E-bikes like Sur Ron, Segway, and Talaria are so versatile you can practically use them however you want. They strike a fine balance between mountain bikes and all-out dirt bikes, and as the e-bike community defines just what exactly that gray area looks like, one thing is becoming clear: you can use them for just about anything.
From adults commuting in urban India to kids ripping a skatepark in Canada, from gingerly towing a passenger to assaulting single track trails, there are infinite ways to enjoy an electric dirt bike, both on and off the road. This week’s videos will show us all that and more as we explore some of the many ways y’all are using your e-bikes.
Also, this post is actually going out bi-weekly now. We’re so busy bringing you other content and developing new parts that there just isn’t enough time every week, but I already made the graphic and I ain’t making it again, so the name stands.
This is E-Bike Weekly.
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E-Bike Videos
The best new e-bike videos, hand-picked just for you.
Meditation: Sur Rons in a Skatepark
This week’s meditation comes to us from Just 3, a channel that had just 126 subscribers when we first came across this video. If you like what you see, be sure to give them a sub!
Right off the bat we meet Logan and Mason who are ripping Sur Rons in a Canadian skatepark. If you’re a daredevil or you play too much GTA, you might expect them to send it off one of the larger obstacles at belligerent speeds, but that’s not how gravity works in the real world. Instead, these guys take it safe and easy, doing what almost all of us would do with a Sur Ron in a skatepark: hitting some banked turns and getting some air before checking out a nearby single track.
This video proves you don’t have to take big risks to have a great time on an electric dirt bike. What’s more, it reminds us that while a Sur Ron can be surprisingly capable in the hands of experienced mountain bikers and MX riders, it’s also loads of fun regardless of your age or experience level.
This is pretty much what our ideal Canadian vacation would look like. Keep it up, guys!
Towing a Live Human Person Behind a Sur Ron
Heads up: these guys cuss a lot.
Those kids in the last video definitely haven’t had the upbringing of some people out there, the kind who would under no circumstances get anywhere near a motorcycle because the devil himself lives somewhere within it. Maybe in the motor? On a Talaria it’s in the display for sure. Boom! Roasted.
Not only are the guys in this video the polar opposite of that, but they hadn’t even assembled the child-carrying trailer in question before filming this video. That means the idea of towing a full-grown human in a child trailer behind a Sur Ron was hatched, explored, and executed all in the span of like one or two days, and that’s the kind of irrational thinking we can get behind.
Besides the back wheel rubbing on the carrier a bit, it actually works better than you’d probably expect, and they even decided to send it off some jumps at the end because nothing had broken yet. We’re still not sure a kid should ride back there, but maybe if you took it easy a Sur Ron could be a decent family hauler.
Not that you should.
Test Riding a Segway X260 in Urban Nepal
I’m going to tell you guys right off the bat that, as an American, I can’t understand 99% of this video. But that doesn’t make it any less interesting to watch Nepali motovlogger Dhiraj Pandey ride through crowded urban streets on a borrowed Segway X260.
The video starts off in a local electric bike and scooter dealership, where various Segways and Sur Rons are on display in eye-catching colors, including a Segway resplendent with a silver frame that’s brand new for 2022. Our guide selects a red-frame Segway X260 for a test drive, and after getting a quick rundown of the menus and controls, he hops right into urban traffic like a seasoned pro.
Every aspect of this experience is totally different from what we would have in the US. It’s always fascinating to watch someone navigate traffic in a country where two-wheeled transport is so popular, and a Segway e-bike looks like a perfect way to do it. Tight gaps and quick lane changes are no problem, and slower machines can be passed with ease when the opportunity presents itself. Which judging by this video is… whenever you want? There don’t seem to be any laws for when or where you can pass someone, or maybe our tour guide just isn’t following them. Tisk tisk.
Amid a sea of scooters and small-displacement gas bikes, that Segway X260 stands out like a celebrity in Nebraska while being virtually silent and nearly cost-free to charge up. This is the future right here, folks: urban commuting on an e-bike.
Wrecking a Sur Ron LBX and Fixing It at a Bike Shop
Of course, the most common use for an electric dirt bike is to ride it on dirt. That probably goes without saying, but then again people buy Corvettes only to let them sit in the garage under custom car covers that are nicer than their bedsheets, so maybe it doesn’t.
One often overlooked aspect of e-bikes like Sur Ron, Segway, and Talaria is the ability to replace broken parts by going down to the local bicycle shop. That’s exactly what happens at the start of this video, when Tyler Monagan and his friend Mike introduce the newest Sur Ron to the channel by promptly snapping the handlebar clean off. No worries though, they just pop down to the bike shop and grab some mountain bike handlebars that might actually be more comfortable than the stock bars they just removed.
This video only gets better from there, showing some of the incredible off-road feats a Sur Ron is capable of along with some larger obstacles you would be better off skipping unless you’re willing to risk breaking something you can’t get from a bike shop. And just in case you do, we’ve got the parts to get you back out there in no time.
E-Bikes for Sale
The best deals, the worst deals, and everything in between.
$4,200: Low Res 2019 Sur Ron Light Bee X
I’ll just come right out and say it: this Sur Ron LBX posted on eBay has the worst photos I’ve ever seen on a for sale ad, and I was alive and well in 2007.
High quality photos are imperative in today’s world, the lack of resolution here makes it nearly impossible to judge this bike’s condition. I stare at Sur Rons all day and even I can’t tell if there’s blue overspray on everything – from the rear shock to the brake lines – or if that’s just some of the 17 pixels bleeding into each other. On Craigslist you could go check it out without commitment, but eBay doesn’t generally work that way, or at least most people don’t see it that way, making this Sur Ron LBX rather unsatisfying at face value.
An actual, unrotated, un-un-enhanced photo from the seller | eBay
Complicating matters even more are the condition description and the long description, which seem to contradict each other:
I think what they’re saying is they previously modified the bike to 72v and then took it back down to 60v to sell it, which, if that’s the case, why do we need to know that? Also, you can say “no refund sale” all you want, but if there’s a problem that isn’t disclosed or the sale was otherwise misrepresented, eBay Buyer Protection could still come into play. And now that I think about it, 72v is a lot harder on a stock motor than 60v. How long was it 72v? Did you do a bunch of interstate pulls and now the motor’s on its last leg? 72v Sur Rons bring in big money, so why did you walk this one back to 60v?
It all adds up to a strange vibe that doesn’t build much trust in the bike or its seller.
Shoot, with how shaky that wording is, it sounds like there’s half a chance you’re getting a stock bike and the mods are just being mentioned for looks, kind of like those people selling PS5 boxes without the PS5 in them. If only there was a way to see the bike before buying it, some kind of digital means of viewing it clearly without having to go there, maybe involving some kind of light-capturing device with glass on the front. I think Nostradamus predicted that.
If you ever consider selling an e-bike, take note: pictures are worth a thousand words. Or in this case, dollars.
$3,999: Modified 2021 Segway X160
If you’re looking for a Sur Ron but prefer to conduct high-dollar transactions with quality photos and complete sentences, boy do we have a bike for you!
This Segway X160 listed on eBay near Minneapolis, Minnesota boasts a blue frame just like the other one, but thanks to keeping its mods intact it’s actually much closer in performance to an X260 or a regular Sur Ron X, all for not that much more than the price of a new X160. You’re definitely getting a lot of stuff for free on this one. Here’s the description:
This is a used Segway Dirt eBike x160 new 2021 electric motor bike w/ Tons of Extras! Probably only has 1,000-1,500 miles on it but rides like new! Comes with a massive amount of extras and has been upgraded for a larger rider:
- Upgraded Battery from X160 to X260 battery for almost double the distance and extra speed
- X260 Fast Charger ~ Can charge the bike in a couple hours
- Custom 21” (26” MTB) rim and Maxxis Tire. Drops almost 5 lbs from the bike weight
- 19” Rear Tire from X260 Takeoff
- Luna Cycle higher handlebars
- Luna Cycle custom seat riser (shown in silver below seat)
- Comes with pedal kit for changing out the foot pegs for pedals for being consider a bicycle
- Upgraded rear shock with a stiffer Fox Spring for heavier riders
You’re getting a great deal on this bike and will treat any rider over 6’-0” really well.
This auction is for LOCAL PICKUP only. Do not bid on it unless you intend to pick it up in Lakeville, Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
This seems like a solid bike with the right upgrades to improve on the basic Segway package without going overboard – perfect for an everyday rider or a weekend trailblazer. Stiffen up the pegs with a Footpeg Support Brace, add a little extra height with a 2” Direct Mount Stem Riser, and you’re off to the races. In fact, if you actually wanted to race e-bikes, this wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
We don’t expect this one to be available for long, so if you’re in the market for a Segway X160 or even X260 and you’re anywhere near Minnesota, you might should jump on it. Shoot, it might even be worth shipping somewhere else if you explain how easy shipping a bike really is on the seller’s end.
E-Bike News and Events
This section pretty much describes itself.
An e- bike charging station in Slovakia. Wkmdjay, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Study Confirms What We Already Know: E-Bikes Are on the Rise
Earlier we established that commuting via e-bike is almost certainly going to be a massive revolution in urban travel, and international consulting firm Deloitte agrees.
As reported by Electrek, Deloitte recently released a Consumer Sector Briefing (PDF) on the rising popularity of e-bikes, and specifically a person’s likelihood to choose an e-bike over other forms of electric transportation like cars, e-scooters, and e-mopeds.
It is unclear exactly how the study differentiated “e-bikes” and “e-motorcycles,” but we can safely assume that electric dirt bikes like Sur Ron X, Segway X160/X260, and Talaria Sting are considered e-motorcycles for the purposes of this study. But as we talk about nearly every week, because you can buy pedal kits for those bikes and because they are often considered electric bicycles according to state and local laws, the line between bicycle and motorcycle has become increasingly blurry as of late.
Regardless of how the study classified those machines, it’s clear that practicality, sustainability, and fun factor are leading people to choose two-wheeled electric transportation over other methods, and they are making that choice more than ever before.
This probably isn’t news to enthusiasts like yourself. If you managed to find our humble little blog in the first place, you probably live and breathe e-bikes and electric dirt bikes to some degree. You probably have one yourself or at very least are open to buying one in the future. The reason these findings are significant is that the people surveyed almost certainly aren’t MX riders and mountain bikers, but regular people who are in many cases exploring two-wheeled transportation for the first time. A sizable number of them would never consider commuting on a gas bike, and almost anyone would cover their ears and throw their hands up if a two-stroke dirt bike passed them in the bike lane.
These bikes are part of a new and uncharted niche with the power to change the world. Widespread adoption by regular people is the critical tipping point after which our obscure hobby will forever become a mainstream ideology, a sighting ubiquitous to every urban area from Nepal to Canada and every rural trail from the Rockies to the Himalayas. Electric bikes are here to stay, and no matter what you use yours for today, you can revel in the knowledge that you are enjoying an early-access pass to the future of global transportation.
Event 8/12/22: Red Bull Tennessee Knockout eMoto Racing (Registration Open – Sign Up Today!)
It doesn’t really matter how you use your electric dirt bike so long as you’re riding it, and for all you dirt racers out there, what better way to put an e-bike through its paces than a proper off-road competition!
The Red Bull Tennessee Knockout is a blistering test of man and machine, and our friends at Electric Cycle Rider have partnered with the event’s organizers to introduce an eMoto class for the first time ever at this year’s event. There are currently about 25 confirmed riders out of 40 slots available in the eMoto class, so time’s running out if you want in!
We’ve got four going in our GritShift group, and we’re working on getting us e-bikers a designated pit area and camping spot so we can all hang out and keep our extra batteries and stuff together. It’s shaping up to be a really fun time and a great way to show the MX world how our humble little e-bikes can throw down on a grand scale. We aren’t being sponsored to say this – we just want to see a full grid of e-bikes!
So if you have a bike and you have the balls (and an AMA membership), sign up at Red Bull TKO before no slots remain.
GritShift’s E-Bike Weekly: June 8th, 2022
That concludes another revolutionary edition of E-Bike Weekly, now bi-weekly, brought to you by GritShift.
The GritShift team of enthusiasts builds, sells, and races e-bikes. We have e-bike parts and accessories from small to large, so whether you want something or need something, chances are we have your solution. Check us out by clicking the button below.
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