There was a man I knew in Portland, OR who built electric bikes. He was our bike mechanic, and I learned a lot from him. Dwayne had a couple e-bikes. He had one that looked completely stock, but could run for about 10 miles, and could go about 40 mph on flat ground without pedaling. He had another with a similar capacity to the one I built, see the stats below. This was 5 years ago. I was inspired. I’ve been planning one and mentally designing one for a long time. The pieces finally came together when I got a nicer Giant bike.
My Stats:
My top speed to date: 48 mph (It was down hill plus full throttle)
My average flat cruising speed with pedaling: 25 mph
My average flat cruising speed without pedaling:18-20 mph
My battery life on pavement: about 22 miles
My battery life on dirt trails: about 8 miles
The Build:
Rear Hub Motor
There are front hub motors and rear hub motors. I went with a rear hub motor because my goal was to make it look stock. The hub on the rear blends in with the gears. It’s not completely hidden, but it doesn’t stand out like it would up front. A front hub motor is easier to install because you don’t have to deal with the gears at all, and its the motor I plan to use on my gas and electric hybrid bike. These kits include almost everything you need. It has the throttle, the motor, the controller, and all the wiring. My kit even came with the zip ties I needed to hold the wires in place. The only thing you NEED beyond this is a battery.
Battery
I went with a bottle style battery. I was hoping it would look more like a battery, but its close enough. It certainly looks more “stock” than most any other options. It also bolts into the water bottle holder slot on most bikes. It only takes 3-5 hours to charge, and you can throw the charger in your pack if you’re going somewhere you might find an outlet. It comes with a charger as well.
Cargo Rack
I built this electric bike to get around town, including getting groceries and going to work. I also wanted to have it for riding trails and taking hunting. For this, you need somewhere to put gear. The rear cargo rack is also nice because you can add saddle bags for more storage. The cargo rack also acts as a fender of sorts. If you hit any water or liquid at any sort of speed, it’s going to flip up all over you.
Speedometer/Odometer
I really like to see how fast I’m going. I love the speed. It’s also nice to have the odometer to judge how far you’ve gone and how far you have to go back. Most batteries have a button you can press to see what level they’re at, but its good to also compare that to your odometer. If you’re halfway through your battery, but not halfway through your trip, its good to have the data. I prefer to have to pedal on flat ground or down hill and to save my battery for going up hill if I know I have limited motor miles. This sounds expensive, but its about $15. This is your speedometer, odometer, tracks your max speed, and even tells time. I love mine. What’s the point of going fast if you don’t know how fast?
The Bike
I’d love a full suspension bike, but another popular one to put a motor on is a beach cruiser bike. Don’t worry too much. They work on most any bike. Unless you’re really tall, get one with 26″ tires, and then its pretty easy to transfer the motor and components to another bike if you want to upgrade your bike later. 29″ tire bikes and 27.5″ tire bikes are becoming more popular, but 26″ tire bikes are still the most popular. I’m 6’1″ and I do just fine on the 26″. If you stick with 26″, you’ll have a lot of new and used options. I could do the whole thing in less than 30 minutes. You can find hub motors with 29″ or 27.5″ wheels, but they’re more expensive.
Why on earth do I need an electric bike?
1. Its really fun
I have mine built on a mountain bike, so I can take it up trails where dirt bikes aren’t allowed to go. A lot of places don’t consider an electric bike a motorized vehicle. It’s a fun loop hole. Its also fun to see town from a bike. A fast bike. You can jump curbs, ride on sidewalks, and cut across lawns in a way that just isn’t socially acceptable on a motorcycle. It opens up a lot of options
2. It saves on gas
I figured out the cost savings of my bike. The battery should last about 16,000 miles and cost me about $250. In gas alone, for my Honda civic, this is the same as about $1,300. This isn’t accounting for the cost of the car, oil every 3-5000 miles, tires, etc. I’ve taken this bike to the grocery store, ridden it to school, to work, and it has worked like a champion for me. Cha-ching!
3. Exercise, if I want it
I usually pedal along with the motor, only because I like to go fast. (Yes, mom, I wear a helmet). If I get tired (or lazy), I stop pedaling, but the bike keeps moving. I get as much or as little exercise as I want.
Things to know about getting or building an electric bike:
- Installation: Don’t let it scare you. I watched a couple videos on YouTube before I got started. In fact I posted one at the bottom of this article. It took a couple hours, but I wouldn’t say it was difficult. I was taking my time and watched several videos as I went along to make sure I got it right. I think most people could do it. If you’ve got a wrench set and have used it more than twice, don’t worry at all about it.
- Don’t get a lead acid battery/batteries. My lithium battery is more expensive, but will last 12x longer, is significantly lighter, and is more reliable. Some lead acid batteries need to stay upright, so I’d be worried about knocking my bike over, or just making sure I’ve got the right one. I’ve jumped, crashed, and taken my current rig down some pretty rough trails. I’m not worried about it.
- Weight is your enemy. The motor and the battery add a lot of weight. The ore weight your setup is, the harder the motor has to work, and the less miles you’ll get from your batteries.
- Suspension is your friend. I would love a full suspension bike for a build, but don’t want to spend $1000+ for one. People use fat tire bikes for builds for the same reason. You feel the bumps, and the added weight and speed makes you feel it even more. People like converting beach cruiser bikes because the shape is more conducive to a more comfortable ride. If you compare the first motorcycles to the shape, you’ll notice a similarity. These aren’t built for speed though.
- How fast do you want to go? There are 36 and 48 volt motors. I went 36 because they are street legal without any licensing almost everywhere in the US. 48 volt motors are legal in about 1/3 of the US states and your bike can still be classified as a bike, and not a motorized vehicle. I have heard of guys who just made a sticker that said 36 volts and stuck it to their 48 volt motor. What officer is going to pull you over and get out his multi-meter? But, this is the main reason I went 36.
- How far do you want to go? You can get multiple batteries and carry them with you for longer trips if you so desire. You can also wire multiple batteries together. Long range e-bikers will get really big battery packs and put them in saddle bags. Dwayne, my friend in Portland, OR did this with his 40 miler bike.
Keep Learning
Prepping is an ongoing venture. Because of this, we recommend that you subscribe to our bimonthly newsletter to keep prepping, emergency preparedness, and self reliance on your mind. We promise, we’re not spammy, which is why we only email you twice per month. We hope you think about being prepared more than twice per month, but our newsletter is a valuable resource to help you learn new things, and just to keep prepping on your mind. Right now you can also sign up for free. You can also follow our Facebook Page for regular articles and resources.
1 thought on “My Electric Bike Build”
Comments are closed.