Where to begin??

Obviously this is another newb thread. I have been lurking in the bushes for a couple of weeks and decided to ask the experts. I picked up a free entry level Mongoose Inferno, that probably does not have 2 miles on it. It was free so I was going to use it as the donor bike, but I am not sure if it will work. First here is what Dick's Sporting Goods has to say about the bike. "The Mongoose 18-in Inferno full-suspension mountain bike provides responsive handling with an oversized, handcrafted, aluminum dual-suspension X-frame with a steel swing arm and a Rock Shox Judy TT suspension fork. It is equipped with a Shimano 24-speed drive train and Shimano EZ-Fire STI speed shifting." and I have attached a picture that I found by googling. That is not me, and i realize the picture is very small, if need be I can take a few snapshots of the bike and post them. I currently use a Trek 7000 Commuter as my commuter bike, and if possible would like to leave in intact for the time being. Do you folks feel the Mongoose would be a good donor bike? I was not sure, I have gone through the pics thread and saw very few like it. Just wanted to get your opinions. Should I start browsing craigslist for a better donor bike, or just use this one? I will have plenty more questions, since this electronic jargon is Greek to me. Thanks for any and all opinions.

difeq said:

oversized, handcrafted, aluminum dual-suspension X-frame with a steel swing arm and a Rock Shox Judy TT suspension fork.

Click to expand...

My opinion? Choice bike for a conversion. :wink:

+1

Check the Basics section for "how much power?"... it is a starting point for your wish-list.

+1 to what TD said. Where are you going to use this bike? The how fast, how far & how much($) questions come next, I mean -the bike was free- so it's all 'you' now.

Well that is what I need to research. I think I have a tall order on my plate. I would like the range to be 40 miles (get to work with plenty in reserve), and also be fast enough that my 28 mile commute does not take a horribly long time. I live in the Charlotte, NC area, so there are a few rolling hills. I was thinking 25MPH(~40KPH) cruising speed, and the sky is the limit on top speed. I obviously need to do my homework, as that is a tall order.

Yes, a tall order, but not so tall since you start with the perfect bike. The judy front forks are I believe, aluminum, and not a good bomproof fork for a front hub. Hubmotors put a lot of strain on the dropouts and when alloy ones fail, they just pop, and dump you. Rear hubs do the same thing, and real expensive bikes have alloy swingarms. What you have with a steel rear, is perfect for a good rear hub. Strong enough for the most powerfull ones. If you want a front motor, the right shock fork is hard to find but a rigid fork is cheap and easy to find. Do your research and figure out which one is most efficient at the speed you want to go. The distance you want to go makes efficiency very important. Bear in mind, that to average 25mph you need to be riding 30 or so to make up for stops, wind, or slowing down on uphills. My 25 mph bike does 12 miles to work in 45 to 55 minuites depending on how I hit the lights. It's also a mongoose, but the cheapest one with cheezy steel front forks. The range you want is definitely lifpo4 territory, and you may need several batteries to get there, using them one at a time if they can't be connected to each other. It won't be cheap, but niether is gas at the distance you go. My lifepo4, 36 volt 20 ah, goes 25 mph for at least 18 miles with an inefficient brushed hub. A brushless hub running at 48 volts will likely go at least that fast, and a 48 volt 20 ah battery will have a few more watts than a 36 volt. So I'd start with that, and then play with how slow you have to ride to get there. Later, if your range is short at the speed you want, maybe you can buy another battery and then have the range to ride full speed.

Great advice, thanks. I will create a post when I get a little more detail on my plans, but I want to research first. I will be using the rear hub as it seems the best fit for the bike. I am just glad that you all think the donor bike will be acceptable, as it leaves me more room in my budget. That is great news in my book, free is always good.