Qulbix Raptor ebike + frame kit

Hyena · Post by **Hyena** » Jul 14 2014 12:18am

This is what we called a new age BMX when I was a kid

Re: the 142mm dropout, I'd order the 150mm swing arm and make a 4mm spacer to sit in your dropout on either side - sorted.

E-Fuel · Post by **E-Fuel** » Jul 16 2014 6:26pm

I miss my bike!

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 16 2014 7:26pm

I hear you, my cromotor stator is rubbing the magnets, I must have bent something in the motor and am trying to find out what the problem is. I've been without a bike for a week and a half already.

marcn · Post by **marcn** » Jul 16 2014 8:18pm

That sucks offloader. Wonder how that happened. Are you trying to repair it yourself?

E-Fuel wrote:I miss my bike!

I miss your bike too haha! It sure was a looker!

jerrydubois3 · Post by **jerrydubois3** » Jul 16 2014 10:28pm

Re: Qulbix, was Torque Raptor ebike + frame kit

by E-Fuel » Wed Jul 16, 2014 6:26 pm

I miss my bike! quote][/quote][/color]
Your bike inspired me to build mine![quote][/quote]

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 16 2014 10:43pm

marcn wrote:That sucks offloader. Wonder how that happened. Are you trying to repair it yourself?

E-Fuel wrote:I miss my bike!
I miss your bike too haha! It sure was a looker!

Yes, I have a thread out there. Its been giving me trouble for a while then the rubbing got really bad so I had to stop driving it.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewto ... =2&t=60781

Racer_X · Post by **Racer_X** » Jul 17 2014 2:58am

Offroader wrote: Yes, I have a thread out there. Its been giving me trouble for a while then the rubbing got really bad so I had to stop driving it.

Get a back up ebike, even if it is not a Qulbix. I have 3 of them and now can guarantee I get my e-fix no matter what.

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 17 2014 3:08am

Racer_X wrote:
Offroader wrote: Yes, I have a thread out there. Its been giving me trouble for a while then the rubbing got really bad so I had to stop driving it.
Get a back up ebike, even if it is not a Qulbix. I have 3 of them and now can guarantee I get my e-fix no matter what.

Yeah, trust me I think of this all the time. I have to admit I am addicted.

The reason I don't build/buy another bike is I wouldn't want to drive any other bike other than my raptor. Until there is a better bike or something like a decent mid-drive bike I'm not interested in riding anything else.
I would never want to drive my previous bike which was a converted cross country bike, it just sits in my garage now, I also don't want to ever have to deal with a bicycle seat again.

What I plan to do is have a backup motor and controller. These are the two things that if they break takes a long time to replace or fix.

bikerloosey · Post by **bikerloosey** » Jul 17 2014 11:46am

My estimate is around 4000.00 Australian once I build the whole bike. Is that what others are finding? Trying to figure out best build. I know the cro motor but battery and controller I have questions. Fork and Brakes are easy...

Hyena · Post by **Hyena** » Jul 17 2014 4:36pm

I think that's a big underestimate unless you already have a high end bike you're not counting as part of the price that you can strip for parts. Or if you're going to build it with cheap shitty parts and a small lower powered battery, which would be a bit of a waste

marcn · Post by **marcn** » Jul 17 2014 4:39pm

I'd say we've spent much more but out of choice. Realistically a build can cost as low as 3-4k if a lot of the work is done yourself and parts are sourced from a downhill bike instead of being purchased separately.

Samd · Post by **Samd** » Jul 17 2014 5:18pm

E-Fuel wrote:I miss my bike!

Nice one e-fuel!

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 17 2014 5:20pm

bikerloosey wrote:My estimate is around 4000.00 Australian once I build the whole bike. Is that what others are finding? Trying to figure out best build. I know the cro motor but battery and controller I have questions. Fork and Brakes are easy...

Here is my build list and cost in USD. I don't know if your 4000 build price included the frame, as mine did.

My total build price was $5,678 USD. All parts are new, some parts were last years model at the time I bought them.

Torque Raptor Motorcycle Frame kit = $1,528
24 packs of hobby king Turnigy 6s 20C 5000 MAH = $43 x 24 = $1032
2013 Marzocchi 888 RC3 Evo V.2 Fork = $757
Shimano 640 zee rear brakes = $130
Shimano 640 zee front brakes = $130
Shimano XT RT-86 Rotor Front = $40
Shimano SM-RT66 Rotor Rear = $29
Truvativ Hussefelt Riserbar 40mm rise = $40
Dicta BMX Freewheel 16T 3/32" = $11
Shimano MX80 Pedals = $60
Shimano M645 Zee Crank, 165mm, 83mm, = $119
Truvativ Hussefelt Stem, = $24
Cromotor v3 = $595
FOX 2013 DHX RC4 10.5 x 3.5 = $340
Lyen 18 FET 4110 MARK II controller w/options = $250
DMR Convertable Front 20mm disk Hub 36h = $57
Cane Creek 40ZS44 Short Cover Headset = $43
MTX 39 Rim = $50
Duro Razorback 26" Tire = $28
Maxxis Schrader DH Tube 26"x2.5"-2.7" = $15
14/15 gauge spokes w/nipples front = $36
Prowheel 19x1.4-TTRBKR = $79
Bikemaster Tube 2.75/3.00 19 = $12
Shinko SR241 2.75-19 = $31
11/12 gauge sapim spokes w/nipples rear = $72
Cycle Analyst CA3-DP = $150
ODI Ruffian MX lock on grips = $20

Merlin · Post by **Merlin** » Jul 17 2014 6:24pm

can you tell me where i can buy the duro tyres?
is it the 3.0 x 26?

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 18 2014 4:50pm

My comparison of the 19"x1.4 prowheel vs the 17"x1.6 prowheel, which is sold exclusively by holmes hobbies as the MMP 17x1.6 which are drilled for perfect spoke angles.
Tires compared were the shinko 241 19x2.75 vs 17x3.00.

The 19" tire I was using has 765 miles on it and was reasonably worn down, but still had a good amount of tread left. I honestly think the 17x3.00 has a lot more meat on it than the 19x2.75 had on it when it was new. I can't remember though. Looking at pictures when my 19" was new it seems the 17" has much keeper knobs.

The 17x3.00 prowheel in my opinion is reasonably better than the 19"2.75. I say reasonably better because it isn't like a night a day difference, but it is better.

I adjusted the shock height on my raptor to give me around the same bottom bracket height. Maybe I lowered my bottom bracket height by a small amount (maybe .2" if anything) but it is hard to measure because you need to have the bike completely level.

I'm comparing my used worn 19" which still had a good amount of tread vs a brand new meaty 17", so this has to be factored in here.

First, the bike felt much more stable, especially with offroad riding, I could go down dirt roads in ruts and the bike would be perfectly stable, the 19" seemed to bounce around more. However, this could be because the 19" was more worn out.
I think because the 17x3.00 tire is much fatter than the 19x2.75 it also cushions the ride a lot more which makes for a much smoother ride. I also reduced the air pressure from 26PSI for the 19" to maybe around 23PSI for the 17", because you can get away with it on the fatter 17".

Now the big question, how much difference in power? This is what surprised me. I thought I would be pulled back in my seat with the smaller tire but it isn't that noticeable for the most part. I did notice more subtle things like when I first gave the bike throttle it lifted the front higher than I expected. I also noticed that climbing slow in hills that the front of the bike will come up faster than I expected.

The one thing that surprised me was that I have the steepest small hill climb that I swear seems like 80degrees. I remember climbing this with my 19" and I would barely be able to get the bike up this climb. I did this climb and towards the end it climbed it with such power that the front of the bike shot straight up into a wheelie and I pretty much controlled dropped the bike. Thinking about it more, there were other steep hills I did where I had to pedal a little to make sure I got to the top, this time I don't have to pedal at all.

My point, yeah it is more powerful, but don't expect to be thrown back in your seat going from a 19" to a 17". There is less noticeable difference when accelerating from 10MPH to 20MPH.

The bike also seems to turn more sharply going slow. I don't know if this is just me thinking this, will a smaller rear tire make the bike turn sharper?

Is it worth upgrading to a 17" over the 19"? In my opinion it is worth it. The handling feels all around better and you do get more climbing power. I did not notice any drawbacks using the smaller tire other than maybe slightly more resistance when coasting and not giving throttle. This could be because of the wider 1.6" rim and the fatter lower PSI of the tire. The PSI was only lowered by a few PSI as I kept the 19" low also.

It definitely gave me a lot more confidence with the 17". When slow maneuvering over obstacles, there was a really difficult root climb that I could never complete before, with this tire I was easily able to clear it. The extra torque when riding slower with the 17" probably makes it easier to handle the bike over obstacles.

The other big advantage is the 17x3.00" shinko tire is much more plush and makes for a more comfortable ride.

Raptor with 26" front and 17" in rear.

19" & 17" tire side by side. You can see there isn't really all that much difference.

19x1.4 prowheel and 17x1.6 Holmes MMP. You can see the size in the rims looks much more drastic than the tires. This is because the 3.00" shinko tire is really a fat tire.

1.6" wide rim vs the 1.4" wide rim.

Look at those spoke angles, no bending at the nipples as this is a custom drilled rim for hubmotors.

This is why I love the raptor, I lowered my shock one notch and kept the same bottom bracket height.

bikerloosey · Post by **bikerloosey** » Jul 18 2014 5:24pm

Yeah I forgot the frame cost. LOl. These raptors are making since. Really a good price compared to any other performance ebikes. How is reliability? Any suggestions in my build? Since you have done one?

Offroader wrote:
bikerloosey wrote:My estimate is around 4000.00 Australian once I build the whole bike. Is that what others are finding? Trying to figure out best build. I know the cro motor but battery and controller I have questions. Fork and Brakes are easy...
Here is my build list and cost in USD. I don't know if your 4000 build price included the frame, as mine did.

My total build price was $5,678 USD. All parts are new, some parts were last years model at the time I bought them.

Torque Raptor Motorcycle Frame kit = $1,528
24 packs of hobby king Turnigy 6s 20C 5000 MAH = $43 x 24 = $1032
2013 Marzocchi 888 RC3 Evo V.2 Fork = $757
Shimano 640 zee rear brakes = $130
Shimano 640 zee front brakes = $130
Shimano XT RT-86 Rotor Front = $40
Shimano SM-RT66 Rotor Rear = $29
Truvativ Hussefelt Riserbar 40mm rise = $40
Dicta BMX Freewheel 16T 3/32" = $11
Shimano MX80 Pedals = $60
Shimano M645 Zee Crank, 165mm, 83mm, = $119
Truvativ Hussefelt Stem, = $24
Cromotor v3 = $595
FOX 2013 DHX RC4 10.5 x 3.5 = $340
Lyen 18 FET 4110 MARK II controller w/options = $250
DMR Convertable Front 20mm disk Hub 36h = $57
Cane Creek 40ZS44 Short Cover Headset = $43
MTX 39 Rim = $50
Duro Razorback 26" Tire = $28
Maxxis Schrader DH Tube 26"x2.5"-2.7" = $15
14/15 gauge spokes w/nipples front = $36
Prowheel 19x1.4-TTRBKR = $79
Bikemaster Tube 2.75/3.00 19 = $12
Shinko SR241 2.75-19 = $31
11/12 gauge sapim spokes w/nipples rear = $72
Cycle Analyst CA3-DP = $150
ODI Ruffian MX lock on grips = $20

bikerloosey · Post by **bikerloosey** » Jul 18 2014 5:26pm

ebay...I was looking at some for cheap...In USA though...

Merlin wrote:can you tell me where i can buy the duro tyres?
is it the 3.0 x 26?

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 18 2014 5:26pm

I looked for an old picture when my 19" was brand new. The 17x3.00 shinko has a lot more tread on it then the 19x2.75. The knobs are much deeper and also feel softer. This must be a big reason why the bike handles a lot better.

You can't get a 241 in 19x3.00.

Shinko 17x3.00. much more meaty than the 19x2.75.

19x2.75

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 18 2014 5:29pm

bikerloosey wrote:ebay...I was looking at some for cheap...In USA though...

Merlin wrote:can you tell me where i can buy the duro tyres?
is it the 3.0 x 26?

You can't find the 26.x3.0 tire anywhere. I couldn't find it. The 26x2.6 is what I use and is all you really need.

The 24x3.0 is available, but not in 26".

Rodney64 · Post by **Rodney64** » Jul 18 2014 6:15pm

Thanks for the comparison Offroader between the 17 and 19. I'll be fitting these to my frame when it arrives. The Marzocchi 888 RC3 Evo forks look good too. I'm haven't decided on forks but I've previously had 888,s CR model. How do you like the RC3?

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 18 2014 6:30pm

Rodney, I haven't compared the fork to others but I can't see how a different fork can be better. It's perfectly smooth and handles everything with ease. I haven't even adjusted any of the settings yet because I found no reason to.

The reason I chose the Marzocchi 888 RC3 Evo v2, and I looked at a lot of different forks and did a ton of research. What I like about the Marzocchi 888 is that it is the best bang for your buck fork. It has a reasonably good high speed compression valve or damper (I forgot) for its price also.

The other reason I liked the 888 RC3 Evo v2 is that it has an oil bath, supposedly these are much more maintenance free than Fox forks or even the 888 CR model. Since Ebikes get a lot of use, much more than a downhill bike would get, I figured its better to go with this. I don't want to have to send my fork in for mandatory maintenance often.

I also question how much better those expensive downhill forks really are for an ebike. I think an ebike has a lot of other limiting factors, like that heavy hub motor in the rear.

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 18 2014 6:40pm

I drove my bike a 2nd time with the 17". Hands down it is much better than the 19". The thick knobby tire makes a huge difference. Stuff I would worry about hitting in the rear I just drive over it without barely feeling it. The tire also sticks to everything.

It has more acceleration, even at higher speeds, which makes the bike more fun to drive.

Overall, well worth it. There is a reason why dirtbikes use smaller fatter tires in the rear.

Mammalian04 · Post by **Mammalian04** » Jul 18 2014 6:48pm

Offroader wrote:I drove my bike a 2nd time with the 17". Hands down it is much better than the 19". The thick knobby tire makes a huge difference. Stuff I would worry about hitting in the rear I just drive over it without barely feeling it. The tire also sticks to everything.

It has more acceleration, even at higher speeds, which makes the bike more fun to drive.

Overall, well worth it. There is a reason why dirtbikes use smaller fatter tires in the rear.

Now we just need you and Rix to duke it out on which is better, his 18" or your 17"!!!

marcn · Post by **marcn** » Jul 18 2014 7:16pm

Thanks for the detailed comparison offloader. Quite interesting regarding the torque difference I really thought it'd be chalk and cheese.

Just a side note the 888 CR also use an open bath and is identical to the RC3 to maintain. Both forks are almost identical minus the few extra adjustments on the RC3 which makes it the better fork. I would've liked it but it doesn't come in black and the 380s are just too expensive.

Offroader · Post by **Offroader** » Jul 18 2014 8:20pm

I forgot what rix thinks is better the 17" or the 18". I know he said the 17" is hands down best for climbing which would be obvious as its smaller.

I think rix is running a 18x2.75, which is pretty close in diameter to my 17x3.00. Since Rix is running a 2.75" I'm going to say my 17x3.00 is the better tire since its fatter and has more meat to it.

Rix, what size 18" are you running? if you're running a 18x2.75, why did you not choose the 18x3.00?