I hemmed and hawed over this for months, losing most of the riding season in the process. But… I finally ordered a Biktrix Ultra FS Pro 3.
A very long time ago, I was a BMX racer. It was this influence that I had to fight to make the right decision.
I still own a 24″ SE Racing quadrangle, as well as a rigid Klein mountain bike from the 1990’s. However, I never ride them because the reality is that old injuries make the ride unpleasant fairly quickly. They’re just not bikes I can take on multi-hour rides. I want sensitive front suspension to alleviate my right wrist pain, and rear suspension to keep the tire on the ground when I’m traversing rough dirt roads here in Michigan.
Another sensible conclusion: I want to be able to ride in the snow. That dictated a fat-tire bike.
So I ordered the bike with a 26″x4″ setup. I added the Wren rear hub for longevity with the powerful mid-drive motor. I added a second battery for more range. I added the rear fender and rack kit, as well as a dropper seat post. I added the Armageddon headlight since we have short days here in the winter. I added the Wren inverted fork, mostly because I could not find any useful reviews of the Biktrix inverted fork. And I upgraded to the Magura MT5e brakes.
I separately ordered studded 26″x4″ tires for the winter.
I also ordered Pedaling Innovations Catalyst One pedals. These are oddball pedals, much bigger front-to-back than normal pedals. I won’t know how I feel about them until I’ve put some miles on them.
Gear-wise, I currently own a single helmet: a Specialized Mode. It was inexpensive, is a good commuter type helmet, and meets the Dutch NTA8776 standard for e-bike helmets. Given that much of my riding will be on dirt roads with some traffic, I wanted a helmet that was qualified for e-bikes and also had a means of easily mounting a light. The Mode comes with a nifty tool-free mount for a Stix Elite 2 tail light (which I have mounted). I have a second Stix Elite 2 tail light with a separate rear reflector mount, and a Stix Elite 2 head light with arm/leg band mount. I also have a head light for my helmet: an Outbound Hangover. The Armageddon on the bike is bright and emits a pretty wide beam, but nothing beats being able to point a light with your head.
I ordered inexpensive gloves from Amazon. I recently received some new Etnies Camber shoes, which I like but we’ll see how they do on the pedals. I of course already have some Vans BMX shoes (high tops as well as slip-ons) for casual rides. Not sure yet what I’ll use in the winter.
I also have a new Specialized wind jacket with lots of zip pockets. It’s not waterproof (and the front is snap closures, no zipper), and it has no hood. I have two Cleverhood rank jackets for rain, but to be honest I don’t expect to do a lot of rain riding due to the dirt road; the amount of sticky clay that winds up on the bike when it’s raining is high.