I may never bother to pedal again ;-)

[matthewslack]

25kg in a backpack would be the end of me! Most of my stuff goes in panniers or a trailer, only the most delicate stuff on my back.

 

[spanos]

How nice to see a many years later update!

As for your next bike. If you want move away from the an mtb then a hybrid frame will generally have more relaxed geometry than a gravel designed for drop bars.

I always like the look of the Genesis Smithfield with twin toptube as good candidate (but I do love a IGH)

You could have a down tube battery and have some weight on the rack, some in a backpack for better over all balence

Also a surtout ncx suspension seatpost is a game changer, come is 27.2 for hybrids as well

 

[pedalfettal]

You could change the rear brake to a disc-affair: You'd need:

A replacement disk wheel
Frame disk adaptor
Cable-operated disc brake and rotor

You could add the suspension seat post (already suggested)

You could also get a new disk-compatible air-shock front fork.

This'd keep your original bicycle frame, drive-train, etc, etc.

Or purchase a second-hand replacement and rob your existing bike for the motor and parts (mudguards, rack, handle-bar widgets, etc)

 

[gw8izr]

If its just a comfort issue and better braking thats throwing a damper on your ride? May i suggest a suspension seatpost (#1 still on my wish list..)

I'm of an age where prostate comfort and potential damage is a consideration having said that my 'saddle with a hole' does a pretty good job.

Its not really a comfort issue but stability is certainly a concern.

And a front disk brake might be worth the investment even if it requires new forks and a wheel.. (also on my wishlist ) .

I could replace the front wheel and upgrade to disk as the fork has the lugs already.

Then again when you want a 'new' bike' and you deserve one. sometimes you just gotta get one ..

That's the key issue.. I've lived with this bike for about twenty five years and whilst it's been better than OK I 'think' its time for a new bike.

 

[gw8izr]

How nice to see a many years later update!

As for your next bike. If you want move away from the an mtb then a hybrid frame will generally have more relaxed geometry than a gravel designed for drop bars.

I always like the look of the Genesis Smithfield with twin toptube as good candidate (but I do love a IGH)

I'll take a look at those, living here on Anglesey Island its a bit of a hassle getting to see stuff in the flesh but there we go. I'm nipping across the Chester on Friday to look at a friends bike with a Mid drive and Rohloff Hub which he absolutely raves about. At least I can ascertain the power difference as his motor is supposed to have 65n/m torque compared to my TZD which supposedly has 90n/m. This will be the first chance to ride a bike that I haven't ̶l̶o̶v̶i̶n̶g̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶s̶s̶e̶m̶b̶l̶e̶d̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶e̶l̶e̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶f̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶s̶ built myself...

You could have a down tube battery and have some weight on the rack, some in a backpack for better over all balence

I did a 15K walk on the coastal path today and was thinking about this comment a lot. It would be reasonably easy to fabricate a tray to take the existing battery and mount it where you (and others) have suggested, mainly as a trial but with effort I could make it look nice enough to use 'til the battery goes TU which is only a matter of time of course.

If it does make a significant difference to the handling then its an (almost) zero cost improvement.

The camera gear needs to stay on my back really, I wouldn't like to subject what is fairly precision gear to the vibration - and - when I get where I'm going I always have to abandon the bike and walk/scramble the last bit of the journey.

Also a surtout ncx suspension seatpost is a game changer, come is 27.2 for hybrids as well

Ellen has one of those spring loaded seat posts on her hybrid and she rates it.. I think its awful so had dismissed them .. however having looked at this Suntour post it looks like a much more impressive affair and I'll certainly take a closer look Thank you.

 

[gw8izr]

25kg in a backpack would be the end of me! Most of my stuff goes in panniers or a trailer, only the most delicate stuff on my back.

25 Kg is the absolute limit of what I can cycle with on my back and then I really only use the bike to shorten a walk in on for example forestry tracks - where I can ditch the bike in the trees and walk the rest of the hill . Yes the weight is a killer. I have a much lighter camera setup for normal use and that's the more common load. In that case just 5 or so Kg, plus whatever food and drink I carry on top of that .

I've thought about a trailer but never pursued it beyond that... just thinking about a trailer now and my brakes

 

[Peter.Bridge]

There's loads of Boardman Hyb 8.6 s around of facebook for <£200. I'm converting one at the minute and it has hydraulic brakes, nice big frame triangle, square taper BSA bottom bracket , fixing points for a rear rack and mudguards , 11.2kg - ideal donor bike

 

[gw8izr]

You could (snip)...

This'd keep your original bicycle frame, drive-train, etc, etc.

Thank you, Yes I agree all practical suggestions, I did sort of add up the cost of that lot and it left me thinking that :

Or purchase a second-hand replacement and rob your existing bike for the motor and parts (mudguards, rack, handle-bar widgets, etc)

Yes.. I think if I'm going to build rather than buy this is by far the best option.. I get to keep my motor that I know does what I need, I effectively get a 'new' bike and if the motor ever fails the current TZD motor is almost certainly a suitable replacement keeping everything else as it is now.

What I have learned over the years is that for my use I don't need anything like 60 miles range. So next time, a smaller capacity 48v downtube battery would certainly work out.

One issue I have is I'm totally out of touch with what is a decent MTB / Hybrid frame (whatever) these days and looking at the likes of FB marketplace reveals a bewildering array of bikes to look at

 

[gw8izr]

There's loads of Boardman Hyb 8.6 s around of facebook for <£200. I'm converting one at the minute and it has hydraulic brakes, nice big frame triangle, square taper BSA bottom bracket , fixing points for a rear rack and mudguards , 11.2kg - ideal donor bike

View attachment 62307View attachment 62306View attachment 62305

That looks in really nice condition - it will make a nice machine.

Are you going to hub drive or mid drive it?

 

[Charliefox]

So rather than continue to clutter up somebody else’s post on rack battery matters I thought I’d better continue here.

The temporary arrangement that I’d used to attach the battery rack to the frame meant that it ended up to the rear of the axle and probably 3 inches above the tire, that meant the weight was very high and the bike felt quite unstable. Today I made some small aluminium brackets that allowed the rack to fit very close to the seat tube and only An inch and a half above the tire, even pushing the bike around the workshop it feels far better.

So I went outside, here on Anglesey it’s currently blowing a southwesterly at 70 mph and horizontal rain ..... I noticed the wheelie bin was now at the bottom of my field so I went back inside and put the kettle on!

Paul

Count yourself lucky! I get by on a rear hub motor and a carrier battery so yes, the rear weight is noticible. You soon get used to it though and the bonus is not much chance of going over the bars on a steep descent!! Plus loads of traction from the back tyre.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

That looks in really nice condition - it will make a nice machine.

Are you going to hub drive or mid drive it?

It's for my friends wife, I'm going to keep it relatively light, so hub motor - a 280 rpm TBK100AD CST (2.1kg) and either a 36V bottle battery or a downtube battery. I know its a bit heavier but I think a downtube battery would give a bit more range - I seem to do much higher mileages on my rides than I would have predicted before I got an ebike.

Any ideas for best conversion kit

My friend asked if I could convert this for his wife Any ideas ? She's very light 60 kg, bike is 11 kg, reasonably flat terrain that they cycle on Any thoughts ?

www.pedelecs.co.uk

 

[gw8izr]

Count yourself lucky! I get by on a rear hub motor and a carrier battery so yes, the rear weight is noticible. You soon get used to it though and the bonus is not much chance of going over the bars on a steep descent!! Plus loads of traction from the back tyre.

Yes for sure, I've lived with it for five years and it's been OK. I suppose I'm at the point where it needs to be better. I broke a couple of fingers last year and where in my youth it would have taken a few weeks to fully recover these took a year and still hurt like... Old age I think I need to make my bike harder to fall off

 

[saneagle]

There's loads of Boardman Hyb 8.6 s around of facebook for <£200. I'm converting one at the minute and it has hydraulic brakes, nice big frame triangle, square taper BSA bottom bracket , fixing points for a rear rack and mudguards , 11.2kg - ideal donor bike

View attachment 62307View attachment 62306View attachment 62305

Here's my one in The Gadget Show. this is what actually happened, none of which was shown in the broadcast episode.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

Here's my one in The Gadget Show. this is what actually happened, none of which was shown in the broadcast episode.

Not exactly a photo finish !

 

[saneagle]

Not exactly a photo finish !

It was, according to what they broadcast! The girl was riding a Volt. Volt had a big presence during the filming. I think they asked (or paid) the producer to show their bike in a much better light. It was very disappointing that they hardly mentioned the Oxydrive kit during the show. Instead, Jason was bleating about the Boardman the whole time. I'm pretty sure that some shenanegans had been going on behind the scenes between the Gadget Show, Volt and Halfords, even though I bought the bike myself at my own expense specially for the show.