Budget Fat eCruiser for COLD winter commuting?

[Andrew.Robinson]

Hi - I've been exploring this site - great resource.

I'm looking for an ebike - not really into building everything from scratch, but I cold install a kit on a cheap frame. Here in Yellowknife we bike all through the winter, which lasts from Nov to April and can get down to minus 40 deg C (OK very few bike below minus 30). I want an e-bike that would do a 10 km return trip in minus 30 deg C as long as I kept the battery inside before I started. In the summer I would expect the battery to last longer.

Budget - ideally under $1,000 (US)

Here is what I'm thinking:
- cruiser or crank forward style (don't really like hunching over my current MTB handle-bars) - or maybe a cargo - An Electra Lux 7-speed could be a good starting frame, although it is Aluminum - a steel version would be cheaper/better? http://www.electrabike.com/bikes/cruiser/cruiser-lux-fat-tire-7d?g=mens be better
- 4" fat tires - 26"? (that is what is available here)
- geared hub motor with metal planetary gears - or hub direct drive motor (I fear that plastic gears will shatter in the cold)
- rear deraileaur - I don't think just 3 speeds would be enough
- removeable battery
- frame mounted battery (lower centre of gravity)
- torque sensing control (cadence sensor can cause rear wheel to spin out on ice - when starting off slow & motor kicks in?)
- Street legal rules limit motor to 500W / 32 km/hr

thoughts? suggestions?

 

[MadRhino]

Good to see Electra making a bike with brakes, finally. :wink:
You will have to ask them if it does clear 4". It is sold with 3.5". You need to know the dropout width too.

Use a dd hub and a 12X4110 controller. Make steel torque plates to hold the motor torque. Batteries could be in a frame bag, or else you build a battery box. Pretty simple bike to build. Electa are lightweight and stiff. Good bikes, but until now they did not have brake mounts and were using a pedal backward braking hub. That is why very few had been built as ebikes before.

 

[Andrew.Robinson]

Or something like this, but with a DD Hub motor & torque sensor to handle the cold & the ice?

https://www.eluxbikes.com/tahoe-fat-tire

 

[MadRhino]

I am afraid that you might not like a pedal assist in the snow. I personnally, would use a throttle. You could fit both, that is not unusual.

The Elux fatbike does look good. You would not save much building yourself in the same style. Yet, it does have a small motor and pretty weak. The weight distribution is not ideal, with motor and battery together on the rear.

I would prefer building the Electra, for frame quality and weight. It is possible that it does clear 4" tires. It could also be mod to, by making extended dropout plates. Building yourself is more work, but it can be tailor made to have the power, speed and range that you want. A bike that you built yourself, is also easier to service and upgrade.

 

[titusmc]

For batteries in extreme cold I highly recommend a Topeak MTX Trunkbag. The racks use a track system that makes it very easy to slide the battery on and off, plus they are spacious enough that you can insulate and protect with foam. I have been using them in upstate NY for daily commuting down to about 0°F (-18°C) and find them to be perfect. I also use Wald 582 folding racks for stowing bags of gear or groceries (get the black ones - the bare steel rusts easily).

These bags fit up to a single 14S8P pack or 2 14S5P packs very securely. A 13S7P or 14S7P could easily fit with foam on all sides.

 

[wesnewell]

Mongoose dolomite and any fat bike rear DD motor kit. 10ah 12s lipo. Total cost should be under $700. Replace handelbars with 5" riser handelbars and shorter stem.

 

[Andrew.Robinson]

I am afraid that you might not like a pedal assist in the snow. I personnally, would use a throttle. You could fit both, that is not unusual.

I have not tried a torque sensor ebike in the snow, but did rent an ebike with a pedal speed sensor (in Quebec City) ... that bike tended to be unstable on ice when the motor kicked in - especially when starting.

What might I not like about the pedal assist in snow? Do you mean torque based or pedal speed based - or both?

 

[Andrew.Robinson]

Mongoose dolomite and any fat bike rear DD motor kit. 10ah 12s lipo. Total cost should be under $700. Replace handelbars with 5" riser handelbars and shorter stem.

Is the Mongoose Dolomite available in Canada? - walmart.ca doesn't list it. Amazon.ca has one for $600.

But it looks similar to the Schwinn Biggity from Canadian Tire - has anyone done an e-bike/cruiser style conversion with on of these?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/s...-s-hardtail-mountain-bike-26-in-0711653p.html

 

[Andrew.Robinson]

For batteries in extreme cold I highly recommend a Topeak MTX Trunkbag. The racks use a track system that makes it very easy to slide the battery on and off, plus they are spacious enough that you can insulate and protect with foam. I have been using them in upstate NY for daily commuting down to about 0°F (-18°C) and find them to be perfect.

Thanks for the suggestion - I have read that putting the batteries on the rack makes the bike a bit top-heavy & rear loaded ... any truth to that in your experience?

A

 

[MadRhino]

I mean any PAS. But who knows. Some are used to it. That is why I said you could fit both a PAS and a throttle.

A friend did build 2 Mongoose fatbikes. That thing is heavy as a boat anchor. The rims alone are heavier than a whole bike should be. He had built them for sale, and he finally did let them go with a loss because he was tired to see them in his shop.

 

[wesnewell]

Mongoose dolomite and any fat bike rear DD motor kit. 10ah 12s lipo. Total cost should be under $700. Replace handelbars with 5" riser handelbars and shorter stem.

Is the Mongoose Dolomite available in Canada? - walmart.ca doesn't list it. Amazon.ca has one for $600.

But it looks similar to the Schwinn Biggity from Canadian Tire - has anyone done an e-bike/cruiser style conversion with on of these?

See my videos. It shows the Dolomite I converted using a standard DD hub motor. It was just not what I needed in Texas. Took the motor off and put it on a half fat tire bike with 3" tires.

 

[titusmc]

For batteries in extreme cold I highly recommend a Topeak MTX Trunkbag. The racks use a track system that makes it very easy to slide the battery on and off, plus they are spacious enough that you can insulate and protect with foam. I have been using them in upstate NY for daily commuting down to about 0°F (-18°C) and find them to be perfect.

Thanks for the suggestion - I have read that putting the batteries on the rack makes the bike a bit top-heavy & rear loaded ... any truth to that in your experience?

A

I currently use a BBSHD and before that I had a front DD hub, so I've never felt excessively rear-loaded. I suppose with a heavy rear hub motor and cargo it could start to feel that way, but I can't really comment on that. All I know is I've ridden my BBSHD bike with almost 50 pounds of stuff on the rear rack and it never seemed too difficult to handle.

 

[Andrew.Robinson]

How about this Voltbike Yukon 750?
- could change the handle-bar to be more cruiser style
- Voltbike claims they have no issues with cold weather and the Bafang FUN8 plastic gears
- comes with a certificate saying motor is rated at 500W - so street legal
- slightly over my budget, but "time is money"

http://www.voltbike.ca/voltbike-yukon/voltbike-yukon-750-limited.html

 

[MadRhino]

If you are going for a Chinese bike, you might as well buy it in China and pay its real value.

1400 usd with a 48v 1000w BBS mid drive, 13Ah battery, lightweight components

This one goes for 1600 usd. Would need upgrades but can make a high power ebike if you want to in the future.

The Chinese manufacturers are begining to know what we want in the Western world. They adapt and produce bikes that are lighter and more powerful. They are willing to ship samples and flexible in the specs. Be careful with resellers, but manufacturers are pretty safe to deal with. You will wait for delivery, but you can save a lot when you are patient. Better IMO, than buying a 500$ Chinese bike in Canada and pay it 3 times more with another name on it.

 

[Nicko818]

Is the Mongoose Dolomite available in Canada? - walmart.ca doesn't list it. Amazon.ca has one for $600.

But it looks similar to the Schwinn Biggity from Canadian Tire - has anyone done an e-bike/cruiser style conversion with on of these?

General PDP Template

Same bike , Schwinn Biggitys both electrified, very easy and lots of fun , rode for two full winters