Questions about an ebuild for my wife

[psbrew]

Hi guys and gals,
First time poster. I recently completed a build on an Electra 7 speed coaster for me. I built it to mainly get up and down the trails with surfboard racks to surf the unpopulated areas near me. It has a 1500w rear hub drive and a 52 volt downtube battery mounted on the frame. I love it and find myself biking almost everyday. I now want to surprise my wife with a similar bike. She will mostly be cruising on the street. I got her a women's Electra 7 speed cruiser as well and have a 1000w rear hub motor and 42w down tube battery. My question is: The tube on the bike is curved and I can fit the battery, but it has a rear rack that says it will support 50 lbs. I think it would look better cosmetically with the battery located on the rear rack with the controller underneath and I think she would prefer it this way as far as looks go. My concern is that I've heard that rear rack battery mounts create a ride that is not as stable. She's just a little of a spaz and I'd hate to cause her to crash if I mount it on the rear rack just for cosmetic purposes. So, looking for any feedback if you think the rear rack mount would cause any appreciable instability for her.
Thanks so much,
Shawn

 

[indianajo]

Welcome to the site.
30 lb on the rear could definitely cause some shake on the front, particularly if it wobbles from side to side. Many modern bikes don't have a wide enough yoke on the back to stabilize a rear rack. I found that clamping a basket to the seat stem didn't work at all. About 3" wide yoke can be adequate to provide side stability, with a similar flat clamp on the rack. Then again, my load was heavier than a 7 lb battery. The basket kept leaning to one side or the other & scraping the tire.
Lower loads are easier to balance, also.

 

[stanmiller]

I converted my wife's Trek Pure with 250w hub and a small bottle battery. Top speed is 23 mph and good for 15 miles between charges.

250W Bafang Trek Pure conversion with kit from Bluenergy

Earlier this year I converted my wife's Trek Pure with a 36V 250W kit from Bluenergy. She loves it! We ride nearby greenways, visit coffee shops, and she takes it to the gym. The battery at 5.2 Ah is good for about 15 miles and speed tops out at 23MPH. Weighs 42 LBS Total cost of...

electricbikereview.com

 

[psbrew]

Welcome to the site.
30 lb on the rear could definitely cause some shake on the front, particularly if it wobbles from side to side. Many modern bikes don't have a wide enough yoke on the back to stabilize a rear rack. I found that clamping a basket to the seat stem didn't work at all. About 3" wide yoke can be adequate to provide side stability, with a similar flat clamp on the rack. Then again, my load was heavier than a 7 lb battery. The basket kept leaning to one side or the other & scraping the tire.
Lower loads are easier to balance, also.

Thanks for the

 

[psbrew]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll try it on the back and can always move it to the frame if it's unstable.
Shawn

I converted my wife's Trek Pure with 250w hub and a small bottle battery. Top speed is 23 mph and good for 15 miles between charges.

250W Bafang Trek Pure conversion with kit from Bluenergy

Earlier this year I converted my wife's Trek Pure with a 36V 250W kit from Bluenergy. She loves it! We ride nearby greenways, visit coffee shops, and she takes it to the gym. The battery at 5.2 Ah is good for about 15 miles and speed tops out at 23MPH. Weighs 42 LBS Total cost of...

electricbikereview.com

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll try it on the back and can always move it to the frame if it's unstable.
Shawn

 

[harryS]

I did this conversion in 2016. A battery and small controller is usually less than 10 pounds. Controller in this case is in the mid motor.



I've put a few controllers under the rear rack, but last year two of them got drowned by water, so I had to install fenders last summer after I dried them out. Over the winter, I moved one to a plastic box mounted on the seat tube and thought it was a better approach.

 

[psbrew]

Welcome to the site.
30 lb on the rear could definitely cause some shake on the front, particularly if it wobbles from side to side. Many modern bikes don't have a wide enough yoke on the back to stabilize a rear rack. I found that clamping a basket to the seat stem didn't work at all. About 3" wide yoke can be adequate to provide side stability, with a similar flat clamp on the rack. Then again, my load was heavier than a 7 lb battery. The basket kept leaning to one side or the other & scraping the tire.
Lower loads are easier to balance, also.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll try it on the back and can always move it to the frame if it's unstable.
Shawn