My current Ebike build from scratch

[izeman]

next thing on your shopping list should be a CAMERA or a decent cell phone
aside from that i totally love how you guided the wires and brake hoses through the frame. i like this clean look.

 

[Grinhill]

Fantastic work, mate!

I have a case of shop envy also.

 

[Joe T.]

next thing on your shopping list should be a CAMERA or a decent cell phone
aside from that i totally love how you guided the wires and brake hoses through the frame. i like this clean look.

I have a nice camera but it never has an empty card in it. Also I cut the picture size down to 800 x 600 so it fits on the screen. Most of my pictures are with my video camera which takes snap shots as well but not very nice with no flash and in bad lighting. I figure any halfway good picture should be of some use to the ES members. I just want to add something to the board to contribute. I have learned a lot here and want to give back in any way I can.

 

[izeman]

you have a nice bike and it deserves nice pictures
but i understand your point. i never have a camera handy when i need it.

 

[Joe T.]

We had a few warm days last week. I finally got out on the trails to test out my winter upgrades. So far everything has been great. The bike feels very solid. I had to change a bearing in my motor because it got very loud. Oddly it was new. I just put it in during the winter when I had the motor all apart. It was quiet at first but something must have happened during one of my salty road test rides. I put a second new bearing in an it is quiet again.

I finally built the front splash guard. This closes the motor in and boxes the bottom of the frame. I also added a shield to keep junk out of the belt. I thought I took pictures but apparently not. I'll take some the next sunny day.

 

[Joe T.]

Here are some new pictures. It's probably about 95% done. I have some minor gaps that should be filled for cosmetic reasons. Mechanically it seems very sound. It is very quiet which I like. The hill climbing is at worst equal to the old bike. The mileage seems to be down but I have only been out a few times so far. Top speed is also down to 23 from 27 MPH. I expected the speed to drop based on the gearing. The mileage is a bit puzzling. I will keep tabs on this to see if the pattern holds.

 

[Joe T.]

This year went by way to quickly! It was a good year for the most part. I did have to push my bike home a few times. Something bent my front crank gear which caused the chain to refuse to stay on. I broke the derailleur mount 3 times which infuriates me to no end. The first time I was asking for trouble riding along the creek bed like a tank. A stick got caught up in the chain and broke the ear off. I guess that is better than the derailleur itself breaking. I’m on my 3rd one of those as it is. The dropout was an easy fix as I had some 6061 x 3/8 plate kicking around. Unfortunately I broke the same part about a month ago and the search of my scrap pile was not so fruitful. I decided to convert it to a “store bought” replaceable dropout. I bought two so I would have a spare just in case. Well 4 miles later I was pushing my bike home again. While helping a friend with his new fatbike this subject came up and he gifted me his NuVinci N360. It wouldn’t fit his bike so it was just taking up space. I’ve been hesitant about the NuVinci but at this price I can’t refuse. I’m having it fitted to a new wheel so I can swap back if things don’t work out.

My LightningRods wide belt and 219 chain upgrade have been rock solid. My bone stock GNG motor and controller have been just fine. The throttle has a bad connection which seemed to show up after the bike took a fall on the patio. This winter I will replace that. Otherwise I don’t foresee any changes to my bike this winter.

 

[Joe T.]

My NuVinci N360 upgrade went surprisingly easy. I was able to drill out the shift cable bung in the frame to make room for 2 cables as the NuVinci has a “pull – pull” shifter setup. I replaced the derailleur with a short chain tensioner to allow the suspension to work bind free. That was all it took. Other than making a custom mount for the chain tensioner it was out with the old and in with the new. I had to machine the dropout to make room for the no turn washer on the left side. Setting up the shifter was straight forward. I had the added luxury of working on the wheel as it was installed on the bike. My swing arm bolts together so I was able to remove one side and have open access to the shifter gizmo. Both cables fit through the pivot and are hidden after the swing arm is assembled. A very clean look.

I got to put a few miles on it today since it was about 60 out! I have a 36 front and 18 rear on a 29” wheel. Low gear was about 10 MPH. This is down from 12 MPH with the 9 speed cassette. High gear was 27+ which is up from 25 MPH. So it is about perfect for what I need. My new chain and old front crank gear didn’t get along too well so I didn’t get to load the NuVinci real hard without skipping the chain. I did get enough ride time in to figure it is good the way it is. I ordered a new 36 tooth crank gear so I will be ready for next year.

Overall I like the NuVinci. It is silent which is my favorite feature. There is no sound from the unit unless you count the freewheel. Even that is quiet. You “can” shift under load but the turning force is dramatically greater than while not under load. However you can just roll off the throttle as you advance the shifter and it is like you are picking gears. I understand the concept of the CVT but sadly I grew up with the click and thud of shifting gears. That is cool to me. I actually don’t care or need the ability to infinitely change the ratio as I ride. The shifter has no defined positions or detents to signify there has been a change. This isn’t a technical complaint just an old habits die hard observation. If it had 5 clicks as you twisted the shifter I could fantasize that I still had gears. Hopefully it holds up. Time will tell.

 

[Joe T.]

The weather has been very unseasonal this winter. I probably have close to 40 miles on the NuVinci already. So far I have no complaints. I have to say the total silence, seamless shifting, and on command ratio changes rolling or not, has made me a big fan. I have been very easy on the shifter. Basically I wind out the motor and roll back on the throttle as I advance the ratio. This makes a very smooth transition. When under pedal power only you can shift up or down and barely feel any resistance. However, under motor power, the shifter resists any movement up or down. I see no need to force it either way. I imagine under pedal power the load is minimal at 12 & 6. Under motor power there is no interruption in load making it not like to be shifted. I don’t see any real flaw in that.

 

[Joe T.]

My LightningRods wide belt and 219 chain upgrade have been rock solid. My bone stock GNG motor and controller have been just fine. The throttle has a bad connection which seemed to show up after the bike took a fall on the patio. This winter I will replace that. Otherwise I don’t foresee any changes to my bike this winter.

Small update:
I did have some wear on my 18T pulley. The belt seems just fine. Here is the old vs new:

 

[Joe T.]

OK! I just replaced my 18T gear and put on a new CSK30PP Sealed Sprague Clutch Bearing. The bike is as good as new. My CSK30PP freewheel has been slipping a lot lately. When I first built the bike in 2014 there were a few times where I thought there may be some slippage but it wasn't blatant. At the end of the year there was no doubt.

I picked up a CSK40PP. It is small enough to fit inside a 104mm chain ring yet larger than a CSK30PP. So the torque limit is higher. I like the completely silent and instant lock up features with the Sprague Clutch Bearing. It is also very simple and easy to remove. I may build a new bottom bracket as an upgrade for the future.

 

[LightningRods]

Great build Joe! Lots of innovation and hard work here. I'm glad that my belt drive worked out for you. The GNG parts are not up to the quality of your work.