Loving the ebike life but wishing for a full suspension bike...

[wturber]

3) No Vehicle Repairs

You must have a very different sort of ebike than I do!

Agreed. Though the cost of ebike repairs is generally relatively low.

I'd also add that parking is no picnic given that you don't have insurance and theft is a very real concern that you can only do so much about.

Also fuel costs aren't really gone, they are just lower. And if you are like me and actually pedal substantially, added fuel costs for food are way more than the electricity you'd buy.

And further, I can't yet justify getting rid of my car and insurance. But I'm thinking seriously about the Uber option for when the ebike isn't practical.

 

[Chalo]

And if you are like me and actually pedal substantially, added fuel costs for food are way more than the electricity you'd buy.

Much cheaper than medical care for the symptoms of sedentary lifestyle.

 

[wturber]

And if you are like me and actually pedal substantially, added fuel costs for food are way more than the electricity you'd buy.

Much cheaper than medical care for the symptoms of sedentary lifestyle.

For sure. Not to mention the pleasure I get each day from riding. Quality of life is probably what I like most about the "ebike life."

(And the fitness isn't hurting my table tennis game either.) :^)

 

[dogman dan]

He must mean repairs you have to pay a days pay an hour for. On the car. Shit harder to do than replace CV's, or change the oil.

The biggest negative is the flats. One thing I did was stop using Walmart or other box store tubes. In my area, one shop carries the best tubes, which still have the occasional defect one. But less than slime brand or bell by a long shot.

Get the thick one, and then back it up with slime or stans. The thicker tube won't stop the damn staple in the road, but it will work better with the slime to plug small holes enough to make it home. The big rip you just have to be ready for, spare tube with you. You can carry a scrap of tire, tube, or even just a rag to cover a big hole in a tire for the limp home. Keep spare tires and tubes on hand at home, always.

The other big deal is the wheel itself, learn to keep them relatively tuned up and straight. Find really loose spokes at least weekly and snug up. Monthly or so, do a real wheel truing, at least to reasonably straight. If a wheel can't be straightened easy, then its bent and ruined. Don't run with half the spokes overtight to get it straight.

 

[Philaphlous]

I'm finding most of my costs are either to replace components I cheaped out on or a slight change in my mind or idea for my bike which adds costs... I general though...if I was using the bike as an actual bike I'd have to pour way more money into it... The rear derailleur is completely shot and the chain I'm amazed hasn't broken off yet...

So I completely changed my mind and I'm going to try the battery bag route again... The first bag I got wasn't even close to fitting my battery. I'm thinking the ibera large bag will work quite well. The huge advantage I see of this is that it'll save me a ton of time getting the battery in and out of the bike and 2nd it'll probably shed off 1-2lbs from my bike. Probably more like 2lbs. Plus it'll look a ton better.

Can't wait to get this new stem. Right now it's so upright that I feel like I'm this old Granny riding...
I'm planning on riding in the winter so I need to start looking for cheap snowish tires...

I'm working on my new power analyzer which will be mounted to the handlebars. I'm building a housing for it out of epoxy and jb weld. Should be done by next week so I'm looking forward to having that hooked up on my new stem and handlebar layout. Right now I have no idea how much power I draw or battery voltage till I get home and can check it with my multimeter...

Tire has been holding up well! Man what a difference in ride quality and overall handling from a pressure difference of 30 to 55psi! This bike feels so nimble now!

My master plan is to repaint the entire bike a flat black! I need to get a wire wheel so I can start stripping the paint... That will be my long term project and it'll match perfectly with the black frame bag I'm ordering today...

One thing I also need to do... My front chainings have no derailleur with them...so essentially the other chainings are useless unless I move the chain to the next chaining manually... So for weight and looks purposes, I'm planning on cutting off the other 2 chainings that I'll never use. I've got a 28-38-48 tooth chainings. I'm planning on sticking with the 38 so I'll cut off the outer one and inner one. They're rivoted in place so I'll carefully cut off the rings so I keep the correct width in place so I don't have to replace the entire crankset. Once that's done I'll clean it all up and hit it with some black paint...walla

 

[Philaphlous]

Got the front chainrings cut off! Lost 0.6lbs!

This is what it looked like before:

Got the 1st lowest 28t chainring off:

Final 48t chainring off:

I decided on the 38t, the 48t is obviously better for top speed but for acceleration and getting going/up hills etc, I need the 38t. Plus from what I could tell on some mtb forums, 38t is more or less a standard for a 1x7/8/9/10 setup.

Battery bag should be here tomorrow, gosh I hope it fits the battery this time! That will probably tack off another ~2lbs from my bike. I've been working hard on the new power analyzer so hopefully that will be done by Monday next week. New parts should come in next week also! Can't wait to drop this handlebar 4"!

 

[Philaphlous]

Wow! What a difference! Dropping the bars this much really really makes the bike feel like a motorcycle now! Haha! Unfortunately I really need steer tube spacers and all I have to use is leftover hardware right now... Thankfully it works! The handlebars feel great! It's way more enjoyable to ride and I can take the bumps much better now!

With removing the chainrings and battery box I lost 4lbs off the bike!! Crazy! The battery bag is absolutely amazing and it's so easy now putting my battery in and taking it out! So quick and easy! Best thing too is it's now protected from the rain!

I'm thinking of moving the controller down near the bottom of the down tube and shortening some wires. If I end up doing that I also need to shunt mod the controller for 40ish amps. I'm also working on the power analyzer still and that's taken longer than anticipated since I want to do it right...plus Im out of wire so that doesn't help...

 

[dirt huffer]

Wow! What a difference! Dropping the bars this much really really makes the bike feel like a motorcycle now! Haha! Unfortunately I really need steer tube spacers and all I have to use is leftover hardware right now... Thankfully it works! The handlebars feel great! It's way more enjoyable to ride and I can take the bumps much better now!

Looks nice! If you're looking to gain even more handling improvement look into putting a wider handlebar on it. Wide handlebars improve handling and stability a tremendous amount... think dirt bikes and downhill bikes...but the same concept applies on XC mountain bikes and everything in between i've found. The whole MTB industry has been moving to shorter stems paired with wider handlebars in recent years and it's been a huge improvement.

If your handlebars clamp dia is 25.4mm, you can still find wide bars for relatively cheap.

My personal favorite is a 760mm wide handlebar with 9.5 degree backsweep. It's super comfy on the hands with the back sweep angle and the wideness of the handlebar gives so much more control. This is my set up that i'm currently loving https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1877/30266808138_2af1c64a2f_b.jpg

 

[n2mb]

I was in the process of building a similar 35 mile-per-hour ebike, and it worked out okay but then I realized that I could get the Sur Ron and register it as a moped. I think that's going to work out much better. I'll find out when it arrives on Thursday.

Although I'm still interested in building a lightweight full suspension ebike using a Mac motor and a downtube battery. I think it should be possible to build a bike that goes 30 miles per hour with a range of 20 miles or so and weighs 52 lb with full suspension. I think there might be situations and reasons why I might prefer a 52-pound ebike over riding the Sur Ron.

 

[n2mb]

I'm still trying to find a good kit that would have very minimal and clean wiring, would go together easily, and would be between 2000 and 3000 Watts.

The Mac kit from em3ev with the black controller seems to fit my needs exactly, except that I would really prefer to have a sine wave controller.

I just don't want to deal with having a huge rats nest of wires to try and figure out how to waterproof and conceal.

 

[999zip999]

Waterproof how would a long thing of shrink tube filled with Vaseline in the center over the connections and shrink the tube. And or Vaseline where the contacts are and meet in the wires inside and that happened to be the jigg.

 

[n2mb]

Waterproof how would a long thing of shrink tube filled with Vaseline in the center over the connections and shrink the tube. And or Vaseline where the contacts are and meet in the wires inside and that happened to be the jigg.

Yeah, I previously had the powervelocity controller, which was great except I couldn't figure out how to protect and waterproof all the connections and the bluetooth module that was just a bare PCB hanging on the end of some short wires from the controller.

 

[999zip999]

Yes I had 18 fat power velocity controller before Bluetooth and he said there's a lot of sand stuff in it I might have wrote it on the low tide San California beach 20 times. So not watertight but when I got my second one he said he filled it up you know what I didn't think about it but if I just smeared some Vaseline in those clump of wires coming out of them controller and rub some around the gasket what could it hurt I mean Vaseline. Don't you put that on a baby's bum. Cheap oh did I mention it was cheap put it on a Q-tip Red Robin around. Don't get dirty this will work on your car battery to so there you go

 

[Philaphlous]

Few comments for you guys:
1. Handlebar length is 700mm and I've got a 6* 60mm length stem. This works out great and I could drop the bars a little more with less space but I think they're perfect now. I just need to order spacers.
2. Waterproofing sucks. Lol. I've gotten away with next to nothing thus far but I feel it's going to end up biting me in the butt if I don't do anything as a proactive measure. Once I get the chance to mod my controller for 40amps I'll be golden to seal the crap outta that thing. For the connectors, I'm almost thinking something like liquid electrical tape all around the wire side of the connectors and to try and prevent any shortage...
3. I need a decent set of fenders... The cheapo ones I got are just not even worth it... Having ones with the fender guides will really help stabilize the fenders and make them quiet. The ones I have now flap around all over the place and scrape the tires regularly.
4. I've got a new chain waiting for a new derailleur... Once I have that there isn't much more I need to do besides tidying up the nest of wires under the controller, modding the controller, moving it down farther, and adding real fenders. The bike is awesome now and I love it! Not saying I didn't before but it feels very connected to the road whereas before it felt a tad squirely... I can confidently say at this point I don't need a full suspension bike for my commute needs... Now I just need to extend my commute distance! I only go 2 miles 1 way so I'm hoping to double that...in DC downtown that's a pretty decent distance...I pass the Capitol every day so I definitely can't complain about my commute.

 

[markz]

A hard-tail, rigid fork on an ebike for casual riding, which means curbs, raised up edges of sidewalks, roots, single track is harsh on my nut sack as I keep saying outloud to myself. Even when I get up off the seat a bit.

My dream bicycle conversion bike: A full suspension fat bike in the cruiser style.

Close, but this is chinese generics - https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1Z2p9NVXXXXbjXXXXq6xXFXXXQ/222441403/HTB1Z2p9NVXXXXbjXXXXq6xXFXXXQ.jpg

I might have to go to a bicycle building course and build my own
England - https://thebicycleacademy.org/
Tuscon - http://www.framebuildingschool.com/contact-us
Portland - https://www.bikeschool.com/
Eh Land Abbotsford, BC - https://www.ufv.ca/bicycle-technology/bike-frame-building-101/
Colorado - http://www.yamaguchibike.com/content/School/Schedule_and_Prices
Iowa Univercity - https://uiowa.edu/stories/two-disciplines-two-wheels-one-elite-program

or just hack the back half off my free Norco cruiser, and weld up an existing rear suspension from another bike, and for my weight I'd be using a motorcycle shock.

 

[Philaphlous]

I got a new chain and rear derailleur on the bike! Looks awesome!

Got the controller off today since its a holiday!

No shunt mod....

Modded shunt! Looks like crap! But I hope I actually didn't put too much solder on the shunts so I don't pull too high of amps. I've read that solder isn't the best so I was liberal with my application! I'll find out tomorrow what my new amp draw is! I finally have the power analyzer to a place where I can install it on my bike!

And check this out!

I moved the controller down to the bottom of the triangle and it makes a huge difference for room! I also rerouted all my wires to the underside of the downtube. This will hopefully give me a slightly lower center of gravity and make the bike look a little stealthier. The controller is bolted in tight and now I just gotta make sure I can waterproof my wires really good so no watta gets in!

 

[Philaphlous]

Wow! What a ride! The shunt mod worked beautifully! I ended up pulling upto 44amps which got me around 2024w!!! Man what a torque difference! No more sluggishness! I think there's also a big difference in torque while going at a moderate speed but I'm not pulling 1500w+....

The new chain and rear derailleur makes pedaling awesome now too and way smoother! Having a new chain compared to a fully rusted one makes a world of a difference! And shifting now actually works. Although my front cable housing is too long and it kind of binds the wire when trying to down shift...so I need to figure that out...

 

[markz]

Ah isn't that always the case, its that old adage, on a different note, goes for gasoline vehicles too (wish I could remember what Chalo's terminology was for them gassers :lol: )

money in the bike now instead of looking for something different...

Another option I was thinking of, and its been done. Hacking up any ole full suspension bicycle and yes I did mention it, but it deserves more attention!

Tools to have by Spinningmagnets - https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=91061&hilit=custom+bicycle+chop

Custom with a cool jack shaft - https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=51847&p=867886&hilit=custom+bicycle+chop#p872056

CR Johns - https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16292&p=239401&hilit=custom+bicycle+chop#p259819

AW's - https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=67833#p1022262

No pedal cruiser battery box - https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=94875&p=1397032&hilit=integrated+battery+box#p1389688

Web Image Search - http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u21O2EGgyps/UXKHkt3mhqI/AAAAAAAAGdo/7lwFXmEU1Dc/s1600/IMG_0267_(1280_x_1024).jpg

I like this one, but I bet its expen$ive - http://carverbikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/TRANS-FAT-1.jpg

A hard-tail, rigid fork on an ebike for casual riding, which means curbs, raised up edges of sidewalks, roots, single track is harsh on my nut sack as I keep saying outloud to myself. Even when I get up off the seat a bit.

My dream bicycle conversion bike: A full suspension fat bike in the cruiser style.

Close, but this is chinese generics - https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1Z2p9NVXXXXbjXXXXq6xXFXXXQ/222441403/HTB1Z2p9NVXXXXbjXXXXq6xXFXXXQ.jpg

I might have to go to a bicycle building course and build my own
England - https://thebicycleacademy.org/
Tuscon - http://www.framebuildingschool.com/contact-us
Portland - https://www.bikeschool.com/
Eh Land Abbotsford, BC - https://www.ufv.ca/bicycle-technology/bike-frame-building-101/
Colorado - http://www.yamaguchibike.com/content/School/Schedule_and_Prices
Iowa Univercity - https://uiowa.edu/stories/two-disciplines-two-wheels-one-elite-program

or just hack the back half off my free Norco cruiser, and weld up an existing rear suspension from another bike, and for my weight I'd be using a motorcycle shock.

 

[markz]

Lots of great idea's
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=74584#p1125567

Should be easy to pull off for FS.

 

[Philaphlous]

This is how not to show up to your bike locked up at the metro station....

...yea. The dude, Jake, locked his new bike up and included an extra layer of security by looping my front brake cable in the mix... Fortunately some quick thinking and I can unscrew the cable from the brake lever to get it out. At the same time the guy comes out of the building he works at...he's a nice guy but man...that wasn't cool. I took it well since I figured it out.

Holy!!!!

That's 2200w max draw!!!

 

[markz]

Honest mistake he did there locking your brake cable, he probably was in a hurry.
I locked my bike up sideways on the rack today, as a guy came in behind me and locked his bso at the end of the rack, regularly.

Like this
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3447/3348156488_468cb0b2b3_z.jpg
on a rack like this - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v0srwAUvkpo/TAFCLDphp1I/AAAAAAAADXE/dVE7O391z9o/s1600/IMG_8691.JPG

Funny - https://www.dero.com/wp-content/uploads/images/bike-parking-guide/wave.jpg

 

[999zip999]

Hey phil where are the torque arms ?

 

[Philaphlous]

Hey phil where are the torque arms ?

WHat torque arms? lol... I've got the anti-reverse washers on the rear dropouts right now but no such torque arms... that is in the works... I've had great success with no flex in my steel dropouts on the trek 800 thus far! It's been rock solid! But I don't plan on running it like that forever...

 

[wturber]

Hey phil where are the torque arms ?

WHat torque arms? lol... I've got the anti-reverse washers on the rear dropouts right now but no such torque arms... that is in the works... I've had great success with no flex in my steel dropouts on the trek 800 thus far! It's been rock solid! But I don't plan on running it like that forever...

Yup. As soon as you spin that axle in the dropouts, you'll stop running it ...
<only half-joking>

In the meantime, make sure you have the axle nuts torqued down to 60Nm or more. I'd suggest being careful about pulling 2000+ watts as well.

 

[markz]

Any piece of steel will do, and a cutoff wheel, any size disc, I like a tad wide.
Just cruise the alleys, behind stores or go to your local Home Depot, Lowes, Rona, Princess Auto, Harbor Freight, CT, Metal Supermarket type stores who have scraps for cheap.