My Electra Cruiser project

P

psychonurse

10 W
Joined
Feb 3, 2013
Messages
94
Location
Northridge California
Hi guys, wondering if anyone had converted this bike to electric. Specifically front hub conversion. Have opportunity to pick one up but not sure if front fork is steel or aluminum. Any input appreciated. Thanks Mike
 
I've got a Townie 7D with a front Crystalyte 406 on it. The fork is magnetic <steel>. The rest of the frame is nice light weight aluminum. The bike looks like a tank, in black, but is actually quite light. It moves along nice with the high speed c 406 on a 48V Headway pack. Good balance. I've got Fat Frank tires on mine which are perhaps a bit slippery in wet conditions. I've got the battery on a back rack. Pretty strait-forward conversion. The gearing as supplied could be a bit higher, but I am able to keep up with a fairly quick cadence, around 25mph.
 
Near perfect choice for a front hub.
 
I paid 400 Cdn for mine, in like-new condition, with the Fat Franks on it which was a bonus...they are supremely comfortable tires, good on an unsuspended ebike. I had to add fenders. Had a rack. I used two torque arms (eyelet type from ebikes.ca).
 
Hi, well I'm happy to report i won the auction and am now proud owner of an electra cruiser. Paid $124 for it which I think was a great price. Would love to see some pictures of your conversion to give me some ideas. Thanks. /Users/annshadler/Desktop/IMG_0288.JPG
 
I'm thinking these would make a pretty good longtail conversion with a Xtracycle frame extension, the lower frame in front of the seat makign it easy to hop on and off with kids seated on the rear skate deck...
 
Wondering how bad the ride will be with a front hub motor. My last ride was a Diamond Back with suspension forks and you did not want to hit a bump in the road or a raised sidewalk. The electra doesn't have any suspension fork at all. Can you buy a upgraded fork that would soften the blow a bit. ?
 
Hi Guys, after doing some research I have come to the conclusion that a lightweight geared hub is the way to go for my second build. My first bike was an ampedbike front hub. The bike weighed about 80lbs and with my bad back not easy to lift on the bike rack on my car. I really like the idea of free wheeling when not using the battery. Can anyone guide me to the least expensive vendor to purchase a kit. The least expensive MAC kit I have found was around $800! Any suggestions appreciated.
 
I thought a mac weighed close to the same as a 28mm dd motor such as the amped one. Might be a tad lighter, so your new bike will weigh 78 pounds. Not scoffing the motor, just saying it's not a flyweight motor like a 200w type. And even those weigh a bit, full of copper as they are.

A different rack could help, do you have a wheel hold rack or a hanger type? I found the swagman hitch rack easy, I can put bikes on mine one tire at a time, lifting only half the weight at a time.
 
I'm going to estimate that the MAC can handle about 25% more watts than the Bafang-BPM, based on the wider stator/wider magnets/and greater copper fill. So...if you are set on a front geared hubmotor, my recommendation is the Bafang BPM, which costs less than the MAC/BMC.

When it comes to a rear geared hub motor, both the BMC and MAC are quality products that have performed well for many builders.
 
Hi guys, I was on www.em3ev.com site to order my MAC electric bike kit for my 26" electra beach cruiser.No disc brakes. I can put the kit together but have no clue which components to choose. If you go on the site and click on the 500/1000w Pick"n"mix kit. They have several options they ask you to choose. 1. controller type, 2.Wheel type 3.Motor speed. I want a front hub motor, one of the choices was 8T for motor speed. I had heard that might be a good choice? I plan to use either a 36v or 48v lithium battery. I don't mind spending for the better controller if neccessary. Would appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
 
I love my MACs.

If you are going to run 36 or 48v then you don't need the upgraded fets. I would buy the 9 or 12 ft controller. If me 12 fet.

I have 3 8t love em. I think you would love a 10t, they are fast with good torque and use less GAS.

Rim is similar to what is on the bike. Alex DM 19 or 24 depending on the width you have now. A wider rim will take a wider tire. You need the CNC version.

Throttle is up to you. if you have twist shifters you need a thumb, triggers a halftwist. When ordering it order a spare or two. the weakest piece in the kit all kits.
No shifters, I would go half twist or get one of each to see what you want. There cheap

FRONT hub needs torque arms especialy with a geared hub, Lost of bottom end power.

Is the fork steel or alloy? Does it have lawyer lips on the droputs? You will need some C washers.

Paul does a great battery too.

Dan
 
What do you want the top speed to be and do you have hills to climb.
For reference the 10T has good torque and does about 42Kph on 50V (26" wheel). The 8T will be faster
The information on the upgrade kit is applicable to both in most places
http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=36&product_id=138
It gives the expected speeds and recommended controllers etc.
 
Hi Dan, thanks so much for giving me that input. Extremely helpful for me. I would like to use the existing tires that are on the bike so how do I know what size rim to order? Yes, before I bought the bike I made sure the fork was steel. Not sure exactly what type of dropouts but will check tommorow. Do you know what the difference in feel or performance using a 8T motor v.s. 10T?
 
Do you plan to pedal along? If so, a beach cruiser may not be geared for the speed of an 8t on 48v. But an 8t on 48v will be a blast to ride not pedaling.

If you will do lots of starts and stops, then a 10t would do that on less wh/mi.

Regular 26" rim should fit a cruiser tire good enough.

What controller may depend on how much you plan to spend on a battery. The lower amps one will still get you going ok, and may allow buying a cheaper grade of battery.
 
Yes, I have lots of stops and starts. I currently have 36v 12A.H. battery. Would like get a controller that will allow me to upgrade to a 48v 12A.H. down the line. I like having more low end torque. Not really interested in going real fast. If the bike can get to a top speed of 25mph that would be sufficient for me. Especially since the bike doesn't have disk brakes. Thanks again for all the help.
 
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