Good candidate for mountain bike conversion?

bluestrings

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Been trying to determine the best candidates for mountain bike conversion for a first build. Mongoose Malus and Dolomite come up on the list. Would be cool to have full suspension though. Then I just came across this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/155316704386 Seems to have the right geometry along with steel frame, fat tires etc.... but with interesting suspension design which, looks to me would re-enforce strength and rigidity in the right areas to support a mid drive high power high torque motor. Any opinions?
 
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Not ideal for serious mt. biking.. likely won't hold up if you bolt up an electric motor and operate at peak power output neither.
Would not recommend that bike on eBay for ebike conversion.
 
Not ideal for serious mt. biking.. likely won't hold up if you bolt up an electric motor and operate at peak power output neither.
Would not recommend that bike on eBay for ebike conversion.
Right. Thanks for your feed back. My idea is to find a cheap candidate but with a sound steel frame, good welds fat or fatish tires, dual suspension. All other components can be upgraded. But i'm inexperienced with the bike world. You believe the basic steel frame would not likely be sound for serious mountain biking in considering the basic steel frame itself? I'm expecting the possible need to weld additional gussets/bracing for whatever I end up with for motor support.
 
Maybe give some parameters about the specific type of cycling you plan on doing with this ebike, then you may receive better suggestions?
Also specify your budget, $2k, $4k, more?
 
Maybe give some parameters about the specific type of cycling you plan on doing with this ebike, then you may receive better suggestions?
Also specify your budget, $2k, $4k, more?
With this build... mainly fun mountain biking with varied terrain including occasional steep hills, switchback trails, river bottom type trails with large river rocks here and there, sometimes sandy bottoms. I'm 6'1'' 195 lbs. Not that I intend to shred this terrain with abandon, I am a senior citizen after all. Right now I'm looking at the CYC pro gen3 conversion kits. Very cool versatile mounting system so can work on most frames with or without dual suspension. I'm used to dirt bike motorcycling as a kid so I'm wanting to feel that power/torque when you need to 'gun' it when needed and the torques there.
There's also this bike for sale locally. No fat tires though...and I'm not sure about the frame strength with this design that supports the cantilevered seat, but what do I know. https://ventura.craigslist.org/bik/d/ventura-specialized-fsr/7576372087.html

P.s. I'm looking to spend in the ball park of $2K....that's why I'd like to start with a deal on a cheap but strong frame.
 
Just motor, controller, display & battery pack would likely cost $1K.
For a rider of your stature, solid MTB is needed for foundation for your desired type of cycling.
By solid, I would recommend a downhill MTB, a full suspension model would likely cost $2K used.

That Specialized FSR in your previous post may be suitable if you were lighter, I used to ride one of those when I was 150 lb. with all my riding gear on me. Air rear shock is not likely to hold up long, but $150 is a great price for it.
You can try it out, but with additional weight of motor/battery/controller, the FSR is going to need additional suspension tune, or even replacement.
Not sure if the wheels on that FSR would be ideal to handle extra rider weight & motor power output for extended amount of riding.
When I first started converting MTB into ebikes in 2014, I started with old downhill MTBs.
Hub motor is much easier for conversion.
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People seem to praise mid-drive motor for serious off-road cycling, but I tend to disagree, but I just convert the bikes for them anyway.
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The only air rear shock model I've converted was for a lighter rider who is doing mostly rail trail riding with it:
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Kona DeeLux is a much better candidate for conversion for a heavier rider.
Not sure how much rehab it might require to get it into a safe ridable condition, but $450 is decent price.
 
A used, brand name mountain bike like a Specialized Stumpjumper would be a good candidate. I agree with “A”. I would stay away from an eBay “bargain” frame. Any good name brand mountain bike after about 2008 should have a decent fork and hydraulic disc brakes.

Full suspension has good and bad points. The ride is better and the rear wheel stays connected to the ground better too, but the bike will be heavier, (not a huge concern when you have a motor, but may be a problem during transport of maintenance), the rear suspension requires more maintenance and provides less space for a battery and water bottle. The choice should come down to how you plan to use it and budget.
 
Kona DeeLux is a much better candidate for conversion for a heavier rider.
Not sure how much rehab it might require to get it into a safe ridable condition, but $450 is decent price.
Hopefully it's not too small for my stature. I'll be checking it out this weekend. I accept the reality now that I'll need to stick to 'A' list brands. You've helped to steer me away from certain newbie notions. Would be nice to find something worthy in under $500 range but it gets more difficult trying to get the perfect size box ticked as well. I may be willing to go $2k for basic bike. Now there's this which looks like the Kona was based on same style and suspension. Also not far from me and a frame size listed as 24.5" which I gather is an XL as opposed to medium Kona. I may try to check both out same day for size. I hope the Kona is a better fit at $450 than the Ellsworth at $2K :) https://www.ebay.com/itm/385071973362?hash=item59a81403f2:g:j7IAAOSwMStjAB2P
 
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The advantage of something like an Ellsworth is they typically have really big areas for a battery. Where everything is going to go on an mtb is something you have to figure out in advance. A Dolomite frame has this same advantage. And its dirt cheap. But... its dirt cheap. The Dolo and other Mongoose bikes are known to have really good, strong frames and everything else on them is junk. Great as donors that let you have a cheap bike that actually works, but they will need to be slowly upgraded over time unless you want to go do another one after you've done the cheap route and are sure you like the whole ebike thing.

If you want to do a mountain bike, a mid drive will provide much higher torque thru the drivetrain and do the thing a hub motor cannot: Use the gears. Hub motors are single speed by their nature which is the main reason they are out of their element on an mtb, and you don't see hub motors on any quality factory mtb.

The Cyc X1 is probably a bit of a tall order if its your first build. They have a rep as being rather twitchy. SUPER powerful. The enduro I built with one, I chickened out on holding down the throttle when I crossed 40 amps and somewhere around 40 mph - I have a custom BAC800 controller on it capable of hitting 60a. The rpms on that motor can be up to 10,000 depending on which generation you have and which controller. That is a LOT, especially if something gives out.

You can get great deals on EBay if you are patient. My most recent emtb build is based on a 1999 Intense Tracer, which for its day was considered a step up from a Stumpjumper FSR - its rear suspension triangle is marked as produced under license from Specialized. I got it for $200, after I spent a bunch of time searching for a frame that would do what I wanted without scary things happening. Wrote up the planning phase and everything else here:

 
$2000 for the used Ellsworth is a bit high..
 
Welcome to the forum, Blue.

My view is that buying a bike and a conversion kit is likely to be as expensive as buying a pre-built ebike, if not more expensive. If you can get a great deal on a solid, brand-name used bike you might come out ahead, but that sounds iffy too. However, if you're good with tools and have an adventurous spirit you might be just as happy going the conversion route if you get a deal on a used Trek, Specialized, Giant or other quality bike. You definitely want something that's solid and sturdy enough to handle the added weight and torque.

I converted a 2015 Specialized bike that I already had and it worked out fine. Couldn't be happier. May you be so lucky.
 
Didn't want to drive around all day in the pouring rain on a bike search so I scratched the one that was likely to small anyway and went for the Ellsworth. Something about it was drawing me to it like a magnet, probably my being an idiot when it comes to business. Now it's down to hemming about which conversion kit.... CYC X1 pro or BBSHD?
If BBSHD had torque sensing like X1 pro...no brainer
If X1 pro was was quiet like BBSHD...no brainer
What about Bafang's M620? It has torque sensing right? But I heard that M620 in not available for DIY kits?
 
Have you ridden any ebike with or without torque sensor?

I'm not sure if I agree with this video, but I do follow used bike marketplaces.. and I do conquer about used bike prices.
 
Have you ridden any ebike with or without torque sensor?
Only ridden one ebike which is the Bee Cool Challenger 750w I bought several weeks ago basically brand new from a guy who decided he didn't want an ebike afterall. ($1300). It has no torque sensing. It's fine for commuting (the 30 Ah battery is great) but not for fun mountain biking. So I know how PAS by itself feels like with the 5 levels. Only read reviews of those who use a pro 1 with the torque sensor.
 
The CYC conversions have lots of power, probably more than a frame or bicycle drivetrain should ever be asked to endure. Unless you want something that is more or less an electric dirt bike, I would recommend not exceeding 1000 watts.

You can probably do whatever ever you like on private property, but if you want to ride anywhere else it is good to comply with the regulations.

I ride a class 1 Yamaha, (250 watts, 500 watts peak). I regularly ride grades up to 24%, mostly gravel. I am not looking for a dirt bike experience, but it’s a fun and lively cycling experience. I generally ride in the eco mode, (assist equal to my output).

As an old cyclist, I respect the need for good bike handling skills. The idea of an inexperienced rider having more wattage than the strongest pro rider sounds like a recipe for disaster. It is of course up to you. I am just throwing out some words of caution.
 
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