New e-bike convert

[dekes1]

So i bought a mid drive, higher power kit (ye old Cyclone kit) and installed it on a 10 year old hard tail diamondback mtb. I built up a few 48v battery packs from laptop cells and got the whole thing out on the road this past weekend. I have one thing to say - how come everyone isnt doing this??!! This is a whole new level of fun that i wish i would have done years ago!

The ability to pedal and get some useful exercise, but also fly away and ride with the wind, as well as do some powered off road trail riding is just amazing. People stare, kids point, and on a gentle ride through the metroparks, i was stopped 3 times by people wanting to know about the bike.

I respect walkers and other bikers and only "open 'er up" when its safe and clear but man there's a whole new way to travel.

One question for the community - whats the obsession with speed? I can easily hit 27mph which on a knobby tire mountain bike feels like much much faster. shifting into a lower gear and i can clim just about anything that i can hang on to. whats with everyone worrying about massive speeds - who goes 50mph on a mountain bike?

 

[MadRhino]

Your bike does 27 Mph and feels much faster... Some bikes are doing 60 Mph and feel much slower. That is how some people are riding 50, because they are building bikes that are riding good at that speed.

Then, it is your first. Next year you might feel the urge to build better, faster. Because you got the ebike addiction, the kind of addiction you just had a taste of.

Welcome to the Endless Sphere.

 

[LockH]

ES site STILL does not have a "Thumb Up" option. (grumble, grumble)

Thing about speed is, ya get to injure/kill yerself and other animals faster. :lol:

 

[dekes1]

Good point MadRhino, i hadn't given thought to the fact that the quality of the equipment as well as one's skill level can affect the level of comfort with high speeds. My wobbly old bike is a handful above 25. i suspect you're right that sometime in the near future ill post the inevitable question about what to do to go faster!

 

[dogman dan]

It's true, lots of obsession with speed here.

A truly well put together 40mph+ e bike is quite a ride, so much lighter than a similar powered gas motorcycle typically is. But if you ride in traffic, that's an illegal vehicle in the USA. Some states, including mine, allow up to 30 mph.

On the other hand, knowing how I ride, and tend to crash some, I have settled in at much slower speeds. Usually less than 30 mph. Part of this is I got sick, and tire too fast riding fast now. Each to his own.

 

[dbaker]

Stay with the fun! To go 50 mph with a mid drive will require more (expensive) technology and much more energy (battery). Wind resistance is the dominant factor above the speeds you are enjoying