Shel-done
Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- PNW
Hi, my name is Sheldon!
I'm a long time lurker of these forums and big fan on EBR's thorough reviews. Decided to "give" back to this forum via a post detailing my first DIY conversion for my posterity and possibly inspiration for others.
This was my first foray into the electric bike sphere after buying my spouse a prebuilt Blix ebike and I learned a ton throughout the project. For anyone considering going DIY, it is rewarding in many ways and can easily net an end-result that meets or exceeds what you can buy prebuilt on the market.
In 2019 I decided to build an ebike powerful enough to flatten hills between my home & office, while decreasing my commute time and costs via other transportation. I had a donor hardtail mountain bike sitting in my living room, taking up space with nary a ride since buying it in 2015. Didn't really take to mountain biking via hardtail so this bike only saw one trail ride in 2015, which it still adorned mud from 4 years later (yikes).
Without further ado, here are some photos of the bike. I didn't do a terrific job documenting each step of the process, unfortunately, and I've since sold the bike but am happy to talk about it.
Before:
After:
Here is a breakdown of the final build components:
Part & Cost Itemization
Specs
Weight without battery: 44 lbs (approx.)
Weight with battery, lights, etc.: 60 lbs (approx.)
Top Speed: 30+ mph
Final take:
Overall I was proud of how it turned out. It was solid, smooth and quiet. Took it to my LBS for an overall tune-up and 2nd set of eyes given this was my first time assembling a bike from a bare frame (had to strip it for sandblasting/powder coating) and I didn't own a torque wrench at the time. The shop had nothing but great things to say and helped with derailleur alignment.
The BBSHD is powerful, especially with Luna's programming. It certainly made for an exciting ride. Enjoyed local trails with it a few times and the low & center weight made it easy to navigate trickier terrain, very natural. I was pleased overall with the motor choice, albeit heavy and large. Sadly never put enough miles or charge cycles on the bike to measure efficiency. I'm sure it was less efficient during my ownership since I mostly aimed to set new PR's to/from work and used the throttle at top speed often.
I never really enjoyed pedaling this bike with assist though. For this reason it started feeling like I made a moped with pedals, which is fine, just not what I wanted. I have experience riding road bikes and commuting via non-powered bikes and only got into ebikes after moving to a hillier region and spending far too much time out of the saddle. So when the pandemic hit and I realized life would be WFH for awhile or even indefinitely, I decided to sell the bike.
Things I'd do differently:
I'm a long time lurker of these forums and big fan on EBR's thorough reviews. Decided to "give" back to this forum via a post detailing my first DIY conversion for my posterity and possibly inspiration for others.
This was my first foray into the electric bike sphere after buying my spouse a prebuilt Blix ebike and I learned a ton throughout the project. For anyone considering going DIY, it is rewarding in many ways and can easily net an end-result that meets or exceeds what you can buy prebuilt on the market.
In 2019 I decided to build an ebike powerful enough to flatten hills between my home & office, while decreasing my commute time and costs via other transportation. I had a donor hardtail mountain bike sitting in my living room, taking up space with nary a ride since buying it in 2015. Didn't really take to mountain biking via hardtail so this bike only saw one trail ride in 2015, which it still adorned mud from 4 years later (yikes).
Without further ado, here are some photos of the bike. I didn't do a terrific job documenting each step of the process, unfortunately, and I've since sold the bike but am happy to talk about it.
Before:
After:
Here is a breakdown of the final build components:
Part & Cost Itemization
- Bike Frame: 2015 Giant Talon 27.5 4 | Frame Size: Medium
- Paint: Stripped & Powder coated flat black ($236.72)
- Fork: eBay Rigid Aluminum Straight Forks ($64.84)
- Motor: Luna Cycle Bafang BBSHD w/ Hot Rod Programming ($499.95)
- Display: Bafang 500C ($65.99)
- Battery: EM3ev - 52v Triangle Pack | Size: 25.7AH 14S9P with 60a smart BMS ($679.00)
- Battery Bag: EM3ev Triangle Frame Bag w/branding removed ($25.00)
- Charger: 58.8v 2a from EM3ev | Connector Type: Anderson ($30.00)
- Crank Arms: Lekkie Buzz Bars | Length: 160mm ($90.00)
- Chainwheel: Lekkie Bling Ring | Size: 46 tooth ($90.00)
- Pedals: Crankbrothers Stamp 1 | Size: Large ($36.63)
- Sensors:
- Bafang Shift sensor ($27.99)
- Bafang Magnet Brake sensors ($19.90)
- Bafang Thumb Throttle ($19.99)
- Bafang Speed sensor ($22.99)
- Bafang Wiring harness ($25.95)
- Bar Grips: MeetLocks Locking Rubber ($10.99)
- Tires: Continental Double Fighter III | Size: 27.5in x 2.0in (650b) ($68.00)
- Tubes: Continental 42mm Presta | Size: 27.5in x 1.75in – 2.40in ($15.00)
- Fenders: SKS Velo 65 Snap-On | Size: 65mm edge-to-edge ($33.06)
- Saddle: Fabric Scoop Sport Shallow ($39.99)
- Rear Rack: Blackburn Local Deluxe ($44.95)
- Stem: RaceFace Respond | Size: 10-degree x 60mm ($42.49)
- Cassette: Shimano HG51 8-speed | Size: 11-28 tooth ($17.89)
- Chain: Shimano CN-HG71 8-speed ($29.99)
- Kickstand: BV Alloy Adjustable ($14.99)
- Brake Rotors: SRAM Centerline Rounded | Size: 180mm ($70.00)
- Brake Pads: Resin Brake Pads ($9.99)
- Skewers: Delta Cycle KnoxNut ($35.00)
- Bell: Knog Oi Luxe ($39.95)
- Front Light: Light & Motion’s Urban 500 ($49.99)
- Rear Light: Planet Bike SuperFlash 65 ($23.94)
Specs
Weight without battery: 44 lbs (approx.)
Weight with battery, lights, etc.: 60 lbs (approx.)
Top Speed: 30+ mph
Final take:
Overall I was proud of how it turned out. It was solid, smooth and quiet. Took it to my LBS for an overall tune-up and 2nd set of eyes given this was my first time assembling a bike from a bare frame (had to strip it for sandblasting/powder coating) and I didn't own a torque wrench at the time. The shop had nothing but great things to say and helped with derailleur alignment.
The BBSHD is powerful, especially with Luna's programming. It certainly made for an exciting ride. Enjoyed local trails with it a few times and the low & center weight made it easy to navigate trickier terrain, very natural. I was pleased overall with the motor choice, albeit heavy and large. Sadly never put enough miles or charge cycles on the bike to measure efficiency. I'm sure it was less efficient during my ownership since I mostly aimed to set new PR's to/from work and used the throttle at top speed often.
I never really enjoyed pedaling this bike with assist though. For this reason it started feeling like I made a moped with pedals, which is fine, just not what I wanted. I have experience riding road bikes and commuting via non-powered bikes and only got into ebikes after moving to a hillier region and spending far too much time out of the saddle. So when the pandemic hit and I realized life would be WFH for awhile or even indefinitely, I decided to sell the bike.
Things I'd do differently:
- Hub motor vs. mid-drive: I liked the simplicity of my spouses Blix bike with a front hub motor. The separate of drivetrain and assist power was reassuring and made tune-ups less critical/frequent.
- Smaller/lighter battery: Call it forced pedaling encouragement. The heavy battery required more assist & throttle usage to counteract the weight, which seems counterproductive.
- Integrated lights: Screw charging three separate items, its just annoying and silly. I know some people like the separation for efficiency purposes but it just seems redundant and unnecessary.
- Custom frame bag: Something tailored to the frame to use the entire triangle and maximize storage.
- More color: This wasn't supposed to end up all black, I just never decided on a color and kept getting black parts. I definitely care about visibility more than stealth when riding.
- Belt vs. Chain: Commuting with a chain & derailleur in a rainy area is such a chore. Me and my spouse were ebike commuting in 2019 and I did not enjoy the time spent cleaning/lubing chains.
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