i have used the wilderness energy kit, brushless for two years and it is very good. i suggest it to anyone.36 volt whatever im sure they are all ;fine, the only weak part is the charger which is worthless so i suggest the soniel. the connectors can be a problem to so should be replaced, i have given it alot of road time so not everyone will wear these things out, i dont have a car and use this thing to go everywhere, i live in vermont. i got a cheap walmart bike works fine. you can do the whole thing for 450 bucks and it is as good as many more expensive models.
Ditch the suspension fork and go with steel a fork instead! It can save your LIFE!! The pull of the motor will weaken the fork and break like it did on my way to work ofter 6 month of using it and it was painful. John Morris
I have the same kit, and did as Frank Saunders did. Bought a cheap bike from Canadian Tire (I’m in Ottawa, Canada). No suspension, and put the kit on. I love it. I commute 20km a day when going to work on it.
Bought the Wilderness Kit, and one year later the motor is having problems. It is binding and what sounds like gears meshing, also speed is slower. They do not repair them and replacement cost for the motor is almost as much as a whole new kit. The original batteries are too small and run down quickly. I had to go to 17ah batteries. In installing on an adult trike the axel is just a hair to large for the dropouts so you may need to grind a little, not enough to hinder replacing the original wheel if you change systems.
I have had BL36 for over 2 years and ride about 5 miles per day with original batteries. Never let it get wet. Mine seized up with rust and I had to disassmble and clean it. I wish they would provide locking washers with the little hooks so I wouldn’t need to drill out original ones. Otherwise, I am very happy with it.
I have had this unit on a 7-speed comfort bike for about two years. Everyone should have one just in case there is no gasoline at the gas station.
Bought the non-suspension-fork bike on clearance at Sports Authority for $25. It sometimes doesn’t get power to the wheel, and I don’t know if it is loose connections or a faulty throttle lever. But normally I get it going again with a little jiggling here and there.
Be careful about the bike falling over. (It’s prone to it because of the battery weight.) It doesn’t like the impact. My battery will stay up going full speed for 6 miles or so.
Purchased the BL-36 kit almost three years ago. In less than a year the hub motor broke the aluminum suspension fork on my 700c Trek mountain bike, severing some of the hub motor wiring harness. Cost me ~$150 for parts to replace the fork (non-suspension) and had to convert to threadless system because couldn’t find threaded replacement fork. Motor is difficult to get apart to replace the harness. (Anyone have instructions? WE won’t respond.) System worked great before all these problems. WE finally posted a warning about suspension forks after I broke mine. (No warning with the kit.) Not happy with their service, which is apparently non-existent.
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April 19th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
[...] e actually got to review the Wilderness Electric Bike Kit ( [...]
March 27th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
i have used the wilderness energy kit, brushless for two years and it is very good. i suggest it to anyone.36 volt whatever im sure they are all ;fine, the only weak part is the charger which is worthless so i suggest the soniel. the connectors can be a problem to so should be replaced, i have given it alot of road time so not everyone will wear these things out, i dont have a car and use this thing to go everywhere, i live in vermont. i got a cheap walmart bike works fine. you can do the whole thing for 450 bucks and it is as good as many more expensive models.
April 8th, 2007 at 9:36 pm
Ditch the suspension fork and go with steel a fork instead! It can save your LIFE!! The pull of the motor will weaken the fork and break like it did on my way to work ofter 6 month of using it and it was painful. John Morris
July 17th, 2007 at 6:55 am
I have the same kit, and did as Frank Saunders did. Bought a cheap bike from Canadian Tire (I’m in Ottawa, Canada). No suspension, and put the kit on. I love it. I commute 20km a day when going to work on it.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Bought the Wilderness Kit, and one year later the motor is having problems. It is binding and what sounds like gears meshing, also speed is slower. They do not repair them and replacement cost for the motor is almost as much as a whole new kit. The original batteries are too small and run down quickly. I had to go to 17ah batteries. In installing on an adult trike the axel is just a hair to large for the dropouts so you may need to grind a little, not enough to hinder replacing the original wheel if you change systems.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:46 am
I have had BL36 for over 2 years and ride about 5 miles per day with original batteries. Never let it get wet. Mine seized up with rust and I had to disassmble and clean it. I wish they would provide locking washers with the little hooks so I wouldn’t need to drill out original ones. Otherwise, I am very happy with it.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I have had this unit on a 7-speed comfort bike for about two years. Everyone should have one just in case there is no gasoline at the gas station.
Bought the non-suspension-fork bike on clearance at Sports Authority for $25. It sometimes doesn’t get power to the wheel, and I don’t know if it is loose connections or a faulty throttle lever. But normally I get it going again with a little jiggling here and there.
Be careful about the bike falling over. (It’s prone to it because of the battery weight.) It doesn’t like the impact. My battery will stay up going full speed for 6 miles or so.
June 9th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Purchased the BL-36 kit almost three years ago. In less than a year the hub motor broke the aluminum suspension fork on my 700c Trek mountain bike, severing some of the hub motor wiring harness. Cost me ~$150 for parts to replace the fork (non-suspension) and had to convert to threadless system because couldn’t find threaded replacement fork. Motor is difficult to get apart to replace the harness. (Anyone have instructions? WE won’t respond.) System worked great before all these problems. WE finally posted a warning about suspension forks after I broke mine. (No warning with the kit.) Not happy with their service, which is apparently non-existent.