Nick's Black eTownie

[deVries]

It's the most comfortable bike I've ever pedaled. And to me, it handles like a dream and feels solid at higher speed. (nicobie wrote elsewhere)..."Thudbuster seat post."

Just for comparison purposes, have you ridden many other types of bikes before?

Also, any comments on the Thudbuster? Is it worth it for the better ride? How "solid" does it feel underneath you, and what types of bumps or vibrations does it handle best or not so well?

Thanks again!

Nice pics, and look forward to the video too...

[nicobie]

Over the years I have pretty much ridden every style bike. This is my second ebike, the first one was a cheap Walmart FS bike. It is just like dogman's green one. To be honest, with the batteries on the rear rack, it scared the shit out of me at 30mph. The components were crap, brakes would hardly stop it and it didn't take bumps very well. Even after I up-graded a lot of the parts it still felt unsafe.

The Townie is a whole different thing. Out of the box it felt solid. I liked how the longer wheelbase handled at speed. With the new fork it takes the bumps great (the original forks were fine too). Even though it doesn't have a rear suspension the seat post and Brooks sprung seat make for a plush ride ( the 2.5" hookworm @40 psi helps too ).

As to the Thudbuster, I'll never own another hard tail without one. I have tried both models. The long travel (LT) does a good job. It has more travel than the ST. Both come with a variety of elastomers so you can adjust the hardness to whatever you want. I ended up with the ST model because I wanted more seat post length exposed so I could mount a rack to hold the aux batteries. That is also why I bought the sprung seat. The combo of the LT thudbuster with the weakest elastomer and the Brooks saddle turned out to be perfect for me.

I got most of my replacement components at half price. Be patient and eBay and pinkbike can save you a bundle. For example, the Thudbuster and Brooks saddle retail for over $300, I managed to get both for about $120.

[deVries]

As to the Thudbuster, I'll never own another hard tail without one. I have tried both models. The long travel (LT) does a good job.

Awesome. Would you prefer the LT with any seat if you had room to use it or still go with your ST/seat combo?

Did you buy the frame new or used? Price paid? If new, where?

Thanks!

[Garrick_s]

Beautiful job Nick!

[knoxie]

Great looking bike!!

Loving the batteries in the frame, looks a lot thinner than a lot of other folks have made it if that makes sense, the lines of the bike look great, I am only a little concerned by the power you are running on the BMC, 3KW is too much way too much, if you want it to last back it down to 1.6 KW and watch hard starts and hill climbs, just passing on my experience with these motors having had them for over 6 years now, sure they will run at higher power but they will break.

Good luck!

Knoxie

[nicobie]

As to the Thudbuster, I'll never own another hard tail without one. I have tried both models. The long travel (LT) does a good job.

Awesome. Would you prefer the LT with any seat if you had room to use it or still go with your ST/seat combo?

That's a hard one to answer... Suspension wise, it's a push. But I really like the Brooks saddle

Did you buy the frame new or used? Price paid? If new, where?

I bought the whole bike (Electra Townie 21) on sale for about $400. I think that they are $500 now.

[nicobie]

Great looking bike!!

I am only a little concerned by the power you are running on the BMC, 3KW is too much way too much, if you want it to last back it down to 1.6 KW and watch hard starts and hill climbs

Knoxie

You are right about that! I did the amp limiting mod on my CA and mostly run it at 1500w. However I do have a switch on my throttle that bypasses the pot.

[deVries]

Now that you've been riding this bike for awhile have you made any improvements =OR= could you suggest some idealized/theoretical improvements you've thought of?

I still consider this one of the best eBike road builds I've seen.

Any suggestions for improvements in frame design/performance, wheel-rim-tires, motor-controller, brakes, or anything else you've thought of???

Thanks for the update. Great build.

[nicobie]

Thank you for the kind remarks.

It's a really nice setup and I guess I wouldn't have changed anything if I hadn't let a friend ride it with the amp limit switch off. He cooked the little BMC 600-S motor by pushing ~4kw through it while climbing a 4 mile hill.

I really like the longer Townie frame and it handles super at 40 + mph with the White Bros fork and 24" rear wheel. The combo of the fork with the Thudbuster and Brooks saddle plus 30 psi 2.5" Hookworms makes for a plush enough ride.

Since then I bought one of methods HT3025 Clyte motors but it smoked the windings within 1.5 miles (factory defect). But I must say that before it went poof It impressed me with its mid-range power. It went over 35mph and hadn't hit top speed right before it cooked itself. It had way more torque than the BMC with the same volts & amps. Right now I am waiting to get a sensored HT3525 as soon as somebody gets one I can buy.

Here is a couple more pics showing battery placement and disc brake tabs/brake light switch.

[blissisebike]

Why can't Electra build a tamer version for the masses of what you should have inspired them to do?

I have an unassisted Giant Revive that employs the crank forward design the Townie uses. Love the bike and it is uber comfortable to ride. Giant had several versions. Mine is the 8 speed derailluer version. Would ride it much more if it either had a better hill climbing gear or a bit of assist for some of the steeper hills, where I normally end up walking it up the steep slopes, especially if I am carrying cargo.

Your bike is beautifully done and I can't begin to imagine the thrill of riding with that much power at your disposal.

[nicobie]

Why can't Electra build a tamer version for the masses of what you should have inspired them to do?

I sent them pics and invited them over for a ride, but for some reason they didn't seem interested.

However, they did mention that they didn't like me calling it an "eTownie".

[blissisebike]

Why does that not surprise me? Typical 'suit' behavior. The Townie is such a comfy and consumer friendly bike and imho they are missing out on a real marketing opportunity by snubbing their noses at the electric assist possibilities.

I love what you have done, but don't think I yet have enough resources (in several respects) to try to do something similar. This remains, however, one of the ebike builds that truly captures my fancy.

[jkbrigman]

Nick - can you give us an update on your SWEET eTownie build?

How did the electrical components hold up? (you had tried a clyte motor and it blew up)

How has the bike held up? Still running 24" wheels? Same tires?
Anything you would or would not change since you posted the build thread?

JKB

[nicobie]

The bike is holding up fine. The motor that cooked was a reject from the factory. I think it came with a small short in the windings that got big in the first couple minutes. The replacement HT3525 that I got from methods has been working flawlessly. Lyen's 12 fet set at 60a battery and 135a phase is working fine as is the Magura throttle. I wired the controller to a key switch that locks the motor when switched on. This is a nice feture that all lyen's controllers are capable of doing.

I changed my 4s boost pack out for a 6s one. Now I'm hitting 42 mph on 24s Nothing is getting too hot. The temp gauge in the motor never shows more than 80C and that is with bursts of 5500w. I did drill my side covers. If you nail the throttle at 10 mph it will lift the front wheel.

Still using a 24" with 2.5"hookworm on the rear and 26" with 2.3 big apple on the front. The bike is very stable at speed. I can take my hands off the bars at 40 mph without worry. The long wheel base makes all the difference.

The rear wheel and tire work fine, but if I was to do it over again I might use a 17 or 18" narrow moped rim and 2.75" motorcycle tire.

[kevo]

What is the weight now w/ the HT3525 and your present setup? Please describe how it does on the longest hill sections you have taken it on. Thanks for sharing your excellent build!

[Brentis]

Great job on this build Nicobie. I have admired it for years now time flies.
Id like to give my "Ghetto" bike this frame sealing treatment.
Can you give more details/pics of the wood frame/box you fastened to the Alu. frame?
Is it just self tapping metal screws through the wood into the frame? Did you pre-drill holes in the frame.
How has your method held up?

Enjoy your bad ass eTownie.

Thanks

[nicobie]

The bike weighs 85# with a full tank of Vs. I haven't yet found a hill it wouldn't go up at full throttle. However I'm sure going off road I could find some too steep to tackle. This is one of my favorite rides:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/45676552 Check out the % grade

Yep, I pre-drilled the holes with a bit slightly smaller than the self tapping screws I used to hold the side covers on with. I have checked several times for stress cracks and couldn't find any. The alum. side covers add a lot of shear strength. I think the frame is way stronger than it was stock.

[kevo]

Thanks for the details and speedy reply Nicobie. Ah Lompoc, home of Tim Brummer and his famous Lightning recumbents of which my brother and I are owners of full fairing versions of the F40 and the R84.

Comparing hills is always tricky, so appreciate the mapmyride slope of the hill outside Lompoc!

[Philistine]

It's a really cool build Nicobie. Looks crazy comfortable and really cleanly done, nice work.

[bbbelanger]

Hi Nicobie,

Very nice build I'm looking into as basis for my own Townie.

Questions on your rear disc brake retro fit:

Where di you source the Tabs for the brake.?
Did you weld this yourself ?

[nicobie]

Where di you source the Tabs for the brake.?
Did you weld this yourself ?

I just ground off the ends and tig welded one of the extra brackets that came with the Avid BB7. Easy to set up. Clamp the caliper with bracket on the rotor (using the brake lever wrapped with a rubber band) where you want it to be. Then tack it on. Remove the caliper and weld it up in steps so as to try not to get it too hot. I didn't heat treat it but it has held up fine for over a year now.

[bbbelanger]

thanks for your reply Nick. I'll be starting on my project in the late fall as a winter project.

Thank you for showing the way

[jkbrigman]

Nick - I'm about to bring online a bike that's pretty similar to yours (although mine doesn't have the badass triple forks that yours does). I'll post a thread with pics soon.

EDIT: Here's the bike. I've taken it on it's first big test ride. Dude, you're onto something here with the conversion of the "crank forward" bike to an ebike. It's a fantastic ride! This one is the Specialized Expedition Sport. (I don't mean to hijack the thread, but only to support the idea that this type of cycle platform makes a great conversion.)

No thread yet. I'll update .sig when I've got one.

JKB

[jkbrigman]

EDIT: Wiped text from prior post to provide test results...

So I've finished a 28 mile test ride with 18S10Ah LiPo. Kinda scared me - I wanted to "push" the LiPo and I did: the controller did some LVC protection with 2 miles remaining in the ride. It's a SWEET ride! Nicobie, that long wheelbase frame is fantastic for an ebike...I could manage 29.5mph max, average across the ride was about 15mph. I used 8.5Ah total on an 18S LiPo pack.

[nicobie]

Nick - do you see the same with your eTownie? I mean, I always thought it was awesome, but then I'm an ebike geek. I'm hearing from people who are geeks, but well outside the ebike commnity.

My bike gets a lot of attention. You should see the 14 year old boys drool all over it.