Looking for Help Getting Started on DIY eBike Conversion

[bananu7]

FYI, discontinued:

Xiaomi M365 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The original, maybe; Xiaomi has the 5th generation up on their website now.

 

[bananu7]

I agree, i used to be a small wheel enjoyer due to the amazing DD power until the NVH turned me off. I realized dual suspension is the only way to make small wheels work and they will always have higher friction than tall wheels.. so in the last couple years i got turned into a geared hub motor / mid drive enjoyer since these options both work well with tall wheels.

Ironically once the terrain gets really rough (not potholes rough, offroad-rough) suspension is not an option and becomes a necessity, and at a certain point you need to start making the wheels smaller again to allow for more movement. At that point it's really not about comfort, it's about whether you can land from a meter or two of vertical drop without the frame snapping. I believe that's one of the reasons why DH bikes still often use smaller wheels.

That being sad, for a normie commuter/tourer, a well-setup, fully suspended 20" should still offer much better ride quality than a hardtail 29" with some cheap fork, in terms of perceived harshness, bumps and vibrations. It just so happens it's really hard to setup a 20" well, and it's much cheaper to just put the bigger wheels on.

 

[classicalgas]

I've ridden over "babyheads" (grapefruit sized rounded rocks covering the "trail" ) at a fast running speed on 26" wheels, with only three inches of suspension travel at each end (90's vintage mountain bike)

A scooter will trip over a rock the size of a walnut, instant endo.

 

[neptronix]

I have 2 friends who have serious long lasting shoulder and elbow damage from crashing these crappy small wheel vehicles at maybe 15mph on the most innocuous of things.

..and yes i did warn both about how unsafe these vehicles are.

That being sad, for a normie commuter/tourer, a well-setup, fully suspended 20" should still offer much better ride quality than a hardtail 29" with some cheap fork, in terms of perceived harshness, bumps and vibrations. It just so happens it's really hard to setup a 20" well, and it's much cheaper to just put the bigger wheels on.

I have close to the most expensive suspension that can be fit to a dual suspension bike with 20" wheels and the ride quality is still poor the area i live in with poor road quality.
Conversely i have a hardtail 29er with an entry level suspension seatpost and front spring fork and it is way smoother.

Diameter goes a long way to improving NVH, safety, and also reducing rolling resistance. Go as big as you can!