Has anyone converted to a skinny rim/tire setup?

[ebikester]

The bike wouldn't look right but I'm wondering what the performance difference would be...

 

[Johny Rocket]

Not something that is simple. The spacing on dropouts are wider to accommodate the fatter axle, rim, tire, motor. You would have to replace them all and fabricate some type of shim on each side of the wheel to keep it centered in the dropouts.
If you want a economical hybrid style and bike trail bike with similar traits check out the Ariel Rideal. It will perform better on bike trails but worse on sand, snow, loose dirt and doesn't fold

 

[rice paper]

im running the same rim, 2.3 slicks. way less drag than knobbies. i am getting the freewheel 11-32 setup. i got a new chain. bike feels brand new. though i did neglect the chain. 3 storms. maybe 6. derailer is trashed. bike feels so new. so different. the range improves on slicks for sure. i may try the rims. 2.3. am more tempted ti add a front hub for extra range.

 

[Stoneyrun]

im running the same rim, 2.3 slicks. way less drag than knobbies. i am getting the freewheel 11-32 setup. i got a new chain. bike feels brand new. though i did neglect the chain. 3 storms. maybe 6. derailer is trashed. bike feels so new. so different. the range improves on slicks for sure. i may try the rims. 2.3. am more tempted ti add a front hub for extra range.

2nd battery?

 

[myers830]

The move to 3" tires by Lectric is spot on right. In fact, IMO 4" tires only make sense if going on sand and snow is your thing and I'm willing to bet that 98% of buyers are not into that. Also, I'm also willing to bet that most Lectric owners don't fold their bikes (especially once you add baskets, etc). I only bought mine because I wanted a folding bike but truth be told, the novelty ran out fast and I rarely fold it anymore unless I REALLY have to. I find myself riding more and more locally and less taking it in my car to remote locations. If I had to do it now, I get a nice used TREK or new Schwinn aluminum mountain bike (around $200) with the 27.5/3" wide tires... and couple that with a 500w Bafang mid-drive kit (complete kit w/battery at $700 and tons of videos to do it) and in a weekend build my own eBike. Why...because there would be no waiting for the damn thing to be built as the bike and Bafang kits are readily available...and because I really don't need a folding bike and to be honest 27.5" tires are FAR easier to handle on rough spots than 20" tires are. Its just plain physics and they rotate much slower (less wear and tear over the same mileage). I do like the Lectric bike as a first bike as it got me into eBikes and I'm grateful for that.

 

[rice paper]

2nd battery?

yeah. first page on this forum has a walk thru on adding the hub. will still get a new, pricier bike for looks, torque and speed. i would like to buy a spare lectric batt, but they are on short stock.i should be able to get around 65ish maybe 70 mile range.

 

[soyabean]

The bike wouldn't look right but I'm wondering what the performance difference would be...

If you were driving on perfect paved asphalt, low rolling resistance tires @ 100 psi would give you extreme increased mileage.

But because ebikes can ride many times more and faster over human pedal power, that means many times more and faster over bumps and bruises.

The ebike takes damage on everything else that isn't absorbed by its rubber tire.

I would expect bent spokes and rims to go first, followed by hub motor and possibly frame stays.

Really should stick to ECE-R75 tires.

 

[rice paper]

If you were driving on perfect paved asphalt, low rolling resistance tires @ 100 psi would give you extreme increased mileage.

this is exactly why i went with these. my paths are sm8oth and a 2 mile commute. i charge once a week. am 200 pounds and anywhere from 10-30 lbs of edc.

 

[DaveInPA]

im running the same rim, 2.3 slicks. way less drag than knobbies. i am getting the freewheel 11-32 setup. i got a new chain. bike feels brand new. though i did neglect the chain. 3 storms. maybe 6. derailer is trashed. bike feels so new. so different. the range improves on slicks for sure. i may try the rims. 2.3. am more tempted ti add a front hub for extra range.

Please share which specific tires you're using. I am thinking of switching the stock tires from 20x4 to 20x3 or even a little narrower it they will work on the stock rims of my Lectric XP.

Thanks.

 

[towardsdawn]

Just as an update for anyone looking to do this, I posted a guide on switching over to skinnier rims and tires here. For switching over to narrower tires on the stock rim, I would definitely look at Schwalbe's tire-rim width guidelines, otherwise you risk blowing out the tires if you use too skinny tires on the stock rims on really bumpy surfaces

 

[BMXPremium]

this is exactly why i went with these. my paths are sm8oth and a 2 mile commute. i charge once a week. am 200 pounds and anywhere from 10-30 lbs of edc.

What does 30lb of edc look like?