Elf E-Recumbent Trike - Function, affordability, efficient. See my review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- Hi guys. It’s tiara on theMadame BossLady Channel and this video is a review on the Elf E-recumbent bike by organic transit. I’ve had this bike for about a year and I’m super excited that I bought it, and the functions that make it one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Let me know in the comments any questions you might have about this elf trike and I will try to answer them. Follow me on social media at Madame boss lady on Facebook Instagram TikTok and TH-cam
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Bikes with body shells are called velomobiles. Most velos are tub shaped and very tight so it is hard as hell to get in and out. Be glad the ELF has such a big door and roomy cockpit.
Thanks for that information @popeyeGordon it is quite useful.
Not quite... Bicycle-based vehicles are bike-cars. "Velomobiles" are the bicycle -world parallel of sports cars like the Chevrolet Corvette. The fastest on record is an experimental rig that is destined to reach 100 mph. The most recent record in the Guinness Book Of World Records is in excess of 90 mph.
@@angelperez7891 You don't get to make up a whole new way of naming vehicles just because of your own opinion. Velomobile is a class of vehicle that has existed for over 50 years, even before e-bikes were a thing. Cargo velomobile is the category for the ELF. It is not top speed but the presence of a shell that defines them. It is fine to casually refer to it as a car-bike but that is random arbitrary lingo with no documentation to back it up. It only gets called that sometimes because it has the lighting and horn of a car. There is no suspension and suspension is not used in velomobiles because of the weight penalty.
I'd get one and retro fit one to add a fan, more LEDs, VHF/UHF antenna to run my uv5r and add a am/fm with mp3 player with enclosed speakers
There are three different Facebook groups for the ELF - the biggest goes back to the beginning, 800 members. There is a general chat group and what you should be aware of is the OT ELF Repair Support group where you can post any question or search to see if it was already asked. The big one requires joining to access but it is a gigantic archive of everything ELF. All repairs and upgrades ever done, all parts, all wiring diagrams, all sources, it is all there. If you take the time to join and search for all the hundreds of posts about batteries you can become totally up to date on deciding of you need a ndw one and where to get it.
I hadn’t even thought about a Facebook group for the elf. Good information. I will check it out after I respond to the rest of your comments 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
As I read in the Organic Transit website, the Elf can go 20 mph by motor-omly mode and 30 mph in pedal-assist mode. That may likely change due to necessity as even on a bike lane there are bad car drivers on the respective lane who dislike slower-moving people including cyclists and they threaten to run them off the bike lanes. Cyclists without electric motor assistance have been known to reach up to 50 mph and travel as long as 100 miles with their lungs and max out with their legs at speed for the sake of getting out of the way. So there is potential that e-bikes can be ridden without a license at higher speeds in the future as the need to go fast enough to keep up with traffic and the shift towards sustainable, environmentally-conscious vehicles are more evident.
@@angelperez7891 You are ignoring the extremes of the ELF design - 170 pound weight and large bulk of the vehicle. The overly optimistic claim of 30 while pedaling is NOT practical and after 9 years of daily participation on ELF owner groups I can tell you with authority that there are only two or three owners out of 900 that have hit 30 mph on level ground. They have the skinny tires that are over inflated for lowest resistance, but that makes the ride VERY bumpy. And all three had changed the gearing of the pedal drive. There is a limit to how fast a human can spin the pedals based on the gearing from the factory. A lower gear range is more important than kids wanting to go fast as possible for cheap thrills. Low gear is needed to help the motor when starting out and for heavier loads or hills. You feel the slightest hill with a bike this heavy, you will notice inclines your eyes can barely detect. The ELF is for adults, not kids who just want the cheap thrills of speed. The brakes and suspension of the ELF are not safe for 30 mph speeds.
I love watching ELF bike videos I don't think we have them in the UK. I like watching Pebl bike rides as well
Great 😊
Your 100 watt panel will charge an empty battery in a full day of sun, but you need to get involved if you want the most charge. You tilt the wheel on the dark side up on an object so the sun hits the panel more perpendicular except in mid-summer when the sun is already high. Watch the charge current on your Cycle Analyst display - as you tilt it to the best sun angle the charge current jumps as high as 80 watts.
Too sweet. Ride E-assist delta trikes (two wheels at rear).
Only recumbents I can now get on/off of.
Looks like fun!
It’s a very fun experience riding this trike. It is hella fun.
It is fun. I was looking into the sun brand recumbent e-trike for on and off road but I’m really excited I didn’t have to spend the 5 thousand dollars for it. 😃😃😃
@@madamebosslady1111 Your purchase is a real Sweetie! Would love it!
Nice review, very informative thanks for posting.
Glad it was helpful!
We are much, much safer inside the ELF than if we are just riding a bike! We can be seen much better and we can't fall or lose control because we don't have to balance the thing. Nobody has ever been killed in an ELF after 5 million road miles. I only added some reflective tape to the rear and put an LED flasher on the roof facing the rear.
I agree. I’m adding led all around my bike. I will post the results. Thanks for your comments. 😁😁😁
Maa'sha'Allah 🌹
Hey did you get suspension/ shocks? $800-1300 for a battey mo ma'am ... save you some money.
Wow I didn't know these were available
Whoa there! Somehow you did not get the word that the rear window should never be rolled up. The factory only made them with velcro for a couple years, then the cracks started happening. The very hard, very light, very thin polycarbonate plastic is really not that flexible. Eventually mine developed hunderds of tiny cracks so I stopped rolling it up and it is the same 5 years later. Many owners cracked theirs in cold weather by rolling them up.
I will just replace it if it breaks. No worries
Why cant on make one completely pedal powered? With an electrical defroster in it! We get pretty chilly in winter! That would be nice to plug in to charge batteries for the defroster! Possibily some kind of shade device for summer cause it gets pretty hor sometimes!
I lost battery power once around 3 miles from my house. If there's any kind of incline at all, it's best to get off it. Then again, I had my 5 year old daughter with me. On flat surfaces, I was able to pedal but it was a workout.
Car-bike. That's the word to describe it if 'heavy capacity velomobile' is too long to say. The ELF is the heavy SUV of velomobiles, or a cargo e-bike.
Bike shops that service e-bikes (there is a special certification for that) are perfectly capable or maintaining the ELF but there are issues - they fear they can't get parts, they have no technical suport any more, and the thing will not fit through a single door of the shop, must have double doors or work on it outside.
Not exactly an "SUV.". She found that it has no shocks at the wheels and the tires are not the BMX sort in tread. So it is rather like a cozy little sedan made from bicycle parts. If you want to bring someone else with you, there is the Elf 2FR.
@@angelperez7891 You did not read my post correctly. "The ELF is the heavy SUV of velomobiles, or a cargo e-bike." That does NOT imply I actually called the ELF an SUV, it referred to relative size and capacity difference between a car and an SUV for comparison in words that most, but not all, causal readers can understand. You could not understand the comparison so you are the exception. The kind of tread on the tires has no relevance.
I'm a top expert owner of the ELF after it has been my only transportation for 8 years. You can't tell me about what models are available but if you are curious you can ask me instead of making stuff up. Several ELF 2FRs were used as licensed pedicabs in NYC. A 'carbike' could not be licensed as a pedicab in NYC.
Your ELF weighs 170 pounds. Your rear tire is OK for another thousand miles. Your front wheels rest on an elastomeric suspension and your three inch wide front tires are an upgrade for a smother ride. If you inflate them above 28 pounds they will still give a hard ride. Your ELF was made with working running lights, brake lights, turn signals and headlights. You wanted to 'see about' lights for night driving but you have them all now unless they are not working.
No…… lights all around the bike. Like an outline. Or like Christmas lights if you will. They ride like this in the inner city and I think it’s pretty cool so I’m gonna try it. If I don’t like them I will remove them.
@@madamebosslady1111 I bought a string of 12 V LED tape but never bothered to install it. It had a remote control. You are limited to less than one amp of current at 12V to avoid damaging your DC to DC converter that changes 48 volts to 12. Another way is using USB powered lights and buy a little USB charger pack like they use to charge cell phones on the go. That is less likely to give you trouble.
That’s exactly what I have. Lol. I can’t wait to install them.
Does it have removable doors for rainy weather that would make it awesome
That would be awesome. But NO. What you see is what you get. Unfortunately.
Door kits are available but few want them. The roof is wide, maybe your elbows get wet. No big deal.
Nice ❤❤❤
Thanks 🤗
Velomobiles such as this one are not legal in MANY areas so check the laws BEFORE you purchase it.
Thanks
Your Elf can do 20 mph by motor only and with pedal-assist motor mode, 30 mph. The Elf has been recently updated. All models by the motor only now top 28 mph and pedal-assist 37.5 mph.
You are making this crap up as you go. The 170 pound ELF can NOT reach 30 mph, the motor governor cuts it out at 20 mph and it takes a world class athlete to sprint to 30 mph for a short period under ideal conditions only, and that is a real achievement. Coasting downhill does not count but we easily hit 40 mph doing that on the right hill. There are NO LEGAL EBIKES that can do 37 mph! There is NO NEW MODEL OF THE ELF!
Casual speculation in recent interviews with Rob Cotter do not mean there is a specific design ready to build and he has nowhere to build them at this time.
The class 3 e-bikes that can do 28 mph are only legal on streets, not on any trails or paths. An e-bike that can legally go 37 mph would be very expensive and heavy and would have to conform to motorcycle laws for braking power. It would have to be licensed as a car because all 50 states say the limit is 20 mph and 750 watts of power for e-bikes without pedelec.
There used to be downloadable updates for the controller that would allow you to go faster than retail specifications, but those speeds are illegal in most places.
@@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL Cyclists and triathletes, in competition no less, can travel by pedals without motors as long as 100 miles up to 50 mph! By electric motor without pedalling most e-bikes top between 15 and 20 mph. But that is changing due to sheer necessity. So you legally should have no problem doing 30 mph with pedal assistance. That top speed is what Organic Transit rated the Elf at in pedal-assist mode from the beginning.
@@angelperez7891If you're going downhill with a modified controller, you can exceed 30 MPH, but not otherwise. I don't know what the maximum legal speeds are for strictly human powered bicycles; maybe there are none. For E bikes, there is a speed limit in most states. The motor cuts out when you get up over 25 or so, but the controller can be modified to allow faster speeds. There used to be forums that would show you how to do that, but I don't know if they're still around.
@@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL There are still many programmable controllers but there is always the limit imposed by the power of the motor. The 170 pound ELF is not going much above 20 even without limiters. Change the gearing and it will stall out and lose low end power. The Police version of the ELF has a 1000 watt motor and goes a bit faster.
Whe can I get'
It tells you where in the video 🙂
Its design is beautiful but a space spoiler. You may have made it a four wheeler to earn more space and carry at least two more persons!
Lol. I’m ok with the space. The canopy and the solar panels are the reason I fell in love. I think that is dope.
This is a bike with a limited load capacity. Four wheel bikes are not legal in the US without a license. The two passenger version has a 550 pound payload.
There is the 2FR variant that lets you carry a second adult or two children in the back.
@@angelperez7891 You are not reading the thread before commenting. You repeated what I said here a year ago - "The two passenger version has a 550 pound payload."
4 wheels would make it illegal on every bike trail in the country. With 3 wheels, it's legal on most.
Elf went Bankrupt
900 owners still have Facebook groups and we sell a used one about twice a month. The pandemic was hard on most businesses.
Rob Cotter, the inventor and CEO, has opened an office to begin the process of reviving the ELF design. th-cam.com/users/liveND5TLU-5sOw?si=nrGSx32zm8FUKsKR
There's one for sale in Connecticut no one wants it
That’s Connecticut. It’s wild because I get stopped about 6 or 7 times in the hour I’m out, from ppl wanting to know how to get one. Interesting.