My bike build log

C

corim123

100 W
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
135
Is this the right place for it?
--
Anyway I've got the kit coming, battery in construction and now I'm going to get the bicycle soon so I can start dry fitting and planning details. Here are two options in considering. View attachment 1ImageUploadedByTapatalk1375233220.343435.jpg
 
eBikes are fast and heavy they need brakes, brakes and more brakes. All it takes for coaster brake failure is chain derail.

Another concern is no suspension. Remember that fast/heavy thing? People don't ride those sorta bikes far or fast until they're electrified. Unfortunately, that's when it matters the most....
 
I was not going to be leaving the brakes as is. Probably will go for a mountain bike anyway. And front hub? No way.
 
http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Avalon-Men-s-Cruiser-Bike/21635130
So would this bike work? Looks like plenty of room to fit a 14S 15-20aH battery in the triangle too.
 
That first one looks like a "A"-type Yosemite frame. I got "B"-type, which has slightly different rear section, longer. It has front brake as a standard too.
I recommend front motor with cruiser frame. Even with front motor, your weight distribution is gonna be 65/35, if you put battery in frame triangle or close.
If you use a rear motor on cruiser, it"s gonna be very rear-heavy, 70/30. lots of load on the rear wheel, stresses rim and spokes.
If you use a rear motor on cruiser AND battery above the rear wheel, it"s gonna be dangerously rear-heavy, 75/25, bad to ride, and your rear wheel cries under that load.
With 65/35 distiribution my rear wheel alone has to carry 88kg. That"s more than many bicycles weigh with a rider.

"B"-type Yosemite frame:

https://www.google.fi/search?q=biltema+cruiser&safe=off&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=sSr6UdjvK4rT4QTOoIH4CA&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=751
 
The Avalon is a true piece of junk. The shock is the joke of the pogo stick bike type. I had one, and dumped it very quickly.

If you have no money, and want suspension, look at things like the genesis, which has the four bar suspension linkage. That linkage makes the joke of a shock actually functional.

Back to cruisers, they can be affordable and make a good ebike. You just need to up the ante just a bit, and get a cruiser that has a 7 speed rear gear cluster, and v brakes. Then a rear motor kit pops right on with no problems. The cruiser frames are very strong, so they ride nice loaded down with batteries. Carried in the frame of course.
 
The genesis, but they have some mongooses that have the same rocker on the shock mount.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Genesis-Saber-Men-s-Mountain-Bike-Steel-Blue/22899841

And an example of the cruiser I was talking about.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Schwinn-Point-Beach-Men-s-Cruiser-Bike-Navy-Cream/22861839

Say, would you mind editing your signature? Say the same thing a different way? It's not the F bomb, but seeing it in every single post is a bit much.
 
Yea I figured it was garbage. Have plenty of experience with the cruiser bikes too so that's where I was considering going. Plus I have plenty of brakes I can bolt on. Been doing gas conversions on these for a few years so that's nothing new. And like you mentioned, most are heavy and steel. I don't want to touch aluminum with a 1000w motor.
 
I may be purchasing the blue cruiser in the first post. Will be adding at least some form of other brakes. Controller doesn't support regen according to the factory but ill see if that's true when I receive it. Might have a 7 speed cassette around here or I'll order one.
 
corim123 said:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Avalon-Men-s-Cruiser-Bike/21635130
So would this bike work? Looks like plenty of room to fit a 14S 15-20aH battery in the triangle too.
Click to expand...
This was the first bike I put a hub motor on, but was a little different than todays model.
The good:
Steel swing arm and dropouts. Unobstructed triangle for battery pack. Adjustable handlebars. Grip shifter. Made by Kent which will honor the warrantee pretty much no questions ask. Lost a spring on front brake set. They sent a whole new and better assembly without hesitation free of charge.
The bad:
Suspension sucks. Rear shock is a joke if you weigh much. At 270 lbs I bottomed out both front and rear suspension just getting on it. Still rode smoother than a hardtail though. Could not find stronger better rear shock to fit it. Has axle mounted kickstand that's not very strong with no way to mount a center kickstand.
Other:
Rear derailleur is the type that locks into the dropout, so axle won't go back all the way into the horizontal dropouts. Remove that screw on gizmo and hub motor axle will hold derailleur in place and allow hub motor axle to go back all the way making room for large tires.
Conclusion:
If you're under ~225 lbs you probably won't bottom out crappy rear shock. At times I wish I still had it fro the battery space. Been looking for a better solution for a couple of years and 4 bikes now.

This looks promising, but they don't have it at local walmart. I won't buy a bike unless it has steel dropouts.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mongoose-XR-200-26-Men-s-All-Terrain-Bike/15711168
 
At 100 lbs, you bottom out that kent rear shock. Seriously the worst bike shaped object I've ever owned.

Slap some caliper brakes on that cruiser and you will be fine, if you have some good ones. Or weld some bosses for V brakes on a steel cruiser. Bending out that frame will be no sweat, and bolt on the dropout derailurs from cheap bikes will easily add the 7 speeds. Viola, you got the same thing as that Schwinn I linked to.

I don't fully understand why, but those steel cruisers just corner sweet.
 
That they do. I know people like to ask if others have wrecked on a bicycle at 20 mph before and I sure have. Was pretty brutal but the bike was fine. Engine actually kept running. That's why I'm partial to going with a cruiser. If only I could find more Kulana MoonDogs locally. I'm pretty used to no suspension anyways. Solved it with a good seat and standing up on bumps. Only thing about the cruisers I'm concerned about is bending out the frame(still should be easy) and having to custom rig the battery in the middle. Still seems like I could get that weight more centered on a cruiser though but the large availability of triangle bags would make a mountain bike fabrication easier.
 
How about this one lol? :) And they only want $60
01212_jGgEryzt6uL_600x450.jpg
 
Believe me, I know. Have a Schwinn Stingray Chopper that I've heavily modified with a 10hp motor. Took a while to get it comfortable and safe.
 
Okay so on a more serious note,
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kawasaki-26-Men-s-Mountain-Bike/11064964
or
http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Roadmaster-Granite-Peak-Men-s-Mountain-Bike/21191072
Is this an acceptable bike? I'm getting tired of hunting on Craigslist and I might just go buy one this weekend. Doesn't have to be from Walmart, they just have a good selection online and if there's an issue with it I know they'll take it back no problem. I also just got a budget raise approval so I can buy a bit nicer of a bike. Realistically, a maximum of $150.
 
corim123 said:
Okay so on a more serious note,
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kawasaki-26-Men-s-Mountain-Bike/11064964
or
http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Roadmaster-Granite-Peak-Men-s-Mountain-Bike/21191072
Is this an acceptable bike? I'm getting tired of hunting on Craigslist and I might just go buy one this weekend. Doesn't have to be from Walmart, they just have a good selection online and if there's an issue with it I know they'll take it back no problem. I also just got a budget raise approval so I can buy a bit nicer of a bike. Realistically, a maximum of $150.
Click to expand...
I've got that exact Roadmaster Granite 26" bike. I ended up having to remove the rear V brakes because the frame wasn't wide enough to get the hub motor on and I had to cut one of the spacer washers that centers the hub motor. With regen braking it works well enough. See my signature for more details on that bike, I've got a few before pics as well.

Also FYI: I got tired of not having adequate braking and got a nice $360 disc brake mtb bike. Currently building my 2nd eBike on that one, while still riding my Roadmaster eBike. Here's my 2nd build http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=51734
 
Alright that's pretty reassuring. Plus it's $40 cheaper than the Kawasaki. I'll probably pull the trigger tomorrow. Then I'll be waiting on the battery bag to arrive so I can get all that fitted. Then more waiting until the kit arrives. Currently I am capacity testing my "bricks" of 2s10p batteries. Which is agonizing and will continue to be that way until my 5amp psu and meanwell arrive.
 
corim123 said:
Alright that's pretty reassuring. Plus it's $40 cheaper than the Kawasaki. I'll probably pull the trigger tomorrow. Then I'll be waiting on the battery bag to arrive so I can get all that fitted. Then more waiting until the kit arrives. Currently I am capacity testing my "bricks" of 2s10p batteries. Which is agonizing and will continue to be that way until my 5amp psu and meanwell arrive.
Click to expand...
What torque arms were you thinking of using?
I'm not really sure what would work best for this bike.. this is how I've got mine on.
http://imgur.com/a/C4z5Z
 
corim123 said:
I've yet to figure that out.
Click to expand...
I think welding is probably one of the best ways..

Here's some options: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=29129&hilit=torque+arm

non weld: http://www.conhismotor.com/ProductShow.asp?id=166

you'll want 2 of them, one for each side of the hub motor.
 
Don't have easy access to a welder at this time unfortunately so that option isn't too good.
 
Well a minor setback. Went to pickup the bike today and it wouldn't peddle so had to get that refunded. Why even try to sell that to me? Was pretty pissed off about the whole affair so I left. Will look into another one tomorrow. In other news, the triangle bag should arrive in the next day or two so I can decide on how many amp hours ill be putting into it. Currently I'm torn between running 12 and 14s. Might just do 14s depending on space because I'm pretty sure the controller will be able to handle that but I won't know until it shows up of course.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

I
2kw e-bike build
Replies
22
Views
796
amberwolf
amberwolf
KEC
Help , Problem with my E-Bike build...
Replies
1
Views
134
docw009
docw009
L
Joe's E-bike build
2 3
Replies
51
Views
5,061
nicobie
nicobie
Cyb0rg d3ck3r
New Fat Tire BBSHD Build From Scratch! Need HELP Selecting Components!
Replies
16
Views
652
Bullfrog
B
Y
Build help for a newbie
Replies
13
Views
883
nicobie
nicobie
Back
Top