e-beach
10 MW
OK, here is a thought...
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/d/richmond-schwinn-frontier-21-speed-bike/6889390268.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/d/richmond-schwinn-frontier-21-speed-bike/6889390268.html
rootshell said:I guess it's going to come down to what best meets my requirements. I don't see myself going over 20mph (campus speed limit is 25mph and strictly enforced for all vehicles), so suspension is not a necessity right now. I've been steering away from new bikes due to the fact that steel frames are not as common as they once were. Do I really need a steel frame if my speeds are modest my distance is limited though?
neptronix said:6 foot 3, eh?
22" or larger is what you'll need.
wturber said:Given the prep work needed for powder coating, I'm not sure that the Mongoose frame warrants it. But then if your friends are that good of friends and willing to do it super-cheap, then why not? Or perhaps save that favor to use on a better frame?
PRW said:is the $700 for the bike, or the bike, motor, controller and battery?
You may need to travel a bit to get something decent.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik/d/santa-rosa-surly-karate-monkey-large/6898134435.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/bik/d/novato-santa-cruz-blur-xl-ritchey-wcs/6890246833.html
2old said:The Schwinn "Homegrown" (can't tell from the picture) was made by Yeti in CO AIR, and is a great frame. Considering it's your size, jump on it.
rootshell said:Well, I am not the proud owner of the Schwinn Frontier GS.
Now on to the electronics...
wturber said:rootshell said:Well, I am not the proud owner of the Schwinn Frontier GS.
Now on to the electronics...
"not" = "now"?
e-beach said:Steel frame?
e-beach said:OK, then an inexpensive Chinese generic hub motor will work. Spreading the rear dropouts if necessary is not a big issue.
Have you decided if a small motor would work for you, or are you going for a 48v or higher setup?
I am assuming that it has a non-suspension front fork.
Also, to post pictures you will need to keep the file size under 512k to post them here on ES.
Chalo said:Get that front brake off of there with a quickness. That's useless garbage.
It looks like the wheels (the front wheel for sure) are also garbage.
You got a decent and nicely tall frame at least. That's worth more than you paid, I think.
neptronix said:I wouldn't run those brakes on a 25mph bike. Unless you are using a rear DD and set up regen. Hopefully that kind of brake isn't on the back too.
rootshell said:I was going to go with a 36V/500W, but I think that a 48V/1000W would be more beneficial. The bike and I will weigh a lot together, plus the extra power I don't really have to use. I can always transfer it to another donor in the future as well.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/48V1000W-26-Front-Rear-Wheel-Electric-Bicycle-Motor-Kit-E-Bike-Conversion-Kit/291973640306?hash=item43fafc3072:m:mB-OMU8i-ySU3XbPDRth-dg
rootshell said:It does have a non suspension front fork. The brakes will need addressing as I don't have a lot of confidence in them as they currently stand. Maybe replace the front caliper with a V or disc. There's also areas of brown paint covering where the frame and parts must have been starting to rust. I'm leaning more and more towards a powder coating if I can get it done on the cheap or free from my contacts. It will also give me an opportunity to clean up the rest of the parts and inspect everything.
wturber said:I think this is the same seller I bought my kit from. Seriously consider getting the $210 kit with the LCD and PAS. This will give your system a lot of configuration flexibility since the LCD will let you set options in the controller. It will let you configure the bike to be a Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 (if that matters for you) and set up regen if the controller supports it. It also provides some other good info like speed, distance, and system voltage. And provides an interface for different PAS assist levels. It is easily worth the extra $50 IMO.
wturber said:The wheel on that kit will come with 12 gauge spokes and a Chinese "Champion" rim. That rim will have surfaces for rim brakes. My experience was that the rim started to crack at the spoke holes after about 5000 miles. Chalo will explain that this is because the spokes are too low of a gauge for a bicycle rim and that thinner spokes should be used. So you might want to consider having the wheel relaced straight away, or you could just run it until it gives you trouble and deal with it then. That's what I did. The combination of a very high quality wheel laced by a top notch "wheel guy" ended up costing me almost as much as the original kit. But I think you could get just a the $50-75 dollar range and maybe the Chinese "Champion" rim will be good enuf. After all, 5000 miles is more distance than most bikes ever see in their lifetime of use. That said, you are a heavier rider than I am (170 lbs). So your wheel may have higher stress.
wturber said:Get out the spreadsheet and start adding up costs. This is where the more expensive but fully functional bike can start to show advantages by not having to replace as many bits and pieces. This is also why it can be very hard to keep project costs at around $700. There are lots of little things that start to creep in. Things like chargers, new seat, chain, solder, connectors, wire wrap, sand paper, powder coating, blah blah blah ...
2old said:"V" or disc brakes on the front fork will require either studs("V") or a mount (disc) to be welded to the fork or a new fork. Also, disc brakes in the front mandate a new wheel. That wasn't the "homegrown" I thought it was, but the frame looks sturdy and fits you so that's a big plus. I purchased a kit from accerries (or whatever) 4+ years ago and it's worked fine @ 52V.
rootshell said:I did plan on purchasing the $210 version. However, the stock photo pic is identical to the AW version, which does not have regen. So I might have to research other options if that turns out to be the case. Don't want to have to swap out components in the kit, especially the controller.
rootshell said:Thanks for the heads-up, good information for the future as I decide what to upgrade later on. I'm going to run any kit as-is for now. If I were going to have it relaced, I would simply start out with a higher quality kit that doesn't suffer from this design issue if possible. Seems more cost effective.
rootshell said:The shop has agreed to powder coat the frame for me in exchange for some IT work. So I'll be dropping it off there tomorrow. All I need to decide on now is the color. I'm leaning towards red or green. I don't have a crank puller, so I may have to stop by the bike shop today and grab one.
rootshell said:The derailers are something I'm not versed in, so I'l probably need some help in that area in regards to any red flags.