Electrify Your Simpleton Life with MadMods Café Racer Style E-bikes From Sondors

What you are seeing in the cover photo is known as the MadMods. And this is actually just one bike, but with three color and accessories variations. Even though the internal works are the same for each of the three models, when you choose one or another, you will receive different tires, headlamp, fenders, handlebars, and seat.

But those parts are all more for styling, what we care about are the internal workings of something like this. Well, Sondors has been specializing in the production of such e-bikes for some time now, so they definitely know what people want, need, and can afford.

To keep things as low cost, while still offering a product that can take a beating, the team makes each MadMod with custom forged and machined aluminum. With the lightweight properties of aluminum and components added to the frame, the entire bike comes in around 65 lbs (29.4kg), depending on the variation you choose.

The body style does look rather nice and indicative of the café racer theme, especially for one that comes in at 1,499 US dollars. That’s it. No more, no less. But this is the preorder special which will deliver these bikes to you in May 2021. So you’ll probably be having a Christmas in June kind of thing.

But don’t be bummed, that 750-Watt rear hub motor will make sure to keep you happy. This motor is powerful enough to keep you flying at a top speed of 28mph (45km). That’s not even legal in Europe or other parts of the world. Luckily Sondors is US based and don’t have these limits on speed. Well not the same anyway.

To power this huge motor, we find a 48V 21Ah lithium ion battery with Panasonic cells. They use a similar battery pack in the MXS model but, this is apparently the largest of any of their trinkets. With it you're in for a 40 to 60-mile trip before you need to recharge. How long that recharge process will take however, no one knows. Sondors makes no mention on their page.

Each model is also equipped with the same seven-speed pedal assist. To change gears, and old-school twist shifter is available, and a thumb throttle in case you don’t feel like kicking those legs. The other perk each of the Mods have is a color LCD display that includes everything from pedal assist to battery levels, speed, and distance traveled. But this display also allows you to select which of the five levels of pedal assist you wish to ride with.

Even though we have no specifics as to what sort of suspension we find on the Mods, the front fork does seem sturdy enough for the 65-pound bike. The rear suspension is set-up similarly to a swingarm system we find on racers. But instead of the classic one shock suspension, we find two. Most definitely not as heavy duty as an ICE suspension system, but enough for this bike.

Finally, the team included a nice feature from these e-bike. Each accessory from one variation or another is interchangeable with another, meaning you can have the Scrambler headlamp, with the Retro tires and handlebars on the Café frame. I can see some possible communities popping up where everyone shows up with their own variations, some even custom. Why not? The MadMods seem to have everything they need for that to happen.

Now let's be honest, when’s the last time you heard of a 1,500-dollar e-bike capable of doing 28 mph, all the while riding the café racer wave? That’s what I thought.