Your Creation's Before & After Pics

[Elektrosherpa]

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That looks awesome

I bet my 4-pawed-companion would prefer such a comfortable place, too...

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[senlin]

Now that's something we've yet to see on ES.

Cool bike. Well done. Just watch out for those sharp corners!

Ha Ha, Yeah, turning circle is definitely not good!

[senlin]

Rad bike, don't think wheel base is long enough though good luck trying to pull wheelies on that jokeing aside, bet is very quick of the line, just imagine how much beer you could carry if it had side storage and with that much torque trailer full to ,

Thanks Greendog, it's a good idea, would make a good beer hauler. Actually the LTO batteries remind me a bit of thin long beer cans

[senlin]

Tandem Titanate 2WD.

Crazy build.

In my eyes, all the free space behind the rider just waits to be used:
2nd seat, storage space, dog place... whatever...

Actually I've got a big German shepard Mastiff X, mmmm now you've got me thinking

[ford]

Finished :)Bikke.jpg

This is one of the coolest ebikes I’ve seen. I love it ! Nice work.

[MattZ]

First post, first build
Thanks to everyone on the site for the knowledge I've gained reading your discussions. You made this project possible, and successful (so far).
Decided to build a couple ebikes for me & my wife. Hers is first, the parts for mine should be here soon.
Before:

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After:
QS 1200w DD hub motor
KT 36/48v 15A controller
48v 20Ah rack mount battery
Added rear disc brake, new shifters, headlight, springy seat post, kickstand, comfy seat.

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She's loving it, 50 miles on it so far.

[moonkagliwicee]

Project "Dark eCruiser". Johnny Loco Sinatra frame. Other parts from Electra Cruiser

[owhite]

Discussed in more detail here:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=112927&p=1669671#p1669671

[drguitar]

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Steel frame, 700/32 tires, mechanical disc brakes, spring fork shock

Added:
BBSHD kit
48v/24.5ah battery
Hydraulic brakes
Continental Contact Plus tires 700/47
Seatpost shock
11t-34t freewheel
Deore 7 speed derailleur
Thumb shifter
Adjustable steering stem
Mid-rise handlebar
Rechargable headlight 600 lumen
Rechargable rear tail light and 100 db motion alarm
Rear rack

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[thundercamel]

Nice job! It's a very similar bike to the most recent one I've converted (for my father in law) in my build thread below. Were the brake pads on yours also too far away from the axle to have all of their area swept by the rotor? I find that to be the case on several bikes I work on, and usually remove washers to move the calipers closer to the axle.

[drguitar]

Were the brake pads on yours also to far away from the axle to have all of their area swept by the rotor? I find that to be the case on several bikes I work on, and usually remove washers to move the calipers closer to the axle.

I was lucky and the new calipers fit nearly perfectly where the previous calipers were. A little adjustment and the wheels spin freely and stop with little effort.

[Chalo]

The build seems reasonably okay from what I can see. The bike is horrible and will quickly make you regret using it.

If you're the first person who cared at all about the bike, or spent a nickel on it that wasn't minimally necessary, maybe ask yourself why. That kind of bike can be fixed up, but what's wrong with it can't be fixed.

[drguitar]

The build seems reasonably okay from what I can see. The bike is horrible and will quickly make you regret using it.

If you're the first person who cared at all about the bike, or spent a nickel on it that wasn't minimally necessary, maybe ask yourself why. That kind of bike can be fixed up, but what's wrong with it can't be fixed.

Yep, you may be right. However, the part of the bike I wanted is the part I kept; the steel frame. I carefully inspected all the welds before starting and it looks good. Plus the steel frame makes for a very sturdy build. And after putting a few hundred very comfortable miles on it, I am enjoying it very much. Is there something specific about the frame you see as a problem or are you just throwing shade because you can?

[Chalo]

Is there something specific about the frame you see as a problem or are you just throwing shade because you can?

You kept the fork, which is a very nasty piece of work. Not only do those things develop rusty stanchions very quickly, but they have plastic bushings. It takes very little time for them to develop a lot of looseness and play. The only damping they have is from sliding friction, which becomes more and more inconsistent as they wear (alternating at random between no damping at all, or binding and effectively being locked out). Putting decent brake on this fork is harder on the bushings than the lame stock brake would have been.

The steel used in the frame is chosen only for being cheap, so it's a crapshoot. I've come across some whose dropouts bend out of alignment if you look at them wrong, and others with extremely strong dropouts that are difficult to align, but were out of alignment to start with. The frame tubing is usually pretty soft, but often so thick and heavy that it does the job (at pedal bike speeds anyway). But BSO frames are seldom straight, and to this day many of them use front opening horizontal dropouts so that the wheel can be fudged more or less to center despite the rear stays not being centered.

I have come across BSOs with frames that didn't have any obvious problems. Maybe you got one of those-- we can hope. I've never seen a single one of those forks that wasn't a clunky awful mess after any significant use, though.

You did a good job on the conversion, and it would be nice if the bike didn't let you down. Just take heed that letting you down is what BSOs do in their retirement after finishing the only job they were designed for-- getting you to hand over money for them.

[drguitar]

You kept the fork, which is a very nasty piece of work. Not only do those things develop rusty stanchions very quickly, but they have plastic bushings. It takes very little time for them to develop a lot of looseness and play. The only damping they have is from sliding friction, which becomes more and more inconsistent as they wear (alternating at random between no damping at all, or binding and effectively being locked out). Putting decent brake on this fork is harder on the bushings than the lame stock brake would have been.

Yep. That is why the front fork is probably the first thing I will upgrade when it starts to act up. As of right now, it is working well with no lateral (side to side or front to back) play in the front wheel.

The steel used in the frame is chosen only for being cheap, so it's a crapshoot. I've come across some whose dropouts bend out of alignment if you look at them wrong, and others with extremely strong dropouts that are difficult to align, but were out of alignment to start with. The frame tubing is usually pretty soft, but often so thick and heavy that it does the job (at pedal bike speeds anyway). But BSO frames are seldom straight, and to this day many of them use front opening horizontal dropouts so that the wheel can be fudged more or less to center despite the rear stays not being centered.

I've tried conversions on LSOs (Llama Shaped Objects) and FSOs (Flower Shaped Objects), but the only conversions that really worked were on BSOs. The first BSOs were Treks and Giants, but they had aluminum frames which seemed possibly problematic down the road as the aluminum weakens from repeated stress. As with each of the bikes I converted, I checked the frame for solid welds and straight dropouts (and derailleur hangers). So far, this Schwinn has come through with flying colors. The dropouts are solid, the bike feels solid at 30mph (no twisting to the frame and no shimmies or shakes), and the hanger is dead straight (shifting is smooth and even).

You did a good job on the conversion, and it would be nice if the bike didn't let you down. Just take heed that letting you down is what BSOs do in their retirement after finishing the only job they were designed for-- getting you to hand over money for them.

Thanks, I am really enjoying it. I realize that cheap frames are just that, cheap. But a cheap steel frame seemed like it might work as long as there were not any measurable or visual problems. The hardware on the bike is quite lousy, but most of that has been replaced. Even the races for the bearings in the wheels were not completely smooth (a little work corrected that). So although the bike is cheap and cheaply made, it is bicycle shaped which allows me to make it run/ride nicer than it was when it came out of the BSO factory.

[thundercamel]

I was lucky and the new calipers fit nearly perfectly where the previous calipers were. A little adjustment and the wheels spin freely and stop with little effort.

You're right, I've had fine luck with hydraulic brakes, and was referring to the original brake calipers. I missed that you upgraded in my first read through.

[drguitar]

You're right, I've had fine luck with hydraulic brakes, and was referring to the original brake calipers. I missed that you upgraded in my first read through.

No problem. I'm digging the hybrid hydraulic brakes (brake cable to the caliper with hydraulic fluid in the caliper only). It took a day or two till I figured out how to properly adjust the caliper; it first it had no grab at all. Then I found the piston adjuster and that made all the difference!

Anyway, I realize that my BSO (Bike Shaped Object or Bull Shit Opinion) frame is not a particularly expensive steel frame (cheaper than dirt), but it seems to be quite sturdy and I am enjoying it a lot. The bike is quite tall at 54 inches to the top of the handle bars and it feels tall when riding it, but it is very comfortable, and fun standing on the pedals, floating over the street at nearly 7 feet in the air.

[thundercamel]

Plenty of us including myself are not bike snobs and love cheap department store bikes as a starting point In my opinion any ebike with pedals is a step in the right direction.

[drguitar]

... any ebike with pedals is a step in the right direction.

I love the pun!

[ZeroEm]

by thundercamel » Aug 12 2021 8:46pm

Plenty of us including myself are not bike snobs and love cheap department store bikes as a starting point In my opinion any ebike with pedals is a step in the right direction.

No snob here. Have a Kent tandem bike on the way $230 with shipping. That"s cheap. Will try to make a road recumbent out of it. Wanted it for the load capacity. Will need to replace all the cheapest parts with better ones.

[TrotterBob]

Plenty of us including myself are not bike snobs and love cheap department store bikes as a starting point In my opinion any ebike with pedals is a step in the right direction.

As I understand it, steel frames and forks are an advantage if your setup will give more grunt than a well seasoned cyclist. They stand up to abuse more.

[drguitar]

No snob here. Have a Kent tandem bike on the way $230 with shipping. That"s cheap. Will try to make a road recumbent out of it. Wanted it for the load capacity. Will need to replace all the cheapest parts with better ones.

Sounds cool. Definitely post pics when done.

[drguitar]

As I understand it, steel frames and forks are an advantage if your setup will give more grunt than a well seasoned cyclist. They stand up to abuse more.

That's what I read also. That is why I took the BBSHD off an aluminum Trek and put it on a steel Schwinn.

[electric_nz]

So I bought a brand new ‘parts bike’ Juiced ODK U500 v3 from a local delivery company. Never been used but missing controller and the battery had been swapped for a dead one. Bike has a Bafang BPM 48V/500W that is pushing 1000W from the factory!

Instead of paying the crazy OEM spare part costs, thought I’d DIY and shoehorn the replacement controller inside the massive battery box, without cutting any new holes. I built a small aluminium frame to fit a KT S09P-BL 9FEt sensorless controller with a speedict Neptune 15 BMS. Batteries were salvage 4p14s Samsung 29E constructed from 2 36V packs cut up. (don’t need a huge range). Connectors, controller and other parts were from bmsbattery.com. It’s using a large 3 way connector for phase and USB for throttle. Goes surprisingly well and climbs steep hills with no complaints from the passenger compartment!

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[thundercamel]

That's a nice slide in module you've made there