Looking to Either Build My Own or Purchase an Ebike

[Cathal]

I have some skill with DIY and I think it'd be cheaper to construct my own ebike. However, I am wondering if there are some models out there that would be better investments.

I have two existing bikes. One is a mountain bike and the other a BMX. I have attached images of each bike from side, front and the chain area.

Bike 1 [Side](http://i.imgur.com/Dc5k6fm.jpg) | [Front](http://i.imgur.com/irUyItG.jpg) | [Chain](http://i.imgur.com/7lRlhp2.jpg)

Bike 2 [Side](http://i.imgur.com/Zg1suqL.jpg) | [Front](http://i.imgur.com/1X6Dp7Q.jpg) | [Chain](http://i.imgur.com/UqPfvRo.jpg)

Bike 3: I could possibly purchase an ebike or another bike that is suitable for conversion into an ebike

I live in the UK.

I'm looking to use this for some exploring around the countryside, probably looking for something that will go at least 25mph and will go about 20 miles before a recharge is necessary.

Probably sub-£500 would be best for me but for a good deal maybe more can be spent

Any help is appreciated.

 

[soundwave]

you will need 500+ for motor and batt kit crank drive that is.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-8fun-Bafang-Mid-Drive-48V-750W-Electric-Bike-Motor-Conversion-Kit-BBS02-/161799678690?hash=item25ac032ae2:g:g2QAAOSwPcVV1Ppa

and bike 3

 

[Cathal]

Any suggestions for a suitable bicycle? Looking for maybe a fatbike or BMX type option.

 

[Alan Quay]

Unless you have very unusual requirements, then a BMX is not suitable. You don't want to go a long way on a BMX.

The FS mountain bike is, err, 'unfortunately specified'. Lets leave it at that.

A half decent s/h hard tail, a kit and a few hours work will get you a machine suitable for road/light trail use at about 18mph. If you are lucky and know what you are doing you can do it for £350.

More realistically a budget of £500 and some research.

If you want to do 25mph (and be somewhere near safe) then you need to double the budget to £800-1000.

 

[Nealh]

Bike 1. no where sensible to have a battery same really for the bmx.
Do you want to stay legal or don't care.
For 25 mph min get a motorbike or scooter, otherwise get a kit that will happily tootle along at 18mph. The faster you travel the less the range you get from a battery. £500 is a bit conservative for your needs and ideally hyd disc brakes or hyd rim brakes are a good option. Probably best bang for bucks kit is Woosh GSM or for more money look at the Oxydrive and BBS. For a bespoke option buying kit parts from Chinese vendors is an option that way you can pick and mix to suit your needs.

 

[Cathal]

Don't really care about legality, but at same time want to keep myself safe so wont be going excessively fast.

Range will probably need to be at least 20 miles.

What kind of ebike could I get for £1000? I want something pretty cool but practicality will trump flashiness for me.

I think I'll keep my two bikes the way they are for now

 

[Alan Quay]

Unrestricted CST kit, 15ah battery imported from China Inc delivery and duty: £500 (ish)

Second hand half decent mountain bike, with hydraulic disk brakes: £200

Elbow grease, knowledge, bits n Bob's, tools, accessories, mistakes, new wife etc: £???

That's for 22-23 mph that will cover about 25 miles, and be relatively safe.

 

[Cathal]

What should I look for in a mountain bike?
Where do I get the Unrestricted CST kit & 15ah battery online?
Who needs a wife when you have hydraulic brakes?

 

[cwah]

Or just get a ready made bike for your first one:

http://www.conhismotor.com/ProductShow.asp?id=466

 

[VictoryV]

Or just get a ready made bike for your first one:

http://www.conhismotor.com/ProductShow.asp?id=466

My Anti Virus does not like that link and has blocked it - just for information

 

[Cathal]

That's much too costly. About £900 way above my budget.

Pre-builds on Alibaba (Link) look much more affordable but I'm little skeptical about shipping in from China. I was reading a guide and there's all sorts of import laws that I'll need to comply with.

 

[Alan Quay]

What should I look for in a mountain bike?
Where do I get the Unrestricted CST kit & 15ah battery online?
Who needs a wife when you have hydraulic brakes?

Look for a bike from a good brand: Trek, GT, Specialized, Carerra.

Avoid: most Raleigh, most Giant, all Apollo, anything from Tesco, Trax Shockwave. There are many more.

As for a kit, I've only ever bought my gear from BMS battery (google it), and I suggest a 500w Bafang CST with a 12 FET (30a) controller.

You can get the full kit in UK. Oxydrive do a complete kit for £550, probably the best place to start.

 

[Cathal]

I've been told the "New 8fun Bafang Mid Drive 48V 750W Electric Bike Motor Conversion Kit BBS02" might be a good piece of kit to buy firstly. I might go with that. Is there anything that is as good as it. It looks well and doesn't take too much from the bike's style. It seems shipping from China may save some money (Link 1 | Link 2). There's even prebuilt ones, are these OK to buy?

If I don't go with the Chinese prebuilds, what type of bike do you recommend buying to install it on? My budget for a bike is about £200, may need to go shop for a used model but I just need to know what to look for.

 

[footpump]

electric bike convesions.co.uk in Hertfordshire do ready built 500w bikes about £700 but rear wheel unit ,there 500w kit is £395? but includes a 13.5 ah battery.
I have the 250w kit but have not fitted it yet, but service has been very good

 

[Cathal]

I bought the Bafang BBS02 750W and 11.6Ah battery from Eclipse Bikes. Cost about £700. Looking to buy a used bike for this build so will likely spend at least another £150 more as well on a used high quality mountain bike.

 

[soundwave]

a 150 quid bike will not be quality built bike, min id say 300-500. decent make as well.

 

[Cathal]

I'm looking to get a used bike, such as this or this. I can probably get something of that quality for £200ish based on my research thus far.

 

[soundwave]

cube looks ok

 

[Cathal]

I'm curious, what differences are there between the Cube and Giant bikes that make you choose the Cube, both look swell to me. Battery pack will blend in nicely on either of them.

 

[soundwave]

cube is a mtn bike giant more for on road cube also has bigger front sus.

it just all depends what you want to use the bike for, you not want to go hard off road on a hard tail bike like the cube.