Hey there,
I'm considering the idea of doing my own e-bike build and have been looking around at various options that would be cheaper than buying one off the shelf. Ideally I'd have a $2,000 budget but still get plenty of power and range as well as utility for that dollar amount.
I've currently got a Cannondale 24lb road bike that I like, but I feel that it doesn't really work too well for my 22 mile one-way commute that I'd like to do by bike since it isn't that comfortable, doesn't have durable tires, doesn't have much grip in wet conditions and doesn't have attachment points for a rack, etc. So I've been toying with the idea of getting a hybrid mountain bike like the Motobecane Elite Adventure X5 from Bikesdirect for about $500 and making that into my dedicated commuter bike similar to FlyMeAway's recent build.
I'm thinking I may go with a Bafung 500W motor that will hopefully be quiet enough to let me bike on bike trails without being too noisy, and like a 15-25Ah battery pack ideally mounted to the downtube, but my options seem limited since I do not have a shop and materials available to create a custom aluminum battery housing. It would be great if I could find one online that would house a large battery on the downtube as a bolt-on option.
If doing my own build is too difficult, I'd consider getting something like the Kalfkhoff Agattu Impulse 2 or the Haibike Trekking but those are too pricey for what I'm willing to spend on an e-bike at this point. Also, I feel like I would get more gratification from doing the build myself and maintaining/upgrading it over the years. Curious to hear input/ideas for how to make this build a reality.
Cheers,
Ian
I'm considering the idea of doing my own e-bike build and have been looking around at various options that would be cheaper than buying one off the shelf. Ideally I'd have a $2,000 budget but still get plenty of power and range as well as utility for that dollar amount.
I've currently got a Cannondale 24lb road bike that I like, but I feel that it doesn't really work too well for my 22 mile one-way commute that I'd like to do by bike since it isn't that comfortable, doesn't have durable tires, doesn't have much grip in wet conditions and doesn't have attachment points for a rack, etc. So I've been toying with the idea of getting a hybrid mountain bike like the Motobecane Elite Adventure X5 from Bikesdirect for about $500 and making that into my dedicated commuter bike similar to FlyMeAway's recent build.
I'm thinking I may go with a Bafung 500W motor that will hopefully be quiet enough to let me bike on bike trails without being too noisy, and like a 15-25Ah battery pack ideally mounted to the downtube, but my options seem limited since I do not have a shop and materials available to create a custom aluminum battery housing. It would be great if I could find one online that would house a large battery on the downtube as a bolt-on option.
If doing my own build is too difficult, I'd consider getting something like the Kalfkhoff Agattu Impulse 2 or the Haibike Trekking but those are too pricey for what I'm willing to spend on an e-bike at this point. Also, I feel like I would get more gratification from doing the build myself and maintaining/upgrading it over the years. Curious to hear input/ideas for how to make this build a reality.
Cheers,
Ian
