Electric bikes for kids

[CrashMW]

I am not sure where to post this, I did post under electric bikes in special interests, but there is not much traffic there...What I am really looking for is if anyone has experience with the Pitster XJ electric...as I am interested in purchasing that bike, even though they are several months out. Supposedly Pitster has sold hundreds of them already...but I cannot find any reviews anywhere.

 

Kuberg, Oset, Pitster...

these are the choices I am looking at.

I actually have the Kuberg Start, which is a 24V, beginners bike, but it is having it's issues...Or I should say that I am having issues with it. I am hoping that Kuberg support steps up and starts to help out.

 

So I have an OSET 12.5 coming to me...I asked to be put on a waiting list, and the next thing I know is that it is shipping to me. Huh!!! But at $1400, this is a pretty steep price to pay for a kid that will outgrow the bike in a year or two. The Kuberg came in at about $300 less...

 

The I stumbled upon the Pitster XJ Electric, which looks like a really nice bike. I know it is Chinese, but I happen to have a Pitster X4R from 5 plus years ago, and it has exceeded my expectations by a country mile. Sure, I could be facing rust and corrosion problems if I was a ride it and put it away wet sort of guy, but I do take some care of my stuff. Wash after riding, and wipe down with WD40 or similar has extended the life of many inferior nuts/bolts, and exposed surfaces. IF you saw the bike, you would never guess it was over 5 years old, and it is only on it's second set of plastics, and is stored under a lean to (not garaged).

The price on that XJE looks very tempting at half the cost of the Kuberg, and almost 1/3 the cost of the Oset.

 

Here is what I have learned with the Kuberg.

Kids simply cannot compress the suspension of a bike at that age. (at least on the Kuberg). My daughter is 4.5yo (33lbs) and she has ridden the bike for about 2.5 of the bikes 3 hours of riding time, and the whole "quality welds, build, etc" stuff is looking way over rated. 

Brakes...While tripoding to a stop is how they will start learning, they really do need a brake system that functions. The Kuberg has a front V-brake which is actually useable, and a rear band brake that is completely useless. I mean, neither my son (3yo) or daughter can budge the lever unless they are using both hands, and even then I suspect that the movement of that lever is having little to no effect on the rear wheel -meaning even if it were feasible to put both hands on the left side handbrake, they would not be slowing the bike. This is a HUGE mis.

Oset supplies their bikes with front and rear disc brakes which is a winner. Discs, even mechanical discs are easily tunable and there are tons of levers to choose from to further tune the brakes, never mind pads and compounds to choose from.

The XJE actually has mech discs.

 

Some background on the Kuberg. This bike was "unveiled" on my son's 3rd birthday Christmas week. I originally purchased it in November, so had to store for over a month it until his birthday. The idea when I was first looking at these bikes in October was to help him and my girl learn to ride their bikes without training wheels. Well, at that same time, they both started riding bikes (without training wheels) but I figured the powered bike would be used even more now that they had some confidence on bicycles.

So we take the bike out on his b-day and ride around the yard (dirt and gravel with lots of space) and I have the bike set to about 3-4mph top speed to keep them from any WFO moments, when right in front of my eyes, I see a WFO moment, and hear the motor running up past 10mph! &%$#@!??? So I adjust the bike down again using the potentiometer and find that the pot is only 1/4 turn from fully turned CCW (which is slowest)...but the bike is still running way faster than it should be. So I jump on, and the bike proceeds to accelerate with me on it to about 10mph or just shy of it. So I give it to my daughter and tell her to be very careful with the throttle. So off she goes, and gets a couple hundred yards away and she just stops. I tell he to go, and turn the throttle, and she is still sitting there. I am thinking, she must have been spooked perhaps, so off I go jogging to the bike to talk to her, and it turns out that she is wfo and the bike is not moving. Hmm! Ok, so the bike is back to the way it was when I originally set it. So about a 1/4 turn CW and the bike sounds like it did when the top speed was 3-4mph. And off she goes again, smiling -huge smiles. For about 5 minutes, when the devil inside the bike comes back out and another WFO moment comes. Lucky for me and her, she was able to bring it back down as she was going straight at the time, but had she been turning, she would have had her first soil sample, and on gravel, it would not have been pretty (even with gear on).

So, because of the Jekyll and Hyde behavior of the bike, we have to reluctantly put the bike away. Not that hard to do as both kids were pretty freaked out.

So now I am faced with only letting the kids ride in grass parks because the bike is dangerous. And I am not saying it is not dangerous on grass, just that the damage to be incurred is substantially reduced as grass acts as a natural brake, as well as a soft landing.

So it has been almost 4 weeks and my son is afraid of the bike...a bike I purchased solely to prevent such happenings. After all, a 24V bike pulls very hard if left ungoverned. And I am certain that with confidence, I will be turning the speed controller to fully CW for full power, but not if I cannot get them comfortable first.

FWIW, the first 5 minutes, and the intermittent times when the bike is operating as it should, I am very impressed with it. The governer does not affect the throttle at all. you still have full use of the throttle. Give it a little throttle, and you gradually creep up to the set speed. Wack the throttle wide open, and you have 3-4mph instantly (and not a single MPH more). Until Jekyll shows up that is, then the performance is the same, only with more power at the top end. Meaning partial throttle is based upon what the speed setting is. So partial throttle is still partial, but if you are not smooth, the bike will pull right past 3mph, making for some oh shit moments for 3 and 4 year olds.

 

Anyway, I will update...I am supposed to be receiving a replacement potentiometer any day now and will know if that solves the issue shortly..

[CapCityPit]

I am not sure where to post this, I did post under electric bikes in special interests, but there is not much traffic there...What I am really looking for is if anyone has experience with the Pitster XJ electric...as I am interested in purchasing that bike, even though they are several months out. Supposedly Pitster has sold hundreds of them already...but I cannot find any reviews anywhere.

Kuberg, Oset, Pitster...

these are the choices I am looking at.

I actually have the Kuberg Start, which is a 24V, beginners bike, but it is having it's issues...Or I should say that I am having issues with it. I am hoping that Kuberg support steps up and starts to help out.

So I have an OSET 12.5 coming to me...I asked to be put on a waiting list, and the next thing I know is that it is shipping to me. Huh!!! But at $1400, this is a pretty steep price to pay for a kid that will outgrow the bike in a year or two. The Kuberg came in at about $300 less...

The I stumbled upon the Pitster XJ Electric, which looks like a really nice bike. I know it is Chinese, but I happen to have a Pitster X4R from 5 plus years ago, and it has exceeded my expectations by a country mile. Sure, I could be facing rust and corrosion problems if I was a ride it and put it away wet sort of guy, but I do take some care of my stuff. Wash after riding, and wipe down with WD40 or similar has extended the life of many inferior nuts/bolts, and exposed surfaces. IF you saw the bike, you would never guess it was over 5 years old, and it is only on it's second set of plastics, and is stored under a lean to (not garaged).

The price on that XJE looks very tempting at half the cost of the Kuberg, and almost 1/3 the cost of the Oset.

Here is what I have learned with the Kuberg.

Kids simply cannot compress the suspension of a bike at that age. (at least on the Kuberg). My daughter is 4.5yo (33lbs) and she has ridden the bike for about 2.5 of the bikes 3 hours of riding time, and the whole "quality welds, build, etc" stuff is looking way over rated.

Brakes...While tripoding to a stop is how they will start learning, they really do need a brake system that functions. The Kuberg has a front V-brake which is actually useable, and a rear band brake that is completely useless. I mean, neither my son (3yo) or daughter can budge the lever unless they are using both hands, and even then I suspect that the movement of that lever is having little to no effect on the rear wheel -meaning even if it were feasible to put both hands on the left side handbrake, they would not be slowing the bike. This is a HUGE mis.

Oset supplies their bikes with front and rear disc brakes which is a winner. Discs, even mechanical discs are easily tunable and there are tons of levers to choose from to further tune the brakes, never mind pads and compounds to choose from.

The XJE actually has mech discs.

Some background on the Kuberg. This bike was "unveiled" on my son's 3rd birthday Christmas week. I originally purchased it in November, so had to store for over a month it until his birthday. The idea when I was first looking at these bikes in October was to help him and my girl learn to ride their bikes without training wheels. Well, at that same time, they both started riding bikes (without training wheels) but I figured the powered bike would be used even more now that they had some confidence on bicycles.

So we take the bike out on his b-day and ride around the yard (dirt and gravel with lots of space) and I have the bike set to about 3-4mph top speed to keep them from any WFO moments, when right in front of my eyes, I see a WFO moment, and hear the motor running up past 10mph! &%$#@!??? So I adjust the bike down again using the potentiometer and find that the pot is only 1/4 turn from fully turned CCW (which is slowest)...but the bike is still running way faster than it should be. So I jump on, and the bike proceeds to accelerate with me on it to about 10mph or just shy of it. So I give it to my daughter and tell her to be very careful with the throttle. So off she goes, and gets a couple hundred yards away and she just stops. I tell he to go, and turn the throttle, and she is still sitting there. I am thinking, she must have been spooked perhaps, so off I go jogging to the bike to talk to her, and it turns out that she is wfo and the bike is not moving. Hmm! Ok, so the bike is back to the way it was when I originally set it. So about a 1/4 turn CW and the bike sounds like it did when the top speed was 3-4mph. And off she goes again, smiling -huge smiles. For about 5 minutes, when the devil inside the bike comes back out and another WFO moment comes. Lucky for me and her, she was able to bring it back down as she was going straight at the time, but had she been turning, she would have had her first soil sample, and on gravel, it would not have been pretty (even with gear on).

So, because of the Jekyll and Hyde behavior of the bike, we have to reluctantly put the bike away. Not that hard to do as both kids were pretty freaked out.

So now I am faced with only letting the kids ride in grass parks because the bike is dangerous. And I am not saying it is not dangerous on grass, just that the damage to be incurred is substantially reduced as grass acts as a natural brake, as well as a soft landing.

So it has been almost 4 weeks and my son is afraid of the bike...a bike I purchased solely to prevent such happenings. After all, a 24V bike pulls very hard if left ungoverned. And I am certain that with confidence, I will be turning the speed controller to fully CW for full power, but not if I cannot get them comfortable first.

FWIW, the first 5 minutes, and the intermittent times when the bike is operating as it should, I am very impressed with it. The governer does not affect the throttle at all. you still have full use of the throttle. Give it a little throttle, and you gradually creep up to the set speed. Wack the throttle wide open, and you have 3-4mph instantly (and not a single MPH more). Until Jekyll shows up that is, then the performance is the same, only with more power at the top end. Meaning partial throttle is based upon what the speed setting is. So partial throttle is still partial, but if you are not smooth, the bike will pull right past 3mph, making for some oh shit moments for 3 and 4 year olds.

Anyway, I will update...I am supposed to be receiving a replacement potentiometer any day now and will know if that solves the issue shortly..

those prices are ridiculous... Buy a pw50 and call it a day. If the kids are scared of the tiny amount of noise that comes out of that bike they don't have enough confidence to even be touching a motorized bike. The scary thing on electric bikes is they accelerate extremely fast with no noise accompanied by it where as a child can hear the gas motor revving hard and throttle off. Just my opinion, take it with a grain of salt.

[CrashMW]

I should have gone into WHY the e bikes some....

The kids are under 40" tall. They both can ride bicycles, and they both want to ride...

I already have a CRF50, but the seat height is closer to 22-23", and the bike weighs 110#s.

The PW50, which I do not have, has a seat height of 19" which does not work for my son, and it weighs 90#s (which might work for my daughter).

 

Of course, you could make the argument that if they cannot lift the bike, or respect the top speed, then they should not be riding...but that is where the e bikes come in.

They weight all of 45lbs, and have a true top speed governor, not a throttle limiter like the gas bikes. So they can twist the throttle all day long on a straight and still not exceed the governed speed, whereas a gas bike with a throttle limiter can still hit some pretty high speeds...given enough room.

Then there is the issue of hot exhausts...I am certain that more than few times there have been riding careers ended when young riders fall and have a hot pipe brand their skin. Kids this young do not have the awareness to get out from under a bike immediately after they have fallen, and by the time that they realize that something is hurting, they are already seriously burned. Perhaps by the time they are 5-6 years old, they will learn these lessons, but I am only trying to introduce them to my passion in the safest possible way that I can, so that they can share my passion. Never mind that kids at this age fall in some very odd positions, and would likely not be able to lift the bike off themselves even if they tried.

The ebikes are a gateway to real bikes, not a substitute. They can learn some valuable skills on ebikes -such as standing while riding, throttle control, braking etc, and do so in their own yard without irritating neighbors and the like.

Try taking a gas powered minibike to a park with grass, and cops will likely show up before you know it. Take an ebike and people want to know what it is...

Trust me, the kids have the confidence to "touch a motorized bike" as you say...that does not mean that I have the confidence in them to do so...even so, the CRF50 is there for the day they can get at least one foot down if they want it. If you have kids and think something is safe because your kids think it is safe, then you may not be a parent all that long. That is part of parenting, teaching them and keeping them safe from harm -even when they REALLY want to do something. Hell, my 3 year old wants nothing more than to ride my CRF450 -but just because he "thinks" he's ready does not make it so. 

 

So I am guessing that you do not have much to offer on the Pitster XJ Electric?

[CapCityPit]

I should have gone into WHY the e bikes some....

The kids are under 40" tall. They both can ride bicycles, and they both want to ride...

I already have a CRF50, but the seat height is closer to 22-23", and the bike weighs 110#s.

The PW50, which I do not have, has a seat height of 19" which does not work for my son, and it weighs 90#s (which might work for my daughter).

Of course, you could make the argument that if they cannot lift the bike, or respect the top speed, then they should not be riding...but that is where the e bikes come in.

They weight all of 45lbs, and have a true top speed governor, not a throttle limiter like the gas bikes. So they can twist the throttle all day long on a straight and still not exceed the governed speed, whereas a gas bike with a throttle limiter can still hit some pretty high speeds...given enough room.

Then there is the issue of hot exhausts...I am certain that more than few times there have been riding careers ended when young riders fall and have a hot pipe brand their skin. Kids this young do not have the awareness to get out from under a bike immediately after they have fallen, and by the time that they realize that something is hurting, they are already seriously burned. Perhaps by the time they are 5-6 years old, they will learn these lessons, but I am only trying to introduce them to my passion in the safest possible way that I can, so that they can share my passion. Never mind that kids at this age fall in some very odd positions, and would likely not be able to lift the bike off themselves even if they tried.

The ebikes are a gateway to real bikes, not a substitute. They can learn some valuable skills on ebikes -such as standing while riding, throttle control, braking etc, and do so in their own yard without irritating neighbors and the like.

Try taking a gas powered minibike to a park with grass, and cops will likely show up before you know it. Take an ebike and people want to know what it is...

Trust me, the kids have the confidence to "touch a motorized bike" as you say...that does not mean that I have the confidence in them to do so...even so, the CRF50 is there for the day they can get at least one foot down if they want it. If you have kids and think something is safe because your kids think it is safe, then you may not be a parent all that long. That is part of parenting, teaching them and keeping them safe from harm -even when they REALLY want to do something. Hell, my 3 year old wants nothing more than to ride my CRF450 -but just because he "thinks" he's ready does not make it so.

So I am guessing that you do not have much to offer on the Pitster XJ Electric?

You speak of these limiters controlling the ebikes speed but yours doesn't work correct? And I have test rode the new electric pitster, again the "limiter" doesn't work at all, I talked with the sales rep and he adjusted it to the minimum speed and it literally made no change at all. He told me it myst just be a "glitch" but after you're post today it confirms that these bikes have a tendency to not work. What does work is the pw50 throttle screw.

[Colorado^]

My kids have 12" & 16" OSET's.  The governor works and I've never had a problem with it not working.

 

Those little bikes are fantastic learning tools for kids, but when the kids learn and want to go trail riding with you, it gets pretty limited.

 

Mega torque but with limited top speed.  Just what is needed for tech situations in trail riding.  My girls just love to peel out at WOT from a stop.

 

The suspension is also pretty limited, only about 1" or travel.  The brakes do work well for tiny hands.

 

Edited January 15, 2015 by Colorado^

[CrashMW]

Here is the little guy on his bike.

 

Colorado: I noticed you also have the Oset16...I am seriously considering that bike next since my daughter has legs that are easily 2" longer than my son, who is only 1" shorter than her...go figure.

She would fit perfectly on the Start if I had the seat on it (which I have) but then my son would not be able to reach the ground and I am not likely going to be wanting to swap the plastics back and forth since ride time can vary from 2-3 minutes to up to 30 minutes. He turned 3 in these images that day...

 

CapCity: I'm not looking to fight over what is best and what is not...everyone has their opinions. Fact is that I was of the same school of thought as you...hell I even purchased a used CRF50 only to learn that we are still a few years away from riding that as mentioned above. The PW50 is pretty much a new buy only option as craigslist does not have much to select from -only two bikes and both are clearly overpriced beaters.

As for the speed controller/governors, when the bike is right, it is perfect. So I see the attraction. 

I will admit that I am surprised that you test rode one TBH, after all, you did not say as much until your last post. As I mentioned, there is so little information on these Pitster Electrics that I am posting here for any feedback anyone might have...your response was to buy a PW50. Advice noted. As for the speed controller not working, it seems odd that while I cannot find reviews, I have found 2 videos, and in both the videos, it is perfectly clear that the speed governors are working perfectly. And delivery is not abrupt at all.

As for my bike, it is a 2015 with new electrics -much changed from 2014, and I WAS able to find review of the Kuberg, and nobody mentioned having any issues with the controllers...

 

[Colorado^]

Looking good!  Why didn't they have these when I was three!!??

[CapCityPit]

Here is the little guy on his bike.

Colorado: I noticed you also have the Oset16...I am seriously considering that bike next since my daughter has legs that are easily 2" longer than my son, who is only 1" shorter than her...go figure.

She would fit perfectly on the Start if I had the seat on it (which I have) but then my son would not be able to reach the ground and I am not likely going to be wanting to swap the plastics back and forth since ride time can vary from 2-3 minutes to up to 30 minutes. He turned 3 in these images that day...

CapCity: I'm not looking to fight over what is best and what is not...everyone has their opinions. Fact is that I was of the same school of thought as you...hell I even purchased a used CRF50 only to learn that we are still a few years away from riding that as mentioned above. The PW50 is pretty much a new buy only option as craigslist does not have much to select from -only two bikes and both are clearly overpriced beaters.

As for the speed controller/governors, when the bike is right, it is perfect. So I see the attraction.

I will admit that I am surprised that you test rode one TBH, after all, you did not say as much until your last post. As I mentioned, there is so little information on these Pitster Electrics that I am posting here for any feedback anyone might have...your response was to buy a PW50. Advice noted. As for the speed controller not working, it seems odd that while I cannot find reviews, I have found 2 videos, and in both the videos, it is perfectly clear that the speed governors are working perfectly. And delivery is not abrupt at all.

As for my bike, it is a 2015 with new electrics -much changed from 2014, and I WAS able to find review of the Kuberg, and nobody mentioned having any issues with the controllers...

yea I didn't mean to come off as a prick but sometimes you can't show what type of emotion your portraying in you're writing. That bike actually looks pretty decent even with the extended swing arm. While I was trying the pitster they also had a GIO electric bike of the same size that I actually preferred over the pitster pro. And almost half the price. My youngest is 11 months and I'm going to be going around looking for a starter for him, I figure I have 2-3 years for these electric bikes to get all the bugs out as well as get that ridiculous pricing down. Again sorry if I came off as a prick.

[Colorado^]

OSET is supposed to be coming out with a proper little MX bike next year.  It looks awesome, but there's no detail re pricing and run time etc. With a 1200w motor this thing rips (see the video in the link below).

 

http://osetbikes.com/gb/oset-bikes/mx-10/

[CapCityPit]

OSET is supposed to be coming out with a proper little MX bike next year. It looks awesome, but there's no detail re pricing and run time etc. With a 1200w motor this thing rips (see the video in the link below).

http://osetbikes.com/gb/oset-bikes/mx-10/

Wow, that actually looks promising.

[CapCityPit]

OSET is supposed to be coming out with a proper little MX bike next year. It looks awesome, but there's no detail re pricing and run time etc. With a 1200w motor this thing rips (see the video in the link below).

http://osetbikes.com/gb/oset-bikes/mx-10/

Oh my god.... Just looked at pricing and the previous 800w bike was $1999, this thing will be over two grand all day.

[CrashMW]

That bike does look sweet...but I am with Cap on this one...you gotta wonder what that thing will cost.

 

I got to look at an Oset20 the other day and I sure do like the looks of that bike...meaning that while it is basically a small bike for big kids with a 36V motor and 20" wheels, it looked to be very high quality and the 3 dial adjustability (providing it works properly ?) is really handy. You can change the top speed, the power to the wheel, as well as the throttle response. Plus, the suspension on these things looks like the real deal. The Oset20 has MTB front suspension which is fully functional...vs the Kuberg in which the front forks might as well be rigid forks. The Oset has disc brakes, and the shop tells me that the 2015 actually has hydraulic discs front and rear -even on the 12.5 (the little bike).

 

I am trying to find out more about that Gio, which looks pretty nice aesthetically... trying to see if it is new or beginner rider friendly, but no reviews on that bike either. The price is about equal to the Pitster XJ e.

 

Cap- no worries, it is all good. Congrats on the little one BTW...

[wheeline]

Started my youngest son on a strider at 3, moved to an Oset 12.5 when he was 4 and on to a KTM mini adventure when he was 6.  He is years ahead of his brothers that didn't have these options.  My kids are short for their ability level and it's just not realistic to put them on a bike where they can't stop, start and get up from a fall independently.

 

I can tell you that I bought the Oset in 5/2011 and have had no manufacturers issues.  The governor works perfect from full power down until the bike won't even move.  I have no experience with any other electric bikes but the pictures look like swapping batteries would be difficult.  Our camping trips are non stop riding and I have 3 sets of batteries to swap out for all day riding. 

[GVRider]

I know this thread is old, but I wanted to add some feedback on the Pitster Electric XJE. We don't have the Pitster, but we do have a Mototec 24v and if you check those out, they seem to be 100% the same bike.

I bought the Mototec with the hopes I could get my 4 yo on there and he could ride around with his brothers on their gas bikes. It turned out to be too tall for my little guy to ride without training wheels, so now I am looking at either a Kuberg, Oset, or a PW50. My 8 yo twins do ride it around the neighborhood. It is pretty fast on level 3 and lasts around 30-40 minutes going up and down our street at WOT with a slight hill climb. We have been using it as a loaner bike for their friends when we go trail riding. It does really well on the trails, and can last about an hour on easy trails. We even took it on some intermediate trails and it made several hill climbs; this really saps the battery though.

I am pretty happy with this bike, I'd say it's a good in-between the Razor electric bikes and the Oset/Kuberg bikes. I would recommend it for kids 6-9 as a neighborhood play bike and easy trail bike.

[T Bolt USA]

On 1/15/2015 at 6:16 PM, CrashMW said:

BEYOND COOL !!