Worth it to get a “premium” FS bike for ebike build?

jsmay311

10 mW
Joined
Sep 19, 2008
Messages
24
Hi All. Looking for some opinions....

I'm planning to do a new ebike build with a a BBSHD kit and a (not-yet-chosen) full-suspension bike, and I'm wondering if it'd be worth the extra money to buy a "nice"/”premium” bike with nice suspension components and brakes for maybe $1000-$2000 vs a $200-$400 bike with cheaper components?

I'm not on a tight budget, but I also don't like wasting money. 98-99% of my riding is on paved surfaces or hard-packed limestone paths. No hardcore off-roading for me. I mostly like having full suspension for smoothing out bumps in the road/trail, and for the occasional light off-roading. I do definitely appreciate having a smooth ride.

I plan to ride this new ebike for quite a few years (5+) and put 1000+ miles on it. Most of my riding would be at speeds around 23-25mph with a decent amount of pedaling involved, but I would also occasionally want to push it up into the 30's mph. I probably wouldn't exceed 40mph though.

My current ebike is a ~$300 Columba 26" folding full-suspension bike (with a DD hub motor) with cheap suspension components and v-brakes. I don't have any particular complaints about how it handles or brakes, but since I've never ridden a bike with "premium" components, I wonder if it might just be that I don't know what I'm missing.

So... what do you think? Would another $200-$400 full-suspension bike would suit me just fine for my use-case? Or would jumping up into a $1000-$2000 range would be worth the extra cost?

Thanks in advance! :)
 
What many of us are doing, is building on a high end used bike. I usually spend 1000-2000$ for a used bike that is worth 5000-6000$ new. Those are good especially for a fast and powerful bike, even more so if it will be riding some off road.

If you are building a low power pedelec to ride the street, you might prefer spending this money on a new bike. Big brakes and DH suspension components are not necessary on a slow bike.
 
If you are switching to BBSHD, you might want to pay a little more for good brakes, as you are losing the regen braking of a DD hub.

Are you anticipating hills? Curious about your motor choice. Mid 30s is as much as I think you can expect

I'll second the used bike recommendation.

Good luck
 
tln said:
Are you anticipating hills? Curious about your motor choice. Mid 30s is as much as I think you can expect

No, pretty flat round these parts.

After a bit more reading, you've got me thinking those BBSHD videos by "Bruno" got me expecting a higher top speed than it can actually deliver.

I guess I'm still a bit torn/undecided between hub and mid-drive, especially since I've never owned or ridden a mid-drive. But from what I've gleaned reading online, the benefits of the BBSXX with its clean install / no separate controller / all-in-one wiring harness, better weight location, easier servicing of tires, no torque arm, etc., all sound enticing compared to a hub motor + external controller + 6-7 different things to plug into the controller.

On the other hand, the reliability and silence of a hub motor are big pluses too. And regen braking, but I don't think I'd miss that too much.
 
Regen is not the major reason to build with a hub. I use it once or twice a week, and I can ride as much as 500 km in a nice season week. For me, regen is emergency braking on slippery surface. I have 1000$ brakes and they are much better than regen in most situations.

Simplicity is the main reason, for simplicity does translate in reliability. The next reason is power/speed overall performance, where driving the chain is very limited unless it is a motorcycle drive train.

You want good reasons to build a BB drive ?
1- You don't want a fast bike and like like to use the gears.
2- You want to retain at best, the bicycle feel and handling.
3- You are into slow technical trail climbing, or very rough terrain.
4- You like to jump, bunny hop, and other agility fun riding.
5- You like mechanics, take as much fun tempering and tuning, as riding.

If you can answer yes to one of those conditions, you will like a mid drive.
If you can answer yes to many of them, you NEED a mid drive.

Now, the reasons to build with a hub.

1- You are riding fast and hard
2- You are doing a lot of mileage
3- You are commuting to work in all weather conditions
4- You don't like shifting gears
5- You don't like mechanics and want to limit maintenance to a minimum.

If you can answer yes to one of those questions, you will like a hub build.
If you can answer yes to more than one, you will hate a mid drive.
 
My Hard Tail MTB Bike before the conversion cost $ 600
( just the bike before any better parts or electronic parts , now over $ 2,500 total into the bike )
the first thing I took off it was the brakes,
I put on nearly $ 300 worth of Shimano Deore Brakes with Shimano Disc Rotors, including the Bleed Kit and Shimano Mineral Oil.

The Brakes alone , cost half of what the whole bike stock, cost. And I am glad every time I ride it that I did spend so much on good brakes. even going down hills at 30 -35 mph they work excellent.

You live in a Flat area ? and want speed ? My option would be Powerful Rear Hub.

I am wanting a Mid-Drive in the future , Only, because I want to climb mountains with slopes of 4% up to 15 % or more , with 1,000-2,000 feet of altitude ascent or more each ride.
 
Awesome analogy. I am slowing down. Sometimes ;) I would like to try a midrive . Mostly for the handling/ride. And from an electricians perspective keeping the motor in it's happy place / rpm. Plus I am a tinkerer.

"IF" buying on a budget what bikes do you consider decent if changing stuff like forks/shocks eventually.

Don't want to hijack this.. PS. No decent used bikes in Wichita.. Really flat here :)

Ok take that back. Like this. https://wichita.craigslist.org/bik/6021623553.html
 
torker said:
Awesome analogy. I am slowing down. Sometimes ;) I would like to try a midrive . Mostly for the handling/ride. And from an electricians perspective keeping the motor in it's happy place / rpm. Plus I am a tinkerer.

"IF" buying on a budget what bikes do you consider decent if changing stuff like forks/shocks eventually.

Don't want to hijack this.. PS. No decent used bikes in Wichita.. Really flat here :)
I am in Canada and bought one of my DH bikes in Texas, new old stock in a bike shop. It was advertized on Pinkbike, a brand new DH racing bike 5 yrs old. I paid via Paypal and got it shipped Fedex to Montreal. The deal was very good and the frame garanteed lifetime by the manufacturer.

Another one used, 2 yr old that had never raced, in the state of New York. It had been purchased new in Italy, then the original owner moved to USA for his work.

You can find the bike that you need, almost anywhere. You just need to count the currency rate, the shipping cost, and deal that you can have for the bike value.

Buying a complete DH racing bike in perfect condition, is giving you a complete set of high end components and a stiff frame that can handle high speed very safe. If you have a frame already that you want to build, buying top quality used components will cost about as much as a complete DH bike, unless you buy them in bad condition and rebuild them yourself.
 
Go to pinkbike.com and look in the forsale section. Lots of great deals west and north of you. Some close enough to drive to.

Many great Giant bikes with room for batteries in the frame or get a back pack and any bike is great. Stay away from the 100mm bottom bracket bikes to keep the mid drive cost down.

MadRhino, great advise!

Tom
 
Here is another research tool.

https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bid/6056936853.html

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bid/6057527712.html

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bid/6045218725.html



They sell used bikes as well, there are many listings for good used Bikes in the San Francisco Craigslist.
Look for / type in North San Jose you will see adds for many bikes from that place. Good Newer Bikes.
( I know that they have a former Bike Mechanic that now works for bicyclebluebook ) so if they do sell you a used bike you will get a mechanically sound bike ) .
 
The one I found. It is old 2005 . Are the Manitou shocks ok. No place for batteries but is this an ok deal? I am sure it rides better than any bike I have had. I would like something plush for my old bones.

Hopefully my questions can help the op of this thread also :)
 
Servicing the old Manitou fork would be too much $ , better to get a better/newer fork and bike.

Look at the links I provided above, those Giant Bikes are / have good components , as well as the S.C. Superlight .


torker said:
The one I found. It is old 2005 . Are the Manitou shocks ok. No place for batteries but is this an ok deal? I am sure it rides better than any bike I have had. I would like something plush for my old bones.

Hopefully my questions can help the op of this thread also :)
 
torker said:
The one I found. It is old 2005 . Are the Manitou shocks ok. No place for batteries but is this an ok deal? I am sure it rides better than any bike I have had. I would like something plush for my old bones.

Hopefully my questions can help the op of this thread also :)
Not enough info.
Bike brand and model, size, list of components... for what price?
How fast you plan to build?
No space for batteries... how much batteries you need?
Manitou fork good? Model, year, condition
 
MadRhino said:
torker said:
The one I found. It is old 2005 . Are the Manitou shocks ok. No place for batteries but is this an ok deal? I am sure it rides better than any bike I have had. I would like something plush for my old bones.

Hopefully my questions can help the op of this thread also :)
Not enough info.
Bike brand and model, size, list of components... for what price?
How fast you plan to build?
No space for batteries... how much batteries you need?
Manitou fork good? Model, year, condition

This one. The guy lists everything. https://wichita.craigslist.org/bik/6021623553.html
 
Nope. I would not buy that.

One example I would buy:

https://m.pinkbike.com/buysell/2146722/

The fork is average, yet much better than the one in your link.
All the other components are top quality.
The frame is exceptionally stiff and robust, with motorcycle type swingarm.

It is 525$ in USD
The guy does not want to ship but here is what to do about it:
Tell him you are willing to pay his local bike shop to pack and ship. You only have to get the seller to ride his bike to the bike shop, and accept payment via Paypal. Bike shops know how to pack a bike for standard shipping, and likely have a shipping account with one of the major parcel companies. Plus, you can communicate with the bike shop and ask for inspection ( not important though for a bike this cheap).

This is what I would do, and did many times with success. :wink:
 
If I decided to go with a nice bike with disc brakes (either mechanical or hydraulic) but I stick with a disc-brake-compatible hub motor (such as a Crystalyte H3540), is there anything in particular I'd need to watch out for to make sure it would work with a given bike?

Having never done a build with disc brakes, I'd be worried about running into compatibility problems. I've had a surprisingly hard time finding info about this online.


Also, regarding bike selection, I am keeping a close watch on Craigslist, and I'll also take a look at that PInkbike site.
 
Today, most hub motors are disc brake compatible. What is important is the bike dropout width, and the ease to attach torque plates. Then you can also consider the ease to fit batteries, and the max tire width that the frame does clear. If you buy a used bike, consider its new value and the quality of the components before judging of a deal. It is always better to have an older bike with a good set of components, than a recent frame poorly equipped. The best deals are often on expansive bikes that are obsolete because the model have changed a lot. MTB riders like to ride the recent bikes, and value very low an older bike that weights 2 or 3 pounds more. To build an ebike, a robust frame has a great advantage, especially if you plan to ride hard, because the extra weight of motorization.
 
If you don't have any complaints about the bike you have, why are you building another one? If you spend a whole lot on it and it's no big deal when it's done, you WILL have complaints, right?

Someone will tell you disc brakes are good, someone else won't like them. If you're just fielding opinions, oh, you'll get them, but it may not get you anywhere. If you're going to spend a lot of money on parts, I'd say you do want to be sure the bike they go on is worth it, but I think it's all diminishing returns---Spending a lot isn't going to get you that much more.
 
I know I'll get slammed for this, but imo, it' just a waste of money spending more than $150 for a bike to put a motor on. I'm not on a budget either, but I'm not someone that needs to brag about how much my bike cost. I've gone through about 8 bikes looking for the best one to put a motor on, and the best one I've found so far is now $79 new at Walmart.
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=80172
Want to spend more? Do it on upgrades to the bike. This is a solid frame. Which is the only thing that can't be replaced.
 
Sorry, but I disagree with that offering in many ways. First off it has nothing that the thread starter wanted which was full suspension and disk brakes. I'll keep the rest to my self.

Tom
 
Thanks Rhino and all. This is the best place to ask this stuff.. I knew Manitou was not the best but I will run what ever I buy past you all here Thanks
 
A lot of what makes a bike expensive is to make a bike strong and light. Weigh doesn’t make a lot of difference with an ebike unless it is lightly powered. That said, I like nice components, but most of the name brand stuff is pretty good at any level. I would avoid big box stuff, as its not really that durable and can need a lot of adjustment to keep it running right. There are some humorous videos of people mountain biking on big box store bikes – let’s just say the bike didn’t do so well.

But, unless you are doing 50% of the power input yourself (like I do), a light weight frame and components are not going to get you very far.

Also – I’m not too interested in a 60+ lb bike, but I have had a ball with my 29lb road and 34lb mountain bikes (weigh includes battery). Light can be a lot of fun if you are not looking for the moped experience.
 
My dd in 20 inch does great for now. But it is heavy. I am looking for better cg and handling/comfort ride. I remember in the early 80s riding a old dirtbike and riding someones new race bike. It would feel soft but ride awesome.
 
There will always be opposite opinions about this. Some are riding for the pleasure of performance and sport, and want to build the best bike they can. Some are riding for leisure or commuting, and want to build as cheap as they can. Of course, it is not all black or white, but generally those who are building for sport are trying to achieve the best ride, and after building a few bikes they are using quality components and good frames. On the opposite, there are some who compete into finding and building the cheapest, and after building a few bikes they have found among the cheapest crap, the elements that are fit to build with.

Then the sport riders say those are crazy to build a fast bike with crap, and answered they are crazy to spend a lot of money to build a bike.
 
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