Anyone built an e-Bike from a kit ??

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No, but in Chattanooga tn you can rent them all over the place..I did demo a E-bike at a shop and they are great, you still have to pedal slightly when the battery unit is engaged, but the one I rode was strong and had 4 pwr selections to choose from,,it was 2300 bucks,,,,we went out and bought regular bikes,,still fun..
 
I converted my 1990 Schwinn Sierra mountain bike that I hadn't ridden in over 20 years to a 56 volt 1300 watt brushless hub motor from e-bike solutions, and it works great. Has pedal assist, or thumb throttle, and have had it up to 35 mph a few times. Got the full digital display too. I can only pedal it up to about 22 mph and then my legs can't keep up. The motor makes hills, and wind go away. It was all pretty easy to install, and most people would never know it was electric looking at it. Make sure you have good brakes, tires, and a helmet though. It's a blast to ride. It wasn't a cheap kit either at $1200, and $600 of that was just for the lithium battery.


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Originally Posted by AZjeff
I'd love to have that Sierra without the e-stuff. Beautiful classic MTB!

Controversy over ebikes on public trails designated non-motorized. Still being settled.

Where I'm at, I ride on bike trails all the time, just fake pedal and no one notices. I also when wearing jeans, to try not to blast by people wearing Spandex pedaling their [censored]es off going up hill into the wind.
 
Originally Posted by spasm3
Are electric and 2stroke assisted bikes legal to ride on the road? I'm interested in a 2 stroke bolt on kit.


It depends on your state. There is also a max speed, the police have started enforcing that in many places so watch out for hopped up ones.
 
Originally Posted by Traction
I converted my 1990 Schwinn Sierra mountain bike that I hadn't ridden in over 20 years to a 56 volt 1300 watt brushless hub motor from e-bike solutions, and it works great. Has pedal assist, or thumb throttle, and have had it up to 35 mph a few times. Got the full digital display too. I can only pedal it up to about 22 mph and then my legs can't keep up. The motor makes hills, and wind go away. It was all pretty easy to install, and most people would never know it was electric looking at it. Make sure you have good brakes, tires, and a helmet though. It's a blast to ride. It wasn't a cheap kit either at $1200, and $600 of that was just for the lithium battery.

Good work man.

How much weight did the kit add to your bike?
 
It didn't seem to add much weight. Maybe less than 20 lbs. Here is the place I got my kit from. They have lots of info, and options, and helpful. Owner answered the phone.
https://gocarlite.com/
 
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Hey cool folks. Thanks for all the replies. Love that Schwinn build
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GoCarLite is about 45 min away in Fairfield, CA. I'll use them for some stuff.

Have two projects in mind. One full suspension for trails (K2). One front suspension only for cruising (Specialized). Will keep my Trek 2000 all aluminum for pedal only.

1999 K2 (prolly 4000) came with all sorts of aftermarket goodies. Aluminum frame and carbon swing arm, Fox rear air shock (badly installed, so in fixes right now - have another donor shock). Marzocchi Marathon front air fork. All Race Face gear sets and crank assembly. Mavic wheels. All the other parts were as light as they could buy. About 25 lbs all up before the e-Bike conversion. Thinking Bafang (8Fun) 350w mid-drive at 36v just for the hill boost as I'm well over 65 and am not trying to go fast, just extend my range.

The K2 prolly had $4500 all in with build and accessories to the previous owners. Bought it for $100 from a Marin fellow who just wanted it gone. He has a new Santa Cruz something ... He didn't even know about pumping up the front fork ??

22 MPH is plenty. If I want to go faster, I'll just hop on the Honda PC800
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The hard tail will prolly be a rear hub drive. No info on that one as I'm just going to look at it today. Will share the battery depending on what I'm up to ... If my wife likes one or the other, I'll build hers too
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We were just up in Medocino for a few days riding. Pedaled all the way on selected trails. Old haul roads in the canyons have been converted to bike trails. They say no motorized, but if you are quiet on a weekday, and actually pedal, it is not likely anything will happen. Weekend in the summer, may be a different story ... Depends on Ranger schedules.

They are considered Title 24 mobility devices, so if you qualify for an ADA placard there is nothing the Mounties can do, or will say. I'm not quite there yet, but may be someday ... I was in a wheel chair in my youth and I know how frustrating that can be. So any way to get out and be part of the scenery is fine by me
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So I got the Specialized Hard Rock (hard tail) today ($70). Needed a rear derailleur cable and a new chain. Will be ready friday. Pics to follow.

Very beefy frame. Bit heavy (compared to the K2) but the rear drop-outs are well triangulated, so it'll take a hub motor well
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Originally Posted by totegoat
Here is a good resource: https://electricbikereview.com/forum/forums/diy/


Thanks, will look at their forums
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Well both chassis are in the local bike shop for new cables and new chains. The Specialized needed a new rear derailleur too, per a phone call this afternoon. PO had busted it up pretty good (stripped threads, cracked). So next week they'll both be home.

I decided to go with Matt at EMPowered Cycles here and get the extended power train warranty by having him build it while I assist. He's about an hour away in good traffic, two in bad ... This is a tricky chassis to get right, and he has all the tools and parts in stock
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So all up and riding I should be at $1,600 total for the K2. That's for a whole lot more capable bike than you can get for bigger money off the showroom floor. Very few full suspension mid-drive's out there for less than nutso money (above $5K) ...

Dunno who I'll go with for the Specialized rear hub build? Maybe Luna, maybe Grin... I got a response to inquiries from Electric Bike Solutions in Fairfield (closer) - they don't have any sine wave controllers, only square wave. Not my cup of tea due to the induced noise ... The K2 will clank and bang as all full suspended bikes do, and the mid-drive will whir. But I want the Specialized to be near stone quiet and pretty stealthy, so that's a bit more challenging ...
 
So, the plan is coming together better. I have decided to keep the K2 as a pedal bike because it's so sweet and light. Took a lot of fiddling to get the suspension right. But once I got the pressures dialed in, it's just great.

So that means the Specialized HardRock Sport will be getting the first motor job ... But first to take some weight out (to offset some of the e-Bike add ... ). I'll be changing the stock RST Gila fork (garbage & heavy) for a nice used Manitou R7 Elite that I just snagged. That ought to take about 3~4 lbs out of the front end
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Already has new rear derailleur (previous one was cracked) and a new chain. Will get an e-Bike rear tire when the weather improves (have 2 in stock). So then off to Matt at EMPowered Cycles for the conversion
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It's a big tough frame with extra gussets and pretty stout wheels, so it'll stand up to e-Biking as well as any, short of a factory built bike. If it goes well and my wife likes to ride it too (?), I'll convert her bike to a stealthy rear hub and we'll be off to the trails with extended range and more relaxed climbs
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