DIY electric mountain bike

[tommobot]

Never ridden either, but fwd is far simpler to install for sure!!

[ruwokeenuff]

I have just got an email from swytch that their new stock is in today/tomorrow to pre purchase. Am still undecided on what to buy now!

[ARHarh]

ruwokeenuff said:

I have just got an email from swytch that their new stock is in today/tomorrow to pre purchase. Am still undecided on what to buy now!

I have never tried one but last time I looked they were very expensive with tiny batteries, not sure you will get 15km's out of that battery if you have any slopes to go up and weigh more than 3kg. But hey they are easy to fit.

[Senex]

ruwokeenuff said:

I have just got an email from swytch that their new stock is in today/tomorrow to pre purchase. Am still undecided on what to buy now!

I don't understand, If they have new stock in, why do you have to pre-purchase?

[ruwokeenuff]

Senex said:

ruwokeenuff said:

I have just got an email from swytch that their new stock is in today/tomorrow to pre purchase. Am still undecided on what to buy now!

I don't understand, If they have new stock in, why do you have to pre-purchase?

No idea.

[tommobot]

I took the bike (I was intending to convert) for a 4mile commute this morning to see what it was like...

Firm, and the back wheel kept moving out of place for some reason..

I'm now contemplating whether to do the conversion (space allowing) on a boardman FS MTB, which has the benifit of hydraulic discs, but obviously weights a bit more.

For a 250W kit, is a few KG of difference between bike going to numb the performance of a lighter frame etc..?

[Senex]

Bargain e-bike alert from Amazon £370, today and tomorrow only apparently.

Small battery but OK for a short commute.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terrain-Electric-Assisted...

[Senex]

tommobot said:

For a 250W kit, is a few KG of difference between bike going to numb the performance of a lighter frame etc..?

No, e-bikes are restricted to 15MPH for the UK but can do more, so they can easily handle a few extra KG.

Think about the different weights of riders.

Your biggest problem with a FS is where to fit the battery.

[tommobot]

Senex said:

Your biggest problem with a FS is where to fit the battery.

Its exactly the same as the bike below, so I think space wise it 'should' be OK...

[ruwokeenuff]

Senex said:

Bargain e-bike alert from Amazon £370, today and tomorrow only apparently.

Small battery but OK for a short commute.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terrain-Electric-Assisted...

Crikey.....why buy a kit for an old bike???
Looks like I should get this instead of faffing around with others....

As to your earlier re swytch, the price structure has put me right off. pay a LOT more for earlier delivery etc..... Byeeeeeeeee.

Edited by ruwokeenuff on Tuesday 28th March 17:23

[Senex]

ruwokeenuff said:

Looks like I should get this instead of faffing around with others....

Currently unavailable....all gone. Snooze, lose etc.

[ruwokeenuff]

Senex said:

ruwokeenuff said:

Looks like I should get this instead of faffing around with others....

Currently unavailable....all gone. Snooze, lose etc.

BUT, iyho, a good buy for my mrs?

[Senex]

ruwokeenuff said:

BUT, iyho, a good buy for my mrs?

Sure, if she's OK with a crossbar, small battery would get boring quickly (but maybe not for her) but that could be replaced eventually.

How about something like this, if you're sure she only does 10k?

https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/electric-bikes/bik...

[tommobot]

Starting to get the old classic project creep...

Looking at mid drive kits, for circa £100 extra so £500ish..

48v 13a battery with a 750w mid drive motor...

Probably massive overkill but I'd rather overspec than be disappointed....

With the mid drive kit, as far as I can see, they only come with 1 ring or have I misunderstood...

[ruwokeenuff]

Senex said:

ruwokeenuff said:

BUT, iyho, a good buy for my mrs?

Sure, if she's OK with a crossbar, small battery would get boring quickly (but maybe not for her) but that could be replaced eventually.

How about something like this, if you're sure she only does 10k?

https://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/electric-bikes/bik...

Ah. we bought 2 small wheeled folding leccy bikes for our campervan but we Ok for short journeys etc but not Cornish lanes etc. We shall be selling them asap the weather gets better and perhaps some might be looking at bikes..........so no.

[colin_p]

tommobot said:

Starting to get the old classic project creep...

Looking at mid drive kits, for circa £100 extra so £500ish..

48v 13a battery with a 750w mid drive motor...

Probably massive overkill but I'd rather overspec than be disappointed....

With the mid drive kit, as far as I can see, they only come with 1 ring or have I misunderstood...

No, you are correct, but you can change it. If you live in say Lincolnshire, you could get away with a 52 tooth ring for some extra range and or speed if you wanted it. If you live, somewhere hilly get a 44 or 42 tooth ring for hill climbing, but at the expense of some range and or speed.

You will still have whatever is at the back to use, so 8, 9 or 10 speed, I wouldn't recommend 11.

Couple say a ten speed at the back with the ten power levels you'd get with a 750 Bafang kit, you will have more gear and power combos than you can shake a stick at.

I've got a mid drive 48v Bafang set up and am more than happy with it. I've down-tuned it for better range and limited the available top speed.

[tommobot]

Ok, sorry for the constant barage of questions.

I'm not moving towards the rear hub motor I think..

https://www.yosepower.co.uk/products/36v15-6ah-dow...

36V15.6Ah HL Plus Li-ion E-bike Battery with 5 Pins Plug Not Round Pins and XT60 Adapter

Along with this 500w kit here;

https://kirbebike.com/diy-conversion-kits/kirbebik...

This would be £520 ish and would get me a decent rear hub motor and decent battery as far as I can see.

Thoughts please?

[Mammasaid]

Just check the dimensions of the battery as it's a big old thing. I've got one similar and had to mount it the wrong way round to attach to the frame.

[tommobot]

What do you chaps do about charging them, as the one in the link above, even though its a UK kit seems to come with a non UK plug.. Are there plugs that fit readily available?

[Mammasaid]

tommobot said:

What do you chaps do about charging them, as the one in the link above, even though its a UK kit seems to come with a non UK plug.. Are there plugs that fit readily available?

The one I bought had a UK plug fitted as standard, it'll be worth it for the piece of mind;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124324377444