All-
I know this isn't some amazing "from scratch" build or anything, and it kinda feels like cheating to start with something that's already an e-bike, but I've done a lot on my M2S All Go to customize it and I have some future plans that some might find interesting. Here is a review I posted over at M2sBikes.com, plus some pictures:
I use my e-bike primarily for commuting (six miles each way on road, relatively flat terrain with a couple hills at the end) and got an e-bike so I could ride to work in "street clothes" and not arrive soaking wet needing to shower/change. I weigh about 180 lbs dressed.
I got my M2S All Go Carbon over the holidays and spent the remainder of the winter doing some tweaking and customizing. My previous e-bike (my first) was a Mongoose full suspension aluminum framed mountain bike retrofitted with a front all-in-one 250W hub motor. It weighed about 62 lbs with motor and accessories (lights and pannier rack, etc). With my All Go similarly modified, I've got 350W in the crank and it weighs right around 40 lbs. Previous bike would do about 15mph unassisted on flat road, whereas the All Go will do about 20 (both on full charge). I would have to charge the hub motor battery at work to make sure it wasn't dragging ass by the time I got home (miles 10-12), whereas the All Go gets home with about 50% battery life remaining and plenty of "oomph." PLUS, the All Go (due to its crank-mounted motor) absolutely devours the few hills on my route in a way the hub motor never could. I can maintain 17-18mph on a fairly steep grade with a little bit of pedaling. Finally, the difference in the lower center of gravity (thanks to battery in lower frame and motor in crank) makes the bike SIGNIFICANTLY more maneuverable. Before, my front wheel felt like a boat anchor!
Initially, I was concerned that the non-suspension carbon front fork would be too stiff… there are a fair amount of potholes on the New England roads upon which I commute, and I ride from about MAR – DEC so I need a good combination of comfort, durability, capability, and light weight. I find that the entire bike flexes slightly over hard bumps, which is a little disconcerting at first but now I’m used to it and appreciate the little bit of “give” it provides. I don’t know how I’d feel taking the bike on a trail, but considering that I’m using it for on-road commuting nearly 100% of the time, that’s not really my concern. I do not feel like I’m missing out by not having suspension forks or a shock-absorbing seat. Some folks complained about the non-adjustability of the handlebars but they are great for me so personally that’s not an issue.
I would recommend any All Go user plan to customize the bike to fit your needs. My modifications so far:
ELECTRONICS:
--5v and 12v DC-DC converters with switches to independently control head, tail, and running lights.
--I pulled the bike’s display apart and tapped into the backlight for the switch lighting… when the display backlight is on, so are the switch backlights! I could have also used them to trigger all the lights via a Solid State Relay instead of using independent switches, but I like being able to control each light independently.
--I don’t care to use pedal assist (sometimes I want the bike to do ALL the work) so I added a thumb throttle. --I neatened up all wiring/cabling with zip ties and flex loom.
--Added a Motowolf cell phone holder to the handlebar stem (with custom wireless charging pad)
--Added a Hornet horn.
--I wear a Coros SafeSound Mountain helmet with flashing rear light and Bluetooth connectivity for phone & music via “open ear” speakers mounted to the chinstraps. WORTH EVERY PENNY.
LIGHTING:
--Proton R60 taillight with automatic brakelight (remotely controlled by my custom panel and always recharged by the bike battery when the battery is on)
--“eBay” 12V 6 LED light bar and LED strips for running lights.
--Firefly turn signal grips (best at night, but the grips themselves are WAY comfortable!)
ACCESSORIES:
--RockBros top tube toolbag and cell phone holder (Tools on left, cable lock on right, and “cell phone holder” now holds my electronics box with voltage converters and switches).
--3M reflective spokes – I mounted the running lights on the inside of the forks / stays to keep the bike’s lines clean, so the reflective spokes really kick the light out to the side and aid in night visibility.
--Pressure-indicating valve caps.
--Generic water bottle & cage.
--Generic Amazon gel saddle pad (I found the stock one VERY uncomfortable, but rather than buy a whole new seat, this was an easy $15 solution).
--Montague Rackstand (pannier rack, fenders, and kickstand combo) with generic Amazon bungee net. The Rackstand is probably my FAVORITE accessory – SUCH a clean solution to a number of things I felt I needed on my commuter! ESPECIALLY since this bike didn’t come with a kickstand!
--3M Anthracite Carbon Fiber vinyl wrap on a few parts of the bike, to tone down some of the logos and bright orange (sorry, M2S! I did leave the m2s.com and the All Go logo, though!) The Anthracite perfectly complements the gray frame, and now the huge orange top tube patch and battery cover look more like the “pinstriping” on the rear stays. The wrap also helps tidy up the wiring on the front fork running lights.
FUTURE MODIFICATIONS will likely include:
--PHASE 1: Convert battery & controller to 48V, replace the monochrome display with a Bafang DPC-18. I'll likely need to make the BMS external and will look at 18650s, 21700s, 38120s, etc. to try to get the best mix of at least 25A CDR and at least 7 Ah.
--PHASE 2: Veer split belt carbon drive and IGH combination.
--PHASE 3: Upgrade to lightweight 700c road wheels and TCDM 500W rear hub motor with built-in IGH. In the 395 RPM winding at 48V, its power curve (with the proper gearing on the carbon belt drive) should match pretty closely to the Bofeili. Tough to tell for sure as data sheets for the Bofeili 350W motor are pretty hard to come by so I had to extrapolate from what I could find on their 200-250W offerings based on what my "field tests" are showing for things like no-load RPM. That will give me a total motor power of 850W continuous, 1650W peak!
My ultimate goal is to have a sub-50 lb "sprinter" that can do about 16 miles on a single charge (my commute is going up to 8 miles round trip in a couple years when we relocate) and will do 30+ mph on flat road (with a little help from me). Thanks for reading, I welcome any feedback you may offer!
-Jon
I know this isn't some amazing "from scratch" build or anything, and it kinda feels like cheating to start with something that's already an e-bike, but I've done a lot on my M2S All Go to customize it and I have some future plans that some might find interesting. Here is a review I posted over at M2sBikes.com, plus some pictures:
I use my e-bike primarily for commuting (six miles each way on road, relatively flat terrain with a couple hills at the end) and got an e-bike so I could ride to work in "street clothes" and not arrive soaking wet needing to shower/change. I weigh about 180 lbs dressed.
I got my M2S All Go Carbon over the holidays and spent the remainder of the winter doing some tweaking and customizing. My previous e-bike (my first) was a Mongoose full suspension aluminum framed mountain bike retrofitted with a front all-in-one 250W hub motor. It weighed about 62 lbs with motor and accessories (lights and pannier rack, etc). With my All Go similarly modified, I've got 350W in the crank and it weighs right around 40 lbs. Previous bike would do about 15mph unassisted on flat road, whereas the All Go will do about 20 (both on full charge). I would have to charge the hub motor battery at work to make sure it wasn't dragging ass by the time I got home (miles 10-12), whereas the All Go gets home with about 50% battery life remaining and plenty of "oomph." PLUS, the All Go (due to its crank-mounted motor) absolutely devours the few hills on my route in a way the hub motor never could. I can maintain 17-18mph on a fairly steep grade with a little bit of pedaling. Finally, the difference in the lower center of gravity (thanks to battery in lower frame and motor in crank) makes the bike SIGNIFICANTLY more maneuverable. Before, my front wheel felt like a boat anchor!
Initially, I was concerned that the non-suspension carbon front fork would be too stiff… there are a fair amount of potholes on the New England roads upon which I commute, and I ride from about MAR – DEC so I need a good combination of comfort, durability, capability, and light weight. I find that the entire bike flexes slightly over hard bumps, which is a little disconcerting at first but now I’m used to it and appreciate the little bit of “give” it provides. I don’t know how I’d feel taking the bike on a trail, but considering that I’m using it for on-road commuting nearly 100% of the time, that’s not really my concern. I do not feel like I’m missing out by not having suspension forks or a shock-absorbing seat. Some folks complained about the non-adjustability of the handlebars but they are great for me so personally that’s not an issue.
I would recommend any All Go user plan to customize the bike to fit your needs. My modifications so far:
ELECTRONICS:
--5v and 12v DC-DC converters with switches to independently control head, tail, and running lights.
--I pulled the bike’s display apart and tapped into the backlight for the switch lighting… when the display backlight is on, so are the switch backlights! I could have also used them to trigger all the lights via a Solid State Relay instead of using independent switches, but I like being able to control each light independently.
--I don’t care to use pedal assist (sometimes I want the bike to do ALL the work) so I added a thumb throttle. --I neatened up all wiring/cabling with zip ties and flex loom.
--Added a Motowolf cell phone holder to the handlebar stem (with custom wireless charging pad)
--Added a Hornet horn.
--I wear a Coros SafeSound Mountain helmet with flashing rear light and Bluetooth connectivity for phone & music via “open ear” speakers mounted to the chinstraps. WORTH EVERY PENNY.
LIGHTING:
--Proton R60 taillight with automatic brakelight (remotely controlled by my custom panel and always recharged by the bike battery when the battery is on)
--“eBay” 12V 6 LED light bar and LED strips for running lights.
--Firefly turn signal grips (best at night, but the grips themselves are WAY comfortable!)
ACCESSORIES:
--RockBros top tube toolbag and cell phone holder (Tools on left, cable lock on right, and “cell phone holder” now holds my electronics box with voltage converters and switches).
--3M reflective spokes – I mounted the running lights on the inside of the forks / stays to keep the bike’s lines clean, so the reflective spokes really kick the light out to the side and aid in night visibility.
--Pressure-indicating valve caps.
--Generic water bottle & cage.
--Generic Amazon gel saddle pad (I found the stock one VERY uncomfortable, but rather than buy a whole new seat, this was an easy $15 solution).
--Montague Rackstand (pannier rack, fenders, and kickstand combo) with generic Amazon bungee net. The Rackstand is probably my FAVORITE accessory – SUCH a clean solution to a number of things I felt I needed on my commuter! ESPECIALLY since this bike didn’t come with a kickstand!
--3M Anthracite Carbon Fiber vinyl wrap on a few parts of the bike, to tone down some of the logos and bright orange (sorry, M2S! I did leave the m2s.com and the All Go logo, though!) The Anthracite perfectly complements the gray frame, and now the huge orange top tube patch and battery cover look more like the “pinstriping” on the rear stays. The wrap also helps tidy up the wiring on the front fork running lights.
FUTURE MODIFICATIONS will likely include:
--PHASE 1: Convert battery & controller to 48V, replace the monochrome display with a Bafang DPC-18. I'll likely need to make the BMS external and will look at 18650s, 21700s, 38120s, etc. to try to get the best mix of at least 25A CDR and at least 7 Ah.
--PHASE 2: Veer split belt carbon drive and IGH combination.
--PHASE 3: Upgrade to lightweight 700c road wheels and TCDM 500W rear hub motor with built-in IGH. In the 395 RPM winding at 48V, its power curve (with the proper gearing on the carbon belt drive) should match pretty closely to the Bofeili. Tough to tell for sure as data sheets for the Bofeili 350W motor are pretty hard to come by so I had to extrapolate from what I could find on their 200-250W offerings based on what my "field tests" are showing for things like no-load RPM. That will give me a total motor power of 850W continuous, 1650W peak!
My ultimate goal is to have a sub-50 lb "sprinter" that can do about 16 miles on a single charge (my commute is going up to 8 miles round trip in a couple years when we relocate) and will do 30+ mph on flat road (with a little help from me). Thanks for reading, I welcome any feedback you may offer!
-Jon