Anybody see any problems with this Starter Frame and Component List

Hello,

I'm building a new Ebike with a Bafang BBSSHD with Luna Wolf Pack and was going to get a Titanium MTB from Bikes Direct but realized they came with carbon forks. I decided against it because of that and the cost.

So I decided on this Fantom 29'er bike instead - Aluminum with Shimano Deore XT groupset with Deore XT Hydraulic brakes.

Does anybody see any problems I might encounter using this bike?

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/29er-mountain-bikes/fantom29pro-xt-29er-mountain-bikes.htm

That should be a straight forward conversion and a really fun bike when you've got it all put together.

At $ 1,4999 there are much better options,

Where are you located ? ( Craigslist has some good Full Suspension Bikes depending on where you live , when a bike has been on craigslist for over 3 days it is over priced so look for a better deal or realize the owner is putting the price high for haggling down in price )

I would buy a new bike from chainreactioncycles or build up one from random bike parts , any day over bikes direct . CRC has better spec'ed bikes just get a model that is a year or two old.

Just one example ... https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/marin-hawk-hill-1-27-5-full-suspension-bike-2019/rp-prod186811

Your local bike shop should have a good full suspension bike a year or two years old on the showroom floor that they would discount to $ 1,4999 with a better fork .

On a full suspension bike check that the chainrings/chainwheels of the befang will clear the drive side chainstay on the rear of the frame.

10 and 11 speed chains are not so good for mid-drives , get 9 better yet 6/7/8 chain or the New Sram Eagle NX 12 Speed group.

Boondocksaints said:

Does anybody see any problems I might encounter using this bike?

Click to expand...

Without seeing the frame in person, I guess I’d wonder about chain ring/chain stay clearance since the stock chainring is smaller than the mid drive ring (can’t assume a larger ring will clear).


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Wolfeman said:

That should be a straight forward conversion and a really fun bike when you've got it all put together.

Click to expand...

Thank you!

ScooterMan101 said:

At $ 1,4999 there are much better options,

Where are you located ? ( Craigslist has some good Full Suspension Bikes depending on where you live , when a bike has been on craigslist for over 3 days it is over priced so look for a better deal or realize the owner is putting the price high for haggling down in price )

I would buy a new bike from chainreactioncycles or build up one from random bike parts , any day over bikes direct . CRC has better spec'ed bikes just get a model that is a year or two old.

Just one example ... https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/marin-hawk-hill-1-27-5-full-suspension-bike-2019/rp-prod186811

Your local bike shop should have a good full suspension bike a year or two years old on the showroom floor that they would discount to $ 1,4999 with a better fork .

On a full suspension bike check that the chainrings/chainwheels of the befang will clear the drive side chainstay on the rear of the frame.

10 and 11 speed chains are not so good for mid-drives , get 9 better yet 6/7/8 chain or the New Sram Eagle NX 12 Speed group.

Click to expand...

First - Thank you so much for the info. I'm basically a newb with no knowledge. I recently had my road and MTB bike stolen and then my kitten died in the same week - ughh. So this new Ebike was something to keep my mind off things a bit.

I live in NYC and have been scouring EBay, Craigslist and Bikes Direct for days trying to pick a bike.

I couldn't find anything on Craigs - but this is partially due to my complete inability to evaluate used bikes. And I am wary of people selling bikes that have been in accidents already and dumping them on Craigs.

Actually I don't have much ability in evaluating bikes in general - haha. I'm open to suggestions

I got sick of waiting and was very close to buying this Bikes Direct one. The reason I picked this was because of the components - all Deore XT with Deore XT hydraulic brakes. I didn't find any bike in this price range with similar quality groupsets.'

I just want this bike before summer starts.

The reason I picked a hardtail is:

1. Cost - similarly priced full suspension will have lesser parts.
2. I will not be doing that much offroad at all TBH (although the option to do that is nice)
3. I want to put racks, panniers, etc. This is mostly for commuting, cruising around the city, etc. - with good climbing ability.

I didn't even think about the 1-11 drivetrain until you mentioned it. Now I'm back to square one - ughhh

E-HP said:

Boondocksaints said:

Does anybody see any problems I might encounter using this bike?

Click to expand...

Without seeing the frame in person, I guess I’d wonder about chain ring/chain stay clearance since the stock chainring is smaller than the mid drive ring (can’t assume a larger ring will clear).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

I was just going to buy the bike and then use this guide below to order the right BBSSHD kit and spacers if need be. Or perhaps the Luna Mighty Mini.

https://electricbike.com/forum/forum/knowledge-base/motors-and-kits/bbshd/10736-how-to-order-the-right-bbsxx-kit

Boondocksaints said:

I was just going to buy the bike and then use this guide below to order the right BBSSHD kit and spacers if need be. Or perhaps the Luna Mighty Mini.

https://electricbike.com/forum/forum/knowledge-base/motors-and-kits/bbshd/10736-how-to-order-the-right-bbsxx-kit

Click to expand...

Ya, I found a picture online with a decent enough angle to see the stays. Looks like no clearance issues, since it's not a fat or plus frame.

E-HP said:

Boondocksaints said:

I was just going to buy the bike and then use this guide below to order the right BBSSHD kit and spacers if need be. Or perhaps the Luna Mighty Mini.

https://electricbike.com/forum/forum/knowledge-base/motors-and-kits/bbshd/10736-how-to-order-the-right-bbsxx-kit

Click to expand...

Ya, I found a picture online with a decent enough angle to see the stays. Looks like no clearance issues, since it's not a fat or plus frame.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input :thumb:

ScooterMan101 said:

At $ 1,4999 there are much better options,

Where are you located ? ( Craigslist has some good Full Suspension Bikes depending on where you live , when a bike has been on craigslist for over 3 days it is over priced so look for a better deal or realize the owner is putting the price high for haggling down in price )

I would buy a new bike from chainreactioncycles or build up one from random bike parts , any day over bikes direct . CRC has better spec'ed bikes just get a model that is a year or two old.

Just one example ... https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/marin-hawk-hill-1-27-5-full-suspension-bike-2019/rp-prod186811

Your local bike shop should have a good full suspension bike a year or two years old on the showroom floor that they would discount to $ 1,4999 with a better fork .

On a full suspension bike check that the chainrings/chainwheels of the befang will clear the drive side chainstay on the rear of the frame.

10 and 11 speed chains are not so good for mid-drives , get 9 better yet 6/7/8 chain or the New Sram Eagle NX 12 Speed group.

Click to expand...

And now I just found this full suspension one on Bikes Island at a significant discount. Ahh choices!

https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=3330

If you're willing to spend $1,500 on a conversion, you might be better served to convert a used bike (you'll get much more for your dollar) OR buying a prefabbed electric. There are some good prices/bikes nowadays. There's much more choice than say 5 years ago.

For instance, this bike here is sold by a nice guy from this forum and is a great deal compared to those bikes you listed. For only $500 more, you'll get the whole setup. You'd be hard pressed to add only $500 worth of motor, controller, battery, and labor to get the same as you would with this. Roshan is a great dude and you'll get great service:

https://www.biktrix.com/collections/mega-menu-featured-products/products/biktrix-juggernaut-classic-original