Watch This BEFORE Buying the Revi Bikes Cheetah! 500 mile update electric bike review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ย. 2022
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tl;dr version of the writeup:
This video is sponsored by Revi Bikes, and today we’re doing a 500-mile update on the Cheetah. It’s not often we are able to do videos like this, simply because of the sheer amount of time it takes to put this many miles on a frame. But the truth of the matter is, I absolutely love the Cheetah, and it’s been my primary ride of choice since we reviewed it.
Right, so, the first thing I want to talk about with the Cheetah is how it rides. With the stretched wheelbase and battery high on the top tube, it takes some effort to lean it over during the turns. But this isn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, actually, I really like it. The balance of the Cheetah feels a lot like riding a lightweight Harley. It’s remarkably stable, and taking turns with it is such a blast.
I really the Bafang 750 watt hub motor here. It’s proven to be powerful enough to get me up every hill I’ve thrown at it during my 500-mile extended test ride. I rode this cruiser during the hottest days last summer too, which clocked in at around 115 degrees, and I didn’t have a single issue with overheating. This is a particularly big deal given the fact that I almost exclusively use the throttle when riding.
But out of the box, the Cheetah has some big latency with motor activation when I hit the throttle. Revi Bikes said the Cheetah ships in this configuration to save the battery and extend range, but I personally don’t like it at all. I prefer the motor to instantly activate as soon as I twist the throttle. The good news is, this is a setting that can be changed in the backend.
Let’s talk about range. I usually go for an hour walk in the morning, and that’s my workout. So, when I ride the Cheetah at night, I typically just use the throttle and I usually keep it wide open the entire time. I can sometimes hit 29 mph, but the Cheetah can sustain the 28 mph top speed until I hit around 25% battery capacity, at which point the voltage has dropped low enough to where I can only hit around 25 or 26 mph. That’s still pretty good.
When I’m using just the throttle and clipping along at top speed, I average between 15 and 20 miles before I hit that 25% mark and start feeling range anxiety. For those times when I really want to squeeze some extra range out of the Cheetah without sacrificing too much power, I change the settings to “power” mode and put it in pedal assist level 3, which allows me to move along at around 20 mph. Even with this high output configuration, I can easily double my range to about 40 miles, and I can pedal lightly enough to not even break a sweat.
Another setting I ended up changing with the Cheetah is something called “throttle follow,” which means the power output from the throttle is synced to the pedal assist setting. So when throttle follow is engaged and I’m in pedal assist level 1 but want to boost up a hill with the throttle, I can’t. I’m capped out at the power output available from pedal assist level 1.
I found the braking on the Cheetah to be consistently fantastic, though I will say that I’ve noticed a little bit of sponginess developing in the front brake. And the truth is, this is just one of those things that come along with using hydraulic disc brakes. Sometimes you need to bleed the lines and add some more oil. Still, after 500 miles, the brakes are strong as ever and there seems to be plenty of use left in the brake pads.
Let’s talk lighting. The headlight on the Cheetah is probably the biggest disappointment. It’s actually a pretty powerful headlight, but the beam pattern leaves a lot to be desired. The headlight on the Cheetah I’ve been riding splits the beam into two distinct spot patterns. If you angle the headlight so that the main spot is about 100 feet ahead of you, the second spot will be lighting up the trees.
Overall, after four months and 500 miles, I’m more in love with the Cheetah now than when I first got it. And if Revi Bikes incorporates the changes I mentioned in this video, then I could honestly say the Cheetah would be absolutely perfect.
I appreciate you taking the time to watch this video and I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you’re having a fantastic day. If you like this bike, you’ll be interested to know we’ll be reviewing the new Cheetah Min and Oasis in the next week or so, so stick around for that.
Thank you again, my amazing e-bike friends and be well! Until next time. Peace!
#electricbike, #ebike, #electricvehicle, #evs, #electrifiedreviews, #gogreen - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Had my Cheetah+ since last June and put 950 mi. on it during a short, first riding season in the northland. Love it. Like the reviewer, I could also offer up suggestions to better compete in the longer term market, but for now have no complaints and looking forward to Spring.
I have just over 600 miles on mine and your review is spot on. It's a fun bike to ride
I'm just over 3,000 miles on my Cheetah after about 10 months of ownership. I can hardly imagine getting as much joy from any other ebike as I'm getting from this Cheetah. It's a damn fine looking bike which is one of the drawbacks. Everyone wants to tell you how good looking it is. I've got a set of new tires sitting here in my office I'm going to put on here shortly. The front tire doesn't need replacing, but the rear is pretty much done. I wish there were more tread styles available for 26" fat tires. It's either pure road or sand/snow. I'd like a more intermediate tread. The fat tires work so well in even powdery sand, I could easily afford a little bit more tread for the road without compromising beach rides.
Battery life, I can't tell you what range is. I don't really pay attention. I'm always pedaling, and I've never had a ride feeling like power was going to be an issue. I made a pretty nice looking and comfortable seat that snaps onto the rear rack. My wife is 80lbs (+/- 2lbs) which exceeds the weight limit stamped on the rack. But combined with foot pegs to transfer some of the weight, there's no indication of excessive stress on the rack. With her on the back and a whole day of cruising the beaches and bays in San Diego, still no sweat on power for the day. And the two of us on the bike for the day are now among my favorite days ever.
One of the most necessary modifications in my mind, and you mention, is retention of settings after turning the bike off and on. I just don't bother each time I turn the bike on to get the bike into the configuration I want. I'm just not going to bother over the course of numerous stops to set the throttle performance, etc. If I'm using the USB port, it's a pain to turn it on each time I get back on the bike, if I even remember.
The gearing would be next on my needed improvements. As you point out, once you bump the pedal assist up, there's a point where you're just windmilling for the cadence sensor.
All in all, I'm enjoying this bike more than any motorcycle I've owned. It is close to my Dakar in fun per mile. But, I can't ride my Dakar to a summer concert in the park or on the beaches. The Cheetah really does have a motorcycle feel to it and man that really adds to the joy. Especially since I don't have to be in hyper-awareness mode when I ride it like on a motorcycle.
Hahaha it is almost TOO good looking! One of our favorite bikes of all time.
⚡🤙🏼 *We need more of these Follow up reviews!* 🤙🏼⚡
👏🏼👏🏼
oh well hello again! haha :)
yes! you're totally right, eBoard3R. this followup review was so much fun to do. glad you dug it!
Great review, and I'm glad I'm not the only one only getting 20 mile range from a full battery, when the dealer's spec says 40. Unfortunately for me, I've had nothing but trouble with mine. After about 3 miles, it cuts out. I have to pull over, switch the power off, and back on, and then it either rides ok first time, or takes at least 3 times doing the same switching on/off routine before it gets going. It has put me off travelling any further than my local area, around 5 miles. The dealer I bought it from put a new sensor on it, and it worked ok for a while, after not working at all, which is why he had to put a new sensor on in the first place, and now he ignores my texts. Could you advise as to what it might be please?
The review on the settings
Wasn’t able to see how to change the settings because it looks pitch black
How did u get black battery cover
Love your reviews! I know you've spent a lot of time on this bike (Cheetah), but would you have any recommendations or a favorite in the 2K range especially since you've recently tested a bunch of newer ones (or would it still be the Cheetah)? I like the looks and distance (and prefer to go fast) of the Mokwheel Basalt but so many out there to choose from. Anyway, keep up the great reviews!!! We appreciate you!
...and understand if you need to stay somewhat impartial and just stick to the facts on here
hi Jim! thanks so much for the kind words and positive energy! really glad to hear you are digging the reviews. :)
this is always a tough question to answer, but honestly, right now, the Cheetah is my favorite ride for my personal use. lately i've been doing a lot of throttle only late night rides on lonely paved trails, and the Cheetah is just perfect for that. i've got the saddle bags to store some blankets, drinks, and other gear, and what I normally do is take it to a super dark place with low light pollution and go star gazing. so for that purpose, the Cheetah is perfect for me. however, this is definitely NOT the vehicle i would choose for other use cases, like long commutes, off roading, and getting in a good work out
hope that helps, Jim and we appreciate you too! be well, my friend.
It’s. One. Handsome. Bike.
I have a cheetah how do you unlock it for more power & top speed?
hi Raymond! nice! how are you liking it so far? you can follow the prompts in the video to get into the backend of the setting to adjust the top speed, power and more. happy trails!
I think i sub'd back in 2017 when i bought my 1st ebike. I dont ever recall you guys doing a "follow up" review. I was curious, when you're sent a bike to review, how long do you normally keep it for? Manufactures are getting cute trying to come out with gimmickie options for these bikes, meaning a setting to change the throttle to work full power in ALL PAS. Sure, they allow you to change it but the fact that they engineered it that way is meaningless. Sorry REVI. They're not the only ones doing this, cant recall the name of another company with that feature but that alone ruled out me buying that model bike. Dont try to reinvent the wheel, keep it simple. That tank not having front suspension, another deal breaker. I test rode a Pedego with NO front suspension, i said no thanks. As for the Cheetah, it still looks badazz, it would make a good "ride into town" kind of bike. *edit, you holding a mic the size of a walkie talkie was distracting, your sound guy can do better than that. Did i mention its snowing outside, i hate winter!
man you've been with us since the beginning! do you remember what you were doing in 2017? that feels like a lifetime ago at this point. :)
you're right, i think this is our first followup review and now that we've grown our team we'll likely be doing more of these. even though they're really time consuming, i think they're valuable.
back in the day we used to ship bikes back, but now we keep them, mostly because it lends itself well to our workflow. storing all the boxes along with the bikes is difficult, so this allows us to immediately break the boxes down and recycle them. honeslty, i've thought about doing a "how to become an electric bike reviewer" tutorial video that explains step by step exactly how we do things in the hopes of jump starting new reviewers and helping established reviewers grow further. a rising tide lifts all ships, you know what i'm sayin? what are your thoughts on this, HackHunter? I'd be interested to know.
and haha how do you know it WASN'T a walkie talkie?! maybe we were relaying a live broadcast around the globe. just kidding. we were having some audio issues so we used a second audio source for safety. stuff happens, and that's when we get the opportunity to adapt and overcome.... here and in life. :)
you got snow?! i wouldn't mind some of that here. it's been years since i've seen snow. it's currently 61 here, sunny, very light clouds. it's a beautiful day.
have an awesome day, HackHunter and be well!
What I can see ,a small battery pack and maximum range 25 mile
thanks, Benedykt! be well, my friend.
I've got twin batteries on mine and can do 70 mile on level 3 assist.
Sexy e-bike!! As I understand, this bike is originally made by Bisek and listed for less than half the price on Alibaba. What upgrades has ReviBikes made to this rebranded Chinese made ebike?
hey there, Joel! we haven't reviewed the Bisek so it's hard to compare them presently, but i will definitely check them out now. thank you for the info!
as far as Alibaba goes, that is a great place to get huge discounts, but it comes with its inherent risks. have you ordered one of the Bisek bikes from Alibaba? I would love to hear your experience there.
thanks, Joel and have a great day!
They're basically the same - the US brand for Bisek is Revi. The underlying thing about buying from Bisek is that the price doesn't include shipping and import taxes - which if you do include, by using a third party import carriers, the total price actually becomes same or even higher than just buying from Revi. Unless you live within China or nearby, the actual price needed for acquiring these are basically the Revi price.