Soliciting frame suggestions for commuting e-bike

I currently own an ICE Sprint-26 Trike w/ an EZeeV2 motor and a 50V/20ah battery. I love it, and I commute to work on it (18 miles each way) as much as I can. That said, the lack of portability (can't just put the thing on the rack and go somewhere) sucks, and it's not very nimble on the roads. I have to scout out new routes pretty well because switching from the sidewalk to the street on a trike isn't nearly as easy as it is on a bike. Also, I've found that riding the recumbent while the rest of the family rides their bikes is just awkward.

So... I'm considering taking the e-kit off of the trike, selling it, and buying a new bike to convert. Right now, all options are on the table, but I'd like to get some ideas on specific frames that work well. There are a few things that I know I want... disc brakes and a 9 speed rear wheel. Beyond that, comfort is my biggest concern. Should I go with a FS mountain frame? Hardtail? Stick with the 26" wheel or move up to 29"? Here are some of the parameters of my daily ride to consider:
* 18-20 miles each way
* mixed MUP / roads (probably more sidewalks and paths if I go w/ 2 wheels)
* several rough sections of road, but no consistent potholes
* ~27 mph average speed on the Trike (w/ a fairing), I expect this to drop to ~24-25 on a bike.

I haven't spent much time looking, but my current favorite is the Trek Police bike:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/urban_utility/police/

Any suggestions for specific manufacturers / frames would be awesome. My budget is in the $1000-$1500 range, not including the cost of having a 29" wheel built if necessary.

Thanks!

I'd say choose a FS MTN bike to keep the comfort level similar. I've a feeling the body will realize it's riding in a different posture and will react (i.e. inflammation, muscle fatigue, etc.) accordingly.

Yeah, the posture thing is going to be fun, but the ride is only 45-50 minutes, not 2 hours like it is w/o assist. I'll wear padded shorts and get a nice seat. Any particular FS brands/models that you can recommend?

I discovered if you keep things lightweight the need for suspension is not as important. I've got the heavy full suspension 30MPH thing but my favorite commuter eBikes turned out to be these:

I vote for a used FS mountain bike., something from around 2000 on.
Both of mine were never ridden off road, near mint and I got them for less than half the original MSRP.
You get a whole bunch of nice quality technology for the money. The suspension on these things is amazing.
If you are going to use a pre-built pack, you should look for a model with some triangle space like my Rocky Mountain.
If you were to go with Lipo, that's not so unimportant, as the bricks you need to carry for your needs would be small.
I like dark frames, the wires kind of blend in for stealth.

I prefer a hardtail myself. If you need added suspension, get a smaller frame and add a thudbuster suspension seat post.

A Hardtail can allow for a decent size triangle battery as well, where FS frames usually cannot.

teslanv said:

I prefer a hardtail myself. If you need added suspension, get a smaller frame and add a thudbuster suspension seat post.

A Hardtail can allow for a decent size triangle battery as well, where FS frames usually cannot.

Click to expand...

Unless you're short...then you're F'd either way and you'll always have batteries dangling off the bike like this poor sucker (me)

FWIW, your sitting position and bike geometry make a *huge* difference in pain resulting from lack of suspension. I just added a slightly higher bar and a shorter stem and it's taken a ton of pressure off my lower back. (more than I expected...shoulda swapped it all a long time ago)

The battery is the same one that I have now, and it will be in my Topeak bag on the rack (as it is now), so I'm not worried about triangle space. I run Marathon+ tires, and I don't see those in 29", so I'm thinking that 26" might be the way to go. Keep the suggestions coming, this is good stuff.

I ride the commuter in my signature 20 miles each day, it's replaced my car for going to work in the summer.
Bike cost me $320 shipped new, but I've replaced almost everything on it, so go for a used bike and buy better parts IF you think you need them. Dark frames are the best, they hide crappy wiring jobs and attract less curious eyes.

If you are 'short' go for a 26" hardtail frame, put the battery in the triangle and get a short travel thudbuster seatpost, or the long travel one if you are more of a midsize person. If both of those options puts you too high, try just a nice springy seat. If you want the ultimate comfort, I've found that a nice supportive seat and the long travel thudbuster is very comfortable. Doing the long thudbuster on a 29" frame is for tall people only, I'm 6' and am on my tippy toes on the 29er offroad bike in my sig. A 26" will also be a little bit faster accelerating in stop and go traffic and up hills.

Putting the battery on the rack (or bag on the rack) is okay but it's not optimal, it makes the bike unbalanced and not corner well and you lose vital space for hauling all your stuff. (Groceries, battery charger, laptop, spare clothes, rain gear, locks etc...) There are many more cargo hauling options for your racks than there are for in the middle of your bike. I like the Topeak stuff and I own every little bag mount doo-dad and basket thingy there is for them.

I like my Kenda K838 tires, they're like little mini motorcycle tires. They only come in 26".

I also raised my handlebars with an adjustable stem because commuting all hunched over in a typical forward leaning MTB position sucks for a long ride. (I had problems with my shoulders before.)

The battery is going to be re-used from the trike. It's currently in a Topeak bag that rides on the rack, and I don't think the budget will support a triangle pack. The nice thing is that it's made using the 29E cells from cell_man, it's 14S7P and pretty light. On my current commute, I use one panier for my work clothes, and the other for locks, sunscreen, etc.

I like your use of the 29" rack to mount the controller, I might have to steal that idea.

-fbl100

Re the battery, It should be light enough to not be too much of a problem carrying it on the rear rack.

But it might also fit in a triangle bag anyway, I'd look into that before you do choose a FS.

The bike, it's really a preference thing. There is definitely a nice feel to a good stiff no suspension road frame. Lots of room for the battery in the frame.

But if your back is as destroyed as mine is, then you will have to have full suspension, as I must.

NO benefit to getting a 29 er, or the weird new 27.5. Just shop for 26" bikes. What brand? Well obviously not roadmaster or anything much under $200.

The one cheap bike you might consider though, is a 7 speed beach cruiser. Pedal forward you will not like if your back is trashed, but regular cruisers can be nice. If your back is ok, you might like the electra townie a lot.

My battery is 27.6cm x 13.8 cm x 7.5 cm - can someone that has a triangle pack confirm that it would fit?

Most of the 26" bikes I've seen have 7 speed shifters. How hard is it to replace the rear deraileur / shifters with something like Shimano Deore XT 9 speed? My freewheel on the hub is a 9 speed.

-fbl100

We have a 7 speed Townie Cruiser, but I don't think I'd want to convert that bike. We use it for quick (2 miles or less) neighborhood rides. I'm not a big fan of the upright crank-forward design for long rides.

With regard to 'not too cheap', I'm planning on buying a quality frame (Trek / Specialized / Felt / Giant ) with quality components. My Trike will probably fetch in the neighborhood of $2000-$2500 or so (depending on how many of the extras I bundle), so re-investing some of that into a quality MTB is fine w/ me.

I hate to say this but you will be hard pressed to find something as comfortable as a recumbent trike, even a F/S downhill bike. Just sayin'.
otherDoc

Fully aware of what I'm giving up w/ the Trike. As I said at the beginning, I love the thing, but for where I'm at in my life right now, I think a bike might be the better all around choice. In an ideal world, I'd have one of each.

Spoke w/ the LBS today and they recommended a Surley frame. This one looks really interesting:

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/disc_trucker/bike_specs

Thoughts?

So after spending the weekend reading up on Surley's, I'm leaning heavily toward the Disc Trucker. Some of the other models look nice too, the Ogre in particular, but the Disc version of the LHT seems like it's exactly what I'm looking for. It can accomodate a large chainring in the front (up to 56T) and has lots of mount points and places to run cables. Haven't decided if I want the 26" or 700C version. I can see pro's and con's to both. I like the idea of the slightly bigger wheels from a 'smooth out the ride' perspective. That said, I also like the idea of using a 29er rack w/ 26" wheels and mounting the controller on the bottom of the rack.

Going to the LBS tomorrow to discuss pricing and options. Definitely don't want that handlebar that comes w/ the Disc Trucker... probably going for a Jone's Bike Loop H-Bar (http://www.jonesbikes.com/h-bar/)

If it was me, I'd be real tempted to get a LHT in the 29" disk frame set, then mount 26" wheels and the largest tires I could fit. That way you could run either size.
For me, 26X2.5" Hookworms came out to almost the diameter of my 700C wheels.

I had the same thought... however...

From: http://surlybikes.com/info_hole

Can I run either 26" OR 700c wheels on my Long Haul Trucker?
No. Each LHT has geometry and braze-on/ brake boss mounts that are specific to the wheel size intended for the frame you purchase. So, if you buy an LHT 26", use 26" wheels. If you bought an LHT intended for use with 700c's, well then use a 700c wheelset. They are NOT interchangeable.

fbl100 said:

I had the same thought... however...

From: http://surlybikes.com/info_hole

Can I run either 26" OR 700c wheels on my Long Haul Trucker?
No. Each LHT has geometry and braze-on/ brake boss mounts that are specific to the wheel size intended for the frame you purchase. So, if you buy an LHT 26", use 26" wheels. If you bought an LHT intended for use with 700c's, well then use a 700c wheelset. They are NOT interchangeable.

Click to expand...

While the change of geometry is a given aspect, I think that FAQ might be dated and written sometime before disc brakes were included on that model?

Surprisingly, I kinda like thin tires because they don't throw off nearly as much water as the fat stuff approaching 2.5" width. There's also plenty of good Kevlar offerings and they're much less work to inflate with a hand pump. Factor in the reduced weight and somewhat more leverage for potholes - 700c work quite nicely if you keep total weight around 40lbs range.

I'll send Surley a note and see if you're intuition is right...

Surly's response:

It’s not just a difference of braze-on placement. One difference being the length of the wheelbase. When you switch between the two wheel sizes on the same frame the way the bike handles and rides is going to change. The bottom bracket drop is also significantly different between the 26” Disc Trucker and the 700c version. On the 26” the BB drop is 1.9” and the 700c is 3.1”. The bottom line is that wheel sizes are not interchangeable and could potentially be dangerous – so please don’t do it.

Hey Ykick, what can you tell me about that bike in the first picture you posted? That is looking a LOT like the kind of build I have in mind.

Would you mind even PMing me a few more shots of it. I really like the lines and clean look of that setup!

fourbanger said:

Hey Ykick, what can you tell me about that bike in the first picture you posted? That is looking a LOT like the kind of build I have in mind.

Would you mind even PMing me a few more shots of it. I really like the lines and clean look of that setup!

Click to expand...

Last page here bro - http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=49889&hilit=+700c&start=50

I'm so unorganized about documenting what I've done but that thread is pretty much the genesis of my journey into road ebikes.

The drivetrain (Q128H, 3077 6 FET Lyen, 67V) has proven to be a remarkable performer. I won't go into any more details here but feel free to post and ask questions in my thread?

That bike is actually what lead me toward the Surly Disc Trucker. I'm sure I could do fine with a lesser bike, but the LHT has a great reputation of standing up to abuse.

Are the wheels on that 26" or 700c? The only thing I have left to decide is the wheel size, and I'm really 50/50 on which way I should go.

fbl100 said:

That bike is actually what lead me toward the Surly Disc Trucker. I'm sure I could do fine with a lesser bike, but the LHT has a great reputation of standing up to abuse.

Are the wheels on that 26" or 700c? The only thing I have left to decide is the wheel size, and I'm really 50/50 on which way I should go.

Click to expand...

Black steel Ross is 27.5". The blue Schwinn is running 700c. Very little difference but 700c offers more rugged tire selections IMO.

Many years running 26" fat stuff but suprisingly impressed with the 27.5"/700c size for several reasons. They throw off less water in wet, the large diameter and relatively light weight really does seem to leverage over holes and poor surfaces better. And if you need to pump one up it's a helluva lot less air volume for hand pumping.

My conclusion, 40-50lbs eBike use thin, rugged road (700c/27.5") wheels. 60-100lbs I'd go with fat 26" offerings.