The official "My Tidalforce S-750 frame creation" thread

oatnet

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You have probably seen my thread in the For-Sale section for the Tidalforce S-750 Electric Bike frames. I had hoped to manufacture my own line of ebikes with them, but since I decided to sell them, I am instead living vicariously through people who bought them, encouraging them to post pictures of their creations on the for-sale thread. With the wide and varied imaginations of everyone here, I can't wait to see what people come up with.

Someone reminded me today that when I eventually run out of frames the for-sale thread will expire and scroll off the site, so I thought I'd make an 'official' thread that will be permanent, show the variety, and give people a place to exchange ideas. So I'll get the ball rolling by posting some of the pics I have seen, there are dozens and dozens and dozens of these frames out there now, so I hope everyone will post their builds, wild or mild, so we can see the results!

-JD

This is one of my favorite pictures of an early x5 prototype, taken at a local beach:
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Here is my old xtracycle prototype, freshly updated with a 2004 Rock Shox Boxxer fork
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Here is ianmcnally2's version (ian you gotta dump that tape and run the cables through the channels inside the frame :D ) :
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Today I heard from a guy named Jerry who is living out my dream, and building ebikes for sale from the frames. Not only did he do a really clean build, but what really floored me were the Decals he made for the bikes. Apparently his 'day' job is doing graphics, and he was concerned about the legal ramifications of selling ebikes with the Tidalforce logo, so he came up with these amazing Decals that look good as well as covering up the logo. I don't think he is on Endless-Sphere at the moment, if you want to contact him to get some graphics made, drop me a PM with your email addy and I will forward it on to him.


(Note: yes, this does have a front motor on a suspension fork, which I DO NOT recommend or endorse or condone, as I have had an aluminum suspension fork fail on me, fast, and I was very lucky that I was doing a slow turn and had room to roll after the fall.

Jerry reports that he is using a STEEL suspension fork, I warned him I do not recommend using a hub motor on ANY suspension fork, but he feels comfortable with it. I don't have any experience with steel suspension forks, but just to be safe I would still recommend using only a rear motor or a strong, solid, steel, conventional fork without suspension. I still believe that using a hub motor with any suspension fork could result in injury or death, and I believe that Jerry will take my advice on his future builds.)

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And as is typical, Ypedal takes the prize for the most imaginative setup to date, going the RC route using one of recumpence's absolutely BEAUTIFULLY machined 2-stage gear reductions to drive a Nuvinci hub on 20" wheel (instead of the 26" these frames were made for).

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(ignore the shrunk copies below of full-size photos posted above.)
 

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After many months of fits and starts interrupted by many life events, I was finally able to complete my Tidalforce S750 (S-750) front hub motor build using a eBikeKit.com front hub motor and a V.Power.hk 36V 20AH LiFEPo4 battery from eBay. The S750 frame came from Deerfencer1 and the components came mostly from Oatnet here on the EndlessSphere.com forums. I bought the frame right before Oatnet posted his ad for his S-750 components.

I've posted some pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ambroseliao/TFPix#
Click on the slideshow button near the upper left hand corner for easier viewing of the photos.

I've not ridden it much except last night as a test run after wiring up all of the electronics. It's very smooth and quiet. It feels a bit heavy because of the rear rack mounted 20 lb battery. I'm sure I'll get used to it. The Schwalbe Big Apple 2.35" tires give an exceptionally smooth quiet ride I may need to pump it up a bit more to give it a stiffer ride, actually. I plan to use the bike as my daily commuter to work.

Total cost for all parts and some assembly at the LBS are right around $1,000. Cost was a major factor. The challenge was another factor. I wanted to learn as much as possible from this build and to also build it exactly as I wanted it. I plan on updating it possibly with a rear hub motor in the future and perhaps a smaller/lighter battery. Considering that Tidalforce was selling this bike with an 8AH front hub battery and rear 750W motor for $2,800-2,900. I think this is quite a good deal for a solid ebike.

I want to thank Oatnet for posting his horde of parts since it made it very easy to get almost everything that I needed in one shot. His advice on the fork and other items was also very helpful. Thanks!

Comments welcome.

Ambrose
 
ambroseliao said:
After many months of fits and starts interrupted by many life events, I was finally able to complete my Tidalforce S750 (S-750) front hub motor build using a eBikeKit.com front hub motor and a V.Power.hk 36V 20AH LiFEPo4 battery from eBay. The S750 frame came from Deerfencer1 and the components came mostly from Oatnet here on the EndlessSphere.com forums. I bought the frame right before Oatnet posted his ad for his S-750 components.

Nice Job, Ambrose! :D

Have you been able to start commuting on it? I know I get to work with a smile on my face from the ebike-commute. My knee has been bugging me for a few weeks, so I haven't been able to ride, I really miss it.

-JD
 
oatnet said:
My knee has been bugging me for a few weeks, so I haven't been able to ride, I really miss it.

-JD

Hi JD, I just thought I'd chime in on the knee issue. I have torn the ligaments in my knees when I was much younger and they never got better. I got the ebike to mitigate the stresses biking puts on them. When I first started ebiking I had the seat about 1/2 inch too low and developed terrible knee pain over the course of the week. I moved the seat up 1/2 inch, back about 1/4 inch, and tilted it down about 5 degrees and the pain has vanished. it also seems to help me if I try and keep the knees close to the bike as I pedal. Just my two cents to try and help someone out. I was shocked that sizing the bike that slight difference could make such an change!
 
Hi JD,

Yes, I've been commuting on it since yesterday. It is indeed a blast. My commute is just about perfect for me. It's 8 miles slightly downhill on the way in to Washington, DC and it's uphill (of course) on the way home. I think I overestimated my power requirements so have a huge 20AH battery when I only use about 4AH on my way in and about 4.5 on my way home. I'm thinking of getting a 48V 10AH battery to increase the top speed and reduce the weight of the bike which is a bit top heavy.

I'm also thinking about bike lighting since daylight is ending sooner and morning light is coming later. I see you have some small lights on your bike. Do they work well for you?

Ambrose
 
ambroseliao said:
Hi JD,

Yes, I've been commuting on it since yesterday. It is indeed a blast. My commute is just about perfect for me. It's 8 miles slightly downhill on the way in to Washington, DC and it's uphill (of course) on the way home. I think I overestimated my power requirements so have a huge 20AH battery when I only use about 4AH on my way in and about 4.5 on my way home. I'm thinking of getting a 48V 10AH battery to increase the top speed and reduce the weight of the bike which is a bit top heavy.

I'm also thinking about bike lighting since daylight is ending sooner and morning light is coming later. I see you have some small lights on your bike. Do they work well for you?

Ambrose

Cool, glad you are getting out there, one more car off the road <grin>

Because of that top-heavy effect, I don't use rack-top mounted packs. I like to put my batteries in side panniers, with the pack split in half for balance. This puts the mass right above the axle. It still leaves the bike tail-heavy, but unless you do a triangle pack or a Tidalforce in-front-wheel battery, that's the way it is.

The lights you see above are 1w LED lights I used to buy at a local swapmeet. They are just OK, and I use rechargable cells in them. I've heard good things about Justin's (ebikes.ca) lights, that can handle up to 100v so you can wire in parallel with your main battery pack, good illumination with no batteries required.

-JD
 
Here are pics of more builds by Jerry, who reports:

"Here's the BMC 400 watt version with the Topeak bag/rack system. Its finally feeling like the solid town vehicle/commuter that I envisioned at the start. I am very happy with the performance of the motor. Its an excellent hill climber that's much quieter than my Heinzmann."

-JD
 

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Thanks JD for the info on your lights. I was looking at small add-on bike lights but decided on the Dealextreme.com 900 lumen P7 light for $70. These are very bright and come with a Li-ion battery pack and charger. They were initially very suspect, but they have improved their quality and fixed a couple of issues recently. I'm waiting for it to arrive soon.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25149

I'm also looking at these for tail lights.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3639

Lastly, I'm looking at a Planet Bike Superflash light for my helmet.
http://www.rei.com/product/756360
these are on sale this weekend at REI.

I WANT TO BE VISIBLE! :)

*I'm not associated with any of these companies. Just a happy customer.
 
I don't know if this bike was created by an ES member, I just found the picture while going a google image search for inspiration.

I really like the road bike handles look on a MTB frame
2 motors ???
BIG front crank
What is that thing on the front? a mudguard?

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I remember seeing that bike somewhere on the web. IIRC, he took some part off of a scooter and is using it as a fender, but is also using it to house the controller. I may be wrong, but there was definitely some reason he was doing it. Can't say I really enjoy the look of it though.......probably worth a couple of 40ozs. on here for sure. :lol:
 
Alright, it still a work in progress, but I've started building my Tidalforce S-750 bike. I went with an entry-level Marzochi fork. It's heavier than others and might not take a 6-foot drop too keenly but for urban riding it should be great. Plus the colors are a good match for the frame ;)

I also went with 2.5" x 26" Hookworms and a decent Mavic 321 front wheel.

I've ordered a rear 2806 from Justin at ebikes.ca (re-laced properly to eliminate the offset). I took a 7 speed cassette (with axle washers) and a threaded chinese disk brake. I have some doubts that it will all fit between the rear dropouts, especially for the disk brake as I think it might rub on the big square torque arm "notch" on the frame. Was anybody here able to use a rear disc brake with that frame and a 9c motor ?

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OK, so it didn't become an e-bike, but it is my daughter's xmas gift this year!
 

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I wanted to post a few pictures of what I have done with the frame so far.An E-bikekit front hub is on the way.I also wanted to thank Oatnet.He has been great to deal with.Very good comunication and fast shipping.IMG_0118.JPG
 

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Here are the newest pictures of my TidalForce S-750 build.I used a E-bikeKit 6*10 (2806) front hub.It seems like it is going to be a good hill climber.
 

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I did some work on my silver frame today. I installed a Suntour Raidon 120mm air fork, headset, stem, and handlebars. I was lucky and had enough headset spacers to install everything without having to cut the steer tube. I borrowed the 26" wheels from another bike to get a better idea of sizing.

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Hey congrats stud, that build is looking great! Isn't it nice to get it out and about? BTW - it is NEVER finished. :shock: :oops: :D

-JD
 
Here are some pics of my new Tidalforce build with one of the rear geared E-bikekits.I really like the front and rear disc brakes(no mods to the frame or the caliper mount).Thanks Again Oatnet for the great deal on the frames. :D
 

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That is a very stealthy little motor. How does it perform? Can you compare it to any other motors out there? Does it make much noise?

Thanks,
Ambrose
 
The motor is actually very quite.This is my first rear installation and also my first geared hub.It seems to have pretty good take off and pulls hills reasonably well ,about the same as my 2807 front hub(@ 36 v).The top end with the controller that came with this kit is about 17.5 mph.I Have plans to upgrade later to a stock E-bikekit(infineon 22A) controller.I think then I would get similar performance to the 2807 hub,and this would also allow me to run it at 48v.I will try to give a comparison once I upgrade it and get a CA on this bike. P.S One pleasant suprise was the ease of installation.I was able to mount BB7 disc brakes and rotor(6")with no mods to the frame, caliper mount ,or hub.All I had to do was mount the torque washer on the inside of the frame with the tabs facing out,and I think that I have room for a 7sd freewheel. :D
 
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99.9% done!
One Tidalforce S-750 frame equipped with Salsa Cromo 29" front fork, a 700C eZee geared front hub, Shimano Alfine rear hub and Avid BB7 disc brakes all around (and no frame trimming). I've tidied it up a bit since this pic was taken adding a full front fender, Cygolite Dual Cross Pro front LED lights and a whole lot of zap straps.

Thanks again for the frames, JD, this has been a heck of a learning experience. Next up: The Tidalforce S-750/BionX bike!

B!
 
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