Full Suspension Leaf Bike 1500W Build

[hillslayer@]

Side note:

I'm thinking about the wiring for my electronics, and I think I'm gonna have to change the connectors on the throttle, brake, and ignition wires.
View attachment 386213
Reminder what my controller connectors look like, I think they're called 2.8B connectors. They don't match the JST SM style that the CA, the brakes, and the throttle use. I think I'm gonna swap the necessary controller connectors to JST style so i can hook the CA, brakes, and throttle right in. Any thoughts or advice?

These connectors come on just about all the Chinese controllers they are easy to wire up to . I prefer the waterproof connectors like bafang uses but they are a pain to do a custom wiring job with.

 

[GoFastGus]

I just linked you to heavy duty wire that works. What you do with that is up to you.
You split the case open and use the wire, dude.
Wire like that is used in 440v machinery, pretty sure it'll take e-bike telephone voltage.

The issue isn’t the max voltage, it’s the max current. These are both rated to 30A, and that’s not nearly enough for me.

Tires seem kinda wide. I've been using those Walmart ones.
They're like..red and tan. "Blackburn" Heavy Duty tubes.

I just got a 26x3 Kenda/Sunlite Flame and a 26x3” Kenda tube. I’ll post them once I got it installed. Thanks for the rec though!

3" is kinda wide, you might need something else. Possibly underinflated 4" tubes if you can stuff them in there.

If 3” is too wide, how would 4” tubes help?

 

[GoFastGus]

I prefer the waterproof connectors like bafang uses but they are a pain to do a custom wiring job with.

I found these connectors on eBay, they claim to be waterproof. They could be another option, any thoughts?

 

[hillslayer@]

I found these connectors on eBay, they claim to be waterproof. They could be another option, any thoughts?

Never used but they look like they may be worth trying. I should eventually swap out to something like that instead of figuring out where the loose connection is on the cheap connectors that come on these controllers.

 

[E-HP]

If I can't shim it into place, I'll take it into the local bike shop and ask what they can do by adjusting the spokes. I need to learn how to build wheels eventually, so my next wheel I might just build in order to finally start the learning curve.

The wheel is already built. If it’s true, then you can do it yourself. All you need is a good spoke wrench (the spokes will be tight, so you want good fitting quality spoke wrench) and ruler, using your bike frame as the truing stand. Just go slowly. And you’ll feel more confident about lacing your own wheel in the future. When I was a kid, we would launch our stingrays off big dirt hills down by the river. We all had to learn how to adjust the warped rims enough to keep them from rubbing on the frame. Tighten one side, loosen the other.

If you ask ChatGPT using actual measurements for you hub diameter it can calculate pretty closely how many turns it will take, but after the below, I just asked about a large diameter hub motor, and it said around 3/4 of a turn. If you need to reddish more than about 1/4”, you’ll need new spokes.

Here’s what I asked ChatGPT (without mentioning the large diameter hub). It looked right, but saved me having to type lol.

Directions for redishing a 36 spoke bicycle rim by 1/8”
=================

Redishing a bicycle rim by 1/8" (about 3.2 mm) means shifting the rim slightly laterally so it is centered relative to the hub. This is usually done when the hub or frame spacing is slightly off or after wheel repairs. Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide:

Tools Needed
Truing stand (or the bike frame if necessary)
Spoke wrench (correct size for your nipples)
Marker or tape
Measuring caliper or ruler
Patience and steady hands

Step 1: Determine the Current Dish
Mount the wheel in a truing stand or on the bike.
Use a dishing tool or a ruler to check how far the rim is from being centered over the hub.
Note which side the rim needs to move toward (left or right).

Step 2: Prepare the Wheel
Identify the left and right spokes (typically the non-drive and drive side on rear wheels).
Decide how much lateral shift is needed. For 1/8” (~3.2 mm), the adjustment will be small, so each spoke moves only slightly.

Step 3: Adjust Spokes
To move the rim toward the right:
Tighten the right-side spokes a small amount (clockwise, ¼ turn at a time).
Loosen the left-side spokes by the same amount (counterclockwise).
To move the rim toward the left: do the opposite.
Tip: Make adjustments gradually. For a 36-spoke wheel, small incremental turns (¼ to ½ turn per spoke) are safer.

Step 4: Check and Repeat
After each round of adjustments, spin the wheel and check alignment in the truing stand.
Measure the dish with the tool after each adjustment to see how close you are to the 1/8” shift.
Alternate between tensioning spokes and checking lateral position until the rim is centered.

Step 5: True the Wheel
After the rim is properly dished, check for lateral trueness (side-to-side wobble) and radial trueness (roundness).
Make small fine adjustments to individual spokes as needed to ensure the wheel spins straight.

Step 6: Check Spoke Tension
Even after the rim is centered, make sure all spokes are evenly tensioned.
Uneven tension can lead to premature failure.

Pro Tip: For a 36-spoke wheel needing only 1/8" lateral shift, you may only need to adjust every 2–3 spokes slightly rather than all spokes, but spreading adjustments evenly can reduce stress on the rim and hub.

If you want, I can make a precise table showing how many turns per spoke for a 36-spoke wheel to achieve a 1/8" dish shift, so you don’t have to guess. This works well for small adjustments.
Do you want me to make that table?

 

[Apartunis]

They don't match the JST SM style that the CA, the brakes, and the throttle use.

Those are Sumitomo pattern plugs. The small blade ones are findable on eBay by searching for 2.8mm connectors, the larger ones are called 6.3mm connectors. They are cheap and easy to work with.

I use JST-SM or Sumitomo plugs depending on which is less work. I have a JST crimper but for Sumitomo I use my powerpoles crimper. Really cheap controllers usually use Sumitomo, so I sometimes stick with that so I can swap a controller without modifying it.

 

[99t4]

How do you tell the difference between push and pull spokes?

Also termed "leading" and "trailing" spokes.

When in doubt, refer to Sheldon Brown!

Wheelbuilding

A tutorial on how to choose parts for, build and true a spoked bicycle wheel

sheldonbrown.com

 

[DanGT86]

Push/pull are just names im using. Heard them called leading and trailing spokes.

If you look at most wheels half of the spokes lean clockwise and half of them lean counter clockwise. It's as if they are pulling or pushing the hub.

 

[GoFastGus]

The wheel is already built. If it’s true, then you can do it yourself. All you need is a good spoke wrench (the spokes will be tight, so you want good fitting quality spoke wrench) and ruler, using your bike frame as the truing stand. Just go slowly. And you’ll feel more confident about lacing your own wheel in the future. When I was a kid, we would launch our stingrays off big dirt hills down by the river. We all had to learn how to adjust the warped rims enough to keep them from rubbing on the frame. Tighten one side, loosen the other.

If you ask ChatGPT using actual measurements for you hub diameter it can calculate pretty closely how many turns it will take, but after the below, I just asked about a large diameter hub motor, and it said around 3/4 of a turn. If you need to reddish more than about 1/4”, you’ll need new spokes.

Here’s what I asked ChatGPT (without mentioning the large diameter hub). It looked right, but saved me having to type lol.

Directions for redishing a 36 spoke bicycle rim by 1/8”
=================

Redishing a bicycle rim by 1/8" (about 3.2 mm) means shifting the rim slightly laterally so it is centered relative to the hub. This is usually done when the hub or frame spacing is slightly off or after wheel repairs. Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide:

Tools Needed
Truing stand (or the bike frame if necessary)
Spoke wrench (correct size for your nipples)
Marker or tape
Measuring caliper or ruler
Patience and steady hands

Step 1: Determine the Current Dish
Mount the wheel in a truing stand or on the bike.
Use a dishing tool or a ruler to check how far the rim is from being centered over the hub.
Note which side the rim needs to move toward (left or right).

Step 2: Prepare the Wheel
Identify the left and right spokes (typically the non-drive and drive side on rear wheels).
Decide how much lateral shift is needed. For 1/8” (~3.2 mm), the adjustment will be small, so each spoke moves only slightly.

Step 3: Adjust Spokes
To move the rim toward the right:
Tighten the right-side spokes a small amount (clockwise, ¼ turn at a time).
Loosen the left-side spokes by the same amount (counterclockwise).
To move the rim toward the left: do the opposite.
Tip: Make adjustments gradually. For a 36-spoke wheel, small incremental turns (¼ to ½ turn per spoke) are safer.

Step 4: Check and Repeat
After each round of adjustments, spin the wheel and check alignment in the truing stand.
Measure the dish with the tool after each adjustment to see how close you are to the 1/8” shift.
Alternate between tensioning spokes and checking lateral position until the rim is centered.

Step 5: True the Wheel
After the rim is properly dished, check for lateral trueness (side-to-side wobble) and radial trueness (roundness).
Make small fine adjustments to individual spokes as needed to ensure the wheel spins straight.

Step 6: Check Spoke Tension
Even after the rim is centered, make sure all spokes are evenly tensioned.
Uneven tension can lead to premature failure.

Pro Tip: For a 36-spoke wheel needing only 1/8" lateral shift, you may only need to adjust every 2–3 spokes slightly rather than all spokes, but spreading adjustments evenly can reduce stress on the rim and hub.

If you want, I can make a precise table showing how many turns per spoke for a 36-spoke wheel to achieve a 1/8" dish shift, so you don’t have to guess. This works well for small adjustments.
Do you want me to make that table?

Thanks, I’ll give that a try!

 

[GoFastGus]

Also termed "leading" and "trailing" spokes.
When in doubt, refer to Sheldon Brown!

Always good advice!

Wheelbuilding

A tutorial on how to choose parts for, build and true a spoked bicycle wheel

sheldonbrown.com

 

[GoFastGus]

Update:

I ordered a Presta valve Kenda tire tube, but a Schrader tube arrived. I returned it and just got the correct tube today. Wheel and tire are now installed and mocked up on the bike. (Sunlite/Kenda Flame 26x3, Kenda 26x3-4" tube, 26" 47mm int. width rim). Also if this tire is directional, now would be a great time to tell me I put it on backwards.


The tire rubbed against the side of the suspension link at first, so after shimming it with a washer, the tire now barely doesn't touch.

Before I mocked up the wheel, I put finally Satorade in my motor. I had watched this video on how to disassemble a Leaf Bike hub motor

and I previously had hit the motor onto some styrofoam on my bed, which wasn't successful. It turns out that the reaction from the motor stopping after being slammed is what moves the plate off. I was worried about the axle piercing through the foam so I used 4 layers from the packaging, and it broke through the first 2-3.


Afterwards I moved the motor into the box, which I lined with more packaging material. I know ferrofluid stains everything, so if it spilled I wanted it to be contained to something disposable.

Note holes in the packaging from previous (unsuccessful) attempts to dislodge the motor plate. 5mL later and the wheel is reassembled and on the bike.

I double checked that the cheap torque arm I had fit because it was lying around, then I checked how my design was fitting up. My latest version needs one of the disc bolt holes moved ~2mm, but other than that it's a super close fit.


On the other side the fit is just about perfect; i just gave a couple corners a few passes with a nail clipper file and it fit perfectly. This is right about the limit of 3d printed test pieces, so I'll be making the real things out of metal soon. I still need to come up with where I'm going to drill holes to attach a bar which will be clamped onto the lower arm, but it really just needs to be parallel to the arm and far enough away from the axle nut. I'm almost certainly going to use grade 12.9 M6x1.0 bolts for this, just like I'll use to clamp the torque arms shut.


I also started cadding a hubsink for this motor. No disrespect to the folks at Hubsink, but I'm going to try my hand at making something myself for a membership fee I already pay before I pay $75 plus tax and shipping. It's gonna be really similar to the Hubsink design, made out of PETG plastic, and we'll see how well that works.

I finally got wire and connectors, so now I can repin most of my controller connectors to work with JST-SM connectors on the CA and most of my accessories. I also sketched out my harness schematic and loom using a site called harness forge. Here's a pic of what my loom will look like:


I've ordered my 3rd and 4th battery bags (still can't find one that fits), and they should get here in the next couple weeks.
I'm getting ready to rebuild my shock, I got the basic seal kit and I ordered Fox 10wt shock oil. A local motorcycle shop can refill my shock with Nitrogen, but I still need to figure out the price for that.
I ordered the wrong brake hose (Sram Code R calipers use a different hose than Code Bronze, and I should have known that), so now the right one should get here soon and i can assemble my brake kit.

I'm getting close to having this thing running and driving! It's always a great feeling to take a project for a first drive, and I'm excited for it.

 

[99t4]

if this tire is directional, now would be a great time to tell me I put it on backwards.

Usually there would be a marking on the sidewall like "Rotation =====>"

Personally, I think the directional feature of directional tires is overrated, have run them right and wrong direction in my rainy maritime environment and couldn't perceive any measurable difference.

I still need to come up with where I'm going to drill holes to attach a bar which will be clamped onto the lower arm, but it really just needs to be parallel to the arm and far enough away from the axle nut.

Maybe you don't need the bar extension? Any way to secure it to the dropout flange with a couple of screws? Like this?

It's gonna be really similar to the Hubsink design, made out of PETG plastic, and we'll see how well that works.

Better check the heat-shedding properties of your chosen material first. Plastic vs. aluminum?

 

[GoFastGus]

Usually there would be a marking on the sidewall like "Rotation =====>"

Personally, I think the directional feature of directional tires is overrated, have run them right and wrong direction in my rainy maritime environment and couldn't perceive any measurable difference.

That’s some good comfort, thanks!

Maybe you don't need the bar extension? Any way to secure it to the dropout flange with a couple of screws? Like this?
View attachment 386581

Good idea! That area of the frame is ~8mm thick aluminum, should I be worried about damaging the frame?

Better check the heat-shedding properties of your chosen material first. Plastic vs. aluminum?

Hubsink’s website mentions anodizing, so I think they’re made of aluminum. Making something like that on my end would be prohibitively expensive. I’m gonna look into plastic filaments that can take multiple heat cycles above 100°C, since that’s the data Hubsink shows on their website.

 

[scianiac]

Hubsink’s website mentions anodizing, so I think they’re made of aluminum. Making something like that on my end would be prohibitively expensive. I’m gonna look into plastic filaments that can take multiple heat cycles above 100°C, since that’s the data Hubsink shows on their website.

Wait do you mean entirely made from 3D print? Unless you are planning some type of fan arrangement any heatsink shaped device will decrease thermal transfer not increase it. It probably would be fairly easy to make something that worked reasonably well with no special tools, it may just be ugly. Honestly if you have a thermal sensor in the motor then don't bother until you know you need hubsinks.

 

[99t4]

Good idea! That area of the frame is ~8mm thick aluminum, should I be worried about damaging the frame?

Fab the piece so it fits super snugly in the dropout recess there (along my yellow line)...


so that it cannot rotate or move about. Then the screws are not really doing anything more than holding the TA flush to the side of the dropout flat surface, probably could get by with M5 or M6 screws threaded into the aluminum dropout itself, as long as you don't over torque them. The large rotational forces that the TA is going to be dealing with will be elegantly counteracted by the two (and a bit of that third bottom ledge) raised edges holding the TA from rotating.

That's actually a lucky frame choice that now happens to provide you with such TA-friendly dropout surfaces!

Others have done similar to good effect:

 

[GoFastGus]

Wait do you mean entirely made from 3D print?

I feel like I've gone off half-cocked. There's no plastic filament that's cheaper than buying a hubsink that can take numerous heat cycles above 100C that also has thermal conductivity within an order of magnitude of 6063 aluminum. Scratch my previous idea.

Unless you are planning some type of fan arrangement any heatsink shaped device will decrease thermal transfer not increase it.

Hubsink's original for sale post states that the centrifugal motion of a hub motor creates a low pressure zone which pulls in air, and adding ducting doesn't really help cooling.

It probably would be fairly easy to make something that worked reasonably well with no special tools, it may just be ugly.

The more DIY option that I found uses ~30-40 of these 19x19x24mm heat sinks attached to a motor with thermal paste, and held in place with jewelry string.

Honestly if you have a thermal sensor in the motor then don't bother until you know you need hubsinks.

I ordered my motor with one, but there isn't any plug for it in the cable. I need to look into how Leaf Bike thermistors work.

 

[GoFastGus]

Fab the piece so it fits super snugly in the dropout recess there (along my yellow line)...
View attachment 386602

so that it cannot rotate or move about. Then the screws are not really doing anything more than holding the TA flush to the side of the dropout flat surface, probably could get by with M5 or M6 screws threaded into the aluminum dropout itself, as long as you don't over torque them. The large rotational forces that the TA is going to be dealing with will be elegantly counteracted by the two (and a bit of that third bottom ledge) raised edges holding the TA from rotating.
That's actually a lucky frame choice that now happens to provide you with such TA-friendly dropout surfaces!

That's good to know! The design is close enough that I have to file the corners to be a perfect fit, and I can try to get the flat surfaces to be as close as possible too.

Others have done similar to good effect:

Does this design use steel square tubing attached onto the frame?

Thanks for the inspo pics!

 

[99t4]

Does this design use steel square tubing attached onto the frame?

Not sure I understand your question? That photo showed up on the first page of this informative thread:

torque arm picture thread

Cross-posting these two threads so a search will turn up both: "Found an awesome torque arm" (3 pages) https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11570 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Original thread died. Figured I'd help out and repost what I saved. Here is the album link...

endless-sphere.com

 

[GoFastGus]

Hey y'all, sorry to be away from this thread for so long, life stuff has had me busy, so I haven't had a lot of time to work on the bike in the last month.

For starters, I made torque arms for the bike. I used 1/8" thick galvanized steel, so the total contact patch between the axle and the torque arm is about 93% of the torque arm's cross-sectional area. Ideally I would have used mild steel since then I would be certain that the torque arm would give before the axle, but this works well.

This is the brake side, the torque arm will hold the axle in place using 2 M6x1.0 bolts threaded into the frame and the brake caliper bracket. I know these bolts are going to come under a lot of stress, so I know I need to figure out the right amount of preload to apply to these bolts so they don't shear.


You can see the outline of the freewheel side torque arm in the stock. The plan is to run a press insert designed to be used in aluminum through the derailleur hole in the frame, which would let me anchor the torque arm to the frame using an M6x1.0 steel bolt. Unfortunately, I missed the hole for the derailleur by about 3mm in this design so I need to re-cut this piece. However, it fits the frame perfectly after being filed to size.


The next thing worthy of note is my battery storage/mounting situation. I covered my battery in a few mm of foam (leftover from when I got my wheel) and now the whole setup barely fits. I can only fit the shock if i mount it upside down with the lever either facing forward in the rear hole or rearward in the front hole.


The rear cable guide on the top tube is cutting into the styrofoam, so it will meet its end via a saw or an angle grinder.


The rear suspension pivot link rubs against, but does not interfere with the battery.


A little blurry, but the foam is squished around the tubes and the battery is wedged as far forward as possible.


The fourth battery bag I got from Aliexpress doesn't fit my frame. This was the larger of two sizes and I probably should have ordered the smaller one. At this point, these are my options:

1. Re-measure the frame with the shock installed and the battery, then find an appropriately sized bag, then order it. This could just be a repeat of the last four tries though.
2. Cannibalize this bag to make something custom fitting my case. I would need to re-learn to sew since I haven't sewn anything since Boy Scouts. Learning to sew is an important life skill for me to re-learn, but this could easily end up costing me more time and money than option 1.
3. Wrap the foam-covered battery in heat shrinking plastic, then strap the battery to the frame. This could cost as much as or more than a new frame bag, and it would likely be a sketchier solution.
4. Make a hard case, which would mean replacing the foam covering the battery (edited).

As always, feel free to weigh in. Regardless of what option I decide, I need to make a bracket for the battery to rest against. My first inspiration is Neptronix's bracket on Super hiryuu (P1). I have access to a laser cutter, scrap metal, and lots of hardware, so this would cost me a minimal amount. I'll also have to plan around the top link of the suspension possibly interfering with the bracket.

Building my front brake system has been agonizing. The Bleedzone bleeding edge kit I got didn't work with my used Sram Code Bronze caliper, I'm in contact with Bleedzone about it. Most all of the o rings on both the banjo fitting side and the bleeding edge side have snagged on the caliper body and been damaged, meaning I had to (prematurely) buy the o ring service kit. At the moment, I can't bleed the system using the bleeding edge method, but as long as I can bleed it by filling from the top and squeezing the air out, I'll be ok. I also need to file down the front caliper bracket since it interferes with my 2.3mm thick rotor. I'm worried the pads might have trouble as well, since this caliper is meant for 2mm rotors to my knowledge.
I got my fox green shock fluid and my rebuild kit and I printed out the service manual, now i just need to take the time to rebuild the shock, then go get it repressurized. I'm nervous because I've never done this before, but there's a first time for everything. Any advice?
I gotta make some better brackets for my controller that don't interfere with the battery, so I'll be posting about that as well.
Once this is up and running, there will be a discussion about more armor, what kinds, and what level/from what brands.

As always, thanks for all the support and advice! I couldn't do it without y'all.

 

[scianiac]

As someone who sorta kinda understands sewing, it's totally worth it. Like having a sewing machine even if all you know is press pedal to make go is so useful. Also sewing machines like don't cost anything if you buy one used. Hand sewing sucks and modifying that bag may be annoying and require some hand sewing. I would go for trying to modify the bag, just like get a general idea and start and I think you'll know pretty quick if it's a good idea or not. Beyond that idk, I solve all my weird battery mounting problems with copious amounts of 3D printing and strapage.

 

[bananu7]

Make a hard case, which would mean replacing the battery

Why would a soft bag fit, but not a thin-walled hard case?

 

[E-HP]

Why would a soft bag fit, but not a thin-walled hard case?

Yup, I think a hard case would be best in this situation. These Bicycle Motorworks packs are built with some pretty impressive rubber shrink wrap, and don't really need any padding. But, the majority of the pack weight in this situation is resting on the center of the bottom row of cells in the pack, against a very small area of the frame downtube.
On my initial case build, I used a 1/8" aluminum plate to provide the flat surface for the pack to rest on on the base of the case, and 3/16" ABS for the case itself. ABS is super easy to work with and shape with a heat gun. My final variation of the case won't use the plate, since the ABS is stiff enough to provide the support, and I plan to reshape the case to streamline it more, but that can wait for another day. Since the ABS sheets are so cheap, I got enough for a couple iterations. I had them do the longer cuts for the case perimeter, but cut the side panels using a plastic cutting jigsaw blade.

 

[GoFastGus]

As someone who sorta kinda understands sewing, it's totally worth it. Like having a sewing machine even if all you know is press pedal to make go is so useful. Also sewing machines like don't cost anything if you buy one used. Hand sewing sucks and modifying that bag may be annoying and require some hand sewing. I would go for trying to modify the bag, just like get a general idea and start and I think you'll know pretty quick if it's a good idea or not. Beyond that idk, I solve all my weird battery mounting problems with copious amounts of 3D printing and strapage.

I have a few friends & relatives who are more into sewing, so I'll ask their advice about how doable of a project this is. My current plan would be cut the side panels to size, keep the grommet for the wires roughly in place, then wrap the wall around until it completely connects the two sides. That might be doable, we'll see. Otherwise, I'll probably make my own soft-sided bag.

 

[GoFastGus]

Why would a soft bag fit, but not a thin-walled hard case?

Sorry, typo. I'd have to replace the foam with a thinner layer of foam and design the hard case to clear the top and down tubes. At the moment, the foam squishes around the top and down tubes, so I don't have a lot of hope that a thin-walled hard case plus a layer of padding will clear the tubes.

 

[GoFastGus]

Yup, I think a hard case would be best in this situation. These Bicycle Motorworks packs are built with some pretty impressive rubber shrink wrap, and don't really need any padding.

That's comforting to know, I'll keep padding to a minimum then.

But, the majority of the pack weight in this situation is resting on the center of the bottom row of cells in the pack, against a very small area of the frame downtube.
On my initial case build, I used a 1/8" aluminum plate to provide the flat surface for the pack to rest on on the base of the case, and 3/16" ABS for the case itself.

That's a good idea! I might end up attaching an aluminum sheet to the bottle brackets so I can easily mount the controller under the frame and give the battery more area to rest on. Between that and a bracket to keep the battery clear of the shock, I'd feel confident about the battery having enough area to rest on.

ABS is super easy to work with and shape with a heat gun. My final variation of the case won't use the plate, since the ABS is stiff enough to provide the support, and I plan to reshape the case to streamline it more, but that can wait for another day. Since the ABS sheets are so cheap, I got enough for a couple iterations. I had them do the longer cuts for the case perimeter, but cut the side panels using a plastic cutting jigsaw blade.

A few mm of ABS plastic surrounding the battery sounds doable, plus it would let me integrate a lock into the case. I'll look into how much time and money that will take as opposed to these other options. Thanks!