New build, opinions?

[Eujangles]

After much deliberation and rehashing of plans, I've finally decided on all the components for my build, would love any advice or comments and thanks for looking!

I've got this bike, Masi Soulville SS:

I'm going to order these forks, and will upgrade to a disc brake on the front:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Suntour-Swin...&ps=63&clkid=8140917866428743826#ht_844wt_954

Going with the eZee rear 20" kit from ebikes.ca, will have motor relaced to my rim, will upgrade to the 25 Amp controller:
http://ebikes.ca/store/photos/eZee20R-B.jpg

Going to order 2 of the Zippy Compact 10s 5800mah packs from hobbyking. Don't plan on putting them in parallel; will just roll with one and if I think I'll be out for a longer trip I'll toss the other one in a backpack:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=21388

Some few odds and ends to decide surrounding the lipo battery: charger, power supply, cell monitor (though I think if I get a CA I can set low voltage cutoff on that?). I plan on quizzing hobbyking and Grin a bit before I commit.

I'm going to try and find a frame bag that I can hopefully fit the controller and battery in, which should give the bike a nice clean n' stealthy look. I think it'll look especially awesome with the suntour forks.

ebikes.ca simulator data seems promising for what I'm after: 39 km/h top speed (hot off the charger), 13Km range (with just one of the lipo packs), and it'll weigh all-in at about 37lbs. I'm not hung up on top speed, but I do like me some acceleration. My last bike was at 48v, 9C 2806 at 20amps, so I'm hoping this will feel somewhere close to that off the line.

Thanks again for looking and any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[LegendLength]

Sounds good. To be honest it's all pretty much plug and play with hub motors, especially if using only one battery.

 

[dogman dan]

I wouldn't bag the contoller. It needs air to cool it. But I live in a hot desert.

 

[LegendLength]

I wouldn't bag the contoller. It needs air to cool it. But I live in a hot desert.

Just as an opposite viewpoint I would say it's ok to bag it if you aren't going to push it too hard (i bag it).

 

[Drunkskunk]

Nice bike. You'll have to stretch the frame to make a hub motor fit that 110mm dropout. Hub motors are 135.
As for the fork... While that looks cool, all the lateral strength is coming from that tiny hinge pin, and when you hit the brakes, that thing will naturally want to pivot backwards. how strong the the part that keeps it from totally collapsing back into the downtube, and how reliable will it be at 20mph, braking hard, a year from now after 20000 stops?

I might put a fork like that on a neo-retro pedal cruiser that was mostly for show and never got faster than 8mph riding along the beach. But not for something experiencing the forces of an Ebike. I want to live.

Plus its made by sun. Their reputation for quality forks is that they have no clue how to make a quality fork.

 

[ecowheelz]

Nice looking bike! Should be comfortable and smooth when you add front suspension

 

[Brentis]

hope you dont mind I resized your pic.


Kool bike.

Nice bike. You'll have to stretch the frame to make a hub motor fit that 110mm dropout. Hub motors are 135.
As for the fork... While that looks cool, all the lateral strength is coming from that tiny hinge pin, and when you hit the brakes, that thing will naturally want to pivot backwards. how strong the the part that keeps it from totally collapsing back into the downtube, and how reliable will it be at 20mph, braking hard, a year from now after 20000 stops?

I might put a fork like that on a neo-retro pedal cruiser that was mostly for show and never got faster than 8mph riding along the beach. But not for something experiencing the forces of an Ebike. I want to live.

Plus its made by sun. Their reputation for quality forks is that they have no clue how to make a quality fork.

+1
Wicked fork, but maybe not up to eBike standards.
Check the dropout spacing.
Good luck.

 

[MadRhino]

You can buy a good 29er rigid fork, wide enough to use a fat tire. A 2.5 will give you about the same suspension feeling as the 30mm Swing fork, only more reliable

 

[Eujangles]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone!

by dogman » Thu May 03, 2012 3:30 am
I wouldn't bag the contoller. It needs air to cool it. But I live in a hot desert.

by LegendLength » Thu May 03, 2012 6:41 am
Just as an opposite viewpoint I would say it's ok to bag it if you aren't going to push it too hard (i bag it).

Thanks both you guys for the advice. It doesn't get too hot in Vancouver, but maybe I'll think about relocating the controller anyways...the added bonus being some extra space in the frame bag for the other lipo pack.

by Drunkskunk » Thu May 03, 2012 10:30 am

Nice bike. You'll have to stretch the frame to make a hub motor fit that 110mm dropout. Hub motors are 135.
As for the fork... While that looks cool, all the lateral strength is coming from that tiny hinge pin, and when you hit the brakes, that thing will naturally want to pivot backwards. how strong the the part that keeps it from totally collapsing back into the downtube, and how reliable will it be at 20mph, braking hard, a year from now after 20000 stops?

I might put a fork like that on a neo-retro pedal cruiser that was mostly for show and never got faster than 8mph riding along the beach. But not for something experiencing the forces of an Ebike. I want to live.

Plus its made by sun. Their reputation for quality forks is that they have no clue how to make a quality fork.

The rear dropout on the frame is 135mm, one of the reasons I chose the bike. Good advice anyways though...I almost bought one with the slim dropouts before I did my research. Regarding the fork, do you really think it would snap or something? I agree that the hinge is a bad tension point, but if it's not capable of some durability in regards to braking at 20mph (not really much faster than bombing down a hill on a pedal bike), then it shouldn't even be on the market. You've definitely made me think twice...I was going to order it today, but maybe I'll hold off and see what else I like the look of; thanks for the advice.

by Brentis » Thu May 03, 2012 1:02 pm

hope you dont mind I resized your pic.

Not at all! Thanks for doing that... embarrassed to admit I don't know how . Also, do you mean check the dropout spacing on the fork or frame?

by MadRhino » Thu May 03, 2012 3:09 pm

You can buy a good 29er rigid fork, wide enough to use a fat tire. A 2.5 will give you about the same suspension feeling as the 30mm Swing fork, only more reliable

Yeah if I don't go with a suspension fork that's probably what I'll do. The current tires on the bike aren't bad at all though (1 5/8), actually a bit wider than the rim I had on my last ebike with the 9C hub motor on it.

Thanks so much again for the replies!

 

[MikeFairbanks]

I think that's better suited for a front wheel hub motor. Then you can still use your back wheel manually. Best of both worlds.

I think that's a great looking bike. I never knew it existed.

 

[dogman dan]

I know you are cooler, but a box that still allows air to flow but keeps rain out beats bagging controllers. Electronics plus excess heat just means it wears out faster.