Hello fellow cyclists,
I would like to build my own e-bike from various parts but the google up the mountain quickly threw monkey wrenches my way. Sourcing a frame turned out to be a formidable stumble block. My current setup is a very sturdy Lynskey Backroad touring frankenbike with a BBS02. The wide q have messed up my knees badly. Having entered the old age of constant complaining I would also like a comfort upgrade.
My dreams go thus:
I looked at the Watt Wagons Helios frame but didn't fancy the long front fork length and M620. Who needs 160 mm of swampy front suspension travel on their way to work, all while sporting a hard ass tail? Browsing the usual suspects of chinese manufacturers e.g. Dengfu, Light-carbon etc I found nothing but an endless parade of almost identical MTB frames. The Taiwanese factories I recently spent my late evenings oogling were only interested in selling to OEMs and OBMs; reminded me of my youth, ouch. The European providers of fitting frames, like Messingschlager, only deals with resellers and wouldn't touch my money with a 580 mm downhill fork.
Now that I've framed the problem and steered you into my wheelhouse: what the fork would you have me do? Any advice greatly appreciated!
I would like to build my own e-bike from various parts but the google up the mountain quickly threw monkey wrenches my way. Sourcing a frame turned out to be a formidable stumble block. My current setup is a very sturdy Lynskey Backroad touring frankenbike with a BBS02. The wide q have messed up my knees badly. Having entered the old age of constant complaining I would also like a comfort upgrade.
My dreams go thus:
- Mid drive - almost any brand will do (preferably Yamaha due to reliability, I also like Brose due to top characteristics and low noise). They are all on ebay, should be fine, no? Or do I need to resort to a heavy and noisy Innotrace Ultra G510?
- Belt drive compatible.
- Front geometry fitting around 50-80 mm travel forks - I guess somewhere in the neighbourhood of 450 mm axle-to-crown. (A full suspension frame would also be ok and I understand this would mean more travel.)
- Commuter specs with fender mounts etc.
- Must be able to handle at least 25 kg on the rack and some in the front without going twitchy and noodly at high speeds.
- Much prefer an integrated battery.
- Reasonably long wheelbase (1120+ for sizes fitting a 175 cm tall cyclist) without toe-wheel overlap.
I looked at the Watt Wagons Helios frame but didn't fancy the long front fork length and M620. Who needs 160 mm of swampy front suspension travel on their way to work, all while sporting a hard ass tail? Browsing the usual suspects of chinese manufacturers e.g. Dengfu, Light-carbon etc I found nothing but an endless parade of almost identical MTB frames. The Taiwanese factories I recently spent my late evenings oogling were only interested in selling to OEMs and OBMs; reminded me of my youth, ouch. The European providers of fitting frames, like Messingschlager, only deals with resellers and wouldn't touch my money with a 580 mm downhill fork.
Now that I've framed the problem and steered you into my wheelhouse: what the fork would you have me do? Any advice greatly appreciated!