Your ideal general purpose ebike?

Your ebike ideal build is?

How about your practical ebike, that is affordable and available?

How do you use your ebike: fast, slow, flat land, climbs, offroad, on road?

Examples: mountain bike, road bike, hybrid, cruiser, comfort, long tail? Rigid bike, front suspension with rigid frame, full suspension? If rigid frame: conventional frame or diamond frame that gives a long seatpost? Mid drive or front hub or rear hub motor? Direct drive hub or geared hub? Suspension seatpost? Suspension seat? Square wave or sine wave controller? Battery type, voltage, amp hours? Tires: Hookworms, Marathon +, or others? Things I'm leaving out?

Tell us what you like and what you use. If you use multiple bikes for various purposes, please tell us about them and why.

Thanks,

Mike S

MikeSSS said:

Your ebike ideal build is?

How about your practical ebike, that is affordable and available?

How do you use your ebike: fast, slow, flat land, climbs, offroad, on road?

Examples: mountain bike, road bike, hybrid, cruiser, comfort, long tail? Rigid bike, front suspension with rigid frame, full suspension? If rigid frame: conventional frame or diamond frame that gives a long seatpost? Mid drive or front hub or rear hub motor? Direct drive hub or geared hub? Suspension seatpost? Suspension seat? Square wave or sine wave controller? Battery type, voltage, amp hours? Tires: Hookworms, Marathon +, or others? Things I'm leaving out?

Tell us what you like and what you use. If you use multiple bikes for various purposes, please tell us about them and why.

Thanks,

Mike S

Click to expand...

Mine is .. an electric scooter. Have owned many electric bikes and scooters.

There are at least five major problems with bicycles and ebikes.

China has "answered" this question, millions of times.

China makes approx. 40 million electric scooters a year now, for communting.

If your question is about "recreation", then ignore my post.

I have two right now.

My general purpose is an aluminum framed cruiser with a BBSHD mid drive at 1500W. Its not a hot rod, but it does well, and it still "blends in" as a bicycle if I keep the speed under 15-MPH (in first gear, WOT) and pedal along. It is not light, but it is "light enough" for me to lift onto a bike rack on the back of my car. It's also a back-up for getting to work if I have an issue with my car (12 miles one-way)

The second is a Edge 1500W rear hubmotor at about 2600W on an old DH frame. Rarely ridden, but its fun for showing new friends how much acceleration is possible. I know it's easy to build something much more powerful, but the 52V battery is reasonably priced, and if I went with a 72V battery using high-amp cells (5000W MXUS Turbo?), it would cost more, plus a larger motor would be a little heavier and more expensive.

I put a child seat on the BBSHD, and I definitely put more miles on that.

Why not just use your existing thread for this?
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=84185

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=84185#p1232227

amberwolf said:

I'm a working getting-old git, and I use mine for all of my transportation (except when Bill is in town every few months, and we go to lunch once a week or every other week, in whcih case we're both in his truck cuz he prefers that).

I have a short 5-mile-round-trip work commute, and 7-15mile trips to the store and other places on a fairly regular basis, and very occasional much longer trips up to 30-50 miles.

What I have used for several years now is CrazyBike2, linked in my signature. It's present evolution is this:

What I used for a lot of the last year and a half is the SB Cruiser, also linked in my sig, built specifically to carry cargo and Tiny, a Saint Bernard I had until the end of April this year. It is still being rebuilt after a bit of a redesign on some sections, so these pics are of it's previous evolution, except the first one that is of it's present state, with Yogi (140lbs) for scale:

Both of them are designed to haul cargo, and both can haul big trailers full of heavy stuff (including another St Bernard). I have a couple made specifically for these two vehicles, one made just to haul a dog (or go for big grocery runs, etc), and then a big wide flatbed that can be used for anything, including moving furniture. The flatbed is linked in my sig, the older versions are linked in it's thread.

more pics in each thread, or go here
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=71341#p1076927
for pics of those plus other bikes/etc i've built and used.

Click to expand...

amberwolf said:

Why not just use your existing thread for this?
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=84185

Click to expand...

The reason is that I'm old and did not remember that thread. Old happens, eventually. Glad you linked to that thread, it is interesting reading.

PS, don't get old, it's not that much fun. Better to be forever young.

that is my quest! And the bike i am building now.
Link in the sig
soft tail steel frame is my new version, switched from aluminium mtn bike frame . Suspension fork. Disk brakes. Toe cages. It has an upright feel and is easy to control. With slick tires it is a street bike and great commuter. Nobby tires and it is great for off-roading and ripping around the city like a dirt bike.
Bafang BBSHD, stock controller and display for now, upgrading soon. Ideal would be 52v 40A capable controller. Sine Wave always, forever. Square can eat a d*ck.
Current battery (48v Panasonic GA 13.5Ah 13s4P) is lacking for my aggressive riding style, but i like the LG HG 2 and the MJ1 cells. I will build a custom battery soon as i can afford it. 14s7p at least is ideal.

View attachment 1

Not fast, but easily could be. Can easily carry 4000 wh of battery. Currently I only own 3000wh. Usually I carry only 2000wh. Range in the 100 miles ballpark. Tows a bob type trailer with half a cart of groceries.

It's definitely the best street ebike I've owned, in the hub motor class.

Second best is similar, but with 26" wheel. This one is fast, 33 mph cruise. Also can tow the trailer. Long tail bike for the win, on the street.

I find no ideal in "general purpose". A few years ago I started building specific so I can ride the ideal bike for both extremes. I am using 2 bikes for "street and nice weather" or "mountain and dirty" conditions. If I would have to ride only one and make it general purpose, I would keep the dirt bike for it does good on all conditions, only lacking speed and efficiency on the streets.

Agree with that. If forced to use just one bike for all, I'd ride one of my specific purpose dirt bikes, the more powerful one. Not giving up dirt riding, NO WAY. I have two bikes for different types of dirt riding, and need a third.

It would just cost me a fortune to keep good knobbies on it, wearing them down in 500 miles street riding them. I'd put a street front wheel on it for street, but still would go through about 4 rear tires a year. Not even thinking of riding dirt with a semi knobby tire.

My longtails are the best I've had for general purpose street riding. They make great commuters, great grocery getters, they can tow a trailer for big groceries or touring, they can climb the rocky mountains, they can go 100 miles. So they do it all for street. They even can carry on my cars bike rack, unlike most long tail bikes.

They suck balls in the dirt, unless the road is very recently graded. So they can't do it all.

As our grizzled and experienced users/riders have wisely said, it’s really about what you’re doing and you expect from your eBike/tool. General is an extremely broad range.

To answer “Your ideal general purpose eBike? Whatever I’m riding at the moment.

Now if the question were: “If you can only have one eBike?”

Current answer would be my electrified Swift folder. Sorry I don’t have much of a build thread but it’s been through so many different drive configurations, I can’t even keep it straight anymore, LOL….

Started with front geared hub motor then rear geared hub motor. Next BBS02, back to front hub while I repair the BBS02 controller.

The most desirable attributes are that it’s lightweight, packs down small, good choices 20” rubber, pulls a trailer, capable and comfortable in my current dense city environment.

Thread with some photos of the initial configuration: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64380&hilit=+folder

Remember, I’m also in a dense city environment where distances/speeds aren’t that great but space is always a premium. When I move back to spacious So CA and require greater distances/speeds, I’ll most likely gravitate more towards long-tail setups.

“If you could only have one?” So glad I don’t have to live that nightmare….

YKick - Why did you chose a folding bicycle? I would assume so you could fold it down to take on city transit, or perhaps a small apartment.

markz said:

YKick - Why did you chose a folding bicycle? I would assume so you could fold it down to take on city transit, or perhaps a small apartment.

Click to expand...

Full size bicycles are frowned upon or outright banned to carry on trains during rush hour in and around NYC. The loophole is folding bicycles can be carried at all times. Although I rarely if ever use busses, I believe folders can be carried on board those too.

That was my original motivation - have an eBike which I could rely on for mixed mode commuting at all times.

However, once I got hold of the Swift folder, I realized it’s an extremely nice, sturdy bike. Nothing wrong with it for full time use. Gotta love the use of standard components too. Sturdiest frame you will ever find on any folding bicycle.

Plus, it’s handy for my “rental car” needs since it fits in the back of even the smallest car. Very handy for me since rental car locations are a few miles away.

And yes, it’s a small bike which is always welcome in practically any NYC apartment. It’s also my lightest eBike at under 40lbs including 4qty Turnigy 4S 5Ah Hardcase RC Lipo packs. Solid 10 mile range on that pack and easy to carry extra packs to extend range.

Yep,, not much dirt riding in NYC. Bringing it inside wherever you go, priceless. Folder for the win. Same could hold true for any larger city. If nothing else, they will get your bike.

My house a bit different. 10 miles of dirt single track starts at my driveway.

If you just rode on dirt roads, entirely possible to ride 200 miles from my driveway, and cross just two paved roads.

There are some awesome folding bikes that you can also use as a carrier inside the supermarket with a pouch on front you fold it up and just push it by its own wheels with its own 10 amp hour battery 36 volt Japan really has some interesting Concepts.
It's best if you can use it as a dolly when pushed. Both roll straight together.

I am thinking the same thing YKick, eBike + Transit, saves on battery juice and time if using the train. The good thing with small wheel folders is you can cover them up (a huge bag) if they arent allowed on a bus or train. I am sure your folder will even fit in those tiny Smart cars that Car2Go uses, though I always go for the 4 door turbo Mercedes no matter how far out of the way it is. I even rent the Smart car to drive to the 4 door cars.

Ykick said:

markz said:

YKick - Why did you chose a folding bicycle? I would assume so you could fold it down to take on city transit, or perhaps a small apartment.

Click to expand...

Full size bicycles are frowned upon or outright banned to carry on trains during rush hour in and around NYC. The loophole is folding bicycles can be carried at all times. Although I rarely if ever use busses, I believe folders can be carried on board those too.

That was my original motivation - have an eBike which I could rely on for mixed mode commuting at all times.

However, once I got hold of the Swift folder, I realized it’s an extremely nice, sturdy bike. Nothing wrong with it for mfull tie use. Gotta love the use of standard components too. Sturdiest frame you will ever find on any folding bicycle.

Plus, it’s handy for my “rental car” needs since it fits in the back of even the smallest car. Very handy for me since rental car locations are a few miles away.

And yes, it’s a small bike which is always welcome in practically any NYC apartment. It’s also my lightest eBike at under 40lbs including 4qty Turnigy 4S 5Ah Hardcase RC Lipo packs. Solid 10 mile range on that pack and easy to carry extra packs to extend range.

Click to expand...

So far for me the bike I have now is just about perfect. Vector frame that weighs about 110 lbs, has 9 1/2 inch travel rear and 7 inch front, Hayes Stroker Ace 205's front and rear, single speed 48/16, QS205 3.5T/MaxE combo, 17 rear 19 front with Shinko 241 motorcycle tires running on a 20s15p 22.5 amp Koinion pack. I even have a rear seat rack with a bag for tools, drinks and snacks. I weigh 205lbs and I'm 6'4" tall so this bike is pretty light for me.

I started building electric bikes because I had lots of lipo batteries and because I love off road. My motorcycles and off road cars had to be trailered 3 to 10 hours away to go riding. I realized how many excellent single tracks there were local to me so the idea was born. Build a stealthy bike to satisfy the erge to go riding...after a few revisions and a lot of money It then morphed into build an electric motorcycle....er...um an electric bicycle with a legal 750 watts....and here it is.

Top speed is around 60 mph and has a range of up to 40 something miles depending on how hard I ride. I have low voltage a conservative 3 volts and never ran it that low. I have sucked most of the power out in 20 miles riding about as hard as I can thanks to Sketch's Hub sinks peaking as high as 13.2 KW. I use the built in BMS of the adappto and a 25v 67amp power supply that recharges the bike in about an hour. Plug and play at its best!

Other than a bigger pack (when drawing almost 200 amps I get some pretty good voltage drop) I'd say the bike is just about perfect for me. Future upgrade include the fore mentioned battery (probably a 20s15 of either VTC5 or 6 cells, front and rear fenders and lighting.

Tom

I enjoy these types of threads, and from reading everyone's posts, I can see that one's ideal machine is heavily dependent on usage. Those considering new builds benefit by seeing others' experiences and gaining insight before committing to a build.

Most of my riding is for urban commuting in dense traffic, so it makes sense to have a light weight, stealthy bike with removable battery. I wanted it to ride much like a non-electric bike in order to get as much exercise as possible, while still arriving at work in a reasonable amount of time.

I converted a Kona hybrid with a Q128C 500W geared hub motor, and 10Ah 48V Panasonic “bottle” battery. The result is a stealthy urban commuting machine with top speed of 40 kph and a range of 50-60 km with moderate pedalling. The bike weighs in at just over 40lb, and the geared hubmotor provides no resistance to pedalling, and can easily be ridden like a normal bike without power. It easily tackles the hilly terrain between my home and work, and with a few ghetto modifications, has handled several days of heavy rain commuting without any problems.

The parts for the conversion are from BMS Battery and cost around $700.00 USD including shipping. I mounted the motor into an Alex rim with quality spokes here rather than suffer substandard overseas rim/spokes.

The controller is stored in a vented canvas bag, and so far, has not become excessively hot. The battery slides out for indoor charging/storage, which helps prevent loss of capacity/efficiency on the colder days. Having finished the build last May, I have yet to try riding on very cold days, and I may need to fashion an insulating battery cover to retain good performance.

The lack of suspension is not a deal breaker, as most of the roads are sufficiently smooth. There are a few places where I take a real pounding if I don't slow down. For some areas, I had to learn the smooth path through cratered asphalt to maintain decent speed without taking a pounding; still, I frequently lose screws from the seat and rack.

Future upgrades may include a smaller, lighter weight high capacity battery to further cut down on weight/add to the stealthy appearance.

Hehe... Nobuddy has mentioned a trike (three wheeled) yet in this thread. Or "recumbent" (think, better back rest). Add some sort of shell (think "velomobile") gets you more aerodynamic and better protection from winds and the elements. Velos would be way more "affordable" if folks started buying lots of them... but I already have some sheets of coroplast light-weight plastic to use to start forming a shell body around me/my trike. Also trying to figure out how to heat the seat and backrest.

LockH said:

Hehe... Nobuddy has mentioned a trike (three wheeled) yet in this thread. Or "recumbent" (think, better back rest).

Click to expand...

No, we did that in the first thread he started for the same thing, linked above in my other post in this thread. :/

If you want to single-track an e-bike your light-ish weight "general" hub motor will overheat on you (If you define "overheat" as exceed 130 C). You could put a big hub on your bike that won't overheat but then it's less of a bike an more of a e-motorcycle. You could put a mid-drive on it but you will have more maintenance with a mid-drive than a hub so less useful as a commuter. You could use a standard bike as a cross-country bike but it's less comfortable than a recumbent, you could use a recumbent bike as a commuter but it's borderline impossible to pop a good wheelie and pop over curbs and stuff, so pretty hard to get around town with and pretty much useless off-road.

Whatever you choose you will be sacrificing another field of functionality.

If we are going to say best "general purpose" I would say ~1000 watt mid-drive off-road bike. Useful to commute in, useful to off-road in, not too huge, not extremely comfortable for long duration but something that will accpmplish most every job you can toss at it done.

My "Ideal" changes. when I started it was a twin wound hub in a 29er. it was awesome.
Then I wanted something different. I built a downhiller and was pushing 3000 watts from Lipo back when that was insane. It was part of the 40mph club when we actually considered that an accomplishment. I could jump it off a house and chase small motorcycles on the trail. It was awesome. it was "ideal".
Then I got board.
That lead to another 29er built for $203, because economy was my new "ideal".
Then "Ideal" it was an antique ratroded boardtrack racer because why not? That one is still my ideal cruiser, but it's uncomfortable to ride.
Then "Ideal"some pile of junk I never really rode. But I was board and wanted to build something. I had a spare motor, a new bike, and too many beers.
Then "Ideal" a 24" lady's cruiser because I knew some cute girl who lived in the French quarter and needed something other than a car.
Then it was The Monster Bike because no one else had done it yet. Because Hondas look like road bumps. Because it was a moral imperative.
Then my "ideal" was.. hell, i don't know what to call it. a beer fueled orgy of hack saws, welders, and a trip to a flea market. I haul a garden cart behind it at a couple of parties, and the girlfriend sits in that pretending she's the queen of rednecks.

"Ideal" is not a constant.




few missing pics

Need a robe and a cigar/pipe for the motorized chair me thinks. 'Always the best seat in the anywhere being mobile!"

Tom

My ideal bike doesn't exist. I like doing too many different activities, so I need a lot of different tools.

For riding alone, I prefer a full suspension bike that has speed. So I have a Norco VPS Six that goes 45 mph. Then, since I have a kid and lack any cargo hauling capability (sans trailer) with the Norco, I have an Xtracycle Edgerunner with a BBSHD that goes about 30ish right now. (Eventually faster because I also like to commute on it occasionally and LA traffic is much easier to navigate at 35+ mph).

I doubt that there is really a way to combine the two bikes and still get what I get from each, so I will live with 2 (after I sell a couple older 'loaner' ebikes)