idiots guide to building a bike.

[Old bones]

Hi all. I’m starting to think about building my own E bike. Probably a twin shock mountain bike but I’ve never striped a bike down so what should I look for in a donor bike dimension wise when looking for a kit. Are all hub kits the same size if I get the correct wheel dimensions also what do I look out for crank wise if looking for a mid frame kit are they all the same dimension and width?. Like I say I’m a complete newbie.

 

[Laser Man]

Have a look at the Woosh kits.
All the installation manuals are available on-line, so you can easily find out what is involved in fitting them.

I've read various comments on this forum that dual suspension bikes are the most tricky to convert -
* the chain-stay pivots can get in the way of crank drives
* the weight of a hub motor in the rear wheel negates some of the benefits of the suspension
* the rear shock may get in the way of fitting the battery

That said, I'd love to get hold of a Boardman full suspension bike from 2010/2011 to convert, but they are rare and go for silly prices.

 

[vfr400]

Any bike with disc brakes and a triangle frame with enough space for a battery is all you need. Older ones are generally easier to convert. On most rear suspension bikes, the suspension is in the triangle, which makes it difficult to mount the battery there. It's not so bad on large frames.

You need to tell us a lot more about yourself and what you're expecting the bike to do for us to give specific advice.

 

[peter.c]

The trick to a conversion on a full suspension bike is the battery location, a trip to a bike shop with a cardboard template cut out to the battery size often helps
Mid drive is possible the bafang is easier to fit than the tsdz2 but a full suspension requires more planning

 

[Andy-Mat]

Hi all. I’m starting to think about building my own E bike. Probably a twin shock mountain bike but I’ve never striped a bike down so what should I look for in a donor bike dimension wise when looking for a kit. Are all hub kits the same size if I get the correct wheel dimensions also what do I look out for crank wise if looking for a mid frame kit are they all the same dimension and width?. Like I say I’m a complete newbie.

You may find this "instructable" helpful, hopefully!
Its how to build a DIY E-Bike.
I am a member there, but if you have problems, I can usually download the pdf for you.

Electric Bike - the HARD Way

Electric Bike - the HARD Way: I always wanted to make an e-bike. So I built this frankenstein bike as a proof of concept. Long story short - no ebike kits and no hub motors. Here is a short introductory video showing how it works and how it was made: I will further describe th…

www.instructables.com

I myself have never built a bike of any sort (but I am building a special "Soap Box racer" for my Grandson right now!), but guessing only, having a friend with a welder might make life easier, if you don't already have one yourself...
MIG welders are IMHO fairly easy to master, and not too expensive.
I managed it 13 years ago with both normal and stainless steel for a CNC project I was building! As a local company wanted €200 for two tiny welds, on parts I had already made!
I refused to let them do it, and as I had learned stick welding in the RN in 1966, I simply bought myself a MIG welder (quite different technology though!) with the money I had saved, and had a go!!
The first few welds were strong but needed a bit of cleaning up.
Today I am more relaxed and the welds look much better, and I also repair garden tools for a neigbour with a gardening business, for some years now, just to keep my hand in!
Plus there are many good books around to assist you if you are a newbie!
There is life before learning welding and a much better life afterwards!
Regards and the very best of luck
Andy

 

[chris_n]

^WTF!

 

[vfr400]

^WTF!

If only he had asked here first!

 

[Benjahmin]

Well it does say idiots guide to building a bike!

 

[Woosh]

Hi all. I’m starting to think about building my own E bike. Probably a twin shock mountain bike but I’ve never striped a bike down so what should I look for in a donor bike dimension wise when looking for a kit. Are all hub kits the same size if I get the correct wheel dimensions also what do I look out for crank wise if looking for a mid frame kit are they all the same dimension and width?. Like I say I’m a complete newbie.

a hardtail with air shock may save you a lot of bother.
If you go for a hub motor, check out the XF08C kit.
One measurement you need to check: the width of the rear dropout. The XF08C will suit 135mm or 140mm rear dropout.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/product/uid-177-xf08c-17ah/xf08c-rear-hub-kit-with-17ah-battery