Benoksanen
New member
- Local time
- 8:48 AM
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2022
- Messages
- 10
All, just giving an update after about 6 months of ownership of a 36v/750w rear wheel geared hub with a shark battery. Spoiler alert … I liked it enough to buy two more.
I bought the kit to throw on an old steel Specialized Rockhopper. I added PNW drop bars, Tektro levers, and non-indexed bar end shifters to make it more like a gravel/road bike for commuting.
Delivery. Quick, we’ll packed, and had everything needed EXCEPT I had to buy an adapter to mount the battery (for all three bike that I converted) for about $29 shipped. https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Battery-Conversion-Downtube-Aluminum/dp/B09WZSLN5S
Building. I work on bikes a ton, and this took about 3 hours, most of it figuring out how to route cable or file the dropout. Nothing very difficult, but you have a LOT of wire to hide. I generally wrapped it around my seat tube. Aligning the pedal sensor took some care. Connectors appear very solid. The most complex thing was replacing a mountain bike crank with a 52 tooth crank (I had to do this to enable speeds of 25+ mph while pedaling). I ended up installing a bottom bracket that had a wider spindle so that the larger chainring would not hit the frame. That took a lot of work and knowledge that I didn’t have to do on two of the three bikes. Get one with 50 teeth or more if possible.
The torque arms are super easy to use, and the one aluminum bike that I converted seems rock solid.
Riding. I mountain bike a ton, but am having a blast riding the Ebike. At level 5 (of 5), I can pedal medium and go about 24 mph for about 40 miles. If I put that down to level 2 and pedaled a bit, I suspect I’d go much further. Tons of shopping, commuting, and going for a blast around town after evening traffic.
I get a great workout if I want to pedal hard (I’m doing the VT50 mtb ride/race this September , so I know a good workout). You can also down shift and put in very little effort and cruise along should you choose.
I’ve ridden about 700 miles, and the only real trouble is a chirp from the rear wheel - I narrowed it down to the spokes. I got a spoke wrench on Amazon, loosened each nipple 2 turns, put boiled linseed oil on each spoke/nipple interface with a drenched qtip, then retightened. Chirp went away … introducing a little spike prep seems a good idea.
In summary, the bike is a blast and so far been reliable. Friend rode it a bit, then we built one for him. Built one for my wife on a comfort bike, and she LOVES it … we ride together quite a bit now. On our recent family vacation, friends were taking out e-bikes all over and having a blast.
Summary … you need a little ability to get it built, but it seems to work well and is reliable. I bought three, so that says a lot since I’m a cheap a$$.
Ask if questions.
I bought the kit to throw on an old steel Specialized Rockhopper. I added PNW drop bars, Tektro levers, and non-indexed bar end shifters to make it more like a gravel/road bike for commuting.
Delivery. Quick, we’ll packed, and had everything needed EXCEPT I had to buy an adapter to mount the battery (for all three bike that I converted) for about $29 shipped. https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Battery-Conversion-Downtube-Aluminum/dp/B09WZSLN5S
Building. I work on bikes a ton, and this took about 3 hours, most of it figuring out how to route cable or file the dropout. Nothing very difficult, but you have a LOT of wire to hide. I generally wrapped it around my seat tube. Aligning the pedal sensor took some care. Connectors appear very solid. The most complex thing was replacing a mountain bike crank with a 52 tooth crank (I had to do this to enable speeds of 25+ mph while pedaling). I ended up installing a bottom bracket that had a wider spindle so that the larger chainring would not hit the frame. That took a lot of work and knowledge that I didn’t have to do on two of the three bikes. Get one with 50 teeth or more if possible.
The torque arms are super easy to use, and the one aluminum bike that I converted seems rock solid.
Riding. I mountain bike a ton, but am having a blast riding the Ebike. At level 5 (of 5), I can pedal medium and go about 24 mph for about 40 miles. If I put that down to level 2 and pedaled a bit, I suspect I’d go much further. Tons of shopping, commuting, and going for a blast around town after evening traffic.
I get a great workout if I want to pedal hard (I’m doing the VT50 mtb ride/race this September , so I know a good workout). You can also down shift and put in very little effort and cruise along should you choose.
I’ve ridden about 700 miles, and the only real trouble is a chirp from the rear wheel - I narrowed it down to the spokes. I got a spoke wrench on Amazon, loosened each nipple 2 turns, put boiled linseed oil on each spoke/nipple interface with a drenched qtip, then retightened. Chirp went away … introducing a little spike prep seems a good idea.
In summary, the bike is a blast and so far been reliable. Friend rode it a bit, then we built one for him. Built one for my wife on a comfort bike, and she LOVES it … we ride together quite a bit now. On our recent family vacation, friends were taking out e-bikes all over and having a blast.
Summary … you need a little ability to get it built, but it seems to work well and is reliable. I bought three, so that says a lot since I’m a cheap a$$.
Ask if questions.
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