First rides: country roads, a mountain and the interstate

The summer of 2023 was when our first bikes went from the shop to real roads. These are the three rides we filmed that year.

The walk-around: north of Charlotte

"We've created something really freaking cool." - Ernest Eich, IV

It was a beautiful day for a ride on a favorite country route just north of Charlotte, NC. These rural roads have our favorite kind of tight curves and elevation changes, and they pass historic spots like a farm that hosts the Highland Games and a Scottish festival. It's a good route for finding out how a bike handles.

Our first completed build was new ground for us. We had to fit a high-power battery into the design without giving up any of the bike's core functions. Carrying the battery and the charging equipment on the bike added bulk, but the convenience is worth it. We tried a lot of layouts before we settled on this one.

We made a simple video on one of the first rides to show you how the system goes together. Thanks for checking us out!!

A mountain road in Mars Hill

"Totally effing awesome." - Eich

This was our first silent ride in the Shandoka stomping grounds around Mars Hill. With no throttle lag, no vibration and no engine noise, all you hear is your tires on the asphalt and the wind going past. On a mountain road you notice things you'd miss on a gas bike: the leaves, the birds, the cool air in the valleys and the warm sun on the curves.

Top speed on the interstate

"Never go on the Freeway." - Morpheus

We set up this ride as a first test of the top speed of the converted Maxim, the bike built on the frame that inspired the adapter. Earlier testing showed the system is temperature-stable in summer heat, and on a 95°F day it was time to see how our engineering decisions would hold up.

In the pack we used oversized pure-copper conductive plates that can carry 10 times the current we expect, so the pack stays cool when the motor is working hard. At full power this motor can draw 500 amps to push the acceleration and crush the fat tire tread into the pavement.

Our approach was a short, slow ride to a center-lane access ramp for the toll express lanes. The bike reached 81 mph (130 km/h). The motor hit 140°F (60°C) and cooled down quickly afterwards.