Purchase new or DIY

[electric_nz]

If you’re into tinkering and enjoy a project, why not start with a lower spec requirement and see if you enjoy it? A 1500W DD kit or a secondhand BBSHD on a hardtail mtb won’t break the bank. Spend decent money on a battery and it will last you through future builds if you do them.

 

[MxusMick]

Its best not to try to ride with traffic but along the curb, many aggressive drivers will speed up, honk wildly, and yell obsenities while up your ass. I had an altercation yesterday, very aggressive driver racing up at stop sign, after he honked, yelled, and turned up into the local bar, I turned around and rode right to his driver door. The fool was around 60 years old with a fake leg. I wanted to knock him on his ass when he started running his mouth. He was in a hurry to have a drink. NEXT TIME PEGLEG!

 

[99t4]

OP MIA for a week. :?

 

[rick_p]

Ive read that beefing phase wires from the controller to outside of axel is ok, and the throttle should be fine, but I am no expert like Amberwolf. 72v batteries are pricey and thats alot of speed for a hardtail. I feel safer with a bigger front tire 26" and smaller rear 20", I put on BMX bars also to bring the front up and put me in the backseat. I have 36v batteries which is about 20mph, I have tried a 60v battery once and went closer to 30mph, it was a little creepy with no helmet on a regular bike. You dont want to have a surprise failure any faster, I ride motorcycles too, 05 Honda CRF450, so I know what fast is.

Beefing up the wires to outside the axle makes sense, it keeps the skinny wires to a very short run, and I agree that this bike would not feel safe at high speeds, but the intention isn’t to take it to its top end, it’s to feel the rush of getting from zero to 25 real fast and then back down. I already have a commuter designed for long trips at moderately high speed. I too come from a long history of motorcycle riding, I still have my 1980 FXWG in the garage, I just never ride it anymore.

 

[rick_p]

My normal riding speed is 18 mph; maybe up to 24 mph if I'm in a hurry. But I can ride along with traffic if I'm forced to, and I have the option of throttle to get me out of a hairy situation; which can be necessary if braking or maneuvering aren't options in the situation. I'm on an ebike to avoid riding a motorcycle, since I don't have the reaction time that I had when I was younger, and on a motorcycle, I like going fast. I have 300k miles on motorcycles, and I'm still alive. There were so many situations where the only available escape route was to apply a lot of power and get ahead of the problem; so for me, it's safer to have the power on tap, even if you don't use it. My wife knew that too, and would never ride passenger on a smaller bike. If it wasn't over a liter, she wouldn't get on it.

Same here, on my commute to work, which is about 12 miles one way, about a third is dedicated paved bike path with no cars in sight, and on that segment I feel very comfortable taking the bike to it’s max speed of 27 on the flat sections and up to 30 on downhill sections. Once I hit city streets I’m in a dedicated bike lane, but there is a lot of traffic, so I drop the PAS down one level and cruise at 18-24 mph so I have a lot more control in case in encounter an emergency. It should be noted that my commuter handles a lot better than the Pedego, so it feels much safer and easier to control at higher speeds, it’s a recently purchased 2015 Raleigh Tekoa with a TranzX 350w mid drive, it has a 28” rear wheel, a 29” up front, a hard tail with a Rockshox 100cm air suspension up front, and hydraulic brakes.