diy ebike for ranch, trail, hunt...

Sup. I get to play on some ranches in the Texas panhandle. We've got sandhills, rolling hills and draws, slot canyons and really big canyons. I've wanted to try riding my bike around out there but couldn't (wouldn't) on manpower along - some of the canyons walls are 300 ft or so. So I built an ebike and its' awesome. It works great and I've put over 300 miles on it since I finished the build in late November. About half of those miles were on rough ranch 'roads' or trails. I've crashed and had a few technical problems (my fault). I pedal when I want to and can make it up (and down) every hill I've attempted. I get around quickly and quietly and see a lot more wildlife than I do from my truck.

Started w/ 2012 era Kona Mahuna 29er hardtail, a reasonably nice mountain bike. I started in late August and had very little money (no) money to spare. Early on I'd decided on a mid-drive system - I can keep my back (8) gears, and it makes a world of difference.

Build list:
Cyclone Mid-drive kit ($350) Cyclone 3D mounting system ($70) and cyclone gear sensor (25). From Luna Cycle.
Cycle Analyst v3 (CA3-DPS), CA3 switch, ebrake x2, thumb throttle lever and pedal assist sensor ($229). Grin Technologies, ebikes.ca
52V 25.7Ah High Energy Pack w/ Smart BMS, 5A Charger and shipping ($830) from em3ev.

I had some 3/8" (I think) makralon panel that I used for a mounting plate (instead of the arched thin metal plate that came in the kit).

And, I spent a hundred bucks or so on pannier racks, bags and the like. Ended up costing me about $1700, not including the bike's value. The gear sensor was unnecessary and I don't use it. I don't use the PAS sensor either.

I'll try to describe the build process in another post.

When you haul harvest trough slot canyon, you need tilting quad e bike like this, ignoring those fairing covers, also put a bucket in front end

hehe I was worried about the rocky hills and steep grades but the cyclone provides more than enough power for terrain. My problems have mostly been in deep, dry sand - it can take 1500 amp continuous to maintain a slow momentum. I figure fat tires would handle sand much better but I love my setup as is for everything but the sand. Kinda suprised to have so much trouble, being that I've big tires and plenty of power...

Nice conversion. For the sand, try lowering your tire pressure if you haven't already.