2013 Stealth Fighter

[SamM]

Just picked up a used 2012 Stealth Fighter 3kW electric bicycle. I am the third owner of the bike. It was originally purchased by a mother in Louisiana for her son, as a graduation present. He crashed it with 6 miles on it and would not ride it anymore. She sold the bike to a gentlemen in Ohio. I bought it from him.

The bike has been upgraded with a 26" front wheel, Shimano Saint disc brake calipers, bigger rotors and Fox RC2 forks. It also has a Schlumpf 2-speed crank drive with a 1.65:1 higher speed overdrive gear. The battery only has 42 charge cycles and the bike has 642 miles on it. Not bad.

These bikes are fairly expensive. The original purchase price of this bike was $8100 shipped from Australia. I was happy to find a used bike to purchase for less than half the price new. My next bike could quite possibly be a Qulbix Raptor. It is built in Slovenia. I'd like that bike to have a 80kph top speed with at least an 80km range. The Fighter is a 60kph/60km bike. It will go 35 miles and has a 35mph top speed. However, it will not do 35 miles at 35mph. The battery will drain, pretty quickly at that speed.

My plan is to use this bike to rehab my knee. Up until now, I have been using my 2007 Diamondback XTR in the living room with a Max Trainer. The Stealth will give me a much needed change of scenery and some fresh air. It will get some new paint and cleaned up. It's in need of some maintenance and the batteries need massaged a little before Winter. I may also add a derailleur and a 7-speed rear gearset to the hub motor.

EDIT: My Stealth Fighter is actually a 2012 model. Just to clarify. It does have all the 2013 upgrades, which effectively makes it a 2013 model.

SamM

[SamM]

Selling my Zongshen will finance a new GoPro camera for me. Hopefully, I can post a few videos before the weather turns here.

SamM

[SamM]

My hitch mounted motorcycle carrier needs cut down just a little, so that the bike fits a little better on it. I'll be taking the Fighter to the Overland Expo in Asheville, NC next month. I hope to do a little riding and maybe even an off-road course with it.

SamM

[Weldangrind]

Have you taken it for a spin yet?

[SamM]

Just got back from a 4 mile ride to show a friend and I test rode it Tuesday. This thing is pretty quick. I am very impressed with it. The Schlumpf drive is AWESOME. You can petal in high gear up to about 30mph. After that you can't keep up with the motor. Ghost petaling is all that is possible over 30mph.

I feel like Superman riding it. Of course, Superman doesn't need a bike. We all know that! But I feel as if, I can defy the laws of physics with this bike. I know that I can't petal a 75lb bicycle at 35mph up a gravel road with a steep grade but yet, I just did! This thing is super-cool! Too much fun! It should be outlawed.

When the battery dies, I will upgrade it. I bought some cool parts for it today. A 700 Lumen Ion headlight, a rear flashing light and had a tire mounted. Tomorrow, it will be fitted for a RoxShok hydraulic adjustable seat post and I'll buy a wider more comfortable seat. The guys at the bike shop can't wait to see it. They were drooling over the pictures on my iPhone.

My buddy Greg said that it was the coolest thing, he'd ever seen! Honestly, I have to agree. No gas, plug it in for 2 hours and away you go. You are not going across the country on it, but I don't do that. If I can talk Barnes & Noble into letting me charge it when I am there, I'm golden!

I love it! Awesome bike. I will probably save up for the Stealth Bomber for the longer range and high speed petaling capability but if not for that this bike would serve me well. It may stay as my trail bike.

SamM

[Weldangrind]

Two hour charge time! Any idea how long a charge will last at 20mph? Does it have regenerative braking?

I'm starting to geek out over this bike.

[cheesy]

Schulmpf drive, I'm swooning. Cool looking ride.

+1 on getting some change of scenery during rehab. It can put you in a whole better frame of mind.

[SamM]

Weldandgrind,
I LOVE THIS THING! More fun that should be allowed and the best thing that I have ever bought. I sound like a broken record!

At 20mph I can still petal the bike. The range with petaling at 20mph, should even exceed the estimated total 35 mile range of the bike. I had the bike out today and took it to a local bike shop. The owner took it for a spin. He came roaring passed a crowd of people with a smile that would not stop. He couldn't stop smiling and thanking me for bringing it by. He said it was the coolest bike he had ever ridden. He said that I could bring it by anytime. I did buy a few parts from them over the past few days, about $200 worth and I ordered a new RockShox adjustable hydraulic seat post for the bike. They also mounted a tire for me. Everybody, except my old riding buddies like the bike. Not everyone gets it and I'm ok with that. I like it and I'm having a great time with it. I plan to take it out tomorrow and check the range.

Yes, it does have regenerative braking. It's quite a hit when you push the button. Meaning it slows you considerably. I only use it on steep descents. This thing is awesome on trails. I've had it through the yard and I can tell that it would be killer on tight singletrack trails.

Most people do not understand, why I want to petal at high speed. For me this is a bicycle, if I can't petal what is the point of having petals. Using it is a workout and I want that. The electric motor should be like an assist. I don't want it to do everything. I want to be a part of getting there, if you know what I mean. Today, I rode it from the bike shop about 3 miles through traffic and beat my wife to the restaurant for lunch. About 25 to 30mph petaling all the way. You should have seen the looks I got. People do not know what it is and as I said before, I feel like Superman because I can break the laws of physics with it.

I'd really like to have the Stealth Bomber. I will post a picture of the red Bomber that I want to buy. This bike has a top speed of 50mph and can be petaled at 50mph. The Bomber is the more expensive big brother to the Fighter. It has a range of 50 miles. I love the Bomber but it requires much more maintenance than a Fighter. It has a VBoxx 9-speed planetary gearbox. Very cool and very expensive. Check the petal location and the sprocket location in the picture. The Bomber costs $14,000 with the pictured upgrades. Several Bomber owners have contacted me and told me that I purchased the best bike, when I bought the 2012 Stealth Fighter. The newer version has a new computer that will not allow upgrades. Mine does not have that new computer. These people do not care to petal at 50mph. With a new motor, a new controller and a bigger battery pack, my bike would out perform a Bomber. Not cheap but much cheaper than a new Bomber. My Fighter weighs 75lbs. A new Bomber weighs 116lbs. The Fighter weighs less and is easier to handle on single track bike trails, that's why everyone likes it better. It will really be a toss up as to what I will do. Saving money for a new bike is priority one for me now. When the 6kW or 6.5kW version of the Bomber comes out, I want to be ready. It should have a 60 to 70mph top speed and a much higher range. With petaling that is all I need. Technology is moving pretty fast with these bikes. Sales will only get better. But not everyone will be spending $14,000 on a bicycle. Of course, that price includes better MRP forks from White Power, a much better rear shock, Magura MT8 disc brakes and several other upgrades. A regular Bomber could be purchased for around $9500USD. Air Freight shipping from Australia is between $200 and $300.

cheesy,
The Schlumpf drive is wicked cool. Click the button with your heel and you can change the gear ratio through the complete range of gears. On a regular bike this would be like having a 2-speed transmission. All this is contained in the bottom bracket of the bike and is independent of the normal shifters and gears on the rear axle. It effectively doubles the gears in your bike. My bike only has one gear but it does help quite a bit. I can petal it slow around the yard with no electric on and then click the button and twist the throttle up to 30mph with constant petaling. It's awesome to use. The Stealth Bomber does not have the Schlumpf drive. It is only available on the Fighter.

Glad you like it! It's really cool to be able to have something like this. I am very fortunate and blessed to have found one for such a great deal.

SamM

[SamM]

Another bike that is very interesting is the Qulbix Raptor. This bike is made in Slovenia. It has a significantly lower cost associated with it, mainly because you by the frame, swing arm and seat post mount as a kit. The rest of the components can be purchased separately and you can build from mild to wild if you like. The Raptor frame kit costs $1600 shipped from Europe.

A very nice high-performance bike could be built using this kit. The frame can be modified at the factory for the Schlumpf drive. It takes a special tool to make this modification.

SamM

[SamM]

A new Raptor rolling chassis. The start of a very nice bike. This frame kit was just released in August 2014.

SamM

[cheesy]

I had to look up that Vboxx transmission, I thought it was a planetary hub that slipped under my radar. I have a dozen bikes in my garage and all but three have gear hubs. Very cool unit but a bit pudgy at 10lbs. Still, that's 10lbs on the frame and not on the wheels, also an e-bike so the weight is basically negated.

If Adler could have only known what they started 70 years ago. They produced a line of bicycles with a sliding gear three speed bottom bracket.

Keep us posted, it's pretty interesting.

[SamM]

I could have mentioned the V-boxx was made by Suntour. I had never heard of it before researching the Stealth. It's only available to the OEM and a few use them on regular bicycles. Cool tech but heavy, as you said.

I would love to build an eBike with a Schlumpf drive used in conjunction with a Rohloff rear hub. It would require a mid-mount drive but it is doable.

More later! I'm planning a huge ride today, after church this morning.

SamM

[Weldangrind]

60 to 70mph on a Bomber! That's faster than I'd care to go on MTB-style wheels.

When you say a mid-mount drive, would that be like a jackshaft? I'm struggling to visualize what you mean.

[SamM]

A mid-mount or mid-drive is where the electric motor or motors are mounted. Such as the bike shown below. The big push now is to use high-powered RC motors and batteries in a dual motor configuration. People are doing it with great success. It takes less power but the trade-off is range. Someday, the mid-drive will be the way to go. Technology is moving fast.

The 60 to 70mph top speeds are not sustained speeds. Just short bursts. I'd just like to have the capability not that I would use it much.

SamM

[cheesy]

Hmmm......a Schlumpf 2 speed in conjunction with a 14 speed Rohloff Speedhub? Gonna take out a second mortgage?

I wonder how a Schlumpf/NuVinci would work out?