donor bike selection

Trying to work out which donor bike to use. Narrowed it down, just need to decide and buy it so I can get on with building it.

Was thinking a hub, front or rear initally as I will comute, but open to BBSHD.

Which one and why?


1. Specialized Roll Sport
https://www.specialized.com/au/en/roll-sport/p/171158?color=264565-171158
- Will a rear hub fit? 130mm rear dropout...might be too tight.
- BBSHD should fit.
- Front hub should fit but front forks are not steel so might replace if going this route.

2. Specialized Roll Sport Low Entry
https://www.specialized.com/au/en/roll-sport--low-entry/p/171159?color=264568-171159
- As above but I am concerned the water bottle mounts are too high for a typical halong/shark battery.

3. Norco Scene 1
https://www.bicycle-centre.com.au/products/NOBI18D106
- 135mm rear dropout so rear hub motor will fit.
- level bottom bracket so mid drive would fit, but hang slightly lower.
- Steel forks so could do front hub.

4.Norco Scene IGH
https://www.bicycle-centre.com.au/products/NOBI19D151
- IGH in rear so would need be front hub motor
- I don't think mid drive will work, as bottom bracket is not level. It has two tabs that jut out for some reason.

I think you need to tell us some basic stuff like

Range Goal
Speed goal
Riding ability
Type of riding you want to do
Power goal
Total budget
Terrain (on/off-road / hilly / flat)

I notice none of those have susp. As long you don't plan on going over 20 mph and the riding is smooth might be ok. You can add rivnuts/ bottle water holders. If you are ok with drilling on a brand new frame

So is it your intention to swap between mid-drive, front hub and rear hub often?

If not, then I'm not understanding the logic of choosing a frame before making that fundamental decision, especially when starting with a clean slate. At this point, it looks like #3 is your only option.

Regarding the battery mounting location, the rental bikes that litter the city streets, all have frames like #2-#4, and have their batteries mounted in that forward location.

Some further information is below.

E-HP said:

So is it your intention to swap between mid-drive, front hub and rear hub often?

Click to expand...

Not really, intent is to start with a hub as it will be mostly for commuting to work, but was looking for a bike that is flexible in that it would allow for a mid-drive if I decide to try that in the future.

Range Goal: 60 kilometers approx
Speed goal: 35 kph
Riding ability: Confident
Type of riding you want to do: Rail trails, commuting
Power goal: Around 500 watts or higher
Total budget: $3,500 AUD
Terrain (on/off-road / hilly / flat): Occaisonal gravel. Mostly sealed road, my commute is quite flat. But weekend trails may have some hills.

I can't picture spending the higher cost of a mid drive and installing it on a bike with no suspension. So for close to the same cost, get two used bikes and build one hub bike, and a BBS02 powered full suspension mid drive. Use the same battery for both.

E-HP said:

I can't picture spending the higher cost of a mid drive and installing it on a bike with no suspension. So for close to the same cost, get two used bikes and build one hub bike, and a BBS02 powered full suspension mid drive. Use the same battery for both.

Click to expand...

I like this idea. I might do just that