I recently met Don and Keith Suhan, father and son team who are the proud creators of the fastest, most powerful electric mountain bike range I have seen to date: Sunahme Electric Bikes. Sunahme Works is based in Ladysmith, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where Don and Keith design the bikes, and also assemble and paint each bike individually.
Don told us all about the bikes. And just as we started our conversation, a volunteer with the New Westminster Police Department Voluntary bike patrol, happened to come along. To start with he insisted he only believed in pedal power. However, he got into a really interesting conversation with Don, which you can watch in this video.
The video includes full details of construction, materials, speed, power and range. You will be amazed to hear about the speeds these bikes can reach – even going up a mountain!
Don also describes Suhname’s custom-made pannier, which enables you to carry up to 150 pounds of cargo.
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Despite the great power of these bikes, you can also pedal them as much (or as little) as you like. So users can still get as much exercise as they want. Don told us about one of his customers who has lost 45 pounds since switching from a car to a Sunahme Electric bike.
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Choose from Three Different Sunahme Electric Bikes
Sunahme Electric Bikes offers three models, the Interceptor, the Raptor and the Cruez.
The Interceptor is the biggest, most powerful of the Sunahme Electric Bikes, designed for law enforcement and capable of long distance cruising. It weighs around 160 pounds, and has a range of up to 400 km.
The Raptor is a smaller, lighter version of the Interceptor. It is faster (up to 100 km per hour), and has more acceleration and power. At the same time, it still has plenty of range with its 40 amp hour battery.
The Cruez is the smallest, lightest of the bikes, and is the one I tried out. It goes like a rocket! Although the bikes look pretty big, this bike can easily be ridden by people as short as 5 foot.
Sunahme Electric Bikes include Pedal Assist or Throttle Only Option
As you will have heard in the video, with these bikes you can still be pedalling up to speeds of about 75 km/per hour. Faster than that, however, and your legs will not be able to keep up or assist further, so it’s throttle only.
Origin of the Sunahme Electric Bikes
Don originally developed these bikes after he moved to a mountainous community in British Columbia and had to give up cycling. Ordinary electric bikes could not handle the hills in Ladysmith, so Don started designing a more powerful bike. Then he developed them further as law enforcement vehicles, after a conversation with the Surrey RCMP.
Now, however, Sunahme Bikes are used mainly for fun and transportation – the batteries are so huge that you can ride them all day.
As Don says, Sunahme Electric Bikes is responsible for taking ten cars off the roads in Ladysmith, Vancouver Island.
Legalities of the Sunahme Electric Bikes
The Sunahme Bikes have settings 1, 2 and 3. Setting 1 is street legal and will restrict the bike to 32 km per hour. Settings 2 and 3 unleash the full amazing power of the bikes, and can legally be used off road.
Like all electric bikes, Sunahme Bikes require no licensing, no oil changes, and no expensive upkeep. Just plug and ride!
Range of the Sunahme Bikes
The Sunahme electric bikes have enormous batteries and can go for 10 to 12 hours and reach speeds of 100 km/per hour. That’s offroad of course, because electric bikes are not legally allowed to go faster than 32 km/per hour in BC.
The batteries are charged simply by plugging into a standard wall outlet.
Don Unveils the Massive Lithium Ion Battery of the Sunahme Raptor
Tech Specs of the Sunahme Electric Bikes
Sunahme Electric Bikes have a custom Triple Crown Fork and unique electric power train. Their motors can accelerate and climb hills with up to 7.2 KW of power, and speeds up to 90km/h. They also offer optional eight piston hydraulic brakes, and a custom suspension that keeps the wheels on the ground.
To try out a Sunahme Electric Bike and find out more, contact Suname Works.
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Hey my namenis travis im very intrested in buying the raptor please contact me so we cam make arangmemt
Hi Travis, please contact Sunahme directly – I am not connected to them.