flyer23
1 µW
I'm looking to convert my cargo bike. It's a steel hybrid (Novara Metro) with an Xtracycle Free Radical attachment.
About my riding:
The good news is that I rarely go more than about 10 miles at a time. Oftentimes less than 5 miles. Even when I drive a car. Pretty much everything I need is close.
The bad news is that we live towards the top of a pretty decent hill, and everything I want to go to is at the bottom of the hill. It's about a mile, averaging about 4-5% grade, maxing out at about 7% grade. I would love to replace more car trips with bike trips, and I'm starting to realize that the hill is often the main factor when I choose to drive rather than bike. I can ride up the hill with no problems, but it's slow and sweaty and not much fun.
The other good news is that once I get off the hill, it's almost all flat, and I have no problem pedaling quite a bit to extend my battery range (and get a little exercise)
The other bad news is that I'm often hauling quite a bit of weight. I'm about 130 lbs, the bike is about 40 lbs, and it's not uncommon for me to haul 70-80 lbs of cargo or more.
Budget: I don't want to go super-expensive, since maybe I won't use this e-bike as much as I think I will... but I also don't want to cheap out, either. Seems like I can get a pretty decent build in the $1000-$1500 range, and that's fine. Cheaper would be great as long as it doesn't totally sacrifice quality. I definitely want to convert this bike vs. buy a new e-bike, too much sentimental value to this bike
I've been leaning towards a middrive, mostly for hill climbing capabilities and easier tire changes (I'm usually hauling my kids, so anything that makes a tire change take longer when you have kids running around is baaaaaaaad) and the installation seems doable. I've priced out BBS02's and BBSHD's in my price range... any opinions on whether the BBS02 is enough to meet my needs or if I should go with the BBSHD?
Alternatively, a local dealer has a deal on a rear hub motor that comes out to just under $1300 installed, 2-year warranty, and he'll throw in a rear disc brake, which I think is a good idea with the extra weight and speed of an e-bike. (I currently have rim brakes front and back.) If I wanted to add a disc brake with a middrive, I'd need to buy the brake itself plus a new disc compatible wheel, which really drives up the cost.
Or I could buy a rear hub kit myself... how tough are they to install?
Any thoughts on the best solution for my needs?
About my riding:
The good news is that I rarely go more than about 10 miles at a time. Oftentimes less than 5 miles. Even when I drive a car. Pretty much everything I need is close.
The bad news is that we live towards the top of a pretty decent hill, and everything I want to go to is at the bottom of the hill. It's about a mile, averaging about 4-5% grade, maxing out at about 7% grade. I would love to replace more car trips with bike trips, and I'm starting to realize that the hill is often the main factor when I choose to drive rather than bike. I can ride up the hill with no problems, but it's slow and sweaty and not much fun.
The other good news is that once I get off the hill, it's almost all flat, and I have no problem pedaling quite a bit to extend my battery range (and get a little exercise)
The other bad news is that I'm often hauling quite a bit of weight. I'm about 130 lbs, the bike is about 40 lbs, and it's not uncommon for me to haul 70-80 lbs of cargo or more.
Budget: I don't want to go super-expensive, since maybe I won't use this e-bike as much as I think I will... but I also don't want to cheap out, either. Seems like I can get a pretty decent build in the $1000-$1500 range, and that's fine. Cheaper would be great as long as it doesn't totally sacrifice quality. I definitely want to convert this bike vs. buy a new e-bike, too much sentimental value to this bike
I've been leaning towards a middrive, mostly for hill climbing capabilities and easier tire changes (I'm usually hauling my kids, so anything that makes a tire change take longer when you have kids running around is baaaaaaaad) and the installation seems doable. I've priced out BBS02's and BBSHD's in my price range... any opinions on whether the BBS02 is enough to meet my needs or if I should go with the BBSHD?
Alternatively, a local dealer has a deal on a rear hub motor that comes out to just under $1300 installed, 2-year warranty, and he'll throw in a rear disc brake, which I think is a good idea with the extra weight and speed of an e-bike. (I currently have rim brakes front and back.) If I wanted to add a disc brake with a middrive, I'd need to buy the brake itself plus a new disc compatible wheel, which really drives up the cost.
Or I could buy a rear hub kit myself... how tough are they to install?
Any thoughts on the best solution for my needs?