I've been planning this project for quite some time and now that I have it finally finished I am stoked to be able to share the details of how I built it and how it performs.
Before we dive in to the details, above where I show the complete process of the electric bicycle (e-bike) build, which includes upgrading my DIY spot welder, building the battery and installing the e-bike kit components.
As always I make sure to place active links for parts and tools for making this awesome project complete which you will find in the next step.
More on it later. The kit uses a 7-speed cassette, so if you are running 9 gears on your bicycle or more, you will need to 'downgrade' to a 7-speed system. For that you'll need a rear derailleur and a matching shifter. The front derailleur won't be needed if you are planning to mostly use it on flat roads, though it handles slopes with ease.
While trying to figure out the proper design for this e-bike conversion project, the main struggle I faced was sourcing a size Large full suspension mountain bike. Of course I was looking for a second-hand one to maintain the low budget of the build, yet keeping the completed e-bike comfortable and nice to ride. Finding a decent second-hand full suspension bicycle actually took me the longest - almost half a year. In that time I could only find a handful of offers where I live.
I was lucky enough to purchase this quite old Cube AMS Pro CC with 26" wheels which was in great shape, actually. It was ridden mostly by the beach area, so lots of sand had to be cleaned off beforehand. What I also loved about this bike is that it has a lot of space in the frame to accommodate the large battery pack I built. Of course it would have been much simpler if I just used a hardtail, but full suspension bikes (even old as this one) ride much softer, especially with a massive hub motor at the rear.
Probably the most expensive piece of this build is the battery. Since it is the power unit of the whole bike, it needs to output enough current for the powerful hub motor in the rear. I decided to build the battery myself and place it in a plastic case to be able to remove the battery from the bike when needed. To my eye it looks more professional and neat when the battery is mounted onto a frame in a plastic case. More on the battery build in step 3.
To build my own battery I needed to upgrade my current spot welder for better weld quality. In depth instructions on building (upgrading) one in step 2.
which is one of the best purchases I have made in a long time. I chose the 26" model but there are plenty of wheel sizes for you to choose from. For now, I could not source a better deal than this one. (Below is the price shown at the time of making this Instructable)
I've been planning this project for quite some time and now that I have it finally finished I am stoked to be able to share the details of how I built it and how it performs.
Before we dive in to the details, above where I show the complete process of the electric bicycle (e-bike) build, which includes upgrading my DIY spot welder, building the battery and installing the e-bike kit components.
As always I make sure to place active links for parts and tools for making this awesome project complete which you will find in the next step.
More on it later. The kit uses a 7-speed cassette, so if you are running 9 gears on your bicycle or more, you will need to 'downgrade' to a 7-speed system. For that you'll need a rear derailleur and a matching shifter. The front derailleur won't be needed if you are planning to mostly use it on flat roads, though it handles slopes with ease.
While trying to figure out the proper design for this e-bike conversion project, the main struggle I faced was sourcing a size Large full suspension mountain bike. Of course I was looking for a second-hand one to maintain the low budget of the build, yet keeping the completed e-bike comfortable and nice to ride. Finding a decent second-hand full suspension bicycle actually took me the longest - almost half a year. In that time I could only find a handful of offers where I live.
I was lucky enough to purchase this quite old Cube AMS Pro CC with 26" wheels which was in great shape, actually. It was ridden mostly by the beach area, so lots of sand had to be cleaned off beforehand. What I also loved about this bike is that it has a lot of space in the frame to accommodate the large battery pack I built. Of course it would have been much simpler if I just used a hardtail, but full suspension bikes (even old as this one) ride much softer, especially with a massive hub motor at the rear.
Probably the most expensive piece of this build is the battery. Since it is the power unit of the whole bike, it needs to output enough current for the powerful hub motor in the rear. I decided to build the battery myself and place it in a plastic case to be able to remove the battery from the bike when needed. To my eye it looks more professional and neat when the battery is mounted onto a frame in a plastic case. More on the battery build in step 3.
To build my own battery I needed to upgrade my current spot welder for better weld quality. In depth instructions on building (upgrading) one in step 2.
which is one of the best purchases I have made in a long time. I chose the 26" model but there are plenty of wheel sizes for you to choose from. For now, I could not source a better deal than this one. (Below is the price shown at the time of making this Instructable)
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