Hi all!
I'm new to the forums and relatively new to the ebike world. I wanted to share with you guys my ebike build that I'm currently working on.
Quick backstory:
I was originally looking for a bike to commute to work on and although I live in a city, the roads are rough and I had figured that a full suspension mountain bike could help with that. I didn't want to break the bank but I also didn't want a bike that would fall apart on me so I went searching through the ads on my local buy and sell to see what I could find. I came across this Cannondale Jekyl 700 that needed a little bit of work, but for $150 I thought it was a steal. Although it is a bit of an older bike, it was made in the USA, stout looking aluminum frame, equipped with hydraulic disk brakes, full suspension with FOX rear shock, and a big beefy looking front head shock.
After some minor repairs I was riding around and was happy with the bike. But then, like with everything I own, I couldn't just leave it alone... I had to modify it... and so I decided building an ebike would be fun...
The Ebike build:
With my donor bike chosen, I found some decent reviews on ebike kits from "LeafBike" online. I read that their 1500W hub motors were actually decent despite being a budget Chinese option. I ordered the entire rear hub motor and controller + LCD kit from leafbike and sourced out a 48V LiFePo4 triangle battery from Aliexpress. I mocked up a location for both inside the frame and everything seemed to fit...
I will be working on a proper mount for the controller using the old water bottle mounting locations. Some water jet cut aluminum brackets will do the trick... I'll post pictures of those soon when I get them back from the shop.
In the meantime I mounted the rear hub motor and found that the LeafBike kit was missing some parts to get everything assembled properly. Looking online for some guidance it was hard to find the info I was looking for regarding the washer/spacer and torque washer arrangement for my rear hub motor. Eventually I got that sorted out and made this video to help other ebike builders out:
With the hub motor installed I also wanted some torque arms to keep things safe, especially since this is an aluminum frame. I wasn't crazy about those hose clamp style torque arms so I decided to design my own. Using the simple method of measuring, using printer paper to print to scale and make some changes, then 3D print to confirm, and then finally waterjet from stainless steel, I had my torque arms. The disk brake side ties into the brake caliper mount, and the chain and sprocket side is smaller but uses a few bolts that thread into the frame.
I also made a little video about torque arms, why you need them, how I designed mine, etc:
3D Printed:
Stainless steel (painted black):
In the picture above you can also see that I started wiring and figuring out the routing of my wiring for the hub motor. Since I have a 3D printer, I decided to incorporate some holders for the WAGO wire splices that I'm using in case I need to disconnect and remove the hub. The WAGO splice holder mounts to my torque arm on the disc brake side of my bike and provides some strain relief to the wires:
I'm at the point now where I need to start making connections for the battery to the controller and start plugging in my LCD screen and routing those wires. I'm also working on incorporating a rear LED motorcycle tail light / turn signal unit... I've been 3D printing those mounts and a housing for the 12V DC converter to run the lights, along with an automotive flasher unit to flash the turn signals:
So that's what I have for now! I'll be updating this thread as I go along for those interested in this build
If you guys have any comments, suggestions or criticisms I'd love to hear them!
I'm new to the forums and relatively new to the ebike world. I wanted to share with you guys my ebike build that I'm currently working on.
Quick backstory:
I was originally looking for a bike to commute to work on and although I live in a city, the roads are rough and I had figured that a full suspension mountain bike could help with that. I didn't want to break the bank but I also didn't want a bike that would fall apart on me so I went searching through the ads on my local buy and sell to see what I could find. I came across this Cannondale Jekyl 700 that needed a little bit of work, but for $150 I thought it was a steal. Although it is a bit of an older bike, it was made in the USA, stout looking aluminum frame, equipped with hydraulic disk brakes, full suspension with FOX rear shock, and a big beefy looking front head shock.
After some minor repairs I was riding around and was happy with the bike. But then, like with everything I own, I couldn't just leave it alone... I had to modify it... and so I decided building an ebike would be fun...
The Ebike build:
With my donor bike chosen, I found some decent reviews on ebike kits from "LeafBike" online. I read that their 1500W hub motors were actually decent despite being a budget Chinese option. I ordered the entire rear hub motor and controller + LCD kit from leafbike and sourced out a 48V LiFePo4 triangle battery from Aliexpress. I mocked up a location for both inside the frame and everything seemed to fit...
I will be working on a proper mount for the controller using the old water bottle mounting locations. Some water jet cut aluminum brackets will do the trick... I'll post pictures of those soon when I get them back from the shop.
In the meantime I mounted the rear hub motor and found that the LeafBike kit was missing some parts to get everything assembled properly. Looking online for some guidance it was hard to find the info I was looking for regarding the washer/spacer and torque washer arrangement for my rear hub motor. Eventually I got that sorted out and made this video to help other ebike builders out:
With the hub motor installed I also wanted some torque arms to keep things safe, especially since this is an aluminum frame. I wasn't crazy about those hose clamp style torque arms so I decided to design my own. Using the simple method of measuring, using printer paper to print to scale and make some changes, then 3D print to confirm, and then finally waterjet from stainless steel, I had my torque arms. The disk brake side ties into the brake caliper mount, and the chain and sprocket side is smaller but uses a few bolts that thread into the frame.
I also made a little video about torque arms, why you need them, how I designed mine, etc:
3D Printed:
Stainless steel (painted black):
In the picture above you can also see that I started wiring and figuring out the routing of my wiring for the hub motor. Since I have a 3D printer, I decided to incorporate some holders for the WAGO wire splices that I'm using in case I need to disconnect and remove the hub. The WAGO splice holder mounts to my torque arm on the disc brake side of my bike and provides some strain relief to the wires:
I'm at the point now where I need to start making connections for the battery to the controller and start plugging in my LCD screen and routing those wires. I'm also working on incorporating a rear LED motorcycle tail light / turn signal unit... I've been 3D printing those mounts and a housing for the 12V DC converter to run the lights, along with an automotive flasher unit to flash the turn signals:
So that's what I have for now! I'll be updating this thread as I go along for those interested in this build
If you guys have any comments, suggestions or criticisms I'd love to hear them!
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