Frustration

[kmccune]

Ok, I have a 135mm x26" rearwheel 1500 watt motor with a new MTB tire, would it work alright on a 27.5 bicycle frame to make a "Mullet" of sorts( its a cheap hybrid or MTB frame)? I simply cannot get this motor wheel combo to work on any low cost cruisers and I want to use it for something( its new).

'What I do not know would fill the "Encyclopedia Galactica" any help would be appreciated as I find out its easier to buy a cheap entry-level bike than to build one.( A 250 watt Ebike taught Me that I wasn't as weak as I thought)

 

[AHicks]

I think the bigger part of your question, "what will it look like" will depend on what size "mountain bike tire" you put on that rim. That could be from less than 2.0" to over 4.0" and the height of that tire will vary greatly depending on width selected. I can tell you that I tried a "mullet" set up for a bit on a fatty I was converting, and using a 26x3 street tire in back with a 27.5x2.8 in front it worked and looked fine. Will it work on a 27.5" frame? Sure. The 135mm drop out is a pretty standard size opening.

 

[john peck]

There are literally tons of old mtbs with wide enuff stays for yur motor whl on craigslist starting at $50.

 

[sc00ter]

I have a friend who purchased a crazy power rear wheel and slapped it on a cheap Wally World mountain bike. It did exactly what I told him it would do, twist the rear drop outs round. There is no way to properly control the twist of the axle in the cheap frame. Then he found an old Specialized Hardrock that worked (held up to the twist of the axle with a bit of reinforcement added) but then the brakes are no longer sufficient to slow the bike. He then had to do a disc brake conversion. Front was easy, rear was a PITA. After all the time invested and the purchase price for the bikes, brakes and other small parts he exceeded the price of a purpose built ebike. Only win, if you call it that, is his homemade converted ebike does around 45mph. He got bummed I didn't give him dibs on my RadRunner when I sold it.

 

[AHicks]

I have a friend who purchased a crazy power rear wheel and slapped it on a cheap Wally World mountain bike. It did exactly what I told him it would do, twist the rear drop outs round. There is no way to properly control the twist of the axle in the cheap frame. Then he found an old Specialized Hardrock that worked (held up to the twist of the axle with a bit of reinforcement added) but then the brakes are no longer sufficient to slow the bike. He then had to do a disc brake conversion. Front was easy, rear was a PITA. After all the time invested and the purchase price for the bikes, brakes and other small parts he exceeded the price of a purpose built ebike. Only win, if you call it that, is his homemade converted ebike does around 45mph. He got bummed I didn't give him dibs on my RadRunner when I sold it.

Fortunately, that's not true. Look into torque arms. If messing around with a lot of power, consider installing one on each side....

 

[john peck]

Fortunately, that's not true. Look into torque arms. If messing around with a lot of power, consider installing one on each side....

Yeah, 1500 watts makes boocoo torque.

 

[sc00ter]

My friends conversion was done in the dawn of ebike wheels. I've only heard about conversion tips from the recent issue of Electric Bike Action I think. I half read the article because I'm lazy and have no urge to make anything. I think my friends power output is something like 4000watts. His ebike is silly fast and blast off the line with the rear wheel spinning! He's cheap so I don't see him spending money on torque arms. But I've also seen 500watt hubs damage frames or forks from being poorly executed. Using a cheap bike as the base equals cheap outcome.

 

[kmccune]

I think the bigger part of your question, "what will it look like" will depend on what size "mountain bike tire" you put on that rim. That could be from less than 2.0" to over 4.0" and the height of that tire will vary greatly depending on width selected. I can tell you that I tried a "mullet" set up for a bit on a fatty I was converting, and using a 26x3 street tire in back with a 27.5x2.8 in front it worked and looked fine. Will it work on a 27.5" frame? Sure. The 135mm drop out is a pretty standard size opening.

Thanks there is hope yet.

 

[kmccune]

Fortunately, that's not true. Look into torque arms. If messing around with a lot of power, consider installing one on each side....

1have two torque arms and will install them when I convert something( gonna sneak down to the shop and nab younger brothers 27.5)

 

[AHicks]

My friends conversion was done in the dawn of ebike wheels. I've only heard about conversion tips from the recent issue of Electric Bike Action I think. I half read the article because I'm lazy and have no urge to make anything. I think my friends power output is something like 4000watts. His ebike is silly fast and blast off the line with the rear wheel spinning! He's cheap so I don't see him spending money on torque arms. But I've also seen 500watt hubs damage frames or forks from being poorly executed. Using a cheap bike as the base equals cheap outcome.

Somebody spending the money to come up with a 4000w setup (motor, batteries, and controller) that doesn't consider the potential for issues with the drop outs prior to having them ruined, is a "special" sort of case. The expense involved in acquiring a couple of torque arms would have been a drop in the bucket as compared to some of the other parts required....

 

[PedalUma]

I can recommend 'cheep' bikes to convert. Everyone's wallet is different than mine. For some people a cheep bottle of wine is $67 for some it is $120 and for others it is $3. I like the Craigslist idea. You can get something like a 5 year-old Rockhopper 26 with an air fork and XT hydro brakes. Change up the HB, pedals, and saddle if needed. There are also a couple of Big Box bikes that could be good candidates such as the GT Aggressor Pro. It is a 27.5 with mechanical discs and a heavy spring loaded fork, but it is cheep for a new bike. The sticker on the fork says that it is not for off road, but the bike is marketed as a mountain bike with people sailing in the air.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

Ok, I have a 135mm x26" rearwheel 1500 watt motor with a new MTB tire, would it work alright on a 27.5 bicycle frame to make a "Mullet" of sorts( its a cheap hybrid or MTB frame)? I simply cannot get this motor wheel combo to work on any low cost cruisers and I want to use it for something( its new).

'What I do not know would fill the "Encyclopedia Galactica" any help would be appreciated as I find out its easier to buy a cheap entry-level bike than to build one.( A 250 watt Ebike taught Me that I wasn't as weak as I thought)

I look at ebay and especially, facebook marketplace for used, but higher end purpose built-mid drive ebikes made by Haibike, etc. There are alot of nicely priced, factory designed and built ebikes for sale there. A used Yamaha powered H-Bike for a couple thousand is going to deliver you thousands of miles of bike riding service as that ebike drive is as bulletproof as they come. Maybe that cost of entry is too much right now, but I believe you've been on this forum for a good while but you're still in the "starting blocks" in trying to figure out how to frankenstein an analog bike into something it was never made to do. Your fabrication skills appear to be minimal so why continue to knock your brains in when the bike has already been created that will get you out on the roads and trails with absolutely no fuss, nothing but miles of smiles?

Later on, with months or years of ownership of factory build ebike ownership under your belt, you can revisit the idea of building your own from scratch. The time for getting out and riding an ebike is.....now!