Yeah, that switch was while waiting for the smooth-o-metric throttle to get
here. Unfortunately I blew the controller first...
I haven't cut ice with it, but I have used it like an angle grinder to polish
~2x8 foot section of hardpack into ice. It still needed a while of usage
with boots to make it nice & icy, but it was faster then making it with boots
from scratch.
On urban streets it's quite sweet, the bike is pretty stable even at speed
and the soft-ish tires yield a ride that's alright for the wrists. As with a
conventional bike, it keeps being workable in street conditions where cars
are not, and this is where the motor really pays off since normally it's
pretty tough work to sustain a walking speed through that stuff. And while
it's nice to have the front wheel saw through snowbanks and stuff, the
extra weight is a severe maneuverability handicap. Unfortunately, 42kgs
is way too much for something to feel like a bike, it feels like a hopelessly
heavy POS. You can absolutely forget hopping the divider to cross a
street, at best you'll be able to crawl up it. Most any tricks become
unthinkable and even taking shortcuts such as footpaths with roots and
stuff as you take for granted riding on a conventional bike. So sorry, but
you'll have to take detours and use streets/intersections instead.
It's sometimes easier to ride next to trails. That is, you floor it, keep your
weight rearwards and hammer. The front wheel's gonna "float" and saw a
path through even absurdly thick snow, but it takes a lot of effort and if
you stop you may not be able to get started again before a while. It can
ride footpack trails though, but very slowly.
Looking at this bike for what it is, a winter commuting vehicle, it has three
obvious low points: First is the lack of fenders that make the bike
miserable to use when it's soggy out, to make 'em fit I'll need commercial
studded tires. Then there's the rack that's monopolized by the batteries,
obviously making it useless for carrying anything else... Finally, the part
that sticks out like a sore thumb: It's absurdly heavy.