Endless Sphere

Don't know where you're located in the US, but Craigslist usually has tons of mid-90's steel-framed bikes in the $100 range. IMO, these are great for converting. As stated above, get a good brand. I've got several that were made in Japan (Diamondback Axis, Fuji Mt Fuji and Schwinn High Sierra), and ...

If you're interested in a 30+ mph, inexpensive e-bike, look up what wesnewell and mcintyretj (sp?) have constructed. Personally, I would purchase a better donor bike (Craigslist), but their bikes have impressive mileage.

Take a look at Ruff Cycles for ideas on frames and components.

This site caters to the DIY crowd, so lots of good information for building your own which has a lot of advantages since you'll have the satisfaction of the project as well as knowing how to troubleshoot. The only thing I can suggest for your needs is to define them (speed, distance, terrain, your w...

That Schwinn has a 1" threaded headset, so you're either going to need to purchase a fork (which will be equipped with studs for caliper or "V" brakes only; I've never seen one with disc mounts) or have a mount welded to the Schwinn's fork. The rear brake is inadequate for anything but slow speed, b...

Electric Bike Report has a similar policy AFAIK; both are abhorrent to me since the review CAN'T be unbiased. Also, his 10 best bikes of the year or whatever they're called are taken from ones he's reviewed (for a price, of course).

This might be of general interest. Occasionally I see a bike for sale that appears to have been used minimally, but battery is dead, so difficult to test. What is a reasonable expectation? Is it likely there will be something like a controller that doesn't work and can't be replaced because the mode...

Regarding brakes. I rode on and off road motorcycles with drum brakes 100+ mph in the seventies. Just bring yours to spec and they should suffice for 50 mph IMO.

There are probably economically feasible solutions for your application, but riding with children under those conditions is untenable for me. I wouldn't begin to consider it unless you could ride off road where there was no danger.

Keep it in norcal; socal will receive plenty of "its own".

Felt like I was living in Seattle for the past couple of weeks in "the OC". Hope the farmers are happy. Bike riding opportunities have been few and far between (non-existent off road).

ebikeling has 700c, and although I've yet to purchase a kit from them, they seem to have a good reputation. About $175 for geared (36V) and $200 for DD (48V) kits Ebikeling says only 28-32c tire; isn't that a bit small? They have kits that are 700c, which is usually identical to 29" (I think some m...

Bike Forums has a friendly e-forum primarily because the Moderators cull the cretins. MTBR has a so-called super mod who is diametrically opposed to e-MTB's.

As stated above, just add a spacer. Recently I needed the same "fix" on a YESCOM system with a 1985 Schwinn High Sierra bike. I was able to get enough clearance by adding a 1 mm spacer. Only problem might be repairing a flat tire in the dark.

Look at ebikeling (inexpensive), em3ev or ebikesca (more expensive) for 700c hub systems easily above 500w or consider a BBS02 mid-drive (25 amp controller and 52V battery will provide all the power you need). As noted, not legal in the EU.

Great job & good thing your hourly wage descends when working for a friend (my daughter wanted an e-cruiser, so I'm acquainted with the experience. Thank you for solving a front brake won't fit issue on another build for me (dropping the caliper).

ebikeling has 700c, and although I've yet to purchase a kit from them, they seem to have a good reputation. About $175 for geared (36V) and $200 for DD (48V) kits

When I looked yesterday AM, it was $299, then last night sold out @ $888. Incredible deal for $299 IMO, but I didn't need one.

CA has the "Class" laws too, but they pertain to bike paths (and even some of them have signs prohibiting e-bikes). In Orange County the superintendent has ruled that all e-bikes are prohibited on county trails. Like most places, very little enforcement except at one local park that is so crowded e-...

As mentioned, the progress seems to be in OEM, partially to get the weight of bikes down with systems like Fauza which will add <10 pounds. This is reflected by Sea Otter which has 30+ e-bike booths, but only one (AFAICT) DIY "manufacturer" and they sell complete bikes too (HPC). The only other comp...

Looks strong to me especially considering I ran 52V through a 30 amp controller ("1000w, 48V" motor) for three years in a Tidal Wave aluminum frame with no torque arms. Admittedly, I didn't have regen.

Ron, they had the first (AFAIK) eMTB race in the US a couple of years ago, and have been in the forefront with ebikes, albeit mostly OEM which may not excite this readership much. Now that Interbike is finis' for the near future, this year should be a banner year. The best thing for my wife and me i...

And be really careful when evaluating comments from anyone who has a hard on for a company and slams them every time he can. I haven't seen any complaints from individuals who purchased the Xiongda from Luna.

DD, that's what I used to do on ICE motorcycles; either get behind someone and let them run interference or juice it and locate an area where I could ride alone.

You wouldn't glean that from the posts that I've seen where users are getting 20,000+ miles from their no-name kits. Mine has performed perfectly for three + years.