# Help- Found Fat Tire E-Bike and I know nothing about it



## bkboilin (Feb 7, 2021)

Found this fat tire e-bike at a Goodwill. Don't know anything about it at all. No brakes hooked up, wires were electric taped to the handlebars.

I need all the help I can get. Can I get this to work? Where are the brakes? Can I still charge it to see if it works? If so, how?

Anyone out there able to help me?
View attachment 1915055


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Where is the battery?


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## warpdwhim (Sep 14, 2020)

bkboilin said:


> Found this fat tire e-bike at a Goodwill. Don't know anything about it at all. No brakes hooked up, wires were electric taped to the handlebars.
> 
> I need all the help I can get. Can I get this to work? Where are the brakes? Can I still charge it to see if it works? If so, how?
> 
> ...


I wouldn't touch that bike. By the sounds of your post you don't really know much about bikes and electric adds a whole new level. No battery, no motor controller, no brakes or cables. Leave it there.


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## bkboilin (Feb 7, 2021)

warpdwhim said:


> I wouldn't touch that bike. By the sounds of your post you don't really know much about bikes and electric adds a whole new level. No battery, no motor controller, no brakes or cables. Leave it there.


I'm not familiar with e-bikes. I have about 7 other bikes in my garage. I just picked it up and looking for a quick answer.

I found out a lot more in the meantime. It's a Sondor and after looking at it more, all the electrics were cut and brakes were removed so I"m sure it has an interesting history. Needs a few items, but I've talked to some friends and think I can round up some brakes to make it serviceable. We will see if it ends up being functional as a cruiser.

Going to use it as a tinkerer now and see if I can use it as a neighborhood cruiser.

Thanks for your input!!


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## TheNip73 (Jul 28, 2009)

That black tape on the Dow tube is probably hiding something nasty.

I would pull that off and make sure the frame is not taped together...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bkboilin (Feb 7, 2021)

Yeah, I took tape of earlier. It has all the electrical housing to connect battery to the rear hub. Same was done to the wires on the handlebars. It’s hard to tell what the plan was, but with the battery removed and wires cut, I figure failed attempt to turn into cruiser, or stolen for parts and left on goodwill doorstep. 

I hope to bring some life to it, but we will see if it’s a lost cause.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

If it were me, I would probably just make it into a regular old pedal bike*. *


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## htrdoug (Mar 19, 2011)

Slotted rear dropouts? I would find a conventional hub to fit the rear and lace the fat rim to it then build it into a single speed balloon bomber!


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Luna Cycle had some parts for the Sondors, AIR. There's also a FB page or Endless Sphere where you might get help or parts. It's not an esoteric e-bike.


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## MikeTowpathTraveler (Aug 12, 2015)

Here's the Sondors parts website: PARTS STORE

The problem is, if it's not sold out, then the prices are so high that it's not fiscally smart to purchase everything required to get it running again. Good luck in whatever you decide to do with it.


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## bkboilin (Feb 7, 2021)

I got bike mobile last night, but with no brakes it's a little sketchy. Ordered new brakes and handlebars and see if it will function without removing the rear hub and replacing with a whole new one. 

All of your tips and guidance are awesome. If I get some extra money, maybe it's worth a full conversion


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

What's the rear spacing on that thing?


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## bkboilin (Feb 7, 2021)

NYrr496 said:


> What's the rear spacing on that thing?


I don't know the exact measurements, but it runs on 26x4.9 tires. Does that help?


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Just measure the distance between the inside faces of the rear dropouts (see Sheldon Brown). Probably 190 mm.


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## bkboilin (Feb 7, 2021)

fos'l said:


> Just measure the distance between the inside faces of the rear dropouts (see Sheldon Brown). Probably 190 mm.


looks like 175. I put some new brakes on it, but the single speed is rough. Is there enough room for a conversion?


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

You can get a direct drive kit with 175 mm rear axle spacing for about $225 (look at e-bikeling). In your initial post you mention no brakes. Shimano Alivio discs on ebay are about $110 for front and rear (if it were me, I wouldn't worry about cut off switches that shut the motor off when the brakes are depressed). I think the battery is 36V; you can get a charger for about $30 (check with Sondors to insure you get the correct charger port connector). That way you can check the battery before spending any more money. A new battery will set you back about $400 (for a good one); if the battery is toast, you might want to just have a pedal bike.


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Just checked. Luna Cycle (no affiliation) has a charger for $36 (plus tax and shipping). Suggest you charge the battery (and store it) where you wouldn't mind having a fire (outdoors, fireplace etc).


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