Custom long-range cruiser build - go ahead, judge me

[Matthew Kreger]

So the bike came yesterday and looks pretty good. Wheels are true and no damage from shipping around the world in the flimsy box. I just had to put on the front wheel, stem, seat post and pedals and adjust the brakes and inflate the tires. Took it out for a quick spin around the block and it's definitely going to take some getting used to. The front wheel hits my toes when I turn. Probably just need to spend some time on it and figure it out. That will have to wait until it gets above 10 deg F.

 

[GatorBob]

I believe my Pedego Interceptor III matches your needs almost perfectly. I bought it after a lifetime of riding road bikes, mountain bikes and recumbent carbon high racers and the recumbent Lightning. I'm a very fit age 86 but Santa Fe's steep hills @ 7000 feet after years in flat Florida were too much for me. The Interceptor allows me to easily select how much motor assist I need, literally from moment to moment. It's a BIG heavy bike and extremely sturdy.

 

[Matthew Kreger]

There is a Pedego dealer in Virginia I plan to visit as soon as the arctic chill abates to check out the Interceptor. It does appear to be the closest to what I'm looking for from a purpose-built e-bike.

 

[wa5]

what bike did you end up buying?

 

[Matthew Kreger]

The CA-520 from BeachBikes:
http://www.beachbikes.net/products/...eed-Matte-Black-Mens-26-Cruiser-Bike-230.html

I wanted to get a bike with this pedal forward geometry and see how comfortable I am riding it over a longer period of time than it made sense to rent one. For $300 I can use this as is, add a kit if I really like it, or sell/donate it when I'm ready to move on to a different geometry or a similar ready made e-bike like the Pedego Interceptor.

 

[wa5]

will the bent down tube (from the front / headstock , down to the pedals ) make battery placement an issue, or would you place it behind the seat?

 

[Matthew Kreger]

Not sure. There are no water bottle cage braze-ons (sorry Court!) to use the easiest type of battery mounts. The kits I've been looking at from EM3EV are available with batteries in a triangle pack which should work pretty well.

 

[wa5]

Not sure. There are no water bottle cage braze-ons (sorry Court!) t.

How very remiss of you to purchase a bike without "court holes"..

I?m toying with the idea of using a Bafang mid mount on my Dragster, the lack of space to mount a water bottle battery is putting me off though

 

[Matthew Kreger]

The triangle packs from EM3EV are the best looking option I've seen for a ready to go mid-frame solution with a significant capacity (up to 25Ah). And I can buy it together with the BBS02 with all the proper connectors intact, etc. so I'm not trying to engineer something above my pay grade.
http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=35&product_id=123

 

[wa5]

That would certainly give some pretty good range and power. cant say the soft bag really grabs me. I like the hard cover on the Sondors storm bike.. reckon that type of thing would look pretty good covering that battery.