Update to carfree living  

written by ertlnet at Sunday, April 27, 2008

I did more research over the weekend. Still going with a FreeRadical hitchless trailer. I think I've changed my mind on the motor. I am strongly leaning towards a Cleverchip Stokemonkey. The price is steeper, but I think it will really give me more bang for my buck. I found some OK reviews on the Wilderness Energy kit. Every person that has a Stokemonkey LOVES it.


Here are some reasons I'm leaning towards it:
* It is built specifically for the Xtracycle FreeRadical hitchless trailer
* More torque than the WE hub kit
* All the battery options for the WE hub kit seemed to take up valuable cargo room or I'd have to buy a seatpost rack, but not sure that would really help much either.
* Seems the mileage range is longer on the Stokemonkey than the WE

The number one thing that is strongly pulling me towards it - some guy in San Fransisco uses one for his daily commute (visiting nurse) and he also can climb the hills with a rider on the back of his bike! I think the Stokemonkey can handle the hills in Greenville!

While it is a bit more expensive and it does make me nervous to spend that kind of money on an accessory for my bike, it will pay for itself in only a few months.

The sad thing is...it's not currently available. They needed to make some adjustments to the Stokemonkey design and they're behind schedule with the production. Last update was March 26th and they were hopefully going to ship to the States soon, but they aren't exactly sure of the actual date.

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1 comments

  • Dave  
    1:12 PM

    Since you're in Greenville, you should checkout Morgan and Elise at CYCLE9, in Carrboro, NC not far from the UNC Chapel Hill campus. See their site at www.cycle9.com and checkout their blog, and Morgan's entries in the Roots Radical group. I would talk to her before you drop some change for the stokemonkey. She had a Yuba Mundo equipped with a geared front hub e-assist that was like a cadillac. If you're not too far from Chapel Hill, or could catch a bus/train I strongly encourage you to go see the folks at cycle9. They are very helpful.

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