Classic Cannondale Super V conversion

S

Shark413

Member
Region
USA
I am a big fan of the classic Cannondale Super V's. I owned several and currently own three Super V frames circa 1990-2000 and a Jekyll. I have wanted to buy an ebike for a while but I wanted a full suspension bike and the name brands start around $3k which is out of my budget, then the more affordable Chinese ebikes came out but covid demand and tariffs pushed the prices up. Then I thought to myself I have a perfectly good bike, that fits me and has the high end components I want, why not covert one of them to electric. Did a little research and decided to go with the Bafang 750 watt 48v mid drive. I went with the 750 watt to keep it a class 2 and mid drive so I could take full advantage of the gears. I got the kit and installed it onto a bare Super V frame I had. I pulled the swing arm off a 2nd Super V because it had the disc brake mounts. Took the Lefty fork off another bike and the Jekyll donated most of the running gear (wheels, derailleur, bars, brakes, etc). Because of the unusual shape of the frame I had to mount the battery on the bottom of the down tube. The kit went together with no issues (I had to buy a special spanner wrench to tighten the bottom bracket motor mount). With everything installed it fired right up and I took it for a spin. Man this thing is powerful. I live in a really hilly area and age and extra pounds have prevented me from riding my favorite routes because I could no longer climb the bigger hills. Now I just dial in a little PAS when needed and I can go anywhere. The only issue so far is that when the motor kicks in it is very abrupt at the higher levels and you need to get use to how it engages.

POgzYmS.jpg


5VB3AFZ.jpg


4YUgK15.jpg
 
Sharkey !
Oh, that's nice ! First time seeing one with that battery setup.
I'm glad to see it was a success.
46T CR? I imagine you can still select all 9 cogs because the BB is ' narrow '

My Current build is a 2006 Rush and I have a 2004 Jekyll and next buy will be a "V"
 
Last edited:
Shark413 said:
I am a big fan of the classic Cannondale Super V's. I owned several and currently own three Super V frames circa 1990-2000 and a Jekyll. I have wanted to buy an ebike for a while but I wanted a full suspension bike and the name brands start around $3k which is out of my budget, then the more affordable Chinese ebikes came out but covid demand and tariffs pushed the prices up. Then I thought to myself I have a perfectly good bike, that fits me and has the high end components I want, why not covert one of them to electric. Did a little research and decided to go with the Bafang 750 watt 48v mid drive. I went with the 750 watt to keep it a class 2 and mid drive so I could take full advantage of the gears. I got the kit and installed it onto a bare Super V frame I had. I pulled the swing arm off a 2nd Super V because it had the disc brake mounts. Took the Lefty fork off another bike and the Jekyll donated most of the running gear (wheels, derailleur, bars, brakes, etc). Because of the unusual shape of the frame I had to mount the battery on the bottom of the down tube. The kit went together with no issues (I had to buy a special spanner wrench to tighten the bottom bracket motor mount). With everything installed it fired right up and I took it for a spin. Man this thing is powerful. I live in a really hilly area and age and extra pounds have prevented me from riding my favorite routes because I could no longer climb the bigger hills. Now I just dial in a little PAS when needed and I can go anywhere. The only issue so far is that when the motor kicks in it is very abrupt at the higher levels and you need to get use to how it engages.

POgzYmS.jpg


5VB3AFZ.jpg


4YUgK15.jpg
Click to expand...
That single battery strap doesn't look very secure. Put second one on. Nice ride otherwise.
 
zzRider said:
That single battery strap doesn't look very secure. Put second one on. Nice ride otherwise.
Click to expand...
Normally I use three 1" or two 2" cincher straps. Only shows one in the picture because I was just testing/tuning stuff. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Mike_V said:
Sharkey !
Oh, that's nice ! First time seeing one with that battery setup.
I'm glad to see it was a success.
46T CR? I imagine you can still select all 9 cogs because the BB is ' narrow '

My Current build is a 2006 Rush and I have a 2004 Jekyll and next buy will be a "V"
Click to expand...
I also have a 36t bling ring, but for now the 46t is working ok.
 
Wow @Shark413 and congratulations! I have a Cannondale Gemini, Road and BadBoy in the barn, all MADE IN USA. My first Cannondale was a Delta-V. I've been using the BadBoy until I can get my EVG working again and/or Hydra in my hands. I did consider what you did, but am not as brave as you; especially when having to drill the frame for the mid-drive! A buddy of mine had both the RED/BLK and RED/YEL Super-V frames. I called the RED/YEL "McDonalds"🤮. Nice choice to use the BLK swing arm....

Some questions for you. How close does your front wheel get to the bat-pack while in full compression on that Lefty? Do you have any problems with rear suspension kick-back to the drive train making the motor jump/kick? My last question/concern is why I made the DUH-cision on a link FS bike versus the Cannondale single pivot.... (but you have me thinking about new projects....🤯)
-BB

P.S. Get the Mango-Fade hanging in the back out there too! That was my favorite color of all time!!!!
 
My Luna Wolf Pack battery is smaller and impact resistant ( fully epoxy potted )
2006 Lefty Speed does not compress enough for interference during my trail and road riding.
Big drops would be different all around and not for me.
IMG_20200425_090547.jpg
 
I am running a Lefty Max fork and there is no interference between the wheel and battery. I have about 1" of clearance at full compression (fork cap off, spring out, fully compressed).
 
Ref: some other forum
I have to show this amazing creation the Cyclone Super V-Lectric by "DaHose"
SuperVeeLectric.jpg
 
This is a great post because I have the same bike frame as the original poster as mines is a Super V 400. Not sure about the number but same frame. Ive been looking all over google for Super V Bafang Mid Motor and other combinations but never found exactly what I wanted until today. Im assuming thats the standard 68-73MM motor size?. I sent a conversation also.
 
thedon said:
This is a great post because I have the same bike frame as the original poster as mines is a Super V 400. Not sure about the number but same frame. Ive been looking all over google for Super V Bafang Mid Motor and other combinations but never found exactly what I wanted until today. Im assuming thats the standard 68-73MM motor size?. I sent a conversation also.
Click to expand...
Yup standard BaFang electric conversion 68-73mm bottom bracket. The motor fit perfectly and the only issue I had was that I had to mount the battery under the down tube (using rivet nuts) because it wouldn't fit on the top tube (too long). One benefit of this is the center of gravity is lower.
 
Shark413 said:
Yup standard BaFang electric conversion 68-73mm bottom bracket. The motor fit perfectly and the only issue I had was that I had to mount the battery under the down tube (using rivet nuts) because it wouldn't fit on the top tube (too long). One benefit of this is the center of gravity is lower.
Click to expand...
Thanks and I saw your other reply. I did wonder about the battery. Im gonna do the rivets too. Ill have to look for videos and info on that too.
 
Hey again everyone. I finally got to ride my Super V 400 after finishing the conversion. Thanks to Shark413 for being my goto person for my initial questions. His was the first I saw in this post. Then I took a while and ordered finally. I got the BBS02 and the 48v 12.8ah battery for range. But not sure if it will be worth it but I splurged. First impressions today was wow! I love it. Here's a few pics. Don't fire shots at me for the reused old petal ties for extra security on the battery or the closeness my battery is to the front wheel. It doesn't touch on hard braking. I used the Luna No Drill Battery Mount Kit. Its super stable for my first ride. Although Im not dropping off curbs or anything.
Lastly my bike didn't have disk brakes so that was the first thing I got.
1.png
2.png
3.png
 
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