Comfort Bike build or buy

I am contemplating building an ebike on something like the Momentum iNeed Street Mid Step ($400). Or buying something like the Biktrex Stunner or something similar. I have many hills here in Mt. Washington Valley and live at the top of one. If I build I was thinking of using the BBSHD as it is supposed to be an easier setup that the BBS02. I have also thought about hub drives but think the steep hills maybe too much for hub drives. I will be riding this on paved roads and commuting to work about 12-15 miles a day. I am not looking for speed I can ride one of my motorcycles for that. I do want the power to climb any hill. This is for the exercise while commuting and some recreational riding as well. I am age 55 5'10" 185 lbs. Looking for any recommended bikes or builds and the pros and cons of building over buying. I am a mechanically inclined techy who owns a machine shop. I do all the work on my motorcycles so I am not afraid of getting my hands dirty. I am trying to keep the total package below 2K if possible. If I buy a bike I figure it would cost a little more.

Sources for the build would be helpful. Things like, is the Grin CA3 the way to and will it work with the BBSHD? or is the best package from Luna? Is there a way to have like a rheostat to turn up power when needed?

Thanks
Keith

Todays powerful DD hubs can climb any mountain roads with ease and will be much more reliable than a mid-drive, plus give you the advantage of regen braking when going down the mountain. A MXUS 3000W 4505 at 72V will get you a top speed of ~35mph and ~20mph going up a 20% grade. You could climb any mountain road with it. See sig for more info. If you wanted more climbing power you could go with the 4506 at the cost of top speed.

You know I am on a few other forums and most are middrive bias. Yet I read Grim info and every time I go there I am like maybe I want hub drive instead.

keithd said:

You know I am on a few other forums and most are middrive bias. Yet I read Grim info and every time I go there I am like maybe I want hub drive instead.

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A mid drive bike is more like a bicycle. A direct drive hub motor bike is more like a scooter. A geared hub motor bike could go either way, depending on how fast it is and whether the pedal drive is set up harmoniously.

you must remember bicycle drivetrain - sprockets, cassette, chain
they wear out much I mean much faster than on DD hub motor.
plus on DD hub you can use regen braking - brake pads last tousends of kilometers in my case.

Which hub setup would be recommended for the Giant Momentum iNeed Street Mid Step ($400). Not looking for speed but a reasonable setup to get me to work and back and up some 10 - 18% grades.

Thanks

keithd said:

Which hub setup would be recommended for the Giant Momentum iNeed Street Mid Step ($400). Not looking for speed but a reasonable setup to get me to work and back and up some 10 - 18% grades.

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Because it seems like you're not deterred by the idea of preventive maintenance, and because you need strong climbing but not high speed, I suggest the Bafang BBS02 750W and BBSHD 1000W mid drives. By selecting the gear ratio you want, you choose your own torque/RPM allocation to match the situation. They are very easy to install. Drive component wear and tear are accelerated compared to pedal only use, but still very manageable.

The bike you specified uses a 7 speed freewheel rather than a cassette, which predisposes it to bending and breaking the rear axle even before high chain tension from motor power is applied. I would expect you to have some problems with it. The best preventive is to use a cassette rear wheel instead. That also makes it easy to get a wider gearing range-- 11-34 rather than 14-34.

I live in a really hilly area also and have built a few bikes so far. My most preferred is the bbshd, I can climb anything I want to at a slow enough speed to be comfortable. As long as you use the proper gear your good. I have a 9 speed but only use 3 5 7, the others are there but no real need. I call this bike pedal optional it has a 38t front ring so your going pretty slow if pedalling.

My 15ah 52v battery gets approx 50 km in a charge with not much pedal input.

With proper shifting a chain lasts 1200km or more, I haven’t gone far enough to change the cassette or chainwheel yet.

Most of my parts have come from Luna, I’m getting good service from them over a few years now.

Gonna sell off the hub bikes over the summer someone will like them.

You sound like you could build your own.

Thank you both for your knowledgeable input. I figured when the stock 7 speed wears out I could go Nuvinci or maybe an 8 speed internal. I am not 100% sure on the bike I like the style I want comfort but not a cruiser. I would like tires that are a bit fatter, built in rack is nice, fenders. Every bike I have found is a compromise. Of course, I would change brake pads on the rim brake bikes.

While a DD would work great, especially a high power one with motorcycle like performance, as you say, you got motorcyles for that.

I think your plan to build a mid drive is very sound. Start by picking a bike that fits you very comfortable, and since you plan to go mid drive, look for a cassette hub bike. Or plan on that upgrade later.

Just need to find the right bike, ride a few. The bikes of my preference are not carried at the local shops.

If you can find a bike with a decent triangle for the battery.

Even my small triangle has a 15 ah battery.