Hello Goodbye Kona Ute
Posted: June 7, 2010 Filed under: 5. Alt Transportation | Tags: car replacement bicycle, electric cargo bike, electric longtail, electric ute, kona electric ute 11 Comments »
Said goodbye to last year’s newly non-electrified Ute; felt good about it as it clearly went to a good home. Nearby photo is the new owner on his inaugural grocery run with kiddo in tow. Awesome!
And said hello to my new Electric Ute, the official new electric cargo bike from Kona. First impressions:
- I like the pedal assist system (PAS). No more throttle, just a semi-smart computer that sense when you need assistance. It guesses correctly 80% of the time, which is a good enough trade off for me. I like the simplified setup of no throttle.
- The PAS takes a bit to get used to if you are coming off a throttle experience, as you feel a definite lack of exact control for the timing of the power output. If you are coming from a normal bike experience, you’ll be thrilled the first time the PAS kicks in.
- Great battery life (boy, I hope this continues). Made two trips back/forth to town on a single charge, with ample charge left.
- Recharging is simple. With the lousy eZee kit, you really had to remove the entire battery to take to the recharger. On the Electric Ute, the battery stay in place and you simply plug in a cord from the wall.
- The architecture is almost identical to the original Ute, just ~ 2CM taller. I’ll have to make slight tweaks to my stoker bars for my seven year old, but that’s it.
The only downside I can think of to the new Electric Ute is the lack of a front disc brake. I love everything else on this bike.
Highly recommended as a car replacement vehicle.
Congratulations to both you and the new owner of your old ride! And thanks for the first impressions on the Electric Ute. I also like the pedal assist system on my bike as opposed to the throttle control. But because of the hills in my neighborhood and my priceless cargo (two kids going downhill), I would be concerned about that front brake. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences. Motor noise?
Zero motor noise, but I agree on the front brake. A regular brake feels sketchy after riding with dual disc brakes in our winter rain for 10 years.
Thanks Don, I am loving the Ute and the new freedom I have to leave the car at home. Does the power assist not allow a disc hub on the front wheel of the electric ute? That’s a bummer since I agree based on only a few short rides with 40 to 50 pounds of cargo plus my daugher, the front disc does a great job of stopping the load.
No, the way Kona did their electric hub in the front does not allow for a disc brake to be added aftermarket. I’m already missing a front disc and can see a significant difference in braking power. Loaded with dog food, chicken feed, and a seven year old means you *really* have to anticipate when to begin braking.
That’s too bad. Hey I meant to ask you what your estimated maximum load has been. Like you I own chickens and at some point will try the chicken feed run on the ute. With 50 pounds of groceries I notice a fair amount of sway, but I don’t know if it’s from the frame flex or rear wheel. I could see trying up to three 50 pound bags, two strapped tightly to the sides and one on top and then choose a route home with few hills.
Yes, you’ll get alot more sway when loaded. I found it best to actually load more so I could distribute the weight evenly. Got alot more sway with one 50# bag on one side…than two 50# bags with one on each side. The most I’ve hauled was 100# of feed (50# each side) + a random 20# box of stuff on the top rack. Actually, I think the manure loads were heavier than that, but they were on a separate trailer with a very low center of gravity.
Thanks for the info. More than 100 pounds might be asking for trouble anyway especially considering the 36 spoke rear wheel and somewhat high center of gravity of the bike. I’m going to try to come up with some kind of detachable side loader system to get the load lower to the ground. Also without the electic assist there’s surely going to be a limit on how much I can physically manage to move with the bike. All of the feed stores are on either side of long steep hills that I would have to climb back up loaded.
Great looking new wheels! Such a great option for alternative transport.
I’m working on a new cargo bike and instead of disc breaks I plan on using hydraulic rim breaks. Magura HS33 breaks would probably work on the front of your ute. Because of the exchange rate the best place to get them is from europe, try wiggle.uk (they are made in Germany).
I had a mountain bike with a set and they work great.
Thanks, Steve!
[...] was this last reason that really pushed me to sell off Kona’s Electric Ute and purchase a used electric bicycle from a friend (home-built eZee kit on a mid-range Marin). My [...]