A Unique E-Bike
Recently Tim Crockett, of Within The WIld adventure lodge in Alaska, reached out to me and said that he’s adding e-mountain bikes to the lodge’s list of activities. He pointed to the SEM The Adventure as the bike that he’s going to be using. Tim told me that pedal-assist e-bikes are a great option for the Alaska backcountry. According to SEM’s website, The Adventure motobike has “independent management between pedaling and electric propulsion.” That sounds like a winner to me.
The bike comes in two sizes—medium and large. The motor was designed by SEM and is a load-bearing part of the bike milled from solid aluminum. The motor is independent of the pedals and is controlled on the handlebars. You can switch from 2,000 to 4,000 watts. The battery is another SEM-specific component. It is designed and wired specifically for the bike. It’s a 52 volt 17.5 Ah battery. It takes around 4.5 hours to charge.
There’s a display that shows info like battery charge, instantaneous consumption and an estimate about how much charge time the battery still holds. Because the amount of battery power you use depends on how much you’re pedaling when riding. Obviously, if you want to maximize battery life, you’ll pedal more. Tim said that he sees this as a great option for those wanting to explore Alaska’s backcountry and other mountain biking applications.
This bike is still being finished right now. There are some possibilities that Tim sent along from the manufacturer that I think sounds pretty cool. The first is that the company could have a “top” version with Ohlins suspension and Magura MT7 brakes. The basic version would get Suntour suspension and Magura M4 or 5 brakes. There’s also the possibility of a kit version where SEM supplies the complete frame, battery, motor, and controller, and you put on your own suspension, wheels, tires and anything else. This is an interesting bike, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of the bike. Below are some photos Tim sent along.
