I have an ebike and have had it for 4 years and I absolutely love it, but it would be nice if my family would join me for rides, but they rarely do because of the hills, of course. I use my ebike for exercise, but if a hill is too much, a bit of motor makes the effort with it! So I ride my bike. They NEVER ride theirs because it's a chore, not a joy. Anyway, since I got mine (which is a cargo bike that can take a passenger) ebikes have come a long way and my teen son has started riding. He has autism, so he was a late starter, but he really enjoys it, but I'm sure he would enjoy it even more with a bike that could handle hills better. He has learned how to use the gears well. He has a bike that we bought used (Gary Fischer mountain bike I think - I will detail more later if we decide to use that bike) and my partner has a Marlin comfort bike (with a few speeds) and we have my older son's Specialized mountain bike that my partner has often ridden that works well too (all three of them are 6'2 with similar builds). My first question is, does it even make sense to put a motor on an always well-stored bike? Or would I be better off getting a new or new/to us bike to redo? All those bikes are about 8-10 years old.
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I've been following the future of e-bikes a lot, and it's clear that e-bikes are slowly coming to the forefront of everyone's mind.
Thanks... I figured out how to replace the manifold of our Weber grill and we've repaired some PC stuff at times. I guess it doesn't hurt to try and with the help here and the great support that Johnny has offered to people, it can be done, I'm sure.
yea almost no shops will do an ebike conversion - too complicated for them and they dont want liability. let them do regular bikes... the ebike market is for us DIY people to saturate. Im debating whether I should do what johnny does...theres demand for sure. its all straightforward...you/ your hubby/ sons can convert it no problem, just go slow do it carefully and work through the kinks
I will have to unbury the bikes. They are behind the winter gear in the garage so that I can figure out what I'm working with. Since they aren't my bikes, I don't remember any details. I'm a fairly mechanical person, but I have zero experience with bicycles beyond changing a tire and lubing a chain. So, this will be a true "start from the beginning" thing for me, but I looked for shops locally that convert bikes and I see nothing. And I live in the Baltimore area. That is crazy! Though maybe some places would do a conversion of a brand they carry. But it should be something I could figure out.
I dont understand what " well-stored bike " means? umm factors to consider for Ebike conversion:
1. Use case and range - terrain- hill climbing or flat, sand / snow / mud or hard ground? how much range do you want on a charge? - this determines what motor size/ power you need and suited for fat or narrow tires, and desired battery capacity.
2. Mtn Bike Frame - does it fit you properly? is it full susp or hard-tail(latter preferable for ebike), is it quality or cheap components (avoid putting high end ebike kit on a low end frame) Make sure you double check the battery dimensions that it will fit on your bike frame properly...(full susp frames often have a hard time fitting a shark battery in it)
3. Cassette / chainrings / drivetrain - Ideally want at least 7-11 speeds or gears on rear cassette, 9-10 is nice. Mine for example is 10 speed 11-36T cassette. Front chainrings/derailleur will be replaced with one ebike chainring up front. Find the best chainring for your use case. 42T tends to the be sweet spot for steep hills / climbing and all terrain - on a BBSHD 50-60 kph on flats, plenty fast. If you dont have too much steep terrain, more gradual hills and flatter terrain, a 46T stock ring may be the sweet spot for you (higher Tooth count = lower torque and higher top end speed, lower tooth count = higher low end torque for climbing, lower top speed). Lekkie blingrings perform better if you have chain jumping issues. Front chainring just want a slight gap off the chainstay, 1/8 to 1/4 inch, use motor spacers if needed.
3. Budget - again ideally dont put a 1k+ ebike kit on a cheap 400$ frame... may end up with a subpar ebike. better to match a budget bike with a budget kit. u can move the kit to a new bike also.
4. Follow the install video guides for bafang kits, carefully program the controller, etc. All pretty straightforward with a lot of resources out there and here. You can see my completed build with my part list and links to controller programming guides are there. Good luck, feel free to ask for help.