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The socializing and networking aspect of our Sondors forum bore fruit today: @Burnfatnotoil and I met and I showed him my Sondors Fat, so we might have a future Sondors owner here. We had a nice time chatting, the only downside was that it is raining permanently today, so the test ride was quite short unfortunately. Anyway, it was quite nice meeting another forum member in person!

The 100%-Legality Project (for Germany) Alrighty, Ladies and Gentlemen... This is the (ongoing) story of my 100%-Legality Project (for Germany). Since my Sondors FAT would require to have an operating permit in order to get it insured and to be allowed to ride it legally, I decided to change the specs of my Sondors to turn it into a Pedelec. German regulations require a Pedelec to have a 250W motor and to have either no thumb throttle, or a thumb throttle which is limited to 6km/h (pushing aid). Further more, German regulations define a Pedelec as a bicycle, and bicycles do not require an operating limit or to be insured at all. Thanks to Wendy from Passion eBike, I now possess a 250W motor. I first thought about exchanging the original 350W motor and re-use the original rims and spokes, but after having seen so many cool mods here on the forum, it now urges me to get a set of new rims and tires. I've done some research and I am ready to start. I've also ordered a bunch of stuff: Bafang RMG060.250.DC geared hub motor, 36 holes, black (in stock) Origin8 QR135mm sealed front hub, 36 holes, 135mm disc, black (in stock) 2x Fat-Bike 26"x4" 100mm rims, 36 holes, 13 gauge, black (in stock) INBIKE Cruiser Bike Seat, Wide Suspension Comfortable Bike Saddle (in stock) 2x Kenda Juggernaut Sport DCT 26"x4,5" tires (in stock) 2x Fat-Bike rim tape for 100mm rims (in stock) 2x Fat-Bike tubes 26"x4,5" with Schrader valve (in stock) I might change my mind concerning the tires. The bike shop (whizz wheels) which will lace my new wheels has a pair of high quality tires to offer which might fit my preferred style. The guys from the above mentioned bike shop are experts for wheel building. Their prices aren't the most affordable, but since my motto is "quality first", it's ok. These spokes the're gonna use are: DTSwiss Comp 2,0/1,8/2,0mm spokes, black DTSwiss Prolock brass nipples, black DTSwiss Alpine special 2,34/2,0mm spokes, custom length, black DTSwiss ProHead + Prolock brass nipples, black I am looking forward to work on my Sondors. I'll keep you guys updated as soon as there's something new to tell.

Hello all. My story is pretty simple. I'm a computer-nerd / tech-geek since childhood and I've always found the concept of a motorized bicycle a neat idea. I've always wanted to own an eBike, but most of them available in Germany were waaay too expensive for my small wallet; paying several thousands of Euros was just a no-go. About two years ago, I had made myself familiar with crowdfunding. The main reasone had been to support a digital artist who wanted to publish a comic book, but after having my first contact to the IngieGoGo site, I got curious (of course) and started browsing the vast content offered, especially the technologies-section. And well, it was about to happen: I stumbled over the Sondors campaign! The concept of a fat-bike was absolutely new to me; I had never seen one before. As soon as I saw the first picture of the IGG Sondors, I instantly fell in love. I wasn't just fascinated about the concept of a fat-bike (that would have been enough for me to hit the "get that perk" button, it also was an eBike! After realizing the affordable price, the decision was made and I backed the campagin by buying the appropriate perk. This was the point where I started to make myself familiar with the laws and complex regulations for eBikes here in Germany, and I quickly relaized that I'd had some obstacles to take in order to ride the Sonors e-bike (almost) legally here at home. Well, I think I got it almost sorted out, but there are still some loose ends to fix; I'll talk about that specific issue later on. I also started to gather information about the parts used by Sondors, especially their origin. I wasn't really surprised to learn that all of the parts used in the Sondors eBike were from chinese manufacturers (which is not a bad thing at all, just to make that clear) ... I mean: Reallity Check! That's where the highly affordable price has its origin. But as I said, that's totally OK, it was a very interesting process to learn about all of those topics. To cut a long story short: I backed, I waited (patience is a virtue after all), I hoped, and finally I GOT my bike at the end of 2015. I did some small modifications to the bike, but finally decided to keep it that way and just RIDE it. Here are some pictures: I think I got it managed to setup the bike to ride it 90% legally here in Germany: Head lamp Backing light Front, rear and side reflectors Driving mirror Bicycle bell Turn signals (wing lights) License plate (oh yes, the Sondors in its original setup has to be insured here in Germany) (lapsed, see below) Speed limiter (through the LCD) The remaining 10% which remain unsolved / unclear are: I actually would need a EU compliant type approval document (an operating permit) provided by the manufacturer I actually would need to wear a motorcycle helmet instead of a bicycle helmet (yeah...right) I mainly use my Sondors in urban environments, such as for riding to work and back again, when the weather is nice. I try avoid riding it when it's raining. I haven't made longer rides, yet, but a wanna try to max out the battery range capacity sometime. I also plan to register my bike at my local police office, to enable them to have a chance to find the bike if it gets stolen. Since fat-bikes and especially the Sondors are extremely rare in Germany, they might have a good chance to track it down. That's all for now, folks. Thanks for dropping by! UPDATE: Bye bye license plate, bye bye insurance. Those friggin' updated EU regulations ...