(This one is a transplant from IG!)
Our most recent bike tour was somewhat experimental in nature. It was leisurely too, and dare I say, a little luxurious: an e-bike cruise through the Tlacolula Valley to shop for red clay pottery and a pre-birthday visit to Casa Lyobaa, a beautiful b&b we treat ourselves to every once in a while. As with any Oaxacan bike tour, electric assisted or otherwise, it included its fair share of fine food and fine dirt, with a night in a palenque too, where the magueys we see across the countryside are cooked, crushed, fermented, distilled, and mezcal is produced.
Why e-bikes for this trip, though? Why not, I guess! Whilst it’s a trip we’ve enjoyed numerous times on our purely muscle-powered bikes, it certainly made riding to Mitla into a strong easterly headwind a pleasure, and encouraged us to detour to San Marcos Tlapazola, where we wrapped a handmade face mug and a traditionally fired plate in our puff jackets for the bumpy ride home. We even made a side trip along the main highway in Tlacolula to Wicho’s, in the heat of the day, just because it’s rumoured they make the best donuts in the state!
Jones calls these machines ‘motorbikes’ and in some ways, that’s the way we treat them, often choosing them to dart around Oaxaca in the rush hour and overtake the trucks and SUVs (ever growing in number and size) that clog the narrow city roads. Except, these ‘motorbikes’ are quieter, slower, and we can swap parts with our existing bicycles too. Sure, we pedal them hard at times for a workout and to conserve their batteries, but mostly we power them up on hot days when riding a conventional bike feels exhausting, or when we’re stuck behind a diesel-belching bus. As a Jones enthusiast, I’ve always loved the way these particular bikes handle, even if I sometimes wished they looked more slim and svelte, like many modern e-bikes on the market. Although I’d still like them to be lighter, now I love their Mad Maxian looks, and I appreciate their reliability no matter the conditions – and, how easy it is to remove the engine entirely and return to pedal power, as we’ve done several times since having them.
As someone who hasn’t owned a car in a number of years, I’ve written a lot about e-bikes in the past, and more recently, the pros and cons of the Bafang mid drive kit, used by the Jones LWB HD/e bikes you see here. There’s now a link to all things e-biking in the drop down menu above, if you’re interested!
Thanks for reading! Any questions, please drop them in the comments!
edouard
29 March 2025 at 11:28 pm
I’ve been meaning to comment on this for a while.
I really like the Jones HD/e solution, an ebike thats functional as a pedal bike. I like your idea of using an ebike as a car substitute -when you can. I think you said that Emma’s bike has the BBS02 motor.. I have a BBS02 on an old millenial entry level hardtail. I use it with a burley trailer to haul stuff into my yurt in BC. Its only a couple hundred metres, but I can move heavier stuff with ease, and its fun. Much more fun than pushing a wheelbarrow.
I bought an HD/e and put a CYC photon on it, because I wanted the torque sensing. Its a good match, Jones handling and torque sensing. I haven’t really given it a proper multi day workout yet, but so far I’m happy. The Photon is not as robust and reliable as the Bafang motors, but I think if the power is limited to 500-700 watts, I should be okay. The Photon is capable of over 1000 watts, but it sounds like it can overheat easily. I live in Alberta so overheating isn’t such an issue, but likely not in Oaxaca.
Bafang did have the M635 motor, which was basically the BBSHD re-packaged, with torque sensing, but they with drew it from the market in a few months ago. Supposedly its going to be re-introduced, as Bafang is re-configuring their motors, but who knows?
Other options are the ToSeven motors the DM-01 and DM-02, 1000 watts and 500 watts, respectively. They don’t have the track record of the Bafangs, and there are some issues with their programming, but they look like good products.
The great thing is all these will fit easily on the HD/e, its such a cool solution.
I know you’re a busy guy, especially right now, but I would love to hear more about the kinds of things you use these bikes for and the accessories that you find work with them.