How I converted my bike to a trekking/comfort bike

[Jaxter]

I hear you Jaxter, I am in my sixties and I hate to say it but I think if I was to buy a ready-made e-bike now it would be either a Woosh Santana or a Wisper 705. I never thought I'd consider a step-thru (with possibly a shopping basket up front LOL) but I spent a fair bit trying to convert a mountain bike into a comfort bike, and let's face it, I'll never be going near any mountains. At my age that crossbar is just a hindrance really. One other option is I could look out for a used Trek womens frame from the same era on eBay and swap all the bits from my bike onto that. That's another thing I never thought I'd say, riding a womens bike, but at the end of the day who cares? No one even notices, I'd just be another old fart on a bike LOL.

Haha im well past caring about what anyone thinks at this stage, i crave comfort and practicality. The Fiido D4s was my tester starter ebike, the Carerra was my hankering to try a mid drive between the 2 i now know what will fit my needs, having 2 bikes cluttering the house i am just about getting away with, so until one of my existing goes i'm stuck.

 

[Jaxter]

Just a thought...

View attachment 52322

All the best, David

looks just the ticket

 

[WheezyRider]

Like the handlebars Much better for comfort and control on the roads. On my bike I wouldn't have the height for a suspension post. I would be worried about getting snake bite flats on hitting kerbs or pot holes, running at only 25 psi. 40 to 50 psi is about as low as I'd be happy to go.

You can get decent hydraulic brake upgrades quite cheap these days:

BR-MT200 Disc Brake Set

High braking power with precise dosing: Shimano Disc Brake BR-MT200 Hydraulic disc brake with a high, precisely metered braking force in the powerful design. Opposing pistons prevent vibrations. Natural mineral oil as hydraulic fluid,...

www.bike-discount.de

Although, bear in mind, if buying from the continent, they have their left and right brake handles controlling the opposite brakes compared to the UK, so be prepared to swap the hoses over. You might be able to get similar prices on eBay, although I worry about how genuine the cheaper sets are on there.

 

[Waspy]

Like the handlebars Much better for comfort and control on the roads. On my bike I wouldn't have the height for a suspension post. I would be worried about getting snake bite flats on hitting kerbs or pot holes, running at only 25 psi. 40 to 50 psi is about as low as I'd be happy to go.

You can get decent hydraulic brake upgrades quite cheap these days:

BR-MT200 Disc Brake Set

High braking power with precise dosing: Shimano Disc Brake BR-MT200 Hydraulic disc brake with a high, precisely metered braking force in the powerful design. Opposing pistons prevent vibrations. Natural mineral oil as hydraulic fluid,...

www.bike-discount.de

Although, bear in mind, if buying from the continent, they have their left and right brake handles controlling the opposite brakes compared to the UK, so be prepared to swap the hoses over. You might be able to get similar prices on eBay, although I worry about how genuine the cheaper sets are on there.

Thanks very much for your input.

Going by your (and others) advice, I think I will up those tyre pressures a little.

And yes, you and saneagle are absolutely right, hydraulic brakes will have to be next on my 'to do' list.

Very strange how ROW goes for the front brake on the left, I could never get used to that. From my motorcycling days the front brake was always the most important brake and it makes so much more sense to have the lever on the right (for right-handed people anyway).

 

[Deleted member 16246]

Good stuff. I'd have replaced those crappy cable brakes with hydraulic ones. You can get used ones on Ebay for about £30 - £40 that will transform your braking . It's the best bang-for-buck improvenet you can make to any bike.

Yes I love the hydraulic brakes on mine.