Need part options for building two e-bikes using the Qulbix DYI Moto FRAME KIT's

Hi I am looking into building a e-bike with a Qulbix Moto FRAME KIT - Either the 76 or 140 frame kit with a maximum tire width of 90mm. I am wondering what type of hub mount would be the best for a Canadian street legal e-bike with light trail riding, 750 to 1+K watts derated to about 750 . Currently looking at either a direct drive hub motor or a geared hub motor. So far I have had a TDCM IGH from ebike.ca and that costs about $700 for just the motor but looks of high quality. I am wondering what would give me the best bang for the buck.

What is the best type of hub motor for street use and entry level trail riding with a power rating of 500 Watt to about 1K Watt?
What would be the best type of hub motor for my area, there are quit a few light grade hills to climb one high grade short about few hundred meters and a long very low grade hill that probably goes half a km?
What would be the best bang for the buck on the quality end for a hub mount motor?
What brands do you recommend?

I have been studying and researching for over a decade but am finally planning a DYI e-bike build for the spring of 2021. I am researching what parts to use for my build. For the frame I am looking at the Qulbix Moto FRAME KIT witch comes in two versions of the frame the 76 and the 140 which is the battery box - frame measurements. The bottom bracket is: 83 mm, BSA thread and bottom bracket height is 350mm. Head tube angle is 64⁰, Head tube inside diameter is 44mm, Head tube is140mm. Maximum tire width (26'' wheel) is 90mm. Swing arm drop-out width is 155mm (standard); 165mm (custom - specify in notes!)

So I require a parts cost list for building a Street use bike with entry level trail riding but will not be doing downhill riding. I am thinking the 76 kit might make for a nice street bike as it only weights 8.6 Kg where as the 140 weighs 11 Kg. And also want to use half decent entry level full suspension parts on the lower cost range but good bang for the buck. For the motor I am thinking of using a TDCM IGH DIY Direct Drive Rear Motor from ebikes.ca store which has a internal 5 speed Sturmey Archer hub but not sure if this will fit in with the frame. Also will need a motor controller and looking at possibly sourcing them from ebike.ca located in Vancouver Canada. I will also need a throttle, e-bike hydraulic brakes and brake levers parts but figure these are easy to find.

Last part is I will have to find all the drive parts, Front and rear suspension parts, cranks, bottom bracket. I am currently thinking of aiming for the entry level of higher end trail parts as in not box store parts. As for tires they will have to be sourced locally as importing bike tires are heavily duty taxed in Canada.

My current budget is $3k Canadian Dollars plus 13% tax to a max about 4k plus tax Canadian if possible based on the fact I was planning on buying a Emmo Bison e-bike from a local store in Canada for $3 plus tax. Judging from the fact the rear shock on that bike is just a compression puck I figured I would be better off doing my own build with a better end product. I am aiming preferably to getting the best value for the buck in parts that are not to expensive.



Am i forgetting anything?

EDIT: I know a bit about e-bikes but do not know a lot about higher end bike parts such as shocks etc.

Your choice of parts might be too much for a street bike. Do you really need rear suspension? I’d think about a Benfang 02 or hd or a cyclone mid drive. There are many discussions about hub motors vs mid drive and the benefits of not having that weight on the wheel. What about your controller? It's built into the Benfangs and comes with the cyclone kit. You might be fine with a hardtail frame and steel is better. What about your batteries? I’m fine with lipos, many may argue that point. For my bikes I break it down into thirds, say $500 for the bike and front suspension fork. $500 for the kit and $500 for the batteries, maybe charger also in that price. If it’s your first Ebike I’d go with what I mention above. The cyclone can handle more volts for a faster Ebike if you want and the cost isn’t that much more, still at the $500 point. Just my two cents as they say.

I am planning on either getting a Qulbix 76 Bicycle FRAME KIT or a 140 Bicycle FRAME KIT with a rear hub mount motor but not sure on what would be the best fit for my build. I am thinking of going with the 76 to make a lighter weight e-bike. So the kit has a 83mm bottom bracket and a maximum tire size of 90mm or 3.54330709 inches and would really like to use 3" tires. Also not sure what type of hub motor I would like to use as a direct drive with regen breaking would be nice I read a geared hub mounts are lighter in weight. I am not sure what my motor options are as in what would fit the frame but have a local supplier in Canada with various good quality. Another question I have especially with a 3" tire, would I be able to use a cassette with a hub motor. One option I am looking into is a TDCM IGH with a 5 speed Sturmey Archer hub that may be a good option for using a large 3" tire. I am currently trying to make a parts list for my e-bike build that I will be building in the spring of this year.

So what would be the best fit for a fairly light weight e-bike with around 3" tires to be used both on street speed limited at 32 kmh and also light trail usage at around 40ish?

Hi OmniousTom,

One mid-drive system that fits Q76 frame is this one: https://bafang-e.com/en/products/motors/m-series/m615/
Just make sure you choose the 83mm BB.

Also not sure what type of hub motor I would like to use as a direct drive with regen breaking would be nice I read a geared hub mounts are lighter in weight.

Click to expand...

You'd want a mxus 45H 3kw or its QS equivalent. Geared would be the MAC but yea sure it maybe lighter but its also more fragile and breaks easier.

I do not know what the rear dropout width is of your two frame options. That is something you really need to pinpoint and figure out.

Your next consideration would be to figure out what Turn Count or KV you need the motor to be for the type of riding you will be doing, the controller you already have, and the battery you may or may not already have.

https://ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html <---Under motor selection, click SHOW ALL --- MXUS 4504, Leaf 5T is the 1500W another good option depending on what you want to do, MAC 6/8/10/12T is the geared.

https://ebikes.ca/tools/trip-simulator.html <----INPUT at the top, click GOOGLE MAPS

markz said:

Also not sure what type of hub motor I would like to use as a direct drive with regen breaking would be nice I read a geared hub mounts are lighter in weight.

Click to expand...

I do not know what the rear dropout width is of your two frame options. That is something you really need to pinpoint and figure out.

Click to expand...

From specs on Qulbix web site.

Swing arm drop-out width: 155mm (standard); 165mm (custom - specify in notes!)

Click to expand...

OmniosTom said:

Hi I am looking into building a e-bike with a Qulbix Moto FRAME KIT - Either the 76 or 140 frame kit with a maximum tire width of 90mm. I am wondering what type of hub mount would be the best for a Canadian street legal e-bike with light trail riding, 750 to 1+K watts derated to about 750 . Currently looking at either a direct drive hub motor or a geared hub motor. So far I have had a TDCM IGH from ebike.ca and that costs about $700 for just the motor but looks of high quality. I am wondering what would give me the best bang for the buck.

What is the best type of hub motor for street use and entry level trail riding with a power rating of 500 Watt to about 1K Watt?
What would be the best type of hub motor for my area, there are quit a few light grade hills to climb one high grade short about few hundred meters and a long very low grade hill that probably goes half a km?
What would be the best bang for the buck on the quality end for a hub mount motor?
What brands do you recommend?

Click to expand...

I don't know what the law is like in canada but usually it does not really count how much power the motor "could" take but what it actually takes (watts provided by the controller). But as the qulbix frame is not stealth at all you should be prepared for police controls. So make sure there is no label like 1000w, 3kw ect. or the name of the model that the police could google and see the watts its made for. (Not that its illegal to have a motor that can take more than you actually feed it, i mean also motors of e bikes from a shop could take more than they do.. but it makes a control less complicated without watt label. Or use a faked label to save time :wink:. In fact, if you think of how they check if your e bike is illegal they will just read the labels or if they are bored put you bike on there speed testing device to check the top speed. But i'm quite sure they won't disassemble your bike to check how much watts it uses.
So as you could take any motor you want you could use a powerful motor with a "hidden" 3 speed speed switch. So you could use it limited to the legal top speed or switch to a higher "gear" to use it off road.

I think some of the most used high power hub motors are the MXUS 3k Turbo with a dropout of 142 mm or a even stronger one - the cro motor like the QS205 (often used for frames like yours) with a dropout of 150 mm. Both of them are way cheaper than the 700$ motor you mentioned. Aliexpress is great to buy that stuff but takes about 1 month of delivery.
I hope i coul'd help you a bit

I use a QS205 on my Q140 frame and I like it, I can push 24kW! But if you're thinking of a non-hub, LightningRod makes a fantastic bolt-on parallel drive for Q76/140 that puts out an impressive 12kW. If you don't need more power than that (and that's a lot!) then it'll handle better than a hub; http://lightning-rods10.mybigcommerce.com/l-r-swingarm-big-block-drive-for-qulbix-76r-and-140r/