I didn't have to modify the bag but it is a tad bit narrow and small. I find that to be a good thing though as it forces me to be intentional about what I actually need to carry. I also looked at the Rock Bros bags and I was also concerned they wouldn't fit because of how this back rack is built. Its probably better for a milk crate than a standard bag. I ended up taking the wooden logo plate off as well. Here's the link to the bag I bought off Amazon. a.co/d/68nSgMN Thanks for asking!
So I made all the same upgrades you did plus the 11-28 freewheel and the bike flies now! Probably still gets about 30-35 mile range cuz I upped the pedal assist but use less motor power since I have more leg power. So basically same range but with higher speed. If you have trouble removing the freewheel, remove the lock ring on the freewheel and take the 7 speed sprocket off. Clamp the naked freewheel with a vice grip and unscrew it. Search "remove freewheel without tool" on here to see what I mean.
I ordered the Zebra for the same reasons as you. I'm also in the same weight class although I'm slightly shorter. The one question I have had is how is the range affected by weight? I'm going to be commuting I to work and I don't want to get stuck with a dead battery on the ride.
Great question. Weight affects it a lot. I don’t think the battery life really uses an industry standard but I can tell you it affects it. I get roughly 30 miles on a charge. The videos I’ve seen of lighter riders get 40 or so out of this bike mostly using the throttle. I do think pedaling and going slower extends the range, at least for the Big Dog to that 60-80 mile range but in our weight class, expect that to be half. If I didn’t have so many hills to overcome out here I could probably take it to 40 miles which is still fantastic but I doubt I’d get more than that until I drop the weight. I believe the US laws about ebike classes bases it off a rider weight of 170lbs so that’s likely the benchmark the manufacturers use. I think the ebike industry will become more regulated and standardized as time goes on for better or for worse.
@@nowherehomesteady sounds like I should be fine then since it's around 30 miles to my work and I will probably be using PAS 3 or 4 to balance between top speed and max range. Hopefully my work doesn't change its policy on letting us charge our bikes in the office
Thank you for this video. I'm a big guy myself 380. would you still say out of the box this is still worth it? i was looking at this and KBO which is also 400LB payload
Without a doubt, yes. This bike is so overbuilt in the frame and the wheels are solid. Most likely where the weight rating comes into play is on the saddle post but if they are saying 400lbs rider weight, its going to handle probably 10-20% more than that most likely because of the stresses the bike has to absorb. I don’t know anything about KBO but I think I made the right choice for me with the big dog. I’m almost 300 miles in on it now with no issues. The little upgrades I made have helped but I think its absolutely worth it out of the box as is.
Thanks for the video! I am a similar size and weight to you, and I wanted something that would stand up. with your recommendation in mind, I just ordered one for myself. Sadly, it's back ordered, but expected next month, so I'm looking forward to having it!
Hey Joe, I'm actually working on editing my next video and will be showing that I was able to maintain 19-20mph on a flat gravel track for 20 miles and still have half the battery life left. I'll be uploading it as soon as I get the shorts put together into a complete video.
Is there a throttle response delay on yours? I have the big dog also and there’s about noticeably 5-7 seconds delay. It’s driving me bonkers. I’m wondering if there is a setting we can adjust.
I can’t say I’ve ever seen a throttle response delay like that when moving from a stopped position. I have seen a throttle delay when already at high speed but its not a fault so much as it is because of the max speed rating of the bike. Mine seems to not engage the throttle above 28mph. This keeps it within the legal realm of a class 2 ebike.
Yes, happens all the time above 14-15mph. I can pedal faster and catch up to it to about 21-22 before I’m ghost pedaling again. Would have to replace the rear freewheel with a 11-28 like others suggested but I haven’t done it yet. Its not exactly the easiest process for this bike. Can’t just put it back if it goes wrong from what I understand.
Hey Doug, I actually thought I already did this. I'm new to RUclips and thought I had done this already so I'll just double check the parts list to make sure its in there. For quick reference though, here's the links just for you. brake cable: www.amazon.com/dp/B0881V7CLD seat: www.amazon.com/dp/B000H87PUI ALSO... if you don't have them, I highly recommend a pair of cable cutters and a tool called a 4th hand. Here's the links to those. cable cutters: www.amazon.com/dp/B0793Q7HS7 4th hand (cable puller): www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZCZLLX
Thanks for putting up a review. I swapped out the freewheel on my Big Dog to a 11-28, which was helpful. I might change to a 52 too, but have not done that yet. I don't think they set up the gearing correctly for the 20" wheels. Himiway should probably make this change on any planned 2nd edition Big Dogs that they put out.
I totally agree. I will say the 52t chain ring really helped me out and I haven't swapped out the freewheel yet. Was there a specific tool to get the freewheel off or did you end up cutting it out? I know Himiway uses a 19mm socket on the freewheel but I cannot for the life of me find that specialized part in a 19mm
@@nowherehomesteady The tool you are looking for is a Shimano freewheel removal tool. (You won't be working with a socket set.) The issue is that the typical Shimano freewheel tool's internal opening is too small for the motor connector plug. There are custom manufactures of this tool. You need one that would fit a Bafang hub motor connector. I took a different approach and sliced an opening in the typical Shimano tool so that it would fit over the cable and then made a small wedge to put back into the opening when I was torqueing on it. It worked very well, but a purchased custom tool would be easier.
you made my day! this is exactly the review i was looking for. im about 15lbs heavier than you. spent hours looking for an ebike and i think this is the winner. glad to see it gets great range. would you say it would get better mileage on a flat paved road? regardless, this is a winner for me. keep up the good work on the weight loss!
100% yes it absolutely would get better range on flat paved roads. On a follow up video I did a range test on an established, flat, 20 mile walk/riding path consisting of crushed limestone and it had plenty of life left in it after I was done. Even with a larger rider like myself the battery had a lot more range after I was done. On paved roads that are flat, with me on it, I’m sure I’d get 35-40 miles out of it between charges. The hills around me are aggressive and it climbs them with little effort. Its not a trail bike by any stretch but for paved roads or decently maintained gravel roads, this bike is very effective. Glad my review was helpful in your decision.
@@guillermobelmontejr2903 once my legs were adjusted and I had been riding a few times, I got that range using a lower power assist level. At like 30-40%. I could get 30 miles or so on the flat walking track I described if I did 40-50%. The Big Dog has a tunable computer too. I set my power assist levels to go 0-9 with the first one starts on the lowest setting, which is 20% and I set the rest in 10% increments up to the max allowed of 99%. I run my bike on flat ground usually around 3 which translates to 40%. One thing though is pedal assist only kicks in when you pedal and if you use the throttle on the right handle then it overrides the pedal assist but doesn’t really tell you what percentage or level you are using. So if you are trying to be more scientific about what pedal assist percentage you are using then don’t touch the throttle. On flat ground, my 3-4 power assist level has been enough to get a workout without killing myself and knowing I can still get back to my truck when I am not paying attention to distance or hit my energy wall and crash.
I think ebike manufacturers use gearing limitations as well to ensure their bikes fall within the required federal type rating system. So for instance the Big Dog comes with a 48 tooth chainring and a 11-28 rear gearing so the physical limitation of that combo ends up being a max of like 14mph before you run out of gears to go faster under pure mechanical (leg) power. So when you put the motor power on top of that it means that stock, the bike really can’t go more than the legal 28mph on flat ground. With the 52T chainring I can get a little faster and its more efficient on my legs.
Thank you for the in depth info. Thank you so much for giving me piece of mind on spending $2k on an ebike. I'll be riding 24 miles round trip to work and back everyday. I think it'll do the job. One last question. How long does it take you to charge the battery? Have you seen any battery degradation since you bought it?
Great upgrades and insights! i am a heavy rider as well, good work on the loss so far. I got this bike ordered too and I am worried about the range with a lot of weight on it. Has it been good so far?
Hey, so I am working on finishing up my 2nd video now. Actually just got back from a 21 mile ride up here in NE Kansas on a flat track. I've done one other 19 mile ride and multiple 7-10 mile rides so far but the 19 and 7-10 mile rides were all full of some steep hills. I just crossed the 100 mile mark on the bike and I'm finding that for my weight, I'm getting 30-35 miles on a charge but that's also carrying all the tools in the trunk bag to repair the thing on the side of the road if I had to... all in I'm sure I'm maxing out the 400lb capacity right now. 2nd video is coming soon. Thanks for asking!
Hey Scott, I bought the 110mm extension. Might be able to get away with the 90mm but I didn't want to chance not having the clearance or the reach. Thanks for asking!
No the Big Dog doesn't have rear suspension... its a hard tail. The Himiway Escape is a dual suspension but it has a fixed seat height so would never be an option for me.
@@craighightman541 I do agree but the suspension saddle posts have weight ratings as well and I still exceed those ratings for anything reasonably priced. I will reconsider them when I drop more weight but for now, the Cloud9 seats are more than sufficient.
@@nowherehomesteady I weigh 330 -340 and had to get an extra insert for the Thudbuster but it works great I feel ya with the weight limitations on things. And I have a cloud 9 seat also. Your doing great keep up the riding 🙌
The instructions are in the manual but there are also videos on RUclips for how to do it. I don’t have an exact reference off hand but if you search for something like “himiway ebike speed adjustment” you should find one.
Excellent briefing and well noted that the CRANK needs to be 52t. I believe all those ebikes of this size needs more gearing in REAR & CRANK needs that 52t so that you can pedal at HIGHER SPEEDS. Every ebike that I have tested lack either one or both of these issues.
I completely agree. Wasn’t aware this was a problem with other ebikes as well. I do need to find a solution though. Hoping I can find a wrench to replace the rear myself without having to take it to a shop.
Excellent advice. I’m waiting for my Big Dog to be delivered.
Ordered me one today! I am working on weight loss as well, it's tough. Down from 283 to 240. The bike will help to drop another forty😁 new sub!
Thank you for the sub. I’ll be back on mine as soon as the weather warms up again. We’ve been focused on building some things lately.
This is a much Appreciated video! I myself being a big guy and looking for a e bike, I’ve found this video so helpful. Thanks 🙏
Glad it was helpful!
Did you have to modify the rear bag? My current Rock Bros. won't attach...which one did you purchase?
I didn't have to modify the bag but it is a tad bit narrow and small. I find that to be a good thing though as it forces me to be intentional about what I actually need to carry. I also looked at the Rock Bros bags and I was also concerned they wouldn't fit because of how this back rack is built. Its probably better for a milk crate than a standard bag. I ended up taking the wooden logo plate off as well. Here's the link to the bag I bought off Amazon. a.co/d/68nSgMN
Thanks for asking!
So I made all the same upgrades you did plus the 11-28 freewheel and the bike flies now! Probably still gets about 30-35 mile range cuz I upped the pedal assist but use less motor power since I have more leg power. So basically same range but with higher speed. If you have trouble removing the freewheel, remove the lock ring on the freewheel and take the 7 speed sprocket off. Clamp the naked freewheel with a vice grip and unscrew it. Search "remove freewheel without tool" on here to see what I mean.
Thank you! The 11-28 is my next upgrade. Which one did you go with?
Awesome, thanks.
You bet!
I ordered the Zebra for the same reasons as you. I'm also in the same weight class although I'm slightly shorter. The one question I have had is how is the range affected by weight? I'm going to be commuting I to work and I don't want to get stuck with a dead battery on the ride.
Great question. Weight affects it a lot. I don’t think the battery life really uses an industry standard but I can tell you it affects it. I get roughly 30 miles on a charge. The videos I’ve seen of lighter riders get 40 or so out of this bike mostly using the throttle. I do think pedaling and going slower extends the range, at least for the Big Dog to that 60-80 mile range but in our weight class, expect that to be half.
If I didn’t have so many hills to overcome out here I could probably take it to 40 miles which is still fantastic but I doubt I’d get more than that until I drop the weight.
I believe the US laws about ebike classes bases it off a rider weight of 170lbs so that’s likely the benchmark the manufacturers use. I think the ebike industry will become more regulated and standardized as time goes on for better or for worse.
@@nowherehomesteady sounds like I should be fine then since it's around 30 miles to my work and I will probably be using PAS 3 or 4 to balance between top speed and max range. Hopefully my work doesn't change its policy on letting us charge our bikes in the office
Thank you for this video. I'm a big guy myself 380. would you still say out of the box this is still worth it? i was looking at this and KBO which is also 400LB payload
Without a doubt, yes. This bike is so overbuilt in the frame and the wheels are solid. Most likely where the weight rating comes into play is on the saddle post but if they are saying 400lbs rider weight, its going to handle probably 10-20% more than that most likely because of the stresses the bike has to absorb. I don’t know anything about KBO but I think I made the right choice for me with the big dog. I’m almost 300 miles in on it now with no issues. The little upgrades I made have helped but I think its absolutely worth it out of the box as is.
@@nowherehomesteady Thank you my friend! good to know! It was this or the zebra/stepthrough and nonstepthrough, all rated 400lbs.
I'm 6'3" tall too,so I know where your coming from 👍
Yeah, hopefully this was helpful in your search.
Thanks for the video! I am a similar size and weight to you, and I wanted something that would stand up. with your recommendation in mind, I just ordered one for myself. Sadly, it's back ordered, but expected next month, so I'm looking forward to having it!
I hope it arrives soon. Mine was also back ordered when I ordered it back in April and it didn’t arrive until the 3rd week of May
How are the mechanical brakes holding up? Any thought of swapping out for hydraulic brakes?
I haven't had any. issues with them but eventually I'm going to swap them out for some cable actuated hydraulic calipers.
Looking at buying one of these. I’m a big guy as well, how fast will it go on flat ground? Also does it have a cruise control?
Hey Joe, I'm actually working on editing my next video and will be showing that I was able to maintain 19-20mph on a flat gravel track for 20 miles and still have half the battery life left. I'll be uploading it as soon as I get the shorts put together into a complete video.
Where did you get the front mount for the bottles?
Hey Craig. You can get them on Amazon. Here's the link: a.co/d/hNJPmmU
Is there a throttle response delay on yours? I have the big dog also and there’s about noticeably 5-7 seconds delay. It’s driving me bonkers. I’m wondering if there is a setting we can adjust.
I can’t say I’ve ever seen a throttle response delay like that when moving from a stopped position. I have seen a throttle delay when already at high speed but its not a fault so much as it is because of the max speed rating of the bike. Mine seems to not engage the throttle above 28mph. This keeps it within the legal realm of a class 2 ebike.
@@nowherehomesteady ok thank you for your response. This doesn’t happen at a stand still but while already in motion while around 10 or 10+mph.
@@linlin9443 yeah not sure. I’ve seen it well above 10 but only when its approaching top speed.
Can you tell me, do you find you lose resistance in the pedaling when going at higher speeds and using 30% pas of more?
Yes, happens all the time above 14-15mph. I can pedal faster and catch up to it to about 21-22 before I’m ghost pedaling again. Would have to replace the rear freewheel with a 11-28 like others suggested but I haven’t done it yet. Its not exactly the easiest process for this bike. Can’t just put it back if it goes wrong from what I understand.
Good informative review. Would it be possible to add in links to the parts you purchased such as the seat and front brake cable?
Hey Doug, I actually thought I already did this. I'm new to RUclips and thought I had done this already so I'll just double check the parts list to make sure its in there. For quick reference though, here's the links just for you.
brake cable: www.amazon.com/dp/B0881V7CLD
seat: www.amazon.com/dp/B000H87PUI
ALSO... if you don't have them, I highly recommend a pair of cable cutters and a tool called a 4th hand. Here's the links to those.
cable cutters: www.amazon.com/dp/B0793Q7HS7
4th hand (cable puller): www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZCZLLX
Thanks for putting up a review. I swapped out the freewheel on my Big Dog to a 11-28, which was helpful. I might change to a 52 too, but have not done that yet. I don't think they set up the gearing correctly for the 20" wheels. Himiway should probably make this change on any planned 2nd edition Big Dogs that they put out.
I totally agree. I will say the 52t chain ring really helped me out and I haven't swapped out the freewheel yet. Was there a specific tool to get the freewheel off or did you end up cutting it out? I know Himiway uses a 19mm socket on the freewheel but I cannot for the life of me find that specialized part in a 19mm
@@nowherehomesteady The tool you are looking for is a Shimano freewheel removal tool. (You won't be working with a socket set.) The issue is that the typical Shimano freewheel tool's internal opening is too small for the motor connector plug. There are custom manufactures of this tool. You need one that would fit a Bafang hub motor connector. I took a different approach and sliced an opening in the typical Shimano tool so that it would fit over the cable and then made a small wedge to put back into the opening when I was torqueing on it. It worked very well, but a purchased custom tool would be easier.
Awesome. Thank you for the tip. I’ll look into doing something similar.
you made my day! this is exactly the review i was looking for. im about 15lbs heavier than you. spent hours looking for an ebike and i think this is the winner. glad to see it gets great range. would you say it would get better mileage on a flat paved road? regardless, this is a winner for me. keep up the good work on the weight loss!
100% yes it absolutely would get better range on flat paved roads. On a follow up video I did a range test on an established, flat, 20 mile walk/riding path consisting of crushed limestone and it had plenty of life left in it after I was done. Even with a larger rider like myself the battery had a lot more range after I was done. On paved roads that are flat, with me on it, I’m sure I’d get 35-40 miles out of it between charges.
The hills around me are aggressive and it climbs them with little effort. Its not a trail bike by any stretch but for paved roads or decently maintained gravel roads, this bike is very effective. Glad my review was helpful in your decision.
What pedal assist level do you use it on to get the 35-40 mile range?
@@guillermobelmontejr2903 once my legs were adjusted and I had been riding a few times, I got that range using a lower power assist level. At like 30-40%. I could get 30 miles or so on the flat walking track I described if I did 40-50%. The Big Dog has a tunable computer too. I set my power assist levels to go 0-9 with the first one starts on the lowest setting, which is 20% and I set the rest in 10% increments up to the max allowed of 99%. I run my bike on flat ground usually around 3 which translates to 40%. One thing though is pedal assist only kicks in when you pedal and if you use the throttle on the right handle then it overrides the pedal assist but doesn’t really tell you what percentage or level you are using. So if you are trying to be more scientific about what pedal assist percentage you are using then don’t touch the throttle.
On flat ground, my 3-4 power assist level has been enough to get a workout without killing myself and knowing I can still get back to my truck when I am not paying attention to distance or hit my energy wall and crash.
I think ebike manufacturers use gearing limitations as well to ensure their bikes fall within the required federal type rating system. So for instance the Big Dog comes with a 48 tooth chainring and a 11-28 rear gearing so the physical limitation of that combo ends up being a max of like 14mph before you run out of gears to go faster under pure mechanical (leg) power. So when you put the motor power on top of that it means that stock, the bike really can’t go more than the legal 28mph on flat ground. With the 52T chainring I can get a little faster and its more efficient on my legs.
Thank you for the in depth info. Thank you so much for giving me piece of mind on spending $2k on an ebike. I'll be riding 24 miles round trip to work and back everyday. I think it'll do the job. One last question. How long does it take you to charge the battery? Have you seen any battery degradation since you bought it?
Great upgrades and insights! i am a heavy rider as well, good work on the loss so far. I got this bike ordered too and I am worried about the range with a lot of weight on it. Has it been good so far?
Hey, so I am working on finishing up my 2nd video now. Actually just got back from a 21 mile ride up here in NE Kansas on a flat track. I've done one other 19 mile ride and multiple 7-10 mile rides so far but the 19 and 7-10 mile rides were all full of some steep hills. I just crossed the 100 mile mark on the bike and I'm finding that for my weight, I'm getting 30-35 miles on a charge but that's also carrying all the tools in the trunk bag to repair the thing on the side of the road if I had to... all in I'm sure I'm maxing out the 400lb capacity right now. 2nd video is coming soon. Thanks for asking!
Is the stem extension the 110mm or the 90mm?
Hey Scott, I bought the 110mm extension. Might be able to get away with the 90mm but I didn't want to chance not having the clearance or the reach. Thanks for asking!
New sub. Thanks
Awesome, thank you brother!
no rear shocks?
No the Big Dog doesn't have rear suspension... its a hard tail. The Himiway Escape is a dual suspension but it has a fixed seat height so would never be an option for me.
If you get a suspension seat post it makes all the difference. Takes up so much of the shock over bumps
@@craighightman541 I do agree but the suspension saddle posts have weight ratings as well and I still exceed those ratings for anything reasonably priced. I will reconsider them when I drop more weight but for now, the Cloud9 seats are more than sufficient.
@@nowherehomesteady I weigh 330 -340 and had to get an extra insert for the Thudbuster but it works great I feel ya with the weight limitations on things. And I have a cloud 9 seat also. Your doing great keep up the riding 🙌
I bought a small motorcycle bag I got a bike just like that
Awesome.
how do you change the speed
The instructions are in the manual but there are also videos on RUclips for how to do it. I don’t have an exact reference off hand but if you search for something like “himiway ebike speed adjustment” you should find one.
Excellent briefing and well noted that the CRANK needs to be 52t. I believe all those ebikes of this size needs more gearing in REAR & CRANK needs that 52t so that you can pedal at HIGHER SPEEDS. Every ebike that I have tested lack either one or both of these issues.
I completely agree. Wasn’t aware this was a problem with other ebikes as well. I do need to find a solution though. Hoping I can find a wrench to replace the rear myself without having to take it to a shop.