Capsloast
100 µW
Desired Max Speed: 20 MPH (32kph) throttle only
Desired Range @ 15-20MPH: 20m (32km) at least, the more the better
Terrain: Mostly new good quality roads, some pothole ridden old roads and rough dirt/grass (some of the areas near me are undeveloped). Mostly flat, max hill grade ~9%, average of 0%-3%
Brake type of motor wheel: Would prefer a disc brake as I expect to occasionally have to ride in rain
Preferred Wheel Size: No real preference
Rider weight: 150 lbs
Location: North Texas, USA
My budget is $1300. This will be my primary mode of transportation, I don't have a car so it really needs to be reliable.
I don't own a bike I can use as a donor and I'm looking to buy new. Craigslist hasn't turned up anything suitable for my height (5'5" (165cm) with a 29" (73.66cm) inseam). Might be able to find something used at a local bike shop but I haven't yet checked and I'm not at all confident I could spot a good deal as I haven't ridden a bike in a long time and even then I was not an enthusiast or cycler.
The bike I've been considering is a 2019 Trek 820 ($400)
Pros and Cons:
+ Steel Frame
+ Front Suspension (mainly for comfort on rougher terrain, not planning on doing any actual mountainbiking)
+ Rear hub appears to be 135mm, allowing me to fit a hub motor without bending the frame (assuming ebay seller dimensions are accurate)
- No disc brakes or frame mounts to add them
The motor and battery I am looking at getting:
48v 1000w 26" rear hub kit from Ebay (haven't chosen one yet, don't really know if theres any difference) ($160~)
48v Shark GA 13.5ah + 48v Advanced Luna 300W Ebike Charger ($540 + $70 shipping)
With a set of torque arms this setup puts me at around $1250~ including tax and shipping, hopefully giving me some room to buy a set of fenders.
I'm open to suggestions on any part of this build, I haven't purchased anything yet. My budget is pretty fixed though and I can't really afford to go over it.
Main questions and concerns:
1) Does it even make sense from a value standpoint to build a bike like this? I understand doing it if you want a more powerful bike, or if you have a used bike you can convert to save money, but I am most likely going to end up buying everything new and I just want to get around the city without being drenched in sweat on a bike that isn't going to break. My biggest issue with purpose built bikes is they are almost all designed for people 5'7" and up with the only option for shorter people being to get some hideous stepthrough to make it a little bit easier to get on a bike that is basically still too big. Most of the ones in my price range are only sold online so I have no way of testing them. Putting together one myself with a new bike seemed like the best approach, but it really only helps if I end up with a working bike by the end.
2) I really don't want my wiring to melt or my battery to catch fire, is there anything I need to know from a safety standpoint other than making sure I buy the right motor wind and a battery from a reputable vendor?
3) Speaking of motor wind... is there any way to tell what the motor wind is on those cheap ebay kits?
4) Are shark battery cradles standardized such that you can use any shark battery in them? I figure I could unplug my battery and take it with me after locking up my bike. That way if it gets stolen at least I still have the battery, I just don't know if I could replace the cradle that attaches to the bike. Most battery sellers dont seem to sell replacement cradles. Golden Motor sells one but doesn't list compatibility.
5) Is it worth getting an advanced charger? My primary concern is safety, not battery longevity and I could save $50 without it.
6) Am I right in assuming most of these hub motors on ebay are pretty much the same? They all look identical, some of them have copy pasted descriptions from each other.
7) How does my current plan (Trek 820, ebay rear hub motor, Luna battery/charger) look for meeting my needs? Any suggestions on what I could improve? Things I may have overlooked or forgotten?
Any insight would be appreciated, thanks for reading.
Desired Range @ 15-20MPH: 20m (32km) at least, the more the better
Terrain: Mostly new good quality roads, some pothole ridden old roads and rough dirt/grass (some of the areas near me are undeveloped). Mostly flat, max hill grade ~9%, average of 0%-3%
Brake type of motor wheel: Would prefer a disc brake as I expect to occasionally have to ride in rain
Preferred Wheel Size: No real preference
Rider weight: 150 lbs
Location: North Texas, USA
My budget is $1300. This will be my primary mode of transportation, I don't have a car so it really needs to be reliable.
I don't own a bike I can use as a donor and I'm looking to buy new. Craigslist hasn't turned up anything suitable for my height (5'5" (165cm) with a 29" (73.66cm) inseam). Might be able to find something used at a local bike shop but I haven't yet checked and I'm not at all confident I could spot a good deal as I haven't ridden a bike in a long time and even then I was not an enthusiast or cycler.
The bike I've been considering is a 2019 Trek 820 ($400)
Pros and Cons:
+ Steel Frame
+ Front Suspension (mainly for comfort on rougher terrain, not planning on doing any actual mountainbiking)
+ Rear hub appears to be 135mm, allowing me to fit a hub motor without bending the frame (assuming ebay seller dimensions are accurate)
- No disc brakes or frame mounts to add them
The motor and battery I am looking at getting:
48v 1000w 26" rear hub kit from Ebay (haven't chosen one yet, don't really know if theres any difference) ($160~)
48v Shark GA 13.5ah + 48v Advanced Luna 300W Ebike Charger ($540 + $70 shipping)
With a set of torque arms this setup puts me at around $1250~ including tax and shipping, hopefully giving me some room to buy a set of fenders.
I'm open to suggestions on any part of this build, I haven't purchased anything yet. My budget is pretty fixed though and I can't really afford to go over it.
Main questions and concerns:
1) Does it even make sense from a value standpoint to build a bike like this? I understand doing it if you want a more powerful bike, or if you have a used bike you can convert to save money, but I am most likely going to end up buying everything new and I just want to get around the city without being drenched in sweat on a bike that isn't going to break. My biggest issue with purpose built bikes is they are almost all designed for people 5'7" and up with the only option for shorter people being to get some hideous stepthrough to make it a little bit easier to get on a bike that is basically still too big. Most of the ones in my price range are only sold online so I have no way of testing them. Putting together one myself with a new bike seemed like the best approach, but it really only helps if I end up with a working bike by the end.
2) I really don't want my wiring to melt or my battery to catch fire, is there anything I need to know from a safety standpoint other than making sure I buy the right motor wind and a battery from a reputable vendor?
3) Speaking of motor wind... is there any way to tell what the motor wind is on those cheap ebay kits?
4) Are shark battery cradles standardized such that you can use any shark battery in them? I figure I could unplug my battery and take it with me after locking up my bike. That way if it gets stolen at least I still have the battery, I just don't know if I could replace the cradle that attaches to the bike. Most battery sellers dont seem to sell replacement cradles. Golden Motor sells one but doesn't list compatibility.
5) Is it worth getting an advanced charger? My primary concern is safety, not battery longevity and I could save $50 without it.
6) Am I right in assuming most of these hub motors on ebay are pretty much the same? They all look identical, some of them have copy pasted descriptions from each other.
7) How does my current plan (Trek 820, ebay rear hub motor, Luna battery/charger) look for meeting my needs? Any suggestions on what I could improve? Things I may have overlooked or forgotten?
Any insight would be appreciated, thanks for reading.