It started with a decision to upgrade my forks and resulted in a complete strip down and rebuild. I think I may have got a bit carried away! Just about the only thing I haven't changed is the frame and that was only because I kept getting outbid on ebay.
Here was how things looked a couple weeks ago:-
That's a 36V 8FUN QSWXK motor and battery, new RockShox Dart3 forks, new Mavic CrossRide wheels with bladed spokes, new Cane Creek Zero-Stack 2 headset, new Wellgo (V8 clone) pedals, new front and rear Alivio mechs with new rear hanger, new 8 speed Shimano cassette, new SRAM powerlink chain, new Race Face Deus XC (not pictured) triple butted seatpost and a second hand RaceFace Diablo stem (great condition and a steal at £15 off ebay - comes complete with flaming cut outs in the metal!), new Specialized Sonoma saddle, new Jagwire Ripcord teflon coated cables with Jagwire internally coated cable housing, new Avid G2 185mm Cleansweep rotor and new clamped handlebar grips. Phew. The cats came free.
Fitting the crown race and headset as well as cutting the fork tube were the two most daunting jobs, but nothing went wrong (much). I just took my time and did each task accompanied by the internet and my Haynes manual. And here is the completed product:-
And the real reason behind all this - Unplug the breakaway connector from the front wheel, unscrew the two front wheel cone nuts, then insert a standard front wheel and tighten the quick release:-
From electric bike for commuting, to normal bike for weekend riding in about 60 seconds. At a little over 15kg it's a pretty respectable weight for a full suspension bike.
And was it all worth it? The front forks are fantastic. I've never had quality forks before and the difference is very noticeable - it's the smoothest ride I've ever experienced by miles. The rebound adjust and lock out are great features. The motor is also fantastic. It's only slightly less powerful than the Alien GS1 which is saying something but it is much, much quieter and thankfully the free wheel is excellent (that was my biggest worry). The motor and battery were about £420 and the rest of the bits and pieces came in at around £400 so it hasn't been cheap, but I've ended up with a bike with quality components and I've learned a heck of a lot in the process, so yes, it's definitely been worth it.
Here was how things looked a couple weeks ago:-
That's a 36V 8FUN QSWXK motor and battery, new RockShox Dart3 forks, new Mavic CrossRide wheels with bladed spokes, new Cane Creek Zero-Stack 2 headset, new Wellgo (V8 clone) pedals, new front and rear Alivio mechs with new rear hanger, new 8 speed Shimano cassette, new SRAM powerlink chain, new Race Face Deus XC (not pictured) triple butted seatpost and a second hand RaceFace Diablo stem (great condition and a steal at £15 off ebay - comes complete with flaming cut outs in the metal!), new Specialized Sonoma saddle, new Jagwire Ripcord teflon coated cables with Jagwire internally coated cable housing, new Avid G2 185mm Cleansweep rotor and new clamped handlebar grips. Phew. The cats came free.
Fitting the crown race and headset as well as cutting the fork tube were the two most daunting jobs, but nothing went wrong (much). I just took my time and did each task accompanied by the internet and my Haynes manual. And here is the completed product:-
And the real reason behind all this - Unplug the breakaway connector from the front wheel, unscrew the two front wheel cone nuts, then insert a standard front wheel and tighten the quick release:-
From electric bike for commuting, to normal bike for weekend riding in about 60 seconds. At a little over 15kg it's a pretty respectable weight for a full suspension bike.
And was it all worth it? The front forks are fantastic. I've never had quality forks before and the difference is very noticeable - it's the smoothest ride I've ever experienced by miles. The rebound adjust and lock out are great features. The motor is also fantastic. It's only slightly less powerful than the Alien GS1 which is saying something but it is much, much quieter and thankfully the free wheel is excellent (that was my biggest worry). The motor and battery were about £420 and the rest of the bits and pieces came in at around £400 so it hasn't been cheap, but I've ended up with a bike with quality components and I've learned a heck of a lot in the process, so yes, it's definitely been worth it.
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