The E-Mundo electric cargo carrying bike is the same bomber bike as the Yuba Mundo, now with help for your legs. Your days of struggling to get up a hill with your load are over. Want to ride the bike longer distance but afraid you won't make it? The lightweight electric-assist kit will extend your useable range by increasing your overall speed and decreasing your overall effort. For a true car-replacement vehicle, the E-Mundo can't be beat.

The Mundo is a cargo bike built for hauling. With stout, steel, built-in racks, a heavy duty rear wheel with 48 spokes and oversized axle, and a payload capacity of 440 lbs, this is the Clydesdale of the cargo biking world. This bike can handle what you can throw at it. Besides the usual loads of groceries or kids, we've seen customers carry firewood, lumber, old tires, recycling bins (all 4 of them!), a rototiller, speakers and amps, and many other loads.

The electric-assist helps you pedal your bike with your load of choice. It operates with a handlebar mounted throttle, so you are 100% in control of when you have assistance - just press the thumb throttle for variable assistance from a little to a lot. When you don't want assistance, just pedal the bike like you normally would. The motor is quiet, durable, and will help you tackle your hills with less pedaling on your part. And when you're carrying a couple hundred extra pounds, that will be appreciated.

But this bike is not just useful, it is also comfortable. Many of our customers, after riding all of our cargo bike options, find the Mundo to be the most comfortable. It has an upright riding style, spring-loaded seat, and wide tires for a beach-cruiser kind of feeling. The easy ride takes you by surprise and finds you cruising down the road with a smile on your face.

The E-Mundo is a comfortable and useful bike that can easily carry you and your stuff, so you can leave your car at home. No more fighting traffic and looking for parking at the farmers market, the music festival, work or school. Instead, you can recapture that feeling of riding a bike when you were a kid, and still carry what you need.

What's Included?

You can get your E-Mundo two ways. We can assemble the bike, then re-box it and ship it directly to your door for FREE. Or if you have the bike already, purchase just the electric kit to add on yourself with the included assembly instructions and help from our phone support staff (see here). Either way, you get the same great components. The E-Mundo comes with all the features of the Yuba Mundo plus these electric components (for more technical details, see specifications tab):

• 21-speed V3 (version 3) Yuba Mundo bike in Matte Black, Light Blue, or Tangerine color
• Single sided, bomber Peltscher kickstand to keep the bike upright
• NineContinent direct drive hub motor mounted in front wheel
• Thumb throttle
• Waterproofed 35amp controller with on/off switch, and low voltage battery protection
• Choice of 36V 12Ah Lead-acid battery pack or upgrade to 36V 15Ah Lithium (LifePO4) battery
• Top speed 25 mph
• Range 10-15 miles with lead acid pack or 20-35 miles with Lithium pack, depending on load, terrain, and your use of assist
• Costs $0.03-$0.05 to charge (that's 3-5 cents per charge).
• Options
• Add a Cycle Analyst - it's a super accurate battery gage so you know exactly where you are. Keeps track of electrical statistics so you can monitor your system at all times. Also monitors cycle statistics like speed, trip odometer and odometer.
• Add a Go-Getter bag - a large, waterproof, and brightly colored cargo bag that fits perfectly on either side of the Mundo rear rack.

Which battery should I get?

We offer two battery options for the E-Mundo (custom options available) to fit your requirements, a lead-acid battery pack or a Lithium battery pack. Lead-acid batteries are tried and true and have been around for a long time providing reliable service. They are inexpensive and can be easily replaced at your local battery outlet store. And they have no problems providing the power you need day after day. The main drawback of lead acid is their weight and their lifespan. A 36-volt 12 amp-hour (see below for more info on these numbers) pack weighs about 28lbs and will last about 150 cycles. That means about a year of service if you use the bike most days, or up to 5 years of service if you use it only occasionally.

In contrast, lithium batteries are lightweight and long lasting, but cost more to purchase and replace. The Lithium batteries we offer are Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LiFePo4), a high quality cell that lasts over 1,000 cycles (about 7 times as long as lead acid) and the 15Ah pack weighs just 12 lbs. These packs have been very popular in the ebike market as a long-term investment in batteries.

In addition to their weight and lifespan advantages, lithium batteries have a more advantageous discharge characteristic, which allows you to get more range out of the same size battery as lead-acid. With lead acid, the voltage of the battery drops steadily as it is being used, and voltage is a large part of what gives your bike the "oomph" to get going. When half of the capacity of lead acid is used (eg. 6 or 12 amp hours), the voltage of the battery has dropped to where your bike is noticeably less powerful than when you started your ride. And by 8 amp hours, you are not getting much help anymore. You can expect to get 10-15 miles of good power from a lead-acid pack. If your rides tend to be short, then you may never reach this level of use, and this would not effect your ride. However, if your rides are longer, the lithium discharge characteristics would be more beneficial.

With a lithium battery, the voltage of the battery drops slowly through most of the capacity, and then drops suddenly near the end. So with a 15Ah lithium battery, your voltage (and power from the system) will stay high until 13 amp hours or so, and then will drop suddenly. In this way, you get more energy out of a battery of the same size, so lithium is better for those needing longer ranges. You can expect to get 20-35 miles from this LiFePO4 pack.

Whether you choose the lead acid or the lithium battery, you can always choose a different battery chemistry later - the motor and controller don't "care" about the battery type, only the voltage being input.

Why buy from Cycle 9?

The electrical components on the E-Mundo are supported by Cycle 9, and we know our stuff. We sell and fully support 5 different types of electric kits and 4 different cargo bikes. When it comes to pairing electric and load hauling, we're one of only a few shops who have experience with this. We ride and use electric cargo bikes daily, so can pair appropriate components for the special needs that cargo bikes have. We are also a real bike shop, with real people who work in the shop every day, and we answer our phones (toll free, 1-800-249-8098). We pride ourselves on customer service. If you have a problem, we respond to our calls and emails right away. We have a full-time, professional bike mechanic on staff, and we have over 30 years of combined bike repair experience. We also have a full service electronics repair shop where we fix and repair old electric bikes and scooters, assemble custom batteries, and work on special projects. We want you to be happy with your E-Mundo - that is our number one priority. We will be there to support you. Our success depends on it.

If you want to use your bike to haul heavy loads and still travel reasonable distances at reasonable speeds, then the E-Mundo is for you. Price includes free shipping to your door

Want to know more about electrical components?

For most people, they just want to know that the bike will work, but for those who want to know more about how the electrical components work, read more below. The technical specs are:

• Direct drive 500W continuous, 1200W peak front hub motor, made by NineContinent (2807 / 9*7 winding)
• Motor is mounted in quality double-wall rim with 13ga spokes, fully trued before being sent to you
• Motor weight is 8lbs 8oz, and motor/wheel/spokes together are 10lbs 10oz
• High quality thumb throttle mounts next to shifter on right side
• Dual voltage 36V/48V, 35A controller by Infineon
• Controller has low voltage battery protection and direct plug-in cycle analyst capability
• The lead acid battery pack is rated at 36 volts (41.5 when charged), 12 amp hours, and is packaged in a trunk bag that can be mounted on top of your rear carrier, or inside your Go-Getter bag
• The LifePO4 battery (upgrade option) is lightweight and long-lasting. It is rated at 36 volts, 15 amp hours for a long range. Mount it on the top of the rear carrier or inside your Go-Getter bag (we're working on a frame mount).
• Comes with fully automatic 2amp charger (takes 3-4 hours to recharge)
• Range 10-20 miles with Lead-acid battery or 15-40 miles with LifePO4 battery, depending on load, terrain, and your use of assist
• Top speed 25mph at 36V
• Can upgrade to 48V - ask for details

What wattage means

Electric bike conversion kits are often listed by wattage (the same kind of watts used to describe lightbulb power). Some electric bikes and kits may be listed as 150w (watts), and others as much as 600w or more. But the important thing to realize is that there is no ratings agency that makes sure these claims are valid. Manufacturers can say anything they want, so the ratings don't really mean much. We've seen many products on the market that claim to be high-watt motors (600 watts or more), that aren't. If you use them for very long at the rated watts, they will burn out. Other motors are rated too low, because in some areas of the world (like Europe) there is a limit on maximum power. So motors are under-rated to appear to comply. The NineContinent motor kit is rated at 500 watts, but that doesn't tell the whole story.

To make sure their electric motor kits will last for the long haul, companies like NineContinent often under-rate their power. This is a common trick known to engineers - figure out what the maximum load of your bridge/motor/building/stairway is, then rate it at a fraction of that amount so that it is always used well below maximum. It will last a lot longer that way. So for the NineContinent kit, a rating of 500 watts really means that you could operate the kit constantly at 500 watts, for many years, and get reliable service out of it. And 500 watts is a lot of power. For comparison, a professional bike racer might produce 400 watts in short bursts, but they can't keep doing that for more than a few minutes. So, having a 500 watt motor on your bike is like having (more than) a tireless professional bike racer helping you pedal your bike. But 500 watts isn't the whole story. These motors can actually produce much more than 500 watts, say if you are going up a steep hill, or need to accelerate across an intersection. For the NineContinent kit, the peak poweris around 1200 watts. That means you will have more power than two professional athletes, at your fingertips.

How does the kit work?

To operate your converted electric-assist bike is very easy. The power is controlled by a simple throttle, much like a motorcycle or ATV. The throttle is mounted on the handlebar near your brakes and shifter levers and then can use it when you like. If you need lots of power to get up a hill or across an intersection, you press the button down all the way with your thumb. If you need just a bit of power to maintain a fast cruising speed (while pedaling if you want), then you press it part way. If you want to just pedal it like a normal bike, then you leave the throttle and just pedal. You choose when or if to have the electric motor helping you, and you choose whether to pedal or not. Any combination works. And unless you're on a steep hill, you can even use the motor without any pedaling at all - though the range of the battery will be reduced. So you can choose how much exercise you want to get on a given day and how much you want to use the motor.

How much capacity does the battery have?

There is a lot of technical jargon in the electric bike world, and we think that scares many people off. But some of the jargon has important ramifications, like the term "amp hours" (often written as Ah or AH). Amp hours is a measure of the capacity of a battery, expressed as current (amps) times time (hours). A battery with 10 Ah can run twice as long as a battery with 5 Ah. The most common size for e-bike batteries is 8-15 Ah, because these are compact and light, but give enough range for most uses in and around towns. The LifePO4 battery pack that comes with the E-Mundo is rated as 15 Ah, and weighs in at 12 pounds. That's a lot of power in such a small package. The lead acid pack has a capacity of 12Ah and weighs in at around 30 pounds. What that means for you is a longer range for your cargo bike without carrying a huge heavy battery.

What is the Cycle Analyst?

The Cycle Analyst is the single most popular and useful accessory for ebike users all over North America. For people who use their bikes every day, day in and day out, and travel ranges close to the battery capacity, this accessory becomes a critical tool for maintaining the life of your system. Cycle 9 co-founder Elise says "I feel blind riding without it now".

The feature most people use most often is the battery monitor. The Cycle Analyst uses an amp hour counter to act as your "gas gage". If you reset it when you have a fully charged battery, it will keep track of how many amp hours you have used. If you know the capacity of your battery (eg 15 amp hours) then you will know when you have used half its capacity and when you are getting close to running out. If you are doing a longer ride one day, you can closely monitor your useage to make sure you don't run out and also to make sure you are taking advantage of the electric as much as you can. We had one customer who has a 20 mile commute who purchased a cycle analyst. After riding the first day, he reported back that he had been so conservative on the throttle (because he was concerned about running out of battery life) that he only been using 3 of the total 10 available amp hours of his battery! When he found this out he was able to increase his use of the electric to increase his speed, decrease his ride time and still have enough left to get home.

Beyond the battery counter, the cycle analyst also monitors instantaneous voltage of your battery, how many amps you are drawing, your efficiency (in watt hours per mile) and many other electrical statistics that you will learn how to use and take advantage of. These parameters can help you take care of your battery for a long life. It also includes typical cycle computer stuff like speed, distance traveled, time traveled, and odometer.