DIY Ebike Finding The Right Base Bike

[Kookoonut]

Love this forum, thanks everyone!
I'm working on making my first ever electric bike. New to everything, learning about frames and brakes and more.
I heard hydraulic disk brakes are a must, as well as an Al frame. I may do some off-road stuff, but not too much, would however prefer a generally smooth ride.
Any suggestions for a 26 inch wheel bike that has room for a 16.5 inch battery? Budget for a bike is 500$ or under.
The battery I got (36v 21ah 750w): EB4 36v 21Ah 750Wh eBike Battery | Jehu Garcia JAG35.com DIY Powerwalls EV eBike eScooter RV Solar 2nd Life Recycle Reuse LFP LiFePO4 Lithium-on
The geared motor kit I got (same specs as battery, chose "front" wheel): 36V 750W Geared Ebike Conversion Kits
Would appreciate the help, I'm very confused and have a hard time finding options.

 

[lnanek]

I don't think you can get any decent donor bike for under 500 new. Why not check for local used options on something like Facebook marketplace? Prefer anything steel so the frame can handle the stress of the motor pushing it faster than it was designed for.

I have disc brakes, but rim brakes can be stronger anyway, so wouldn't say it's a requirement.

 

[amberwolf]

First, pick a bike that will do the job you want it to do without the electrics on it. If it can't handle the job then, it definitely won't with the added stuff on it. What parts, frame, etc are needed to do the job are determined by the job.

What bike do you already use for the stuff you want to do like this? What does that bike do well, and what does it do badly? What needs to be different about that bike to do the job you need done? Those are things you can ask yourself to find the right bike.


Next, for the electrics, define the job you want the whole system to do for you, including speed, acceleration, range, etc, and under what riding conditions it has to do that job, including terrain, weather, road conditions, etc.

Once you define the job, you can use tools like the ebikes.ca motor simulator and trip simulator to create guesstimates of power required to do the job, and wh/mile usage under your conditions, so you can then pick electrics that can provide that power for long enough to go the distance you need to go.

 

[yantra yatra]

Are full suspension bikes better for higher speeds? It is difficult to carry large amounts of cargo with panniers on a full suspension bike.

 

[docw009]

You bought a Jag 35 used ebike/scooter battery? Did it come with the case or is it in the blue shrink wrap? If it's bare shrinkwrap, it really needs to be protected from getting hit and dinged. Put a dent in a cell and it might catch on fire later,

My experience with several ebikeling 36V motors is they max out around 20 mph on 36V, and the battery wattage isn't a factor. It's the voltage that make the wheel spin faster, The above battery will run the ebikeling motor OK.

My preference would be a bike that can take disk brakes, has alloy wheels, and a steel front fork for the front motor. Rim brakes will work for a 20 mph bike, but disks will help if it's heavy. I've added disks to bikes that had rim brakes, THe ebikeling motor will take a rotor, but you would have to buy a rear wheel, the rotor, and caliper. Costs add up.

An alloy fork will work if you;re careful and if the ebikeling torque arms are any good, THe ebikeling motor is strong enough to tear itself out of a fork, even a steel one, is the install is sloppy,

 

[999zip999]

Did you get a front or a rear motor ?

 

[99t4]

Are full suspension bikes better for higher speeds?

Depends on the terrain. Smooth paved roads? FS bike not so much of a benefit. Rough surface obstacles? FS can help.

It is difficult to carry large amounts of cargo with panniers on a full suspension bike.

Yes, agreed.

 

[Chalo]

I heard hydraulic disk brakes are a must,

You heard wrong. Any brake that can tip the bike up on the front wheel in a hard stop is as powerful as you can actually use. In my experience of thousands and thousands of different bikes, the main distinction of hydraulic brakes is how often they fail, and what a difficult hassle they are to repair compared to cable brakes.

as well as an Al frame.

You heard that wrong too. There's nothing to disqualify aluminum frames for e-conversion, but other materials can be just as satisfactory.

 

[Kookoonut]

Ok my budget can go up to under 800$, I am struggling to find just a bike with Aluminium and Hydraulic Disk Brakes (If such seems necessary) at 26 inches. Any help? I would appreciate specific brands/bikes to look for.
Even if you guys disagree with those 2 specifications, what would be a good bike/brand to get to fit the 16.5 inch length battery in between the frame? Thanks very much for all the replies!

 

[motomech]

Ok my budget can go up to under 800$, I am struggling to find just a bike with Aluminium and Hydraulic Disk Brakes (If such seems necessary) at 26 inches. Any help? I would appreciate specific brands/bikes to look for.
Even if you guys disagree with those 2 specifications, what would be a good bike/brand to get to fit the 16.5 inch length battery in between the frame? Thanks very much for all the replies!

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[Stealth_Chopper]

Love this forum, thanks everyone!
I'm working on making my first ever electric bike. New to everything, learning about frames and brakes and more.
I heard hydraulic disk brakes are a must, as well as an Al frame. I may do some off-road stuff, but not too much, would however prefer a generally smooth ride.
Any suggestions for a 26 inch wheel bike that has room for a 16.5 inch battery? Budget for a bike is 500$ or under.
The battery I got (36v 21ah 750w): EB4 36v 21Ah 750Wh eBike Battery | Jehu Garcia JAG35.com DIY Powerwalls EV eBike eScooter RV Solar 2nd Life Recycle Reuse LFP LiFePO4 Lithium-on
The geared motor kit I got (same specs as battery, chose "front" wheel): 36V 750W Geared Ebike Conversion Kits
Would appreciate the help, I'm very confused and have a hard time finding options.

Yes there is the HUFFY Terrace I bought one like this because:
Brand New everything : Disk brakes; aluminum frame, low standover height comfort design,
8 speeds allow full range of cogs with the 68mm bottom bracket for good chain range.
Yes it has steel parts for strength, fork handle bar, seat post, lightweight fenders
It's on ebay now for $158 !

 

[Stealth_Chopper]

'X690' The Silver 'terrace'

 

[Chalo]

Please, nobody buy a department store bicycle-shaped object to convert to a light EV. It's an even worse mistake than it looks like. Every single component of such a bike is made of pure garbage, and if they ever make it passable by mistake, they will keep changing it to be even cheaper until it's pure garbage again.

Just don't. It's a full scale model of a real bike, but it's not a real bike.

 

[nicobie]

Listen to Chalo.

I also dislike hydraulic brakes. I'd much rather have a steel frame than a cheap aluminum one.

 

[portals]

Yeah, I'd scrap the disk brakes and aluminium requirements as they don't really make any sense.

Steel frames are more widely available, stronger and cheaper than Al frames.

My 1500W rear hub 52V ebike brakes work just fine using cheap v brakes and they are easy to maintain,

Look for a half decent 2nd hand donor bike on gumtree etc. and just swap out the front wheel?

 

[E-HP]

Ok my budget can go up to under 800$, I am struggling to find just a bike with Aluminium and Hydraulic Disk Brakes (If such seems necessary) at 26 inches. Any help? I would appreciate specific brands/bikes to look for.
Even if you guys disagree with those 2 specifications, what would be a good bike/brand to get to fit the 16.5 inch length battery in between the frame? Thanks very much for all the replies!

How tall are you and what size bike frame do you normally ride?

 

[99t4]

I am struggling to find just a bike with Aluminium and Hydraulic Disk Brakes (If such seems necessary)...

We told you they are not necessary, and gave reasons. Can you tell us why they are apparently still so important to you?

...what would be a good bike/brand to get to fit the 16.5 inch length battery in between the frame?

BEST way to know that is to make a life-size cardboard model of the battery and test it out in the location you want to install it on the bike itself, see how it fits. Larger size frames usually have more useable space in the triangle. "Townie" style bikes have a lot of useable space in their triangles, way more than average.

 

[portals]

What I've noticed with using cheap v brakes is that as long as they are lined up and reasonably balanced using the set screws they work great, very strong.

My ebike is rear hub and it is heavy (almost 30kg all-in), so the issues of breaking too much with front break and ending up over the handle bars have gone, in an emergency squeeze both breaks full on and you will stop very quickly and still in control of the bike.

 

[docw009]

One feature of disk brakes that I like is the ability to drop the wheel easily, especially if you just installed wider tires that require deflating to pass thru rim brakes. Of course, if the tire is flat, you're halfway there. And hydraulic disks are easier to align than mechanical disks or rim brakes, I wish the cable actuated hydraulics didn't fail so often, because the price is so attractive, but those HB100's do suck,

Another pro for the disks are if your wheel isn't dished right, or if the rim wobbles, you can still put on the wheel, I've learned how to adjust the spokes though to center the rim between the calipers and to unwobble it,

Chalo hates it when we put upgraded parts on junk bikes. I recently put Shimano R8000 Ultegra rim brakes on my beater Raleigh 10 speed. Cost more than what I paid for the bike. I had to get offset brake pads to drop the pads about 5mm lower to contact my 27" rims. And there was some drilling involved. I think they feel very smooth and linear. The black anodized alloy looks better than 50 year old chomred steel,. The quick release is cool too,

Beater bikes are like stone soup. New rims, tires, brakes, bars, .., everything but the frame. And you can move it all to the next frame.










,

 

[slm9s]

Buy used, you'll get way more bike for your dollars. If you're not knowledgeable enough to pick one, post what you think are 5 or 6 good candidates off CL or FB and ask here.
Don't stress too much about which first bike, you'll be upgrading by the end of the summer anyway!

 

[lnanek]

One feature of disk brakes that I like is the ability to drop the wheel easily

Complications putting the wheel on and off is why I dislike them, myself. My first ebike had discs and cheap mechanical brakes. Squeaked terribly and didn't stop well. I upgraded to cable actuated hydraulic and the noise stopped and braking power went way up. I love the self centering aspect as well. I hate how tough they make putting the rear wheel back on, though.

The axle is already a bizarre flattened cylinder that fits super tight so it doesn't rotate out, I guess. If there were no disc brakes I could put the tire in at an angle to get the chain and derailleur in place, then get each side of the axle in one at a time. Instead, because I have to fit the disc in the brakes, that isn't an option. I have to mess with the chain quite a bit to get it in before the wheel, then put the wheel in super straight, then bounce my fat ass on the back as hard as I can trying to get both sides of the axle in at once. Maybe with a conversion the axle will be loose as long as you remove any torque arms as a work around.

On all my other bicycles I avoid discs, rip off any v brakes since the springs in those always get bent and they become impossible for me to adjust, and then slap on long reach caliper brakes with a quick release switch - even if it requires drilling a hole above the wheel for them. Quick release has always been enough for me to get the calipers away from the wheel for changing tires. The single screw mount to the frame means they are easy to center, and heck probably rotate to center on their own. Calliper probably not an option for full suspension people, but I'm on roads and flat trails 99% of the time, so have no need for that anyway. Suspension seat post is plenty for me. My ebike came with that and fat tires and I upgraded all my other bikes to suspension seat posts too.

Personally I'd only require discs if I was riding through wet grass or something else that fouls the rims regularly. Not sure what I'd choose for a full suspension bike since I hate v brakes too.

 

[yantra yatra]

Depends on the terrain. Smooth paved roads? FS bike not so much of a benefit. Rough surface obstacles? FS can help.


Yes, agreed.

If going pretty fast, up to 55km/h - 65km/h on pretty smooth bitumen roads, is a rear shock useful for stability or not such a big deal? Can anyone comment? I wonder if the occasional potholes or bump will be handled much better at higher speeds.

I like to run a fat tire around 2.4” to make a smoother and more comfortable ride so this may cover some those needs.

 

[DingusMcGee]

Chalo said,


“You heard wrong. Any brake that can tip the bike up on the front wheel in a hard stop is as powerful as you can actually use.”

Chalo’s criteria for sufficiency of an ebike brake lacks any measure suitability. Sure it may take into account what extra loads you may sometimes carry. And what could, “…you can actually use.”really mean?? A more powerful brake could mean that it takes less force to use? Certainly, you can mount on your bike a more powerful brake and “actually” use it. You may not be utilizing it to the max.

But a weak brake will take more hand/finger force to stop the rim revolution. Simply put, the muscular response time to generate one’s highest force takes somewhat more time to produce that the time a mere 1/4 [one fourth] max hand force will take to generate. This extra response time lag leads to more distance required to stop.

Repeated high level grasps soon will fatigue the hand and then it cannot generate forces near maximum needed to pull adequately on the brake bar.

What conditions take repeated pulls on the brakes? Edirtbiking is ‘touch and go’ [on the brakes] all the time on trails of any difficulty.

The 4 piston American made Hayes Dominion brake is suitable for such demands. Others brands suitable are out there.

 

[Chalo]

Chalo said,

“You heard wrong. Any brake that can tip the bike up on the front wheel in a hard stop is as powerful as you can actually use.”

Chalo’s criteria for sufficiency of an ebike brake lacks any measure suitability. Sure it may take into account what extra loads you may sometimes carry. And what could, “…you can actually use.”really mean??

But a weak brake will take more hand/finger force to stop the rim revolution. Simply put, the muscular response time to generate one’s highest force takes somewhat more time to produce that the time a mere 1/4 [one fourth] max hand force will take to generate. This extra response time lag leads to more distance required to stop.

Hydraulic brakes with too much gain can lead to crashes-- like when you get surprised or spooked by a ped, dog, kid or whatever, grab the brakes by reflex and get way more braking force than you wanted. Better to have all the braking force you can use, but only get hard braking when you apply them hard. Maybe oversensitive hydraulic brakes would be appropriate for people with weak hands or other special needs, but for normal use their touchiness is a liability.

 

[DingusMcGee]

Chalo,

Are we arguing suitability? The OP was about finding the right bike, which seems like a suitability request and not one of mere sufficiency?

No. You are clueless about the settings/adjustments/modulations on the really good brakes. You can set Hayes brakes so they can only lock the rim on the last bit of hand bar movement or just an iota less. Likely these very adjustable brakes are quite suitable for all riders.

Hayes brakes are not over sensitive or grabby — very smooth.

I have a pair of Avid mechanical pincher brakes on the discs of a town ebike. They may meet your criteria of sufficiency but they simply are inadequate for good, short stopping.

Get this idea: If I foresee a demanding stop, I can move backwards, lock the front wheel and not go over the bars.