Advice needed do I change the steerer or find the appropriate wheel size.

[curiosity]

G'day folks, in a should I or shouldn't I moment. I just recently purchased an e-trike. It was missing the front power wheel. Not such a big deal. 48v system nothing extraordinary. It seems to be a Chinese build which again neither here nor there. The rear wheels are 20" so I thought I'd go to local junkshop and by a 20" bike cost $5 just to take the front wheel and put it on the trike so its not sitting on the forks.

So small problem, the 20" doesn't fit lol. Looks like its 18" yes I should have measured but I didn't. Not a huge out of pocket expense. So how hard is it to find a steerer that is threaded at least 280mm long internal cavity for the handle bars is 22mm (from the research I've done 22mm isn't common?). I was thinking I'd rather put a 22" steerer on the front. Lots of wheels with electric hubs to choose from not so many for an 18" hub with motor.

As a by the by I'm new to the e-bike adventure, but I have fallen off a normal bikes many times.

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers and greetings from the colonies downunder.
Steve

 

[Nova Haibike]

It would be easier to build an 18" wheel with a hub motor than to find a 20" fork with a 280mm steerer; the typical 20" fork is for a kids bike with a short steerer. Google shows a fork carried by a UK supplier, but they show it as out of stock.

The handlebar stem could be 22mm, but it is more likely that it is 22.2mm. 22mm is an obsolete French size.

 

[curiosity]

Nova G'day, thank you for the link and advice. I've never built a wheel before so I don't know what's involved. I guess it would be prudent to call my local bike shop and ask them how much they would charge to do that. I did read that some stems were 22.2 my calipers tell me 22 but .2 is a slight breeze or a squeeze too much on my calipers, I don't fancy sanding down to size..

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

 

[PDoz]

Gday, where down under are you?

Can you check those " steerer" measurements? Ie are you talking 280 mm from bearing to bearing on the frame?

 

[curiosity]

Hey PDoz G'day, I'm in Victoria, suburb Preston. The 280 I have measured from the bottom of the silver ring to the top where the thread ends just above the other silver ring. Just as well you asked me to recheck its actually 290mm. The 280 I measured the in between of the silver rings I missed the extra 10mm. The 20mm I measured re the handle bar stem, I actually measured the diameter of the stem and not the internal diameter of the tube the stems goes in so it stands to reason the tube is probably 20.2 as well the stem needs room to move.

 

[curiosity]

Timpo yes correct the bed would tilt up but I think the tilt would not be very noticeable it would increase the angle by 1" from front to rear and the trike is pretty long, I did consider that, the crazy thing is that the rear wheels are 20". Its a bit of a crazy build I guess the frame is level now with the front wheel just sitting there the forks are just too short lol. If I do go 18" front, as sure as night is day it will lean forward.

 

[PDoz]

Hey PDoz G'day, I'm in Victoria, suburb Preston. The 280 I have measured from the bottom of the silver ring to the top where the thread ends just above the other silver ring. Just as well you asked me to recheck its actually 290mm. The 280 I measured the in between of the silver rings I missed the extra 10mm. The 20mm I measured re the handle bar stem, I actually measured the diameter of the stem and not the internal diameter of the tube the stems goes in so it stands to reason the tube is probably 20.2 as well the stem needs room to move.

At least you should have reasonable access to a wheel builder in Preston - plenty of bike shops .

That's huge , and everything sounds to be weird dimensions - even those brakes look to be set gor a small wheel. Good luck with the build.

( from gippsland)

 

[curiosity]

Oh for sure the brakes are in the wrong place lol..... maybe I get lucky tomorrow and find what I'm looking for.

 

[harryS]

That's a threaded steerer, and it's super long. Threaded steerers are typically 1 inch (25.4mm) or or 1 1/8" (31.8mm) in diameter around the threads. This 22mm your describe is especially narrow, Maybe you're describing the diameter of the quill that is above the two big nuts that hold the steerer in place. That would imply a 1" steerer.

Anyway, you find a fork pf the right diameter with a steerer tube that fits the frame.

If you're going to motorize it on a heavy bike, it should be a steel fork. Again, that makes it harder. I've been looking for a steel 20" fork with a 280mm stem. Haven't found one on ebay or aliexpress. This was the longest at 250mm. Probably have to buy it from a recumbent bike maker.

Sunlite Recumbent Fork 20 Rcmbt Crmo 250x155x22.2x27.0 V/disc Bk | eBay

Sunlite Recumbent Fork 20 Rcmbt Crmo 250x155x22.2x27.0 V/disc Bk.

www.ebay.com