Finding this forum has opened my eyes to the wealth of information around e-bikes, but I’m struggling to process it all and decide which route I should go down, so would like some additional hand-holding (metaphorically), whilst I find my feet and get my first bike on the road/track (both).
I officially quit owning a car 2 years ago. Living in London, this was no issue. Public transport is everywhere, and I got myself a Xaomi scooter to help get about. City life wasn’t for me, so I escaped to the West Country and now reside on the Devon/Somerset border. I’m loving the new way of life, but the lack of public transport (a bus every 2 hours) made me think I need a car again. That is, until now (or a week ago).
So I did what I guess a lot of people do. Start looking at stock e-bikes, moved onto conversion kits, then before I knew it I was reading about re-programming controllers! Haha
I’m determined to build my own, preferably keeping it simple for now (modular components with light modifications) whilst I learn the ropes. I don’t weld (yet) and I don’t have a lot of electrical tools/meters etc (yet).
I’ll be using the bike daily, but also plan to take it on camping tours (I’ll consider solar in a later phase).
Daily use will mainly be on A and B roads (60mph limit) with moderate hills. Travelling up to 30 miles a day. I want to take the bike off road, but plan to stick to suitable gravel / hard paths. Due to UK law, the bike needs to look like a normal bike at a glance. Although saying that, who’s to know what’s in my panniers? Haha
EDIT: The bike will be built as a tourer cable of 25mph, but rode a lot slower as will be carrying load.
I'm 30yo, so don't require the bike to do all the work for me, although saying that I'm not particularly fit!
I’d like to keep the total cost under £2,000, but if I can justify it, I can spend up to £3,500ish.
I have an old GT Aggressor 3.0 frame I bought in 2001. It’s sturdy, but I don’t think it will suit my touring needs.
I’m here for your advice – be it on components or my outlook/approach. Keen to learn from you all!
I’m sure you get people like me come along all the time – so if easier – just chuck a load of links at me for recent similar projects/components etc. A lot of the FAQ answers are out of date in terms of component tech.
I’m thinking Bafang Ultramax, suitable battery, touring frame, disc gears, lockable front suspension (no experience of these either, just heard of them), and the rest, including space for panniers. I have built a normal bike before from combining the working parts from two knackered MTBs, so have a lot of the tools I will need and a novice understanding of the nomenclature.
I have a lot more thoughts, but since I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ll shut up now, so you guys can help me focus on the right thoughts. At the moment feel like I'm currently wading through a muddy swamp in the dark! Any and all help appreciated
I officially quit owning a car 2 years ago. Living in London, this was no issue. Public transport is everywhere, and I got myself a Xaomi scooter to help get about. City life wasn’t for me, so I escaped to the West Country and now reside on the Devon/Somerset border. I’m loving the new way of life, but the lack of public transport (a bus every 2 hours) made me think I need a car again. That is, until now (or a week ago).
So I did what I guess a lot of people do. Start looking at stock e-bikes, moved onto conversion kits, then before I knew it I was reading about re-programming controllers! Haha
I’m determined to build my own, preferably keeping it simple for now (modular components with light modifications) whilst I learn the ropes. I don’t weld (yet) and I don’t have a lot of electrical tools/meters etc (yet).
I’ll be using the bike daily, but also plan to take it on camping tours (I’ll consider solar in a later phase).
Daily use will mainly be on A and B roads (60mph limit) with moderate hills. Travelling up to 30 miles a day. I want to take the bike off road, but plan to stick to suitable gravel / hard paths. Due to UK law, the bike needs to look like a normal bike at a glance. Although saying that, who’s to know what’s in my panniers? Haha
EDIT: The bike will be built as a tourer cable of 25mph, but rode a lot slower as will be carrying load.
I'm 30yo, so don't require the bike to do all the work for me, although saying that I'm not particularly fit!
I’d like to keep the total cost under £2,000, but if I can justify it, I can spend up to £3,500ish.
I have an old GT Aggressor 3.0 frame I bought in 2001. It’s sturdy, but I don’t think it will suit my touring needs.
I’m here for your advice – be it on components or my outlook/approach. Keen to learn from you all!
I’m sure you get people like me come along all the time – so if easier – just chuck a load of links at me for recent similar projects/components etc. A lot of the FAQ answers are out of date in terms of component tech.
I’m thinking Bafang Ultramax, suitable battery, touring frame, disc gears, lockable front suspension (no experience of these either, just heard of them), and the rest, including space for panniers. I have built a normal bike before from combining the working parts from two knackered MTBs, so have a lot of the tools I will need and a novice understanding of the nomenclature.
I have a lot more thoughts, but since I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’ll shut up now, so you guys can help me focus on the right thoughts. At the moment feel like I'm currently wading through a muddy swamp in the dark! Any and all help appreciated