Bicycles

[KGBSkunky]

I was mostly a motorcycle guy. My first was a Honda trail 50. I had the yellow one without the light/magneto and just outran the red ones that did. Maybe 28mph which is about where e-bikes are.

So I sold all my motorcycles but an E-bike with a throttle and dual disc brakes…I call that a 26 inch neighborhood motorcycle especially with an actual twist throttle!

So I bought me a used cheap 26 inch bike to build into an e-bike I would like over the fall. Should be interesting

 

[Bugus_Monkey]

There are several 2 cycle ones in our neighborhood. Thought about building one.

 

[KGBSkunky]

There are several 2 cycle ones in our neighborhood. Thought about building one.

I am thinking a Bafang 750 mid drive, rip out the derailer system and put a self shifting rear hub in. I have been looking for a conversion bike for months and the one I want popped up with dual disc brakes and an air shock for the rear suspension for $80

Next we find out if the wife is happy with this plan

 

[user 60570]

we are looking into buying a couple of e-bikes and will store them on the boat….I think there are some that fold in half for storage ease if space is a premium

we would use them when we go ashore to explore whatever place we land at

a little while ago schwinn beach cruiser bicycles were being fitted with a sprocket and small gas engines and those looked like a lot of fun

 

[KGBSkunky]

we are looking into buying a couple of e-bikes and will store them on the boat….I think there are some that fold in half for storage ease if space is a premium

we would use them when we go ashore to explore whatever place we land at

a little while ago schwinn beach cruiser bicycles were being fitted with a sprocket and small gas engines and those looked like a lot of fun

All I want it for is quick trips to the store and riding our neighborhood area. Once I get used to it I may take it to some state and national parks

 

[Bubba]

I am thinking a Bafang 750 mid drive, rip out the derailer system and put a self shifting rear hub in. I have been looking for a conversion bike for months and the one I want popped up with dual disc brakes and an air shock for the rear suspension for $80

Next we find out if the wife is happy with this plan

The ones I am looking at are 500 bucks! Nice find!

Bubba

 

[Bubba]

I was thinking of a new hybrid trek, now I know what to do with old bike.

Bubba

 

[SubmarineGirl]

I have an e-bike. You still have to pedal it but it as peddle assist which is the jam for my knees.

 

[Bubba]

I see some folks on area trails fly by me on them going up hills at a good clip. It had big fat trail tires. They were not peddling! I want one like you are talking about, peddle assist.

Bubba

 

[SubmarineGirl]

Yes much less lazier and keeps your legs moving so you actually get exercise

this is mine. I ride it everyday weather permitting.

 

[KGBSkunky]

I want my cake and eat it too. Using this Bafang mid motor has pros and cons. If the unit goes dead you can’t peddle it in as you can with powering a wheel. However as long as it’s functional you can set your peddle assist up to a 9 or if you like you can use a throttle like a motorcycle. I plan on mostly using the throttle but if my battery starts dropping I can switch to peddle assist to save power.

 

[KGBSkunky]

Yes much less lazier and keeps your legs moving so you actually get exercise

this is mine. I ride it everyday weather permitting.
View attachment 337934

I see a Bosch motor! Very nice

 

[SubmarineGirl]

I see a Bosch motor! Very nice

I’ve had it about a year or so. It was a very good purchase as my regular beach cruiser was getting hard on my knees. I can keep up with the young folks on the trail and the thing will fly if you want to get somewhere quick. I ride it about 9-10 miles a day and have to charge it every 2-3 weeks.

 

[KGBSkunky]

I’ve had it about a year or so. It was a very good purchase as my regular beach cruiser was getting hard on my knees. I can keep up with the young folks on the trail and the thing will fly if you want to get somewhere quick. I ride it about 9-10 miles a day and have to charge it every 2-3 weeks.

Yeah my understanding is there is a huge rift between mountain bike guys and electric mountain bike guys. Guys with bad knees are back in with power assist at 9 on a 1000 watt brushless motor. I don’t think I will need more than the 750 watt Bafang so my upgrade would be a battery which would just slide into place using the EGO system.

 

[Bubba]

I’ve had it about a year or so. It was a very good purchase as my regular beach cruiser was getting hard on my knees. I can keep up with the young folks on the trail and the thing will fly if you want to get somewhere quick. I ride it about 9-10 miles a day and have to charge it every 2-3 weeks.

Wow! Very nice, I figured they would have to be constantly charging.

Bubba

 

[boo]

do you have to kick start it...

 

[KGBSkunky]

Wow! Very nice, I figured they would have to be constantly charging.

Bubba

The pedal assist seems to be very efficient...even in motorcycle mode my 7.5 amp battery will last a good 10 - 15 miles where a large 20 amp battery pack will allow for like 40 miles not pedaling. The brushless motors are awesome

 

[KGBSkunky]

And there seems to be a huge rift for e-bikes vs regular bikes in the mountain bike world. Before you had to be Lance Armstrong to get to the top of the hill so you can ride down. But with 9 to one assist anyone in decent shape can ride up and down. And they are just as fast downhill on a competent bike.

Really pisses them off

 

[KGBSkunky]

The project begins! I picked this specific bike for e-bike conversion for the very reason people who ride mountain bikes avoid it like the plague. It’s heavy for a mountain bike coming in at 38 lbs. but now that they have “professional” electric mountain bikes they weigh in at around 53 lbs. By the time I add the Bafang 750 watt mid drive motor and my EGO battery I should be around 58 lbs which puts me around 20 lbs less than most commercial e-bikes. My thought is the full suspension should give me a fantastic ride on the street. In the end I will be putting street tires on the bike. On a positive note it appears that pedaling the bike doesn’t seem to aggravate the neuropathy in my feet. A big plus so I can use pedal assist for exercise or full throttle at my discretion.

In the conversion I plan to also swap this bike from tube tires to tubeless…hope it works!