Hey, go to the back of the line!

[Jérôme Daoust]

The only pleasure I can have now is knowing others are further back in
line. So...
Who else in the queue for a Stealth bike?

I ordered my Bomber on May 13, 2011.
Upgrades...
1) Front suspension: White Brothers / Groove 200 Fork.
2) Street tires: Maxxis / Hookworm.

In the meantine, every bump I hit with my current no-suspension ebike
has me wishing it was here already.

[Jim_Kirk]

Ordered my Bomber in Black on 5/16/2011.  Sales order 1010 from StealthUSA.  Exact specs as yours.

Been told by Darin that the Groove 200 Forks are actually Groove 200 HD forks.  Here's the manual:
http://www.fareinc.com/Stealth/Documents/GROOVEHDmanual.pdf

Here is the manual for our 6 piston Gatorbrakes:
http://www.fareinc.com/Stealth/Documents/Manual%206%20Piston.pdf

Here's our Stealth 2011 owners manual:
http://www.fareinc.com/Stealth/Documents/Stealth_Electric_Bikes_Owners_Manual_2011.pdf

More to follow on my web site including pictures as I get the bike and then begin personalization.  Hope it helps you Jerome.

-Jim

[Jim_Kirk]

Jerome,
Nice Site.  I've just ordered that seat you mention on your site-my bottom really gets sore and I stand up a lot after 8-10 miles on the Opti.  Oh, by the way, when I wrote to Stealth about my build I put this request in:

1.  I am 6 feet 2 inches tall.  Can you make sure that the steerer tube is not cut and left full length on my Groove 200 forks.
2.  Please leave extra cable length for brakes, shifter, and throttle cables to the front handlebar components as I may want to add a steerer tube extender.

I use a Dimension Steerer tube extender on my Opti and I'm hoping that the uncut Groove fork length will allow this to be eliminated.  If you are a tall person maybe consider this.  If its too long you can always cut it shorter with a rotating wheel pipe cutter.  Can't go the other way however :).
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ST308F00-Dimension+Steerer+Extender.aspx

Jerome are you in the USA, UK, or ?  I am in Fort Lauderdale, FL USA.

-Jim

[Jérôme Daoust]

On May 18, 5:53 pm, Jim_Kirk <jim.kirk...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Jerome,
> Nice Site.  I've just ordered that seat you mention on your site-my bottom
> really gets sore and I stand up a lot after 8-10 miles on the Opti.  
>

> Jerome are you in the USA, UK, or ?  I am in Fort Lauderdale, FL USA.

Jim is referring to this future webpage I have started putting
together to collect my experience as an owner:
http://www.expandingknowledge.com/Jerome/Bike/Gear/Electric/Review/2011_05_13_JeromeDaoust_Stealth_2011_Bomber/Main.htm

I'm in Southern California and purchased my through local retailer
ReVolt:
http://www.ReVoltBikes.com

[Voicecoils]

Congrats on ordering to both of you, Jim & Jerome.

Great upgrade choices.

If either of you have not owned a long travel full suspension bike before then you're in for a treat (once properly tuned or your weight and riding style). Downhill bicycles (7-9" travel) and motocross bikes (9"+) are the only similar rides.

A few notes on suspension:

Suspension setup is not trivial, sag, preload, spring rate, compression and rebound dampening all need to be set correctly. Fortunately all are adjustable. Suspension is designed to maintain traction and tire contact with the ground, rider comfort is a side issue.

Forks have a break in period while the bushings wear. The initial force to start compression should reduce after several rides and a more 'plush' feeling will result.

Suspension needs frequent care. White Bro recommends a fork service every 50 hours of riding which involves removing the lowers, checking for damage and wear to seals, bushings, slider coatings etc then cleaning and relubricating, changing the oil and reassembly. I don't know the service intervals for the rear shocks but 30-50hrs is common for servicing and oil change, 100hrs for full overhaul. Good bike shops can do this stuff and the service work for the Stealth bike's suspension is just like other high end MTBs and shouldn't stump the mechanic.

I would be wary of using the steer-tube extender unless Stealth & White Bro OK it. The high speeds of the bikes and weight mean that they are subjected to forces that might exceed what the extender is designed to withstand.

Cheers, Abraham

Sent from my iPhone

On 18/05/2011, at 5:03 PM, Jim_Kirk <jim.k...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ordered my Bomber in Black on 5/16/2011.  Sales order 1010 from StealthUSA.  Exact specs as yours.

Been told by Darin that the Groove 200 Forks are actually Groove 200 HD forks.  Here's the manual:
http://www.fareinc.com/Stealth/Documents/GROOVEHDmanual.pdf

Here is the manual for our 6 piston Gatorbrakes:
http://www.fareinc.com/Stealth/Documents/Manual%206%20Piston.pd

[Paul_G]

Jerome it does have a speedometer. I see you your blog you list it as none.

The CA has it but its not a great location, looking down at the speed the bike can go is not a good idea.  I look at my 800 Garmin for speed on the bars

[Jérôme Daoust]

On May 19, 12:26 am, Paul_G <pgr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Jerome it does have a speedometer. I see you your blog you list it as none. The CA has it.

Thanks, will update.

How about a cupholder? Need one for my beer.

[Paul_G]

Yup it needs a Beer cup holder and higher bars IMO so a 4" extension will allow not one but TWO beer cup holders to be wire tied onto the stem :)

I'm not sure your choose of seats will be the best as I tried many and have a collection of unused one I rejected, it seems to have humps and a short horn. see the pic's area for my choice and Beer holders.

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/stealth-electric-bikes/lcvqQN4VCfE  

Paul G

[remf]

Nice, dual 40oz beer holders, for off-road use only. Now how do we keep them cold:?

[Paul_G]

Any word on your updated delivery dates? 

I'm going nuts here as its rained for a week and the only day clear will be Sunday, then back to rain. So I know the wait can be nasty. :)

Paul G

[Jérôme Daoust]

On Jun 24, 4:27 am, Paul_G <pgr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Any word on your updated delivery dates?

Yesterday I was told: Early part of July.

[cakey]

Careful on the hookworms , used to ride them on my street bike , can
be very skittish on corners going in fast .

[Jim_Kirk]

cakey,
    The Bomber street tires are Crazy Bob now:
http://www.stealthelectricbikesusa.com/bomber/bomber.html
     Will they be better for my street riding than the Hookworms?

-Jim

[Paul_G]

I bought a set but never put them on as they feel even thinner than my Hookworms.

They should be better on gravel and rain but they are smaller so I expect the ride to suffer a small amount.

Paul G

[Jim_Kirk]

Paul,
    What tires came with the bomber and are they the same ones still on it now?

Jim

[Fabs]

My bomber was ordered from Melb on 11th June 2011

I got the brake upgrade and both Crazy bob and nobby tires sets.

The wait is killing me!

[Paul_G]

The 2.5" wide Hookworms came with my bike and they are still on. I ordered a set of the 2.35 Crazy Bob's but didn't put them on as they are no thicker  than what I have and why go smaller? Guess I'll save them and see.

I asked for a quote on a 2nd set of wheels with the dirt tires and the hi-torque motor but no word yet.

The wire bead tires are a monster to get on or off, far EZ'er to swap the wheels. I ran the rear for 1/2 mile flat and it never moved the bead out of place.

Paul G 

[cakey]

Schwalbe crazy bobs are a better tyre than the hookworms . They tend
to warm up a bit quicker .
offroad no other tyre than 24 x 2.7 high roller super tacky with
bomber speed you need some grip
then schwalbe fat alberts 2.4

my choice would be maxxi holy roller 2.4 60a
DMR moto 2.35
DMR moto rt tyre 2.4
Crazy bobs
Hook worms

I would also fill with slime with schraeder tubes , cannot imagine
lifting that monster around. Had 20 thorns in one recently still road
home and used for a few more weeks .

[Jérôme Daoust]

Looks like there will be a wave of new owners around the end of this
month, which I will be a part of.
Bikes to ship early next week, then spend time in customs for about a
week (at least in the US).

"This is my Bomber. There are many others like it, but this one is
mine."

[remf]

Great news, Jérôme. Any pics? Or a description of the colour scheme? Did you finally decide on one of those magic invisible camouflage paint jobs?

[Paul_G]

Con-grads!

BTW it takes Stealth longer to get the bikes to the airport than it took to get the bike to my house.

1-2 days to NYC, and it landed Thursday night, cleared customs the same day and was delivered to my house on Friday morning.....amazing.

I am close to the airport but the shipper wants all his business she said so she wants to rush all orders but prolly a diff shipper down there.

Paul G

[Jérôme Daoust]

Crap... Lost my job today.
Started the process of getting a refund for my order.
The one good thing is that I learned before it shipped.

- Jerome

[Elect Bike]

Very sorry for you Jerome, that's a hard one. I checked out your web
site for Stealth. One photo you posted shows the wire cut for the
speed governor, Is that for the Fighter? Does anyone know how fast
that Fighter can go with the speed regulator cut? 31mph seems a bit
slow for a 3000W motor.

[remf]

Very sorry to hear that Jérôme...except what happens when you find your next higher paying job, are you going to re-order? Judging by your knowledge and persona, it won't be long.

Elect Bike, the Fighter will do about 34-35 mph ungoverned. Believe me, it isn't slow. But if you want quicker than that, the Bomber will do 45-50 mph, depending on the motor winding.

2011/7/16 Jérôme Daoust <eyesto...@gmail.com>

[voicecoils]

Bad news Jérôme.

Would it be worth seeing if someone wants to buy your spot in line for
the Bomber instead?

Perhaps an eBay auction and put a link on the Stealth Facebook page
which many people read...

Surely there is someone out there who would rather not wait several
months to get riding.

[Paul_G]

Fantastic Idea Voicecoils.

Make lemon aid out of the lemons. 

I would gladly pay $500-1000 over cost to jump the line, just have the bike shipped to them.

And so sorry about the job J.

Paul G

[Paul_G]

Well its now Aug 1st.

Has NE1 seen Jim Kirk's Bomber or know its whereabouts?

Paul G

[Jim_Kirk]

Ordered with 50% deposit on May 16,2011.
Completed payment on July 11, 2011.  Was told shipping delay due to battery but would ship early part of week of July 25, 2011.
No idea of its whereabouts as I haven't heard anything further.

Hopefully its on its way to me as I write this post.

-Jim

[Paul_G]

I don't pay the final 50% till the bike is one day from shipping.

get on Darins cell and find out WTF is up.

Paul G

[remf]

I had a longer wait, entirely due to supplier delays. Even so, I had
no worries paying in full before delivery. My guess is that it won't
be long now.

[Axe Pollster]

The chap seems an entirely honest operator. & my Opti took much longer!

[cakey]

Cannot vouch for usa side but John is a very straight talking gent of
a man , apart from being Australian :)

On Aug 1, 11:44 pm, Axe Pollster <axe.polls...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The chap seems an entirely honest operator. & my Opti took much longer!
>

[Paul_G]

My Opti took a month longer than what they told me and I only got it when I did after I told them to cancel my order and I would call my CC company and withdraw the funds if I didn't see it in a week (it was getting close to winter). Guess what....it shipped in a week. My point is if you tell me 3 months thats ok but you better ship 3 months to the day. If I tell you I will do a job on X date....I will be there and I expect the same when I contract a service.

Yes I love my bike and it was worth the wait and John is a great guy but a ship or service date should never be broken IMO.

Take out a loan and inventory a 2-3 month supply of anything needed.  That way its just the build time and that will be a known factor. And always beat the promised ship date, so add a week or two.

Paul G

[remf]

Oi, fair suck of the sauce bottle, cobber. Crikey.

[cakey]

I was waiting for that , and just a reminder that we will be the Top
Test side next week , only took 30 years mind you

On Aug 2, 11:17 pm, remf <optibi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Oi, fair suck of the sauce bottle, cobber. Crikey.
>

[QuietRush]

I called in to the factory yesterday to catch up with John and say g'day. 

There's some very nice looking bikes coming together there at the moment- who knows, one of them could be yours ;-)

[remf]

Ah yes but we have our secret weapon....Warnie, we're bringing him
back. If you've seen him lately, you'll know why....scare the hell out
of anyone :0

Been in Melbourne for the last few days too. The new Fighter is
incredible. Massive power, light, agile and the best value of any bike
anywhere. Army green and carbon, wow. Bombers and Fighters survived
the most grueling mudfest I've ever experienced, no other e-bike would
have made it. Not a chance.

[Elect Bike]

New fighter? I need to know more. Is this an even newer one?
How fast? How much does it weight? I am so close to getting a bike,
just waiting for the right one.

[remf]

New since I last rode one about a year ago...so no different to the specs on the US website...but the ride is even more impressive than the specs.

[Elect Bike]

Remf

Fighter
how fast can it go on flats ? 35mph ? faster?
do you like it better than the Bomber?
Do you like it better than the optibike?

On Aug 6, 12:36 am, remf <optibi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> New since I last rode one about a year ago...so no different to the specs on the US website...but the ride is even more impressive than the specs.
>

[remf]

Actually I just had a ride on the most recent Fighter. All the talk about Stealths being heavy...well try the Fighter I say. I could do well over 30 mph in the car-park. With a high speed motor and more space, it'll do over 40 mph.

Difficult questions about which ones I prefer...ok...I prefer the Bomber for wide open firetrails, I prefer the Fighter for tight, technical singletrack and I prefer the Opti for the obligatory workout. Though with the Stealth's 3 or 5 kW, you can still get the workout and the massive range, just dial the power down to 500W or even 200W and go a very, very long way.