle allows rack to tilt down out of the way for tailgate/liftgate access.

accessories

• Light kit for tail lights, brakes, and turn signals.
• E-bike ramp

For starters

The Lynx Plus has both a cadence sensor and a torque sensor. There is great debate in the world of e-bikes as to which is “better” and I’d say it’s a matter of preference. I’ve talked at great length with my buddies and on this channel about the benefits of both. Well, this bike doesn’t make you choose. You can toggle back and forth between the two modes on the fly by holding down the plus button on the control pad.

motor power

The Lynx Plus is powered by a Bafang rear hub motor. This motor is a 48 volt 750 watt name brand work horse, which is one of the things I really liked about the Troxus Explorer I reviewed last year.

brakes & tires

The Lynx Plus comes equipped with pretty knobby 20″ Kenda fat tires (4″ wide). I’ve been impressed with Kenda over the past couple of years, so I’m happy to see that. If you’ve watched the channel, or read many of my reviews, you know I’m loving Tektro brakes. This bike has 2 piston Tektros with 180mm rotors on the front and 160mm rotors on the rear and a motor cutoff switch.

drivetrain

The Lynx Plus has an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain. The rear derailleur is a Shimano Altus. I love seeing consistent use of components on a drivetrain, and I’m happy to see full Shimano on this bike.

battery & options

The 20 amp hour 48 volt battery is made from Samsung cells. Troxus claims this will take you up to 90 miles on a single charge. The 3 amp charger should be able to provide a full charge in around 6-7 hours.

accessories

The Lynx Plus has a built in headlight and taillight (plus reflectors). The taillight also acts as a brake light and has built in turn signals. The color display is large, conveniently located, and bright enough to see in the daytime. The super sturdy rear rack is rated for 100 lbs. (and it looks great), and the included fenders are metal instead of plastic.

conclusion

This bike is really nice. It fits right in with every other Troxus bike I’ve ridden. They really feel like a quality brand. I think this is going to be a great bike for somebody who wants something that’s easy to mount and ride, is maneuverable, isn’t super heavy while still having the utility of a fat tire e-bike, and has great range. This bike is a little more expensive than its competitors, but I think the quality is there to back it up. If you’d like to purchase this, or any other Troxus, I’d really appreciate it if you’d use my links. It doesn’t cost you any extra, and it really helps out my channel.

Troxus Link : https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2127166&u=3657928&m=130011&urllink=&afftrack=&v=si9_HeLOaEc

design and comfort

The E-Scout Pro comes with a hydraulic front fork, but more crucial to smoothing the ride on this bike is the 4″ wide fat tires. The cockpit has a thumb throttle, ergonomic lock-on grips, your pedal assist module and a beautiful color display. I tested each of these e-bikes on a 19% downhill coast test and at 40 mph (64 kmh) this 82 lb. bike felt super stable.

motor power

The E-Scout Pro has a 750 watt rear hub motor capable of carrying you out to the woods at up to 28 miles per hour with 5 different pedal assist levels. This bike did great on my standard 19% grade hill climb test.

Drivetrain

The E-Scout Pro has a 7-speed drivetrain with Shimano shifters.

battery and options

Young claims the E-Scout Pro will take you up to 80 miles on a single charge. This 20Ah LG cell battery is stored in the downtube and is fully removable. They claim a 6 hour charge time with the provided 3A 48V charger. The battery can be charged while installed or separate from the bike.

accessories

This bike came with fenders and a rear rack. The rack is rated to hold 55 lbs. (25 kg) of gear, so you can feel confident carrying all of your stuff out to your hunting site. The bike itself is rated up to 330 lbs (150kg) of rider weight.

conclusion

Overall, I really like this bike. If you want to pick one of these up for yourself, I would really appreciate if you used my links. It doesn’t cost you any extra and it really helps out my channel. https://youngelectricbikes.com/discount/MikePro-freelock

for starters

If you’ve followed my channel, you know I’ve already reviewed the T6, T7, and T8 (click for my Polygon Playlist), as well as filmed some upgrade videos for those looking for a budget build. This Siskiu T9 feels familiar, and yet totally different at the same time. At this $2,700 price point, it competes well against its own siblings even for the budget conscious. As for similarly spec’d bikes? It blows the competition away.

frame and general specs

The frame is the same across all the Siskiu T models. The changes start coming with the level of components spec’d on each bike. The rear triangle is attached by a Single Pivot rear suspension. The seat tube angle is 77 degrees and the head tube angle is 65 degrees. All these elements make this bike feel super stable on downhills and quit comfortable and efficient on climbs. All models come with 780mm bars and a 35mm stem. This Siskiu T9 comes with a TranzX dropper post (150mm on the S-M & 170mm on the L-XL).

drivetrain

The Siskiu T9 comes with a 1×12 drivetrain. Shifters, rear derailleur, crank arms, and 32T chainring are all Shimano Deore XT. The cassette is a 10-51 Shimano Deore M6100. The chain is a KMC chain. The rear derailleur does have a clutch built in to give you that super quiet ride. If you want a full Shimano drivetrain, you just have to swap out the chain. That said, I’ve been riding KMC chains on a lot of the bikes that I’ve reviewed over the last year, and I don’t have any complaints.

brakes

This bike is sporting my favorite brake brand from this last year – TRP. This bike has TRP DHR EVO 4-piston hydraulic brakes and 180mm rotors. These are probably the best brakes I have ever used – even better than my 4-piston Shimano brakes on my emtb. The reach, lever pull, adjustability, and stopping power are just phenomenal.

Suspension

The front fork is a FOX 36 Performance Elite and the rear shock is a FOX Float X Performance. Now, let me be brutally honest for a second. This is the most high end setup that I have ever ridden, and all of the different adjustment possibilities on the front fork can add a lot of complication. I took the time to go to FOX’s website to read about the proper setup and it was so helpful. I dialed everything in prior to my trip to Bentonville and it rode buttery smooth. Travel on the front is 140mm and the rear is 135mm, and that’s the same across the whole Siskiu line.

tires

The Siskiu T9 comes tubeless ready, you just need to purchase some tubeless valves and sealant. My Siskiu T9 came with Maxxis 2.6″ wide and they sealed up super fast. With these 2.6″ tires, I’ve noticed som rubbing on the rear seat stay. If I kept this bike longterm, I’d probably get some less aggressive tires.

click here to buy your own Polygon

If you like what you’ve read and you’re looking to get your own Polygon, I’d really appreciate it if you used my links. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it really helps out my channel.

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• Buy your T6 Here: https://bikesonline-usa.sjv.io/LXdaAo

For starters

I have been looking for a single bike rack for a few years now. I’ve been using a Kuat Huck tailgate pad for about a year and a half, and it’s worked great. It will hold up to five bikes, and costs less than $400.

Lately

I’ve been reviewing a lot of e-bikes on my channel and more specifically, fat tire e-bikes. Some of these fat tire e-bikes can weigh up to 90 pounds. That’s a lot to lift up over a tailgate pad. Also, the vast majority of the time when I ride, even if I’m riding with other people, I’m leaving from my house solo. So, a solo bike rack is perfect for me.

Kuat Piston SR build

This rack was originally designed as a roof rack, but there is a hitch mount that can be purchased to make this a single bike rack. The tray just bolts on to the hitch mount with four bolts. One lever press opens the mounting arms and reveals the Kashima coated pistons. This one-handed action is what sets this rack apart from the competition, and that simplicity carries over to the wheel size selection which is one-handed and requires zero tools.

Rack Ratings

• Trough holds up to a 5-inch (127mm) wide tire
• Rack arms will handle up to a 53-inch (134.6cm) wheelbase
• Will hold a wheel anywhere from 29er (700c) down to a 20″
• 100 lbs (45.3 kg) max weight when attached properly to a vehicle
• ***RV Certified*** max weight 67 lbs (30.4 kg)

E-bike Ramp

Requires the removal of one of the piston arm bump stops (7mm hex). Rack arm will fold down out of the way. Ramp is adjustable in length and tightens with thumb screws. Hooks on to the end of the rack to allow easy roll-up of heavy bikes, or simpler loading for the disabled community of riders.

In Conclusion

This Kuat rack is super stable and super premium. This particular single rack is not for everyone, but it is my ideal setup. I still have the tailgate pad when I need to haul multiple bikes, but having a single rack that is super compact and easy to load and unload is really nice to have. I’m a big believer that the easier you make it to do things, the more likely you are to do those things. So, hopefully a well-made, easy to use rack gets you to the trails more frequently. Again, I’d really appreciate it if you watched the embedded video review above and please go check out the Kuat products using my affiliate link. https://alnk.to/bPcwgiC

Suspension

The T6 is equipped with a 140mm Rock Shox Silver front fork. It is tried and true and a great entry level air fork. We get 135mm of travel in the rear from an X Fusion shock which also has rebound adjustment.

Drivetrain

On to another tried and true piece of equipment. The T6 is sporting a full Shimano Deore 1×10 drivetrain, and the rear derailleur has a clutch for that ultra quiet ride. Of course, the 10 speed cassette can be limiting on climbs.

Tires and Wheels

Tires are from VeeTire Co. They’re 2.5 inches wide and tubeless ready. The rims boast a 35mm internal width and are also tubeless ready. The wheels are the same as what comes on the T7 and T8. So, all you’ll need are tubeless valves and some sealant to instantly drop 1 – 1.5 pounds (2.2 – 3.3 kg) on your new ride.

BRAKES

Shimano MT-201 supplies your stopping power which is probably the most widely used mtb setup on the market right now. I’ve used it across several different bikes on this channel over the last few years and it has never failed me once. The rotors are 180mm on the front and rear, and it comes stock with resin pads.

The size large bike that I’m riding comes with a TranzX 170mm dropper. As was the case with the wheels, this is the same equipment they’re using all the way up to the T8. You usually don’t see droppers at this price point, and while I like the post… the lever is just okay.

FInal Thoughts

The frame on the T6 is the same as the T7 and T8. The big differences are the overall quality of parts between the models and the step from a 10 speed drivetrain on the T6 to a 12 speed drivetrain on the T7 and T8.

This bike is not future proof (no bike is) because it doesn’t have the UDH that SRAM developed, so you won’t be able to put SRAM transmission on it. That said, the setup on this bike is the industry standard, and you can walk into any bike shop for replacement parts or upgrades. This bike is extremely upgradeable… as you start to wear out parts you can buy better parts and even fully upgrade the drivetrain from a 1×10 to a 1×12. So, if it’s a small initial investment you seek, with the ability to improve later, this might be your answer.

And if you decide to buy a Polygon, I’d really appreciate it if you used my link. It really helps out my channel, and it doesn’t cost you anything extra.