Endless Sphere

FME with two different MTB's, a 2000 GT Zaskar and an inexpensive steel frame (Nashbar) with 68 mm BB, Lekkie cranks resolved the difference between the crank arms and chainstay (which was about 15 mm before the Lekkie cranks were installed). I tried an aluminum frame with 73 mm BB, but didn't use t...

BionX had a very proprietary system; check ebikesca; I think they have a method to replace the controller and battery.

+1 on the cargo bike. IMO much safer to mount a bike seat to or may have everything you need already mounted. Check Yuba and Tern if they're available in your area. Also, while they sell e-cargo, they also have analog that you could use as a donor.

My first conversion was a geared 350w, 36V front conversion which was extremely enjoyable until my daughter "stole" it. Tried a 1200w, 52V DD and (for me) it wasn't fun since it seemed to overwhelm the front end and handling characteristics were affected adversely. Could have been me though.

Felt iy in the "OC", then back to sleep. At first it seemed to be increasing in scope, but subsided rapidly.

Here's one that looks as trivial to install as anything I've seen and weighs under 6 lbs. Kind of spendy, but not all DIY is low budget. https://newatlas.com/bicycles/elevate-mountain-bike-motor/ It comes with a special rear disk brake, with I think an extra geared disk kind of like a chainring. Th...

AFAICT you're limiting yourself by requiring a coil spring fork. Most hubs from reputable companies use sealed bearings, but not sure about Shimano. There are a couple of bike experts; if they reply, you'll get excellent answers.

I rode my eMTB with one Wednesday (AQI 120) when it was 98 degrees; not as much fun as usual, but better than riding the couch. Isn't your AQI exceedingly low now?

Lightest.bike seems to come out quite soon with a very lightweight mid drive. Also, hooking up a small hub motor as a mid drive is a really easy way to get a light, silent, low power setup with decent torque. IMO better in many aspects than the mid drives that are on the market now. Thats DIY :D Th...

Also, a four pound DIY mid-drive motor like some of the OEM's would be nice. I realize that's not the focus at ES. I think that would be a good match for 750W maximum and 20 mph maximum, with an average sized rider and no cargo. Which is exactly the job they're trying to do. If the job is harder th...

For me, battery improvement would be be increased wh per weight. We seem stuck with incremental gains, and I don't expect much improvement in the near future. Also, a four pound DIY mid-drive motor like some of the OEM's would be nice. I realize that's not the focus at ES.

And don't watch any Rodney Dangerfield clips.

In my experience riding a 1000w, 52V errand bike around town and BBS02 or pedal MTB on the local trails four times a week, I've encountered many OEM ebikes but have never seen another DIY bike. Awaiting a lighter mid-drive since I almost never use PAS above level 3 (of 9), so interested in a lower p...

AQI in San Francisco = 1, Marin County (Fairfax) = 2; our friend(s) there get out and ride. AQI in the 70's here today; think I'll stay home. Rode eMTB with KN95 mask at AQI 120, temperature 98 degrees yesterday.

AQI's in socal (Tustin, Orange area - my habitat) 87 - 117 today, so I'll ride soon (probably try a KN95 mask). My wife and I rode MTB in Chino Hills (125) for a couple of hours on Sunday with no apparent ill affects. What happened to San Francisco? AQI was 14 today; did a tornado of fresh air purif...

No one saying anything about a panacea, your use of that term shows bad faith. And the question is not one of belief nor opinion, easily tested for any given scenario. As stated, it can be a very valuable feature for those with those certain factors & use cases that make it so. In fact as OP made c...

I had a 36V, 350w system (seven or so pound motor) that was really fun for both errands and off road, that my daughter appropriated. Then, for fun, tried a 48V, 1200w, but the large DD motor took the fun out of riding that bike, a steel 90's MTB, since the front end was too heavy and the power overw...

Pretty obvious; there are two groups. For one, regen is a panacea, for the other an unnecessary PITA. I'm in the second; not worth having for my systems which are relatively low-powered bicycles for errands or off road. Not worried about saving a few watts or extending the life of brake pads, and ne...

Some XT-90 connectors are manufactured with a spark arrest (LunaCycle); I procure the ones with "pigtails" and splice them in. Hopefully the rim you selected has the appropriate diameter for the spokes. You might check Sheldon Brown for wheel building advice. The freewheel should screw on the hub. S...

Love to see tort reform, but it's probably never going to happen. Whoever heard of someone getting $200 million for using talcum powder? Relative to e-bikes, there's no insurance or licensing requirement for Class 1, 2 or 3 which is the same as for "non-e" bicyclists. This is the law in CA as well a...

John in CR wrote: ↑

Sep 08 2020 12:50pm

It's not a curse. It's a scam.

No difference. It's necessary if one has assets The alternatives are not using vehicles (impossible in socal) or leaving the area/country. Neither is palatable to me. Of course, it could be legislated; fat chance!

The US system seems fair to me. E-bikes that are within specified limits don't need insurance or license. Those limits, basically 20 mph on bike paths (I know it's possible to go much faster on a pedal bike) and 28 mph in bike lanes contiguous with roads, are reasonable. Insurance is a curse the res...

I had good luck with ebay (Unit Pack Power); 36V, 10 ah battery was $184 and arrived in a couple of weeks packaged nicely, assembled well and with good (AFAICT) cells.

You might try to contact Paul Daniel at Revel Propulsion since his system uses a regular bottom bracket and he's amenable to manufacturing custom mounting hardware.

In socal, it changed about as much as possible because the bike shops are out of (reasonably priced) stock and have a month backlog for service.