Wolfeman
1 kW
Edit 8-25-17
Originally I intended this post to be simple pics of what I'd done to my bike. Over time, this has changed into a blog of sorts documenting the evolution of what I believe to be a typical entry level DIY bolt on ebike conversion. I had an old mountain bike I hadn't ridden in years. After lengthy and significant health problems I got back to riding it occasionally. Then a friend let me ride his Ecospeed powered Rambler recumbent and I was hooked..... The following is what has happened since then. I've learned lots and continue to learn.
Thank you all for the advice on my first bike. From figuring out what to buy initially to making safety and performance changes, ES has been a wealth of info and encouragement. SO here's how it started, a 2005 aluminum frame Trek 4300.
Then the big brown truck delivered the HPC Thunderbolt 2000W kit and the fun began. There were some challenges with rear disc spacing, 8 speed freewheel not fitting, etc. Soon the venerable Trek looked like this, and I was blasting the roads to work and back and ev-grinning the whole way.
Pretty soon I was flatting rear tires almost every ride and wanting some more comfort/safety so off to Amazon I went. Here's how it's looking today.
The additions so far include a fatter/softer Bontrager seat with a cheap suspension seat post, 2.2" x 26" Maxxis Holy Rollers, Sunlite thornproof tubes with beefier 48mm valve stems, Redline platform style BMX pedals and a Mirrorcycle bar-end mirror. All of these additions make the bike safer and more enjoyable.
If your prowling ES and contemplating a first ebike purchase/build, do it. I spent more than I planned, but everything works better than I'd hoped and the bike is everyday reliable as a commuter. Even better is the feeling that I'm getting away with something every time I ride it. I'll be riding ebikes for MANY years to come. Thanks all.
Originally I intended this post to be simple pics of what I'd done to my bike. Over time, this has changed into a blog of sorts documenting the evolution of what I believe to be a typical entry level DIY bolt on ebike conversion. I had an old mountain bike I hadn't ridden in years. After lengthy and significant health problems I got back to riding it occasionally. Then a friend let me ride his Ecospeed powered Rambler recumbent and I was hooked..... The following is what has happened since then. I've learned lots and continue to learn.
Thank you all for the advice on my first bike. From figuring out what to buy initially to making safety and performance changes, ES has been a wealth of info and encouragement. SO here's how it started, a 2005 aluminum frame Trek 4300.
Then the big brown truck delivered the HPC Thunderbolt 2000W kit and the fun began. There were some challenges with rear disc spacing, 8 speed freewheel not fitting, etc. Soon the venerable Trek looked like this, and I was blasting the roads to work and back and ev-grinning the whole way.
Pretty soon I was flatting rear tires almost every ride and wanting some more comfort/safety so off to Amazon I went. Here's how it's looking today.
The additions so far include a fatter/softer Bontrager seat with a cheap suspension seat post, 2.2" x 26" Maxxis Holy Rollers, Sunlite thornproof tubes with beefier 48mm valve stems, Redline platform style BMX pedals and a Mirrorcycle bar-end mirror. All of these additions make the bike safer and more enjoyable.
If your prowling ES and contemplating a first ebike purchase/build, do it. I spent more than I planned, but everything works better than I'd hoped and the bike is everyday reliable as a commuter. Even better is the feeling that I'm getting away with something every time I ride it. I'll be riding ebikes for MANY years to come. Thanks all.