Offroad Ebike build complete (well nearly)

clanky

Pedelecer
Jul 5, 2014
26
11
44
Lincolnshire
Hi all,

I thought I'd post before and after pics of the trail bike I've just finished building..

Ebike Before.jpg
Before...
Ebike After.jpg

After...

The donor bike was an aluminium framed Giant Sedona that I bought about 15 years ago and was worn out.

The hub motor is 1000W brushless and the Battery is 15AH 48V which I bought direct from China. I fitted some Suntour XCM forks with 100mm travel for good measure.

The motor / disc brake kit was £200 including delivery, the battery was £211 delivered ($359) direct from China and the cycle parts were about £100.

I've been out trail riding five times now for 1hr trips and it uses about half the battery life. It's fast enough but not sure how fast as I don't want a speedo as I'd rather go as fast as is fun an comfortable and I also wanted a clean and uncluttered look.

I've got a few mods to do such as a thumb throttle and quality pedals. I think a thumb throttle is essential for safety as it is easy to accidently twist the throttle.
 
Last edited:

clanky

Pedelecer
Jul 5, 2014
26
11
44
Lincolnshire
Nice work! But most importantly, is it fun to ride? :)
Hi TinKitten, thanks for looking! The bike is very fun to ride indeed, probably no where near as refined as your KTM but it's quick and has a good range. I very rarely take it out of medium speed when I'm trail riding on rough ground. A full suspension bike would be better off road but the bike is good enough provided you stand on the pedals and don't sit down too much.

Have you been out on yours much in this fine weather?
 
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TinKitten

Pedelecer
Feb 26, 2014
153
148
Abergavenny
www.pottylou.co.uk
If it puts a grin on your face then that's all that matters and it sounds like your bike does just that. :D

I must say I'm a bit of a wimp and I'm glad of my full suspension. I immediately changed the stock saddle for a comfier one and this takes most of the pain out of it. I still stand up in the saddle at times anyway is it seems the most natural way to ride some sections.

I've been out here and there. My longest ride was 36 miles of hilly country lanes with an altitude gain of 3652 feet. I used the bike on 'auto' setting most of the time (which gives varying levels of assist) and had about 22% battery left at the end of it. Goodness knows how I would cope if it runs of out battery on me, it's like cycling through treacle with no assist, lol!

I've been out over the slopes of Sugarloaf, my local mountain, three times and am just beginning to learn how to get the best out of the bike. My walk assist button arrived this morning in the post, so once that's fitted I'll find it much easier for the sections that I need to push the bike up hill.

I had my farewell ride on the Street Triple on Wednesday, up to the Elan Valley. I then spent 4 hours cleaning it ready to put it up for sale. I'm sad but it's got to go. I don't have the money for both. And I'd probably confuse myself if I did have both as I tried to use the clutch as a brake on my motorbike as I'm already unconsciously programmed in mountain bike mode, hee hee.

Please keep us up to date with your mountain biking adventures. Reading about other people having fun is the next best thing to being out there on the days I am not able to ride. ;)
 

clanky

Pedelecer
Jul 5, 2014
26
11
44
Lincolnshire
If it puts a grin on your face then that's all that matters and it sounds like your bike does just that. :D

I must say I'm a bit of a wimp and I'm glad of my full suspension. I immediately changed the stock saddle for a comfier one and this takes most of the pain out of it. I still stand up in the saddle at times anyway is it seems the most natural way to ride some sections.

I've been out here and there. My longest ride was 36 miles of hilly country lanes with an altitude gain of 3652 feet. I used the bike on 'auto' setting most of the time (which gives varying levels of assist) and had about 22% battery left at the end of it. Goodness knows how I would cope if it runs of out battery on me, it's like cycling through treacle with no assist, lol!

I've been out over the slopes of Sugarloaf, my local mountain, three times and am just beginning to learn how to get the best out of the bike. My walk assist button arrived this morning in the post, so once that's fitted I'll find it much easier for the sections that I need to push the bike up hill.

I had my farewell ride on the Street Triple on Wednesday, up to the Elan Valley. I then spent 4 hours cleaning it ready to put it up for sale. I'm sad but it's got to go. I don't have the money for both. And I'd probably confuse myself if I did have both as I tried to use the clutch as a brake on my motorbike as I'm already unconsciously programmed in mountain bike mode, hee hee.

Please keep us up to date with your mountain biking adventures. Reading about other people having fun is the next best thing to being out there on the days I am not able to ride. ;)
I know what you mean about getting confused with the motorbike, I had to swap my twist throttle for a thumb throttle as I nearly took my little finger off turning right round an obstacle. I also get confused about not having a neutral gear and clutch. I'm getting used to it now though. My motorbike goes next week too but I haven't ridden it since getting the ebike.

Have you seen the Adam Mercier ebike videos on youtube yet?
 
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