Wind Runner Returns for 2013!
What can I say? I love this bike! For those of you who have followed the electric bike movement for awhile you may notice something familiar about the Wind Runner. The basic bike frame is, in fact, the old Tidalforce S-750 from the early 2000’s. At the time it was considered by many to be the state of the art in ebikes. Things changed and the company closed up shop around 2004-5. My source snagged all the remaining new bicycles minus their drive systems and sold them to serious ebike D.I.Y.ers including myself via the internet for years. The various iterations of the Wind Runner through the past four years have been my reinterpretations of this classic piece of ebike history. In early 2012 I bought the remaining inventory of these new-in-the-box bikes in the country. It wasn’t until last summer that we finally ‘cracked the code’ on our ultimate vision of what the Wind Runner could be. The current offerings are all variations of that long-held idea.
The key component and challenge of the bike has always been the battery. The ideal location, of course, would be in the center triangle of the frame. However, its a fairly tight space and its been no small feat to build a pack within those parameters. We finally hit pay dirt when we found LiPo cells from Tenergy Corp. that, literally, fit the bill. We’ve been able to build both a 36V and a 48V 10AH pack that fit into our custom aluminum and ABS plastic cases. With the battery issue tackled, every other component option is open to choice.
We offer two basic versions of the Wind Runner – the 3600 series and the 4800 series. The nomenclature refers to the battery voltage and each series is equipped with its own compliment of drive systems and components. The 3600 series sports a 350 watt geared motor, 26″ wheels, and Tektro V-brakes.
The 4800 series is equipped with a 500 watt direct drive motor, 24″ wheels, and Shimano Deore hydraulic disc brakes. Tire styles, fenders, seats, and handlebars vary from bike to bike depending on customer preference. We also offer a tasty Suntour dual crown fork upgrade to bikes destined for serious trail time. I can personally attest to the success of these as hard core, serious single track trail bikes. See my “A Moment’s Reflection” blog for more about that.
Pricing starts at $2499 for the basic 3600 edition and $3299 for the 4800 edition. The Suntour dual crown fork adds an additional $200 to these prices. Tires, fenders, seat, handlebars, and brakes can be modified as well. Pricing varies based on specific upgrades.
I have a few of these already built up in different versions as described and the remaining bikes will be built to spec for the customer. (The above photo is a ‘one-off’ build that includes a White Bros. Groove 200 fork, Cycle Analyst computer system, and monster Schwalbe Big Betty dirt tires. We’ve since added an additional 24V pack to boost this bad boy up to 72 volts of trail taming ecstasy!)
I have less than a handful of framesets left to build out. Once they are gone it will truly be the end of an era. We sincerely believe that the few dozen or so Wind Runners that have and will make their way into the world are destined for some measure of classic status among ebike aficionados. If these photos encourage you to agree, I invite you to come see for yourself what the Wind Runner’s are all about. Grab yourself a piece of Ashland Electric Bike history that you can ride into the future!
