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Which of these two bikes for electric bike conversion?

Old 07-21-19, 06:25 PM
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The Big Wheel
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Which of these two bikes for electric bike conversion?

I own three bikes that I use to commute to work (6 miles each way) plus running short errands. I just got a Trek FX 1 about a month ago (after owning the Blackcomb for over 15 years, which weighs 47 pounds) that I love, it's only 27 pounds and I average 15mph and can hit 25 mph for short bursts on my 6 mile commute. So this bike I am leaving stock.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b.../fx-1/p/17446/



So these are the two bikes I have to chose from for my electric bike conversion:

Mongoose Hitch
https://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Mongoose-Hitch-Men-s-All-Terrain-Fat-Tire-Bike-Red/42248079?athcpid=42248079&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020 &athguid=d14ceaef-730-16c17030af1ec6&athena=true


Mongoose Blackcomb
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mongoose-...Black/55376961

The link above is to the new Blackcomb, the one I own is over 15 years old and red but I see they brought it back into production. I replaced a lot of stuff on it so it's almost like new.

I can't make up my mind which of the two Mongoose bikes I want to convert to electric.


On the one hand, the Hitch has fat tires which can roll over all the pot holes on my commute with no problem but the steering is so slow since it has 4" tires. The Blackcomb, especially with hybrid tires (the ones that are bald in the middle and have knobs on the sides) is fast and very nimble.

I already own the Lunacycle mini battery so mounting it on the Blackcomb isn't going to be a problem.
https://lunacycle.com/52v-mighty-min...-6ah-3-pounds/


On the other hand, I can use the Trek for commuting in the summer/fall/spring months and use the Blackcomb to commute in the winter months when there is no snow. I could use the electric Hitch year around since it has fat tires.


I should also probably point out that the only reason why I want to do an electric conversion is because I'm into bodybuilding and I want to give my legs a rest from cycling one or two days a week, especially the day before leg day. The first day I go the Trek I did 20 miles on it (three total rides that day, not one 20 mile ride) and then about 10 miles a day for a week. The first week my legs swelled up like balloons and I was excited but the following week when I did leg day my energy and strength were lacking especially on squats and leg press. Also, I figured that by going electric a couple times a week I would actually SAVE money, 12 mile round trip commute burns roughly 800 calories which have to be replaced by food which costs money.


What do you guys think? Which one of the two Mongoose bikes would you turn into an electric bike? I'm seriously split 50% on this.

Also, the kit I am going with is either the BBS02 for the Blackcomb or the BBSHD for the Hitch since it needs to be 100mm.

Last edited by The Big Wheel; 07-21-19 at 06:33 PM.
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Old 07-21-19, 07:18 PM
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In general, there is a lot of advice here on Bike forums that direct people to avoid cheap full suspension bikes. This advice is good and in particular when planning to do something like adding an e-assist motor.

This is one case where, if I had to pick one, I would advise the fat bike, but look into the cost of replacement tyres before you buy.

The fat bike you show isn't burdened by cheap, low quality, suspension components. Further, it already has a single ring in the front, so there will be very little change in that area.

Neither is what I would call a first choice, but, as stated, if I had to choose between the two, the fat bike.
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Old 07-21-19, 07:35 PM
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I have a steel frame Walmart fatbike that I motorized with a 500W hubmotor. It's the stone soup of ebikes with the frame being the only part that's original. It's a comfortable bike with summer slicks, and rolls well enough that I have no problems pedaling it w/o power on flat ground. I sure wouldn't want a BBSHD on it. I also have a BBS02 on a beater mountain bike. It's smooth and quiet. Fast too, and also rideable w/o power. Of these two, I'd pick the latter to ride any time,

You're not going too far though with a Luna Mini, and there's not much room on the Mongoose for a bigger battery.
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Old 07-21-19, 07:44 PM
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Thanks for the advice gentlemen. Doc, would you mind posting a link to the 500W fat bike hubmotor? The middrive is about $700 and I know hub motors are a lot cheaper, for 26" bikes you can find them for $175 + but I can't seem to find any reasonable priced fat bike rear hub motor kit with 7 gears on it anywhere.
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Old 07-21-19, 10:35 PM
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48V, 1000w kit, $145 on ebay; didn't look further, but it was one of 13,000 or so entries. Assume some were 500w if that's what you want.
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Old 07-24-19, 05:39 PM
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My fatbike motor is a 500W geared Bafang, similar to what was going on the Sondors that year, that I bought in 2015 from Cnebikes in China for eIther $340 or $430, I don't remember the price, but it came laced in to a 26" 4" rim, with controller, display, ie., a complete motor kit to fit a 175mm dropout frame. I don't see anyone in the US selling a similar product right now on ebay. I see bare motors for $250-300.
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Old 07-24-19, 07:31 PM
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Thanks for the advice Doc.

I think I'm going go with the Fatbike and BBSHD, 42T, and a 52V 13AH battery if the Mini battery is not enough. I took the fat bike out two nights in a row and I just love how it rolls over every single bump and crack in the road. The Trek FX1 is like a sedan with 21" rims while the fat bike is like driving a Jeep with 16" rims and 33" tires. My commute has pretty bad roads and I'm sure hitting one too many cracks or small pot holes will bent the rims on the other two bikes.
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Old 07-31-19, 05:07 AM
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Asking us to choose between a full bouncer or a fully rigid tells me you haven't the first idea what bike you want it to be..

But with regard to bouncers, a two-piece frame with a single pivot between them is best avoided because the torque of the motor will try to activate the suspension.
I've used a GT STS rear frame, as it keeps the dropouts vertical throughout it's stroke.
The issue with the multi-link rear designs are a relatively weak rear fork in comparison to a rigid rear frame.
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