hitpro

Hi.

I need help with my decision on whether to buy a bike and convert it to an e-bike or just buy an e-bike. I’m pretty handy so I’m not concerned with actually building the e-bike, it’s just that I have little-to-no knowledge on what kit to get. I won’t be riding that often, only weekends, and no rough terrain so I’m not looking to spend that much.

I’m thinking about a 48V rear hub kit, with thumb throttle, pedal assist, and a quiet motor.

The bike I am looking at is the Schwinn AL Comp(I know, I know…big box. Lol), and if I feel like breaking the bank the Hyper Carbon X 29er. I like the look and feel of the Hyper but the price gives me pause, and the fact that I’m not that tall so the 29 in bike is right at my limit.

The e-bike I had been eyeing is the Eahora XC100. Even though the price is a little above my range, for some reason I keep going to its page.
I’ve even looked at the Ancheer bike but I was told that they’re not that reliable. I haven’t done that much research on them so I wouldn’t know.

What are your thoughts? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks.

2old

A rear hub system makes sense for your application. You don't need a "great" bike since the motor will really help, but a steel frame will provide a better platform IMO. I've purchased a couple of 90's or so steel bikes on Craigslist that made excellent conversions. Also, a 26" system will give better acceleration, all other things being equal. OTOH, Lectric Cycles < $1000 bike seems to have good reviews, including one done after three years of use. You can get plenty of help here should you need it, but beware of the drone(s) that will try to steer you to an expensive OEM bike because that's what their store sells.

Doc_Wui

The Eahora XC100 is a nice looking bike. I don't care for it because it's a direct drive motor. WHile that allows them to advertise its ability to recover energy when going downhill, I don't feel that is worth the loss of gears in the motor, which lessens its ability to climb hills. Usually, manufacturers use a larger motor to compensate, but the Eahora appears to have a small motor. Now the website add says it's a geared motor, but also says it has energy recovery. Cannot have both, For flat land riding, it's probably fine,

There must be a setting that lets you coast freely down a hill. On one competing make that also uses a energy recovery system, I heard you have to pedal going downhill or else it automatically uses regen to slow down. I'd like to be wrong here, so I'll gladly listen to any owners who wish to correct me.

Doc_Wui

You buy a bike for $200, a motor kit for $250, and a battery for $400. You cannot compete with an Ancheer, Eahora, Lectric XP, Ecotric or Walmart's ebike lineup in a make vs buy choice unless you start with a bike.

My first ebike used a $200 kit and a $280 battery on a old steel mountain bike, although it was a Trek. I did have to replace the brake cables and calipers. I've ridden it for six summers now, and the motor/wheel have never come off the bike. Battery still good for 25 miles too. It's still doable.Takes some prior knowledge. I bought that first kit from ebikeline on ebay. THen the price dropped to $165 and I bult a second one. Today, he wants $300+ for a kit, and everyone else is about the same. .

2old

The frame for the bike in the picture was given to me and I had all the parts to complete it, the motor kit was $225 - $250 and the battery/charger was $ 300 - $325 with tax and shipping; it has served me for six years. The battery was also used for a BBS02 until I gave it away about a year ago and purchased a larger one (more amp hours). It has a heavy direct drive rear hub motor, but that isn't objectionable since it's only ridden on smooth roads, bike paths or trails.

alo

The advantage of putting a kit on an existing bike, is saving money when something fails. You don't need to buy brand name parts, which normally cost more. You can just use any compatible parts.

Then if you find a particular part is not as good as you hoped, next time use something different.

There are also some companies selling electric bikes, but not spare parts for them. You could get caught with one of these.

2old

Other advantages of DIY include, but are not limited to, you can install a kit on a bike that fits you well, you aren't stuck with a proprietary system and, it's less expensive and you can tailor the system to satisfy your requirements.

linberl

Seems to me kits are the answer if you already own a bike you love, that fits you well. If you don't, then it's a more difficult decision. You're going to have to balance the cost of finding a bike, setting it up so it's right for you, fixing any existing issues, and tuning it properly, so it's ready for a kit - and compare that (including your time if it is relevant) to purchasing a ready made solution that comes with some kind of warranty. Check out Rad Bikes; I see a lot of them around the Bay Area and folks seem pretty happy. https://www.radpowerbikes.com/collec...ric-metro-bike

Doc_Wui

One advantage of DIY is you don't have to ride a 60 pound bike. That's a big complaint n senior ebiking forums. Bikes are too heavy to lift onto a rack. Too heavy to put in a car, Bikes are too tall to fit in SUV.

Now a motor and electrical kit plus battery does add weight. My Trek was 30 pounds originally, but electrified with rack,suspension fork, kickstand,mirror, bell, bags, and it's pushing 50 pounds, Still lighter than many store bought ebikes. My wife's Diamondback is 43 pounds, with a 250W motor and small battery. I've got 20" folders that are under 38 pounds. It's hard to buy a store bought folder that light.

DIY gives me flexibility with batteries Like 2old, I can put the same battery in several bikes.

cat0020

Sad that our society has accepted the norm that bicycles or e-bikes need to be transported to some place first to be ridden safely.
If budget allows, I would go with purchase of complete e-bikes before DYI, or course there are invaluable lessons to learn from DYI.
These days, you can find just about any video on Youtube that show you how to do or fix anything, but I much rather just hop on the bike or e-bike & ride, save my time to do other things than tinker with e-bike troubleshooting, BTDT.

linberl

It depends on where you live. I ride mine instead of a car (straight from home like you said) but sometimes you want to go places that are further away. I don't have the time to stay overnight when I want to go ride in locations that are 50+ miles away, and if I want to go with other people, they also may not want to do that. So having a bike you can "travel" with for shorter distances (as well as touring) is always a nice thing. This was the case even before I got my motor system for my Bike Friday. I could easily fold up my bike, but everyone else had regular bikes so racks were necessary. Putting 3 or 4 50 or 60 pound e-bikes on a compact electric car might not works so well. There are some beautiful locations for riding that are worth driving to and non-motorized riders drive there all the time.

2old

Same with off road if you don't reside where you can ride from your house. As far as maintenance, it's a non-factor for me; I haven't had a problem with my DIY bikes in the six years that I've owned them. IMO, the kits are freat as long as one doesn't mix parts. Then, if you're DW, C58 and maybe some others, it's still not a problem.