Russell
1 MW
This is my third ebike build and like the previous two follows the same basic formula; a 700C/29er frame with a small geared front motor. My first bike (http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8579) simply rode too stiffly on rough rodes and trails, the second (http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10458) with its steel frame and big tires was my favorite and I rode for it thousands of miles. Still with the straight, stiff fork I needed to keep the front tire pressure quite low (<30 psi) to get any real “suspension” from it. I also wanted disc brakes which leads me to this third build.
I picked up a new Jeep Comanche 29er mountain bike on eBay for about half of list price ($150 delivered). It has an inexpensive Zoom suspension fork with STEEL lowers making it perfect for a front motor. The fork has no adjustments whatsoever and limited 65mm travel but for the road and for what I want it does the trick. Here’s a pic from the Manufacturer’s (Kent) site;
After transferring a number of parts (wheels,crank,fenders,brake levers,shifter) from my now decommissioned Raleigh ebike and the Topeak bag and controller from the Kona Smoke I sold the bike looks like this;
I really like the way the bike turned out especially considering the low investment. On the road the bike rides smoothly with the front suspension providing just enough give when hitting ramped curbs and pot-holes.
-R
I picked up a new Jeep Comanche 29er mountain bike on eBay for about half of list price ($150 delivered). It has an inexpensive Zoom suspension fork with STEEL lowers making it perfect for a front motor. The fork has no adjustments whatsoever and limited 65mm travel but for the road and for what I want it does the trick. Here’s a pic from the Manufacturer’s (Kent) site;
After transferring a number of parts (wheels,crank,fenders,brake levers,shifter) from my now decommissioned Raleigh ebike and the Topeak bag and controller from the Kona Smoke I sold the bike looks like this;
I really like the way the bike turned out especially considering the low investment. On the road the bike rides smoothly with the front suspension providing just enough give when hitting ramped curbs and pot-holes.
-R