The Best Budget E-Bike Is Finally Here
[Applause] You might think that you know what this bike is, but don’t let your eyes deceive you. This is not an ETM RTR. This is the ETM RTR light. The slightly tamer little brother to the RTR. But little brother isn’t even the right term because this bike is physically exactly the same size as the standard RTR. So instead, we can call it the slower younger brother. You’re doing great, buddy. All jokes aside, even though it is slower than the standard RTR, and it lacks some of the luxury features like a 72volt battery and adjustable suspension, there’s a good chance that this is actually the bike that you, yeah, you, I’m talking to you as you sit here eating, watching on your iPad, dreaming of an ebike, actually need. All right, so they obviously look the same outside of some mods like super moto wheels and brakes I’ve done on this RTR, but what’s the actual difference? The standard RTR rocks a 72vt 25 a battery stock. It pushes 8 kW and has fully adjustable suspension. And it runs you just under 3200 brand new. The RTR Light rocks a 60volt 20 a battery stock, pushes 5 kW, and has non-adjustable suspension. This is going to run you just under $2,200. Now, the motor in the light is actually exactly the same as the standard RTR. It’s just the controller that limits it to 5 kW. So, a quick controller and battery swap would have this thing pushing 8 kW just like its bigger brother. What’s even crazier is all of the batteries that Electro and Co. sells are all hot swappable, meaning the light can accept the 60 volt stock battery, the standard RTR 72VT 25, or even the 72VT 45 A to all without changing the controller or the motor. I’ll go more in depth on testing all these batteries in this bike, but that’s for another video. So, is the standard RTR worth the extra band? Or does it make more sense to go with the light option and have a,000 bucks in your pocket for mods later on? I don’t know. I guess we have to go see. Damn, we got to get out of this garage cuz it’s hot as hell. All right, let’s ride. Now, it sure looks like an ATM RTR, but does it feel like an RTR? Sitting down, cockpit, everything is exactly the same as the stock RTR. Display, bars, throttle, everything feels exactly the same without moving. You’ve got three different modes here. So, one, two, and sport. Sport is just going to be the full 5 kW. So, that’s what we’re going to rock it in today. And we’re off on the RTR light. And honestly, it feels exactly like the RTR if I’m being real. I forgot how this thing feels on dirt wheels. And this stock chain on this thing, I will say it’s not ideal. Stock chain isn’t great. Uh, so if you get this, I would recommend getting the RLV chain. So, let’s do our top speed test. We’re at nearly 100. So, Electron Co. claims 45 plus top speed on this thing. Let’s see if that’s accurate. Up to 41 already. 42 43 44 45. Almost up a little hill. Now we’re going down a hill. 48 49 50. I’m 165 lbs for reference. And this is a good chance to use the brakes. The brakes are good. They’ve got bite. They stop. They’re not really like a wheelie brake. I won’t lie. They get the job done to stop. You can lock it up. Still over 45. We got 47 48 or something there, I think, which is awesome. It’s good to know that this thing has got plenty of pep to keep up in traffic. It really doesn’t feel much different at all, if I’m being honest with you. We can even get a wheelie in real quick. Woo! Dirt wheels are so squirly. But this thing is a proper little pit bike. So, let’s go take it off road and see how she does. This is what this little RTR light kicks butt at. Never been on these trails, but let’s do it. Oh my god. So, the suspension on this thing isn’t adjustable like on the standard RTR, but it still feels honestly kind of the same to me. I’m not a huge off-roader, as you guys know, but it feels very similar. Just eating it up like the little pit bike it is. Can we do trials? Oh, yeah. This thing is just going to be such a fun proper little ripper. And if I’m being honest with you guys, difference between 5 kW on this bike and 8 kW on the RTR is kind of negligible. At least in my opinion. Oh my god. It’s not an enormous difference. It would be able to get up this, I think, if it had a a good rider on it. This is just skill issue here. Wow. That is properly gnarly, though. Look at that. Ow. I just hit myself with a freaking rock, dude. Yeah. So, this thing, I mean, it is very capable off-road. Again, I think if you have the RTR or the RTR Light, they’re going to be very similarly capable. Well, the adjustable suspension on the RTR is just like a nice added bonus, but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary, especially not if you’re really just doing street riding. I don’t think it matters nearly as much. I mean, it feels exactly the same as the RTR, dude. It doesn’t feel any different. I don’t even really notice the difference in power, but 5 kW, guys, is plenty of power, guys. Be nice to your bikes. I got you a flower. But seriously, 5 kW is plenty of power. or my OG Razer build with an Electron CO kit literally had the 5 kW kit and that thing went to multiple mega rides, plenty of group rides, and it performed just fine. It was fast enough, it was torquy enough, everything. And I think a 45 mph top speed really, woo, really is good enough. I’m actually loving having these dirt tires on it. Rip around here, dude. Like, I truly don’t notice any difference right now. Let’s try and wheelie this. Okay, see, luckily I was in the grass there and I saved that. But my only gripe on these bikes, RTR and the RTR Light, they have the same exact brake. I’m not a huge fan of them. They just don’t grip like I’d like them to. So, that’s something I typically suggest you change first, honestly, if you’re into wheelies at least. But yeah, I think if you change the brakes on this and throw some super motors on it, it’ll also be a street killer. But, as with any like dirt bike, dirt tires aren’t going to wheelie that great. But yeah, you absolutely can wheelie it. Honestly, again, the tune feels better than the my RTR felt like. But I truly don’t really notice much of a difference between this and how my stock RTR was as far as power. Even though this is a couple kilowatts left, you know, it’s probably because this battery is lighter, too. The bike just feels so nimble, dude. The one thing I will say is I do notice the rear shock itself is probably a little bit softer and obviously it’s not adjustable, but it still feels great. I It’s a small difference. And I mean, honestly, if you know you’re really going to be sending the bike, then get the RTR because it’s going to have better suspension. But for someone like me who doesn’t really send it, it’s not that big of a deal. Where’s perfect? And I just want to show you guys that sound is my 3D printed tool kit holder. So, it’s just moving all around. But just an absolute neighborhood ripper. I have no hesitation that this thing wouldn’t keep up with standard RTRS. Right. If I’m the circle wheelie god, I got to circle it. If you’re in the grass with the dirt tires at circles, look at that. Feet up, too. Got him. But if you’re just looking for a bike to get outside for as cheap as possible, but also still be reliable, be a lot of fun, and be from a reputable company, this is great. I’m a little scared. She’s cruising. Honestly, I feel like the only thing with this bike that isn’t great is the fact that it’s got a small battery. I mean, a 60 volt 20 is small. There’s no denying it. But that’s how they make this bike cheaper. And that’s how the power to weight is honestly a lot better, too, cuz it’s so light with the 5 kW. But 5 kW feels great. Like, this is still faster than a stock Suron, dude. And it costs literally half the price. But you’re really just going to be limited by the battery. And I plan to do a range test on this battery next. So stay tuned for that. But as far as the tune goes for wheelies, feels really good. The fact this thing costs 2200 brand new is just absolutely nuts. It does everything the RTR does, just maybe 10 mph slower. wheelies with ease. It’s got the power. This video might be jumbled, guys, but the whole point is me just getting my impressions on this thing. And if you guys have concerns like, “Oh my god, it’s only 5 kW. Can it wheelie?” Uh, lookie here. It definitely can wheelie. Oh, I almost lost it there, bud. All right, so the value prop. Hear me out here. I think there’s two trains of thought. First train, you just want to get an ebike. You want to get something that’s cheap, reliable, you still have a ton of fun on and keep up with all the surround. You might not have all the creature comforts like a larger battery or fully adjustable suspension, but you don’t really care about that that much. This is perfect. value prop numero dos. You plan to mod this bike or you even just want to save money. So the RTR light costs $21.99 brand new. So you can buy the bike and as soon as you have it, just start enjoying riding it just like this. Now let’s say a month later you finally decide, hey, I think I want better range. I want to ride longer distances with my buddy. So you can go ahead and get the RTR stock battery, which is a 72vt 25 amp. So, the stock RTR battery will cost you $8.49. So, all in, you’re looking at about $3,048 to have the RTR light, but the range of the RTR standard. Now, what this also does is without changing anything, it’s going to make your bike more powerful. So, this thing will now push 6 kW with the 72vt 25 A battery with no changes to the controller, no changes to the motor, it’ll just push 6 kW. So, you’ve now added a 72volt battery to the bike. You get more range, but you also get more power, and you’re still allin cheaper than a brand new RTR. And you also now have two batteries. So you got your stock 60 volt and you have your upgraded 72vt. Now you could keep both and hot swap one for the other when the other’s charging. Or you could sell one, recoup some cash for some other mods. So if you get the light, then you get the 72vt 25 A battery. You’re still cheaper than the RTR price. The only difference is you don’t have adjustable suspension and your motor still isn’t quite as powerful. Now if you decide you do want to make it that much more powerful up to 8 kW, you can swap out this controller with the stock RTR controller which costs $360. So then you have 8 kW, 72vt power, 25 amp hour range all in this bike for a total of $3,48. So a little bit more than the price of the RTR. But this is assuming you do this over the long haul. So first thing, you get the bike, you ride it, you enjoy it, save up some more money over the next couple of months, get the battery, now you have more range, more power, save up a little more over the next couple of months. Now you have the full 8 kW of power just like the stock RTR. The only thing you’d be lacking would just be the adjustable suspension, which if you street ride, for me, I don’t think it’s really a big deal. Even if you trail ride, at least for me, it’s not a big deal. This just gets you into the scene way quicker, for way cheaper, but it’s still the exact same frame that you can build upon and completely upgrade. Now, I will do a full video on the different batteries in this bike, how they feel, how they perform compared to the stock one, but that’s for another video. My only other thought is if you really want to mod this bike out, let’s say your plans are ultimately to get the true moto kit, which is an upgraded motor, controller, battery, then this also could be a great option cuz instead of paying 3,200 for components you’re going to replace, you could pay 2,200 for components you’re going to replace. But again guys, if I were to go back and I had only these two options, I’m buying the RTR light all day. Dude, the beauty is I can ride while I mod it. I’ll slowly mod it over time, enjoy the bike in the interim, and you know, most importantly, I have something to ride and get outside on. $2,200 bike. Come on now. So, those are just silly Connor G’s thoughts, but I really think that Electron Co. cooked up some fire with this thing, dude. Honestly, you can’t really go wrong with either the RTR Lite or the RTR. If it’s me, I’m probably buying the RTR Light. If I didn’t have an RTR super motored already, the first thing I would do is throw some super motos on this baby. The throttle feels so good. Well guys, there you have it. The ETM RTR light. I have to say, guys, I was actually really impressed with this bike. you know, having the RTR, which is more power. I was kind of expecting to get this bike and to feel a bit underwhelmed because I already knew the power that the 8 kW RTR had, but dude, I don’t really notice much of a difference. Get a budget bike for a great price from a great company, but the thing also can keep up. The only downside I personally see with it is just the battery. But if you save up a little money, get the stock RTR battery, and then you can sell your old one or have two to hot swap, it’s awesome. But even in the interim, before you buy an upgrade battery, you can just put around with the stock battery. Now, I don’t know the exact range on it yet. They claim 20 mi. I’m going to test that next video. But as always, guys, I hope you enjoyed this video. Also, comment below whether you prefer the RTR or the RTR Light. And don’t forget, if you want to save some cash and check out, use code Connor G. But otherwise, guys, I will see you very, very soon. Peace.
DICSOUNT CODES:
Electro & Co: ConnorG (https://electroandcompany.com/?sca_ref=5938923.JzR9VRSHrN)
CHI Battery: ConnorG (https://chibatterysystems.com/?ref=ConnorG)
FactoryZ: ConnorG (factoryz.co)
Saints of Speed: Connor (https://saintsofspeed.com/)
Beltsn’shit: Connor (https://beltsnshit.com/)
