Quietkat Lynx e-bike charge in field with solar?

[GrubWorm]

I'm thinking about getting a e-bike, had been looking at a Super 73 and just got email from Quietkat talking about this new bike:

Lynx

Unleash boundless exploration with the Lynx Electric Cafe Racer by QuietKat. VPO™ Technology for diverse modes, GPS tracking, HALO headlight, and 2-speed hub motor. Ride city streets, suburbs, and dirt paths for over 63 miles per charge. Elevate your adventure today!

quietkat.com

Now the speed of this one is only 28mph, but really would like to know if this can be charged with solar only while in the field?

 

[smritte]

I have two. I got an Aventon Aventure2 on sale with a second battery. Its great on the street and mild dirt roads. I can get about 60 miles on the street in low power mode. This is considered a class 3 bike and is limited to 30 mph. Any faster and its considered a motorcycle. I use it for keeping fit at home and on local dirt roads. Its very fun and easy to ride.

My second bike is my trail bike a Specialized Turbo Levo. Full suspension and easy to upgrade. This bike was on sale and I couldn't pass it up. This is considered a class 1 bike so, the top speed is limited to 20 mph and does not have a throttle like my class3.

Something that I've learned about e-bikes is they can be heavy. My aventure2 is 70 pounds and my Specialized is 45 pounds. In the dirt the weight difference is very noticeable. The bike you posted is 100 pounds. Those style of bikes were developed for hunters. Most of them can have a hitch mounted to pull a trailer.

Regardless what they post for distance on a battery, expect to lose 10-20% once you hit dirt. You need to make sure they use one of the common motors. Quite a few do not. Battery should be at least 700wh as should the motor. My Aventure2 bike, the battery pops off easily. This was one of the features that sold me on the bike. My Specialized needs to be disassembled to remove the battery. Both can be charged with the battery in place but being able to swap batteries is nice. Both batteries are 40 volt, I could rig them to charge off solar but its just easier to use an inverter and charge that way. Charge time is about 3 hours on both.

Overall I like both. I haven't decided if I want to sell my Aventure2 or not. I try to ride daily on my local paved bike path to keep up my cardio. On the street I find I ride about 25mph. My Specialized will not go over 20mph unless its down hill (its a legal thing). I'm looking to unlock it because even in the dirt I tend to ride a bit faster then that. For now I ride the other on the street.

In my area, there's quite a few bike shops that rent out e-bikes. You really should rent one for at least a few hours before you buy something. If I was to get something in that size/weight like the lynx, i would step up to an electric motorcycle. Their faster and start in the same price range.

Also, it looks like the Lynx seat is moderately close to the pedals. You wont get full power pedaling. If your planning on just using the throttle, the distance will drop off considerably. The only way you get the range out of these is on low power and pedaling. Again, if I was planning on just using the throttle, I would get an electric motorcycle.

 

[smritte]

Here's my two bikes, The Aventure2 is top and the Specialized is bottom.