Cheap MTB for conversion to electric

[kampua]

Hi,

I am looking for a cheap MTB (possible Kmart Kodak bike or Bigw Dunlop Armour) for conversion to electric bike. As far as the conversion goes it requires strong steel frame. Weight is not a problem as the motor will compensate it. It's my first project so don't mind a cheap one just in case I stuff it. As long as the parts are working fine and not giving me problems. Anyone knows what's a Kodiak bike? Is it the same as mountain bike?

[AUbicycles]

I would highly recommend avoiding a new supermarket mountain bike and instead look for a quality second hand (hardtail) mountain bike.

This will mean you have a basic bike with standard gear and not a poorly constructed BSO - Bicycle Shaped Object that will cause more trouble than it is worth. In a supermarket last week I saw two kids bikes (in passing) one had the handlebars mounted up-side-down and the other with the handlebars hardly clamped in and hanging to one side.

If you are in Sydney, at Pyrmont there is an e-bike specialist called Sydney Electric Bikes who specialise in conversion kits and I have seen their conversion on different types of bikes including MTBs so worth having a chat.

[trailgumby]

Know the Kodiak. It's a piece of junk that creates more pain than it solves. AKA a BSO.

AUbicycles' advice is sound. Weight still matters as it impacts on range, and how well you cope when the battery runs out of charge.

Sent from my android thingy using Crapatalk

[bychosis]

+1. no-one should buy a new BSO from kmart etc. Potentially they could nearly be OK if stripped and reassembled by someone with bike mechanic skills, but will still be a bit dodgy. The gears and stuff are not easily adjusted to function, the brakes are poor and the whole thing is jut heavy.

If you have those bike mechanic skills, they are better put to use on a decent 2nd hand bike. The parts are so much easy to keep functioning, the brakes will effectively stop you (important when you are adding extra weight in the form of a motor and batteries). THe overall weight is not that important, the build quality is hoever important.

[kampua]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice, sorry for getting back so late.

According to http://www.electricbike.com/ebikecomponents/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; apparently steel frame is more suitable than aluminum frame. But it is hard to find a used quality mountain bike with a steel frame. Especially in Geelong. Only cheap bikes comes in steel frame and most would not have disc brake.

I have found a brand new Alamode MTN 2.0 at $169 with chromoly steel frame, but the smallest frame they have is 17", I need 15" as I am quite short.

I saw the following mountain bike in Anaconda which seems to come in 15" steel frame. But not sure of their quality, probably bad. And it is hi-ten steel frame instead of chromoly frame.
http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Bike ... press-bike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Will it be a problem if I convert an aluminum bike like a Giant Cypress DX? They come in 14", not sure if that's OK in terms of sizing.

[silentbutdeadly]

They are still BSO's and despite what every potential e-bike converter seems to think are a complete waste of time converting to anything except scrap metal. Better to leave it as a bicycle.

It never ceases to amaze me that people want to spend far, far more on the conversion kit than they do on the bike. You'd be better off buying an already converted bike!!! Or an actual e-bike.

[Mububban]

I saw the following mountain bike in Anaconda which seems to come in 15" steel frame. But not sure of their quality, probably bad. And it is hi-ten steel frame instead of chromoly frame.
http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Bike ... press-bike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Will it be a problem if I convert an aluminum bike like a Giant Cypress DX? They come in 14", not sure if that's OK in terms of sizing.

Anaconda have a lot of their bikes at half price right now so you could get maybe something like this with a suitably sized conversion kit?

http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Bike ... nt-10-Bike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I converted my ~2003 aluminium frame Avanti Montari which has Rock Shox forks, my local bike store that sold me the kit said the forks would cope with the torque of the front wheel motor okay, but he wouldn't fit it to "cheap China shocks" in his words.

[kampua]

I am just not sure about the quality, prefer a mountain bike actually.

[Arakasy]

BSO bahahahahaha that's just so funny.

Make a trip to your local dump I recon, parents throw bikes away cause their kid outgrow them... I used to get all my old frames this way... Then go to town with powder coat, new gears, the brakes you want... And the e convert kit.
You will probably end up with a wicked conversion that looks like it was sold that way... And save hundreds of $$$

They don't make bikes like they used to, ohh btw you probably want to check that the shocks on whatever you buy... The POGO effect sucks much.