Mid drive with GT i-Drive

[chriswfoster]

Hello everyone,
I'm a bit new to the forums, but I've been ebiking for about a year.

I'm now ready to build my own bike. I came across a GT i-Drive for really cheap. I had one before and it was amazing on the trails.

However, I noticed the i-Drive component could cause problems for a mid drive setup? The i-drive just basically rotates everything inside the bottom bracket (when going over bumps and such).

I used the search tool believe it or not. 1 guy mentions doing it but didn't post a pic of it. Another guy named motormech had one but he just went with a small rear hub. I've also dug around on the internet and everyone else seems to go rear hub or mid drive.
Assuming I had deep pockets or access to a welder, is there any way possible to get around this without disabling the rear suspension?

 

[aCeMadMod]

I done it before..

With cyclone .
GT I not same Gti t1

Gt I frame no great they crack. At stock mount


Post your bike all the best

 

[neptronix]

I had one of those bikes for a nanosecond. Beautiful looking bike, but i heard about the frame weakness after i bought it.. then looked it over.. and decided it was a no-go for a hub motor.

Mid drives weren't really a thing at the time. But i think the BB area made things a bit complicated.

 

[motomech]

What frame problems??
The problem my series had(mid 2000's) has to do with the "dogbone".
The "anti-bob" system has the bottom bracket "floating" relative to the main frame, the BB pivots on a lg. bearing Adjacent to the chainstay pivot bearing and the BB is located in the frt. by a composite link(dogbone) attaching to the main frame that allows some movement. Serious off-roaders would break that link(doesn't happen on the street) and the two attaching bolts were in there so solid that often the owner would break one or both of the trying to remove them.

The system really worked, when the rider "stands" on the pedals, the rear of the bike rises rather than squats, but the off-road gang didn't like the extra weight and it never caught on.
As far as mounting a mid-drive, I think the dogbone is right where the motor would mount and preclude that kind of system. I would suggest a hub drive or if it must be a mid-drive, another donor bike. After all, you just proved that used mountain bikes can be a real bargain.
I've had two Idrive GT's and they make outstanding street ebikes. Made in Taiwan, they are real quality.

 

[2old]

I had a 2006 (AIR) I-Drive Made in the US, I think) that developed a crack in the seat tube; also had many friends with similar problems, some had their frame replaced several times until GT finally basically went out of business (were sold to a conglomerate and for years produced bikes for big box stores). I really enjoyed the performance until I had to scrap it.