It’s coming up for a year since I converted an old Polish hardtail off Gumtree using a geared rear hub (Q128) and frame battery. The bike has performed extremely well on the road as well as on gravel and has gotten my CFS/ME-wracked body out and about many times when otherwise it wouldn’t have been possible. The freedom suddenly on offer makes me wish I had known about DIY ebikes years ago.
The last challenge for this bike is true off-roading on the trails around here. Being front suspension only, it’s a very rattle-y ride over the rocks and tree roots of the singletrack, particularly the downhill trails in the nearby forest. I’ve ridden a few trails at low speeds which is fine but I’m afraid that the stress on the battery, controller or rear hub will cause a breakdown before long.
Are you guys taking hardtail DIY bikes down rough trails at speed or just sticking to the easy stuff?
This is the kind of trail I’m talking about
Another local trail, this time at a speed beyond what I would consider
The last challenge for this bike is true off-roading on the trails around here. Being front suspension only, it’s a very rattle-y ride over the rocks and tree roots of the singletrack, particularly the downhill trails in the nearby forest. I’ve ridden a few trails at low speeds which is fine but I’m afraid that the stress on the battery, controller or rear hub will cause a breakdown before long.
Are you guys taking hardtail DIY bikes down rough trails at speed or just sticking to the easy stuff?
This is the kind of trail I’m talking about
Another local trail, this time at a speed beyond what I would consider
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