My first e-bike build

[PedalUma]

the smaller chainring just feels like it's easier or more efficient

It could be that because larger rings are more likely to drop the chain when cross chaining that they are therefore applying more sideways drag and that is what riders are picking up on. Your bike is so sweet. The customized narrow/wide 38-t ring is on its way along with a variety pack of spacers. The reason @BikerG has the option of 142-148 is because his frame is steel. It is a lot more forgiving. I know that he has some parts on hand, but I would just go with an 11-50 Box 3 Prime 9 groupset from the beginning. I would install it with premium 4mm non-compression housing and a premium extra-long shift cable from Bontrager that is 3.2 meters long and highly polished. Now I am onto a Mundo cargo bike. First I will remove the front hub-drive and replace the front wheel and get the disc caliper reinstalled.

 

[BikerG]

Original poster here. So as not to deal with chain line and narrow, 12-speed Shimano chain issues, I am now looking to run single speed on my Microspline hub wheel. Running SS, I can practically run any chain and fine tune my chain line. Ive built and ridden single speed and fixed gear bikes for several years in the past so I know what gear inches suit my riding style, on or off road. I can run a maximum of 36t chainring on my Surly frame. I would run a much smaller ring as a SS mtb since I’m not looking for top end speed here. Mostly a bikepacking rig for use on steep, off road, fire roads.

 

[EMGX]

Nexus 3 speed hub and Nuvinci n360 also had very good chainline with my TSDZ2. No experience with Bafang but it might work similarly well and give you more than 1 speed for climbing. Nuvinci is too heavy IMO and 3 speed, while durable, has limited range but maybe something like a 5speed might be a good compromise of range and durability?

 

[PedalUma]

5speed

Exactly. There is an ebkie specific five-speed Shimano hub. But it would die with the torque of a Bafang. It is intended for Euro-builds.

 

[m@Robertson]

Original poster here. So as not to deal with chain line and narrow, 12-speed Shimano chain issues, I am now looking to run single speed on my Microspline hub wheel. Running SS, I can practically run any chain and fine tune my chain line. Ive built and ridden single speed and fixed gear bikes for several years in the past so I know what gear inches suit my riding style, on or off road. I can run a maximum of 36t chainring on my Surly frame. I would run a much smaller ring as a SS mtb since I’m not looking for top end speed here. Mostly a bikepacking rig for use on steep, off road, fire roads.

If you are doing a single-speed setup, that means you have to go hub motor. otherwise going single-speed with a mid drive a) defeats the purpose of using a mid and b) the increased torque of the mid will likely tear your drivetrain apart on your bikepacking hills.

I do know of some extreme customizations where a BBSHD is used, and a front chainring is used on the back (Shimano cassette body, special adapter and Lekkie front chainring on the rear) to give the bike a 1:1 gear ratio, which coupled to a high-amperage custom controller and higher-voltage battery (52-72v) gives a super hi-rpm system that can take on anything. But its not a pedaling experience. Doesn't seem like that is suited for your desires at all.

 

[PedalUma]

Micro-spline is a pain for inter-compatibility.

 

[BikerG]

Again, thank you for all the inspiring replies!
So, instead of a build kit, I decided to get a complete e-bike as my first so I can learn something from it as I tinker along. I got myself a new Canyon Pathlite ON SUV. So far, it’s been a blast to ride these past few days I’ve owned it. I’ve immediately made several changes to the bike so far: Installed one of my old trusted Brooks saddle, switched to tubeless, installed SPD pedals, removed all the reflectors and the dork disk, swapped the stock 42 chainring to a 34 on the Bosch motor. I had to buy a tool for that.. but I’m sure it’ll come in handy again. I’m not too crazy about the stock, straight handlebar, so I’ll probably swap that out for Jones H touring bar I have laying around. But I’m hanging on to the kick stand for now…. it’s very useful! Last time I had a kick stand on my bike was when I was a kid.. Lol..

 

[m@Robertson]

Again, thank you for all the inspiring replies!
So, instead of a build kit, I decided to get a complete e-bike as my first so I can learn something from it as I tinker along.

This is the best plan I think. Your first bike is put together sanely and can be a gateway drug to give you ideas on what to do next now that you have a working platform to see how these things really behave. Hard to go wrong with anything from Canyon. I bought my first ebike too, then upgraded one part after another, including motor+controller+battery. Built all the rest from there.

Free advice: Pretend you are not a cyclist and ride the platform with fresh eyes. Be willing to learn as if you're new at this. Some of the worst ebike advice ever comes from the most experienced cyclists who think they are riding a bicycle, when in fact its only a bicycle-shaped object. Riding technique in particular can be quite different. So are component decisions on stuff like drivetrain durability. Having a bike that was built for you will moderate these concerns considerably but they are still there.

 

[BikerG]

So, here is my new bike, with a few changes and additions I’ve made so far. Significant changes I’ve made so far to the bike are swapping out the stock 42 ring for a 34, and swapping out the stock 170 cranks for 155’s.