My Bafang mechanical brake levers arrived yesterday, and look nicer than I'd expected. Motor arrives today, and I think I'm going to pull the trigger on a custom 52v 18Ah battery. It's slightly larger than my original plan, but will still fit along the seat tube. Could be up and running by...
Unless you're running a mid-drive your drivetrain is more or less redundant. You could run the less-robust Gates system with a mod to your seat stays, but the hub motor doesn't care, as it's driving the wheel directly. I was dead-set on a mid-drive with a belt and IGH, and in the end the belt...
I've been working with Ebike Marketplace and an outfit called MTO Battery in PA on getting a custom 52v pack built. They may be worth a call. Ask for Vinh at EBM.
I've seen people hang a shark or hailong under the downtube, but I wouldn't do it. Imagine it acting as a bumper after you've gotten your front wheel up over something at speed, becoming annoyed, and bursting into 1000 degree flames...
That's certainly worth something, but customer service from Kickbikes, Cruissis, and Gravity has been really outstanding so far. And it's encouraging that Gravity sells replacement frames, decks, and other parts on their website.
It's my understanding that the BBSxx drives want to rotate clockwise, toward the downtube, so if you get a nice, tight install close to the downtube, and don't do many jumps that might cause the motor to break away and rotate down, you shouldn't need a torque arm.
So it looks like I can get my paws on four different donors for this kickbike build, each with its own challenges. All have disc brakes and 100mm or better spacing at the rear dropouts.
My favorite is the Gravity M10, which looks obscenely overbuilt and very cool. I could order a frame...
Actually, Luna has one for full suspension bikes, too. I kind of like it better than the other model.
https://lunacycle.com/bsbf-1-stabilizer-bar-for-bbs02-and-bbshd/
Learned last night that Gravity Kickbikes will ship frames internationally, and OP Scooters does, too! The Gravity M10 is a beast, and sports a 100mm rear dropout spacing. And so does the Pixie 20"x16". Victory is mine!
And I'd like to see a foot bike with a basket do this:
I wish someone in the USA made one with disc brakes. As far as I can tell all of the performance models are made in a couple of factories in Zhejiang .
Life would be a whole lot easier if I just threw a hub motor into the front wheel of their Max 20+, but something in me recoils at the idea...
The dream is not dead! Kickbike.com will ship me a Fat Max frame with a wider rear dropout! (https://www.kickbikeus.com/product/fat-max/) I think a standard 26" MTB suspension fork and wheel out front, and a 20" fat tire in the back will slap. Or maybe even go down to a front 24" if I can...