Budget MTB for Ebike conversion?

[Floofybear]

Hi there,

Was just looking for advice on a good budget donor bike for conversion in the future. Can't actually afford a EMTB atm but I need a bike urgently for commuting.

I really like the Polygon Xtrada 7 as it's cheap and looks good, but not sure if it will make a good ebike. Can't find any videos of people converting this particular model.

Off the bat, is there anything about this bike that will make it hard to install a mid-drive later down the track?

 

[VWsurfbum]

Surely it would be cheaper, more sensible just to buy a used Ebike?

 

[Floofybear]

Surely it would be cheaper, more sensible just to buy a used Ebike?

I don't much like the idea of buying a used Ebike as there is no warranty and the condition of the motor and electronics is largely unknown. To make matters worse, I have no transport, so can't even pick it up. Also live in rural area so nothing close by.

Had a look on google and BikeEchange.com.au returned a whopping 0 results for used Ebikes. Found some on Gumtree but didn't see anything I would consider good value. At least at $1100 price-point. The donor bikes in those cases are markedly worse than the Xtrada from what I can tell.

I figure it would make more sense to buy a semi-decent/reliable donor now and convert it later when I can afford it.

 

[Floofybear]

Another consideration is that I don't see myself bothering with a low-end mid-drive kit, specifically as I live in a hilly area and need extra power for luggage.

I've watched countless Ebike/Conversion videos from which I've concluded a 1kw unit will not be adequate for my usage. I wouldn't bother with anything lower than 3kw. Ideally I would save up for something more competent like the CYC X1 Pro-Gen4.

 

[Ou812]

Another consideration is that I don't see myself bothering with a low-end mid-drive kit, specifically as I live in a hilly area and need extra power for luggage.

I've watched countless Ebike/Conversion videos from which I've concluded a 1kw unit will not be adequate for my usage. I wouldn't bother with anything lower than 3kw. Ideally I would save up for something more competent like the CYC X1 Pro-Gen4.

I found some random video on YouTube of a guy that put that motor on an Orange hardtail frame, the thing would almost loop out on him! It was basically a Surron

 

[Floofybear]

I found some random video on YouTube of a guy that put that motor on an Orange hardtail frame, the thing would almost loop out on him! It was basically a Surron

Hah! Yeah, same video I watched. Though for someone who is used to riding a 200hp/150kw motorcycle it's not nearly as impressive. In fact I'm quite disappointed/disillusioned with Ebike tech overall relative to other technological advancement.

Battery solutions in particular I find grotesquely overpriced and underdeveloped. 2025 and the best we have is a bundle of Li-ion batteries costing $1200 and with roughly 20ah.. If you asked me where we would be 10-15 years ago, I would have envisioned 200AH batteries weighing only 3kg. A far stretch from reality it seems.

What really disappoints me is that you can hook up a car alternator to a bike and it will outperform anything on the market. Something I would consider if it didn't void warranty.

 

[ebsocalmtb]

1kw isn't enough based on what? I have a ebike conversion with a bafang bbs02, which is technically a 750w unit, but easily pulls 1,000+ watts of power in regular usage. The bike I have it on, is scary fast easily doing 40mph with rather minimal output from the rider. It is most certainly, not a bicycle... it is a moped at worst, and a crappy light weight motorcycle at best. It does not belong sharing the same space as bicycles.

The good news, is that if is the type of "ebike" you're after, then a DIY conversion is the right selection. They are terrible vehicles to ride from a bicycle perspective. They provide almost no real ride feel that is relatable to why one would consider themselves a cyclist. So by all means, go ahead with your plan. To that end, any bike you can strap it on is going to be good enough for your usage. If you were focused on ride feel, or bike performance the selection of the chassis would be more important. But since you're focused on power output, then find something with two wheels that can fit your selected over powered motor unit of choice, fits your battery where you want to fit it, and that has good brakes. Also, keep a fire extinguisher around for where-ever you store the battery, make sure that your home owners insurance does not catch wind of this DIY fire hazards monstrosity and make sure not to get caught with it on the street if your country has regulations on this sort of thing.

Or, just cut to the chase, buy a surron and do all of the terrible things youtube tells you should be done to these abominations.