Recommendations needed for rear hub 250V throttle e-bike

[richj8990]

I've given up on e-bike conversions for now. It looks like at least $400 to get a decent kit and a Li-Ion battery, and to do it right at least $100 in bike shop labor. And that's not including the bike itself. You can get a 250V entry-level bike for $700-900 and it has a warranty. However, some of the reviews on those bikes sound like one or more have the old friction twist-shifters on the bikes, and I really don't want those. Are there any cheaper e-bikes out there that are aluminum and have real Shimano trigger shifters, with at least a 21-speed freewheel? Only that pedal drivetrain level or above would be worth buying, I'm not going to spend $700+ on a friction twist-shifter bike. Thanks for your input.

 

[richj8990]

This is the bike I'm looking at, around 58 lbs with battery and has both e-bike and pedal assist options on the console: ANCHEER Folding Electric Mountain Bike with 26" Super Lightweight Magnesium Alloy 6 Spokes Integrated Wheel, Removable Lithium-Ion Battery (36V 250W), Premium Full Suspension and Shimano Gear, $799.99, normally $999.99. It does have the twist shifter but if it only has 7 speeds in pure pedal no motor power mode, then it's no big deal I'll live with it. I was confused because the product description says Shimano 21-speed, but I bet that's the base bike without the motor and they took off 2 of the 3 crankwheels in the front to make a 1x7 drivetrain that's e-bike friendly.

 

[Barryboy]

Holy cow, that thing is a hot mess. You'd be far better off buying a decent 10 year old hardtail that's been sitting in someones garage off of craigslist for $200 and spending the $500 on the kit and install.

 

[WoodlandHills]

If you want to use this as an eMTB there are better configurations out there. Low wattage hub motors are particularly unsuited for off roading due to their low torque output. It would work on dirt roads as long as they were not very hilly.

 

[richj8990]

I just may have to do that. I'm very frustrated with trying to fix my rear axle on a 3x7 freewheel hardtail. So in other words I have the bike already, just need the conversion kit, batteries, and installation. I tried to work on the axle for about 45 min today, and would feel really dumb if it weren't for the fact that two bike shops could not fix the axle, and one of them said that in several years of working on bikes they never saw an axle setup like this before (I broke the axle). It's a sealed bearing 145 mm one on a freewheel, not a freehub/cassette.

The end nuts don't rotate but the entire inside of the axle does rotate; the bearing on the right-hand side is fixed on to the axle itself (and rotates with the axle). This is very different than a typical 145 mm threaded axle. Those don't work on this setup because when you tighten the skewer next to the frame, the frame then squeezes the threaded nuts which then don't allow the threaded axle to rotate. The wheel spins fine until it's skewered down to where it's supposed to be (so it doesn't fall off). Stupid setup.

I know the above is totally off topic, but if I can't repair the axle then why not do a conversion kit on the rear wheel instead of throwing the whole bike in the garbage...

 

[richj8990]

OK, please let me know what you recommend for either: the whole bike (26" is fine) with a 1000W battery included for mountain biking (usually going up dirt fire road hills/mountains, probably 5-10 miles of electric power used per session at around 10 MPH average). Prefer for sure a throttle setup.

Or: a rear hub 1000W conversion kit, Li-Ion battery that fits where the water bottle was, and charger. I work like 60 hrs a week and can't spend dozens of hours researching this, I wish I could but no time. Thank you!!!

 

[WoodlandHills]

If your budget is $800 like the other bike you mentioned, I don't think I could suggest anything. A mid-drive would be the best configuration and you would need a functioning bicycle drivetrain before installing the motor and battery which would bust your budget.

Look at Luna or em3ev to see what good stuff costs.......

 

[Barryboy]

Just ebay a decent rear wheel if you're going to get a mid drive.

 

[richj8990]

Well I "have" the money, that's what credit cards are for aren't they? I'm really excited at the prospect of exploring miles and miles of stuff out there that would take 1/2 the day on a normal bike. It would be a real adventure, so I'm really holding my breath for an e-mountain bike.

So you are saying the mid-drive is the best bang for the buck, also I would imagine the best handling, kinda like a car. I'm thinking at least 500W to get up dirt road hills. I can fix the rear wheel for $150. I will research more...below looks pretty cool, around 700W with a slight motor upgrade:

Luna Alite Hard Tail

Alloy 6061 TIG Welded frame
Powerful BBS02 Mid Drive or a heavy duty BBSHD
Front suspension
Full Color Dashboard DPC-14
48v Shark Panasonic Battery 13.5ah 650 watt hours
23 piece Luna Ebike Tool Kit
Luna Mini Advanced Charger
Programming Cable
Professional assembly
Please note this bike is programmed for 750 watts for street use
The BBS02/BBSHD is nearly silent when operating
Weight of Bike with BBS02 and Battery: ~45.6 LB, the BBSHD option will add about 3 pounds
$1,599.95

 

[richj8990]

What do you think of this rear-wheel setup:

Aosom 26" Rear Wheel 48V 1000W Electric Battery Powered Bicycle Motor Conversion Kit, $240 on Amazon

Luna 48v Panasonic 11.5ah Shark Pack, $430 with charger, installs directly to water bottle screws on frame.