Which direction to go for new build?

[firstlight]

Long story short I've got a ride1up limited that I've had for 6 months and put over 1500 miles on, and it is great as a commuter bike and for smooth easy trails, but I want something more suitable for actual mountain biking trails to have ready for next spring. I have burned out a couple controllers and motor cables on the limited because the wiring and controller are very undersized for what the motor can do in my opinion and has basically zero ventilation being inside the frame. I can't resist going up steep trails and this bike isn't meant for it, I could get a different higher-powered controller and mount it in my rack bag and probably solve the overheating problem but I do want to go full suspension, hence my seeking advice here.

I am leaning towards converting a circa 2010 Giant anthem full suspension 26-in bike to a rear hub motor with much more power than my current bike. Having only used one mid drive bike before but having a lot of experience with a rear hub, here's my dilemma that you guys can answer. I like to cruise with throttle only from a stop to full speed very often, am I correct that with the mid drive I would have to rev up through all of my gears to get to my top speed like on a motorcycle? Since I will want to use this bike for commuting as well as mountain biking trails, I don't want to have to be shifting gears that much when cruising around and not needing maximum torque for steep uphill sections. Let me know if I'm way off base here? I'm at the point where I haven't invested anything so I'm open to ideas.

For those that have done rear hub high powered full suspension mountain bike builds, do you recommend a lower wattage geared hub motor in the 1500 watt range, or one of the 2000w or 3000w larger direct drive hub motors? I understand the torque will be way lower on the direct drive but not sure if the higher wattage bursts overcome that, versus having all that weight compared to a smaller motor. Basically I'm wondering where the sweet spot is so the bike doesn't weigh too much and other considerations.

Right now my flat ground speeds max out at 31 or 32, and I can get up the trails I want for about a couple miles before things overheat too much to start doing damage. I want to improve on this plus have full suspension, and be overpowered to the point where I can run things at lower settings and not worry about burning out and still have more in the tank to crank it up if I just want to have some fun. The limited is so fun but I guess I'm hooked at this point and want more!

With your experience and trial and error building which direction would you go? Let me know what other details would help.

 

[tomjasz]

I find the Grin eBikes.ca https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html] an invaluable tool when planning a new build and considering options.

 

[99t4]

Judging from your description, what you want to do seems similar to ES forum member Eastwood has done. Look up his build for ideas.

 

[E-HP]

do you recommend a lower wattage geared hub motor in the 1500 watt range, or one of the 2000w or 3000w larger direct drive hub motors? I understand the torque will be way lower on the direct drive but not sure if the higher wattage bursts overcome that, versus having all that weight compared to a smaller motor. Basically I'm wondering where the sweet spot is so the bike doesn't weigh too much and other considerations.

The Giant Anthem, NRS, and Trek Fuel are the bikes I'm always looking out for on Craigslist. I almost picked up a NRS earlier this year, but the seller flaked. It's OK, I've been patiently looking for a long time.

My bike weighs 84 lbs now, mostly battery, but still feels agile. It has a 1500W Leaf direct drive, which performs well with this weight, plus me (~175 lbs now), on and offroad. I added a temp sensor so I don't really need to worry about steep hills or overheating. I have the bike limited to 75A and 7000W which tames it down nicely. Above that takes more concentration, so most of the time I keep the 3 speed switch on low and has all the power I need. On medium, the bike will peg the 75A limit just under normal riding and pulls pretty hard. It still feels like a bicycle when maneuvering though.

I still need to lift my bike once in a while, so I don't think I could go with a bigger motor, and the Leaf should be able to handle more power if I needed/wanted it.

 

[AdR]

@E-HP:are you running the leaf 1500W at 7000W continuous or is that peak?. Is that 75A battery or phase. What controller are you using. What nominal battery voltage are you using. How are u cooling the motor.