bicycle frame???

[dannyboyohyeah]

Alot've us here are probably very regular Craigslist cruisers, looking for the deal(s). My eye goes first to the headset, to see if the bike has the inherent capability of upgraded front suspension. A 1 1/8" steerer is essential for this, since there is no really decent front susp fork in the older 1". Next, look to see if the frame has rear disc-brake mount. As things progress, you'll probably want more and more power and in keeping with that, you'de be wise to plan on dual disc-brakes. Depending upon how tall you are, go for the larger frame triangle for battery storage space. In lieu of susp, you can use a thudbuster seatpost, but that puts you onto a smaller frame, because they require alot've space above seatpost tube. Mtb frames in general offer a more stable riding stance than a roadbike (which will also not be capable of front susp). Mongoose cheapie frames with the non-dampened rear susp spring is still more comfortable than a hardtail, plus those rear triangles are of steel rather than aluminum, but again, most of these have the 1" steerer....but you can find 1 1/8" if you are patient. You can buy these often for less than $100. The trick is where you put the batteries on those. (these almost never have rear disc mounts, but a V-brake rear and disc front is ok for med power.) Cheap susp forks are not very plush. Another item to search for used on ebay or craigslist....something like a Manitou "Black" is a very nice fork for not much, used).
Best of luck with the ebike obsession~!

 

[Driverkpk]

My trek being a large 21" frame I'd like to think em3ev 50v will fit. Flat paved 20mile commute shouldn't have to many worries about suspension.

 

[jkbrigman]

My trek being a large 21" frame I'd like to think em3ev 50v will fit. Flat paved 20mile commute shouldn't have to many worries about suspension.

Your frame size sounds good (21 inch). I'd say "go for it" with that bike.

It sounds like you are homing in on what you want for the motor/controller/battery. em3ev is good to buy from, they are a great vendor and can supply a great, low-to-midrange cost package. Pay attention to his cautions on his website about balancing motor speed with wheel size - he encourages lower-speed motors to prevent overheating. (I started with a low-speed motor and never saw overheat problems with it - and I'm a big, heavy rider.)

I considered buying from em3ev and I wish I had. I designed/built my own LiPo pack. It works fine, but finding chargers that can stand up to the demands of the pack have been difficult and I've suffered downtime because of that. Going with a 50v pack and matching charger is absolutely the way to go for improved reliability.

Beware that right now (December) shipments from China are delayed due to the Chinese holidays. I see you are planning ot use it for commuting. While you are waiting for your chinese shipments to arrive, you can swap out tires/tubes, add fenders, rear rack and lights. YOu might even want to go ahead and track down torque arms (unless you are getting those from em3ev...)

Best of luck Driverkpk - keep us posted!

JKB