The Wild Goose is Daymak’s fat electric bike offering and much like its other classic ebikes this thing is designed to be affordable but still powerful and fun. You get four color choices including bright orange or red and standard black or white but only one frame size in medium 19″. There are many ways I’d seek to improve this bike or bring it up to speed with other offerings including a downtube battery vs. unbalanced rear rack, throttle override on assist vs. throttle only, Quick release on the front wheel, a 12 magnet cadence sensor vs. 5 for faster response and the ability to take the key out of the battery when riding…
I like that they’ve included a bell and independent headlight here but you’d do well to add a rear light as well if you plan on riding around town. The suspension fork is also a highlight for me because it adds comfort at high speed over bumpy terrain but also has lockout for efficiency on flats. This is a heavy bike at ~69 pounds (31.3 kg) and a lot of the weight is positioned towards the rear, impacting balance and handling. Ideally, weight should be low and center so the fact that the rack positions the battery extra high and that it’s not designed to work with a bag or panniers is a real drawback to me.
Driving the bike is 500 watt gearless motor that’s relatively quite but not silent (as with some other gearless motors I’ve tested). This one also doesn’t offer regenerative braking but that’s not really a surprise given the value price. The battery provides good power and range with 48 volts and 10 amp hours but range is somewhat impacted by weight and the drag of larger tires… this is the case with all fat e-bikes. When it comes time to pedal, you’ve got six gears and a nice oversized shifter mechanism that is easy to use with gloves.
Overall, the bike is fun and you get six levels of pedal assist along with throttle-only operation. To me the throttle is a blessing and a curse. Instead of a half-twist design or a trigger throttle which tend to feel more stable on bumpy terrain, Daymak has used a full-grip throttle more akin to a motorcycle. Some people prefer this style, it’s variable speed and easy to use on flats but unlike motorcycles which also weigh a lot but have full suspension to take out the jitter… electric bikes just aren’t as smooth and I’ve found myself bearing down on the grips during intense moments resulting in accidental throttle manipulation. Daymak offers a six month warranty and many shops in Canada carry their products so it’s easier to take a test ride, get a tuneup and support but for those in outlying areas or most of the US you’ll have to pay extra for shipping and do some assembly yourself.
Pros:
- The fat-bike specific suspension fork adds a lot of comfort and compliments the cushy oversized tires, if you’re riding on flats and want to decrease bob there’s a lockout dial which is nice
- On the more affordable side of fat electric bikes, I like that you get to choose from several color options and have a six month warranty from Daymak
- Hydraulic disc brakes are easier to activate and tend to be more powerful and smooth, note that the oil can become viscous in extreme cold temperatures (you can replace with different grade fluid with help from a bike shop if it’s an issue)
- Some people really like the full-grip twist throttle because it feels more like a motorcycle, this is one of the few ebikes I’ve seen that don’t use a half-grip
- Several nice extras including a stand alone light (requires its own batteries), a flick style bell and the downtube bosses which could be used for a bottle cage or folding lock, I might also add a frame bag since the rack isn’t designed for a trunk bag
- The oversized shifter mechanism on the right is easy to operate with gloves (more so than smaller trigger shifters I see on a lot of mountain bikes) and given the potential for riding in the snow with fat bikes I think that’s a good choice here
- The frame is purpose built to work with electric drive systems and many of the power wires are integrated through the tubing to improve appearance and add protection
Cons:
- With the heavier gearless motor and rack mounted battery this becomes a very rear-heavy electric bike… normally it’s better to keep weight low and this rack isn’t designed to be used with extra bags or panniers so it’s not as balanced or useful as it could be
- Basic components all around including generic disc brakes, external control box, Shimano Tourney six speed drivetrain and plastic pedals
- Fat tire bicycles usually weigh more but this one is especially heavy at 69 pounds due to the direct drive motor and suspension fork, transporting the bike might require a hitch rack or removal of the wheels
- There’s no quick release on the front or rear axle so you’ll need tools to get the wheels off or put them on, this means extra weight and hassle, it also adds cost to shipping ~$200 in Canada and ~$400 US
- As mentioned in the video review above, the kickstand doesn’t work all that well and that’s bad considering how heavy this bike is… it could scratch your car or hurt a pet/child if not adjusted properly or stored in an unstable location
- Pedal assist isn’t super responsive because the cadence sensor only uses five magnets vs. twelve on a lot of newer systems, also there is no throttle override of assist on the Wild Goose just a separate throttle only mode
- I believe the battery and controller box may be exposed to water and dirt with this design which could cause electrical issues in some conditions, some fat bikes include fenders because finding the correct size and setting them up yourself is difficult
- A key has to be left in and turned to the “on” position for the system to activate, to me this just increases the chance of snagging it or losing it if you put it in your pocket after each ride, it can also create a jingling noise or chip the frame if you have several keys on a keychain and some people recommend using a carabiner for quickly adding to a chain but to me this just adds weight and clutter so I’d prefer to be able to take the key out
Resources:
- Official Website: http://www.daymak.com/pages/classic/wildgoose.php
- More Pictures: https://goo.gl/photos/JW1v3ZWsnm3dfryeA
Erik says
Not a bad bike for the price; however I would never buy one with rear rack battery- they are so ugly.
Court Rye says
Yeah, I’d much prefer a downtube design… especially if you can’t use the rear battery rack for a bag or panniers which seems to be the case here, or at least it would be difficult. Pedego’s old Trail Tracker design had a similar exposed battery but they’ve moved to downtube now and it’s much better balanced and there’s still room to add a rack if you want.
Skurm says
I just got one of the new ones, they’ve switched to a down tube battery 10.4ah and it’s now a 7 speed. They also made the switch to a Bafang 500w geared hub motor, the cadence sensor looks to have 12 magnets(rough count way more than 5), and it also now has a rear rack. Works pretty good so far. Went 18 km in 30 minutes. Didn’t think it would be this fun, just got it for rural transportation. I don’t ever use the throttle, just pedal. My neighbour has one of the scooter ones and this is way more fun. Personally I wouldn’t have got one, of the old design. I was going to get a Vermont, but winters are horrible and long here. I’m going to give it a long distance test and see how far it goes.
Court Rye says
Awesome! Hope you have a blast, appreciate the notes on what has been updated and improved :D winter is coming…
Eric Crews says
Court, do you remember what your thoughts were on the fork on this bike? I’m in the market for a fat bike suspension fork and looking for some info on Top Gun’s offering before I pull the trigger on getting one shipped in. Thanks!
Court Rye says
Hi Eric! I’ve seen other Top Gun forks and usually they are like the generic basic level offering. It’s better than nothing in terms of comfort but can add weight. I don’t have a detailed memory of the Daymak Wild Goose, might be worth watching the video closely to see how it performs?
Joe says
Hey Court. I have this bike and would like to make it go faster. I was looking to buy a 2,000w ebike wheel kit from Alibaba but I was wondering if I could just switch the wheel/motor and keep all the rest on the bike… Is it possible to take off everything, all the cables from inside the frame and put a whole different ebike kit? Also, will I be able have to find a store or someone who is capable of doing that? And how much this project would cost… I have a bunch of questions, I’ve been researching for a month and if I’m going to have to do this I gotta start somewhere because the shipping will come after the summer is over… I need to talk to someone who can help me by email or my phone or message if possible, instead of going back and forth and take days or weeks to answer or have a conversation you know :) thanks a lot
Court says
Hi Joe! That’s a creative idea. There are many kits and I suspect that it is possible to merge your Daymak Wild Goose with a kit… but very time consuming, and possibly just as expensive as buying a new purpose-built electric bike. It’s not something I would do, unless I really loved the look of one bike or had sentimental value. Perhaps you can tune up your existing model and then sell it? Combine that money with some extra, and just purchase a faster model from some other company. I have a category on EBR for all of the Class 3 models and high-speed ebikes. You could also ask around in the forums for advice :)