Hi everyone,
I've been a keen trail rider for many years and have built several bikes for myself and my family. I am rapidly approaching 60 and have recently been diagnosed with a rare muscle-wasting disease, which is severely impacting my ability to cycle more than a few miles, even on the flat. I'm determined to keep enjoying riding as long as I can, though, and so have begun investigating the world of pedelecs and e-bikes, which I'm finding both fascinating and (a little) confusing.
I can't at present justify the cost of a new higher-end bike, as I have no idea how rapidly my condition will progress. I prefer a mountain bike style, as I still hope to take the odd excursion along slightly more exciting trails (for those of you familiar with Coed-y-Brenin, the MinorTaur is about my standard), but so far I haven't identified a model that fits the bill. The lower end MTB look-alikes all seem to weigh in alongside road rollers, are equipped with entry-level-tat groupsets, and have a maximum range of 20 miles. The upper-end models which fit the bill are too expensive new and I'm wary of buying second-hand due to the potential cost of battery replacement and other parts.
I have therefore decided I'll build my own e-bike. Build criteria is as follows:
I'm comfortable with the mechanical aspects of the build and have reasonable electrical knowledge. Electronics are a bit of a Black Art for me, though, so I'd need kit with comprehensive instructions for any fine tuning that may be possible.
All Words of Wisdom gratefully received
Cheers, John
I've been a keen trail rider for many years and have built several bikes for myself and my family. I am rapidly approaching 60 and have recently been diagnosed with a rare muscle-wasting disease, which is severely impacting my ability to cycle more than a few miles, even on the flat. I'm determined to keep enjoying riding as long as I can, though, and so have begun investigating the world of pedelecs and e-bikes, which I'm finding both fascinating and (a little) confusing.
I can't at present justify the cost of a new higher-end bike, as I have no idea how rapidly my condition will progress. I prefer a mountain bike style, as I still hope to take the odd excursion along slightly more exciting trails (for those of you familiar with Coed-y-Brenin, the MinorTaur is about my standard), but so far I haven't identified a model that fits the bill. The lower end MTB look-alikes all seem to weigh in alongside road rollers, are equipped with entry-level-tat groupsets, and have a maximum range of 20 miles. The upper-end models which fit the bill are too expensive new and I'm wary of buying second-hand due to the potential cost of battery replacement and other parts.
I have therefore decided I'll build my own e-bike. Build criteria is as follows:
- Road Legal
- Pedal assist for the flat, with adequate torque and throttle override for hills
- Top speed unimportant (i.e., 15 mph legal limit is fine)
- Decent range - I typically do 30-mile round trips, and cannot afford to find myself with a flat battery at the end of a journey, as when I'm tired I can struggle to walk and even push a bike on the level. I'm thinking a decent 15Ah battery should do the trick?
- Probably a hub motor - no strong preference for front or rear, but if rear would prefer option to use a cassette rather than screw-on freewheel
- Motor preferably disc brake compatible
- Light as possible, given the inherent limitations of kit meeting the above criteria
I'm comfortable with the mechanical aspects of the build and have reasonable electrical knowledge. Electronics are a bit of a Black Art for me, though, so I'd need kit with comprehensive instructions for any fine tuning that may be possible.
All Words of Wisdom gratefully received
Cheers, John