cynergy

Hey All,

I have a Trek 800 mountain bike that I bought 1992. The frame and some of the other parts are original (front derailleur, brake levers, seat post, headset and handlebars) but over the years I upgraded the drivetrain, wheels and shifters. It's a nice all-steel bike with 26" wheels.

I'm thinking about building an electric assist bike so I can commute to work (about 8 miles each way). The ride isn't too bad, but there are some hills (I live in NH) and I would like the electric assist in case I need to get home in a hurry if one of my kids gets sick at school, etc.. I am leaning towards a Bionx conversion kit.

I was wondering if there would be a big difference in performance between my Trek 800 (all steel, 26" wheels) vs. a newer, lighter alloy-framed bike. I was thinking about picking up a Trek FX or a Cannondale Quick CX4 to use as a conversion.

Is there a significant benefit to using a lighter bike with 700 tires over an all steel framed bike with 26" tires? I'd like to optimize my average speed and have enough juice to get home quickly (16MPH avg) in the event of an emergency. Would a lighter bike make a noticeable difference in avg assisted speed and battery life?

Thanks in advance

Scaliboy62

I'm no pro but have done a kit & have purchased 2 factory bikes. The weight of hub motors & lithium batteries adds roughly 30 pounds plus often so thats something to consider, make sure the drop outs on your bike will work with a kit & a full suspension bike is ideal which was the bike I used with the kit I built but I now have a MTB style factory Job with a Tamer Pivot Plus suspension seat post which does the job .

fietsbob

I'd suggest just getting a turn key electric Bike, rather than coping with the whole conversion PIA

ends up being about the same money, or less if you calculate paying yourself for the time spent.

crackerdog

Don't bother with a lighter bike. Most of these kits don't work well with newer bikes except the cheap bikes. A strong steel bike would be ideal.

cynergy

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going with my all steel mountain bike.

spirit733t

yeap if the worse happens, steel bends under pressure giving you time to stop and be safe,

alluminium snaps, and carbon can have catastrophic failure..

as for the motor I and a few others in this forums have bought/ about to buy the

papamotor kit.. its 1000 watt 48volt with a Ping battery.. write to ebikeFL he is a papamotor expert..

cynergy

Thanks Spirit733t - I'll check out the papamotor kit.