I used to get irritated whenever I would read someone say “the future is electric” on an online post about motorcycles or sports cars. My opinion is beginning to change. As someone who loves and has owned many V8 Mustangs and two stroke motorcycles over the years the electric vehicles were a bit of a hard sell.

Then one day while surfing the YouTube I watched a video of Andy Kirby in the U.K. build his own electric bicycle from a kit. It looked pretty easy and I was shocked at the speed and range he was achieving from a modified Trek mountain bike. Apparently the response to his video was so overwhelming that he started selling kits and now even makes his own batteries. If you follow electric bikes on YouTube chances are you’ll eventually come across one of Andy’s videos. His website has lots of kits that allow you to convert your mountain bike to electric. He even has options to build your own ebike or buy a complete build.

Fast forward nearly two years and I finally completed my own DIY electric bicycle that is very similar to the build I saw on YouTube. I converted a 4130 chromoly steel frame Marin mountain bike into a 52V 2000+ watt electric machine that cruises with ease at 35mph even up hills and has achieved a top speed of 43 mph from a kit that cost less than $1000 not counting the cost of the mountain bike. I chose an older Marin Pine Mountain as my base because it is rock solid and looks a lot like the BMX bikes I used to race in Hampton Virginia only slightly bigger.

Some of the more powerful electric bikes are skirting the line close to being a motorcycle. I can fly through my neighborhood at over the speed limit with ease on my ebike and don’t even have to slow down too much to navigate turns. It’s crazy how a bike that weighs about 70 lbs but cruises at 35 mph handles compared to a MUCH heavier motorcycle.

I am pretty damn lucky to live next door to a 1000+ acre park with miles of paved, gravel and fairly technical trails in the woods. Unfortunately the park has banned motorcycles probably due to bad behavior (I am not sure what event caused them to be banned) but this park is more or less the Wild West when it comes to electric bikes. I see them there all the time and so far they are not getting scrutinized very closely. It’s sort of one of those don’t ruin it for everyone situations where the laws and enforcement of new ebike laws hasn’t quite caught up to the tech quite yet. Some idiot will eventually do something stupid and ruin it for us but for now it’s very much under the radar.

I had a shocking realization set in the other day while riding my 1000cc V twin sport bike….it’s not as fun as the ebike I built. I am having more fun on my home built electric bike than I am on my motorcycle. Yeah, sure the motorcycle accelerates as fast or faster than many expensive sports cars but the silent ride of an electric bicycle at speed is equally addictive. I am also getting in some exercise and joy from watching how pedaling the bike will drop the power usage and extend my range. The ebike I built allows me to explore many places similar to a motorcycle but with a much lower profile and in virtual silence.

As someone who is a true lover of motorcycles I am realizing there is tremendous potential in electric bicycles especially as the motors and batteries continue to improve. There are already very interesting “Honda Grom Killers” on the market that are priced at competitive prices relative to the lower displacement dirt bikes and Groms out there.

At first glance their price tag ranges from somewhat high to absolutely staggering. I get that. The neat thing about ebikes is that for about $1000 or slightly under you can dip your toe into the pool and probably convert a bike you already own into an ebike that will be shockingly fast and have a 30-40 mile range even with an entry level battery.

Prices have gone up a little since I bought my kit but it’s still possible to build a nice bike for under a grand. I built this for about $800 not including the cost of the Marin mountain bike.




Realizing the fun a light weight electric bicycle provides makes me realize how companies can sell $5500 full suspension electric monsters like this Scott Genius E-Ride.


Now I’m not saying I’m considering selling my motorcycles or that they are not fun anymore but I am shocked at the fun a DIY ebike build provides. Just about everyone who has ridden my build has loved it. I recently rode over to my local bike store when I finished my build. Two of the guys who helped & advised me during my build took it for a test ride. They loved it and couldn’t believe I built a bike that fast for so little money.

The bike I built is not exactly a trail bike though I have ridden (and crashed) it on trails. It’s more of an ebike that can cruise for miles on paved sidewalks and gravel trails.

The best part of my ebike experience is how it sparked an interest from my son in riding. The ebike got him interested in riding since it was easy to keep up and reversed the situation where I was now struggling to keep up with his blistering electrically assisted pace. Once I got him on a trail for the first time on a non electric mountain bike he became hooked. Now we ride trails multiple times every week.

Have you ridden an electric bike?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

My wife has one she uses for her very short commute back and forth to our business. I've ridden it a couple of times. Even though it is much too small for me it is still a hoot to ride.

I don't have an inclination to build a bike...I really don't want to change my Specialized Epic...but I am looking around at some of the pre made options out there.

It will looks extremely stupid when I ride an ebike on my full set of motorcycle gear lol.

Have a Specialized Turbo Levo Comp, its an awesome bike, upgrading the front fork to a Fox Factory 38E, and the rear to a 2022 Fox Float x2 210x52.5

SigPacker, That is a seriously offroad capable ebike you own! I wasn’t familiar with that model so I looked into it and the dang thing barely looks like an electric bike. The mid-drive motor is the only thing that gives it away. What are your thoughts on it so far?

I managed to get in a brief ride into the park in today. The sky was threatening rain and I barely made it back before it started pouring. This thing is so much fun! The bang for your buck factor is amazing.

My cousin just bought 2 for him and his wife. I was impressed until the $2k price came up!! Stickman how much have you invested in yours?

Interested. I have 2 bikes: 1) low end ($800 20 years ago?) specialized 26" mtb that is in great shape; 2) mid end ($1200 15 years ago?) specialized 29" mtb that I got used that is in decent shape except for front suspension (works but lock out is broken) and doesn't track completely straight.

Both have been good for exercise on trails. But out of shape / old so I can't go very far.

I'd be interested in longer, scenic trail rides and also doing some downhill stuff. Electric I think would help. Sounds like I can convert one of the bikes for about $1000.

How much weight does it add? Is it harder to pedal when I want to exercise? Will I need a different rack solution - currently 1.25" hitch mounted thule rack?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: konata88,

I actually rode an electric motorcycle (not just a bicycle) in 1976 when I was in college.
A dorm friend lived near the campus and his father owned some kind of electrical engineering company.
They had built a couple of electric motorcycles.

He took me over there and we rode them for a while.
I remember how fast, powerful and quiet they were after riding my Triumph for a few years.

I'm sure the technology was quite primitive compared to today's, but they were fun to ride.

I have ridden one and want one. We recently had an outdoor show at the Dome and there were quite a few E-Bikes on display from all the big names. Many were 3K+ in price. I will be good for 1K, if and when prices drop.

I haven't ridden an electric bike (yet), but I have ridden 2 full suspension 40mph electric scooters and I loved riding them. Lots of fun for a quick rip to a friend's house or the store. I'm too old (according to others) to own such a 'juvenile' item, but I really want one.

If you get a chance, try one of these too.

I just had my first ride on my new Specialized Turbo Creo Sl a couple days ago and love it. I ride roadbikes and live in the hills. The E assist really flattens out the hills. It's interesting, my heart rate was where it usually is on my non assist bikes but my perceived effort was less. It's got three levels of assist and I kept it in the lowest ( it's said the lowest setting compensates for the bike weight ) and I put it in the second setting up the hills. My pace on the flats was my normal pace but uphill my speed was double my normal.

The fast growing problem we're having around here for commuting with e-bikes (or any bicycle really) is that it's hella easy to steal a bicycle with the best bike lock over even a small MC like a Grom with no lock because it's easy to re-sell a bicycle compared to any MC that has to be titled and registered to ride. And the damn bike thieves are brazen. They will do it anywhere because there is little repercussion from the authorities. And good luck getting the cops to care whether your bicycle is worth $50 or $5000.

Be careful. A lot of guys are finding themselves riding beyond their capability as the bikes kind of give them god-mode on the trail. My brother broke his shoulder within a few months of having his governor (old guy legs/lungs) removed. hehe

My neighbor has a high end electric motorcycle and I seriously suggested he put a expensive sound system on it and play the sound of a Harley while he was riding it... you can't hear him coming.

We have a large Amish community around here, And I'm seeing quite a few electric bikes. Haven't seen any trail models yet. Only the fat tire kind. My wife & I go for a 3-4 mile walk every day & those things can come from behind & be on top of us before we hear them coming.

wreckdiver, I have about $1600 into the build. I’d be quite hard pressed to find an ebike that could match its performance and especially its speed for that price.

I am considering building a second electric bike out of a new Marin Pine Mountain 1 in that beautiful shade of blue, if you can’t tell I LOVE the Marin Pine Mountain. My local bike shop knows how much I love Marin bikes and out of blue they gave me a sweet Marin trucker hat for free. One of the guys mentioned I always wore a Suzuki hat into their bike store so I suppose they wanted to try and fix that. I have a very good relationship with my LBS, I take care of them and they take care of me. Their advice while building my ebike was incredibly helpful.

If I do use that bike for my next build it will be well north of $2000 total but will have vastly improved parts and it won’t be a Frankenstein build that scavenged parts from my other bikes like this first build. When you start with a bike that costs $1500 the project gets pricy quick. But I don’t like the idea of adding all that power and weight to an aluminum framed bike. Yeah, it probably can handle it but steel is real and to me personally 4130 has always been my favorite bike frame material….the stuff is STOUT.

Now for the REALLY interesting part, I’m also thinking I can make a front wheel drive electric bike that houses all of its components including the LCD/dash in a fork mounted basket. Why would I do this? I like the idea of being able to convert one of my trail bikes to electric in minutes AND being able to revert it back to a trail bike just as easily.

Front wheel drive ebikes are MUCH easier to assemble because you don’t have to mess with the derailleur/cassette. Housing everything in a waterproof bag and using one of the baskets designed to hold ebike batteries might make for a fairly sleek build that doesn’t scream electric bike.

The only potential problem with that idea is all the weight I would be adding (40 lbs +/-)to the front end of the bike will make it handle differently. It would be two wheel drive thorough so the idea is intriguing. If I did it to my plus size 2.8 in tire bike it would be quite off-road capable.



Konata88,

The weight addition for a high power hub drive is significant. The one I selected is the most powerful hub I could find. The kit, including the battery adds about 40lbs. A less powerful hub motor in the 500-750 range would still surprise the hell out of most people and provide more than enough pedal assistance for the vast majority of riders out there. Coming from fast motos I wanted to get a powerful motor and didn’t care too much about the weight penalty such a motor would bring. I haven’t regretted my decision at all.

VERY good question regarding whether my electric motor makes the bike more difficult to pedal. Yes, because my brushless non geared motor relies on powerful magnets there is a little bit of resistance when pedaling without any electric assist. I don’t consider this to be a big deal because #1 if you have multiple gears it’s still easy to pedal the bike and #2 the ebike has a 30-40 mile range so you can get pretty far before you have to worry about pedaling it without any assist from the battery. When I spin a regular bike wheel it spins for a while, when I spin my hub drive it spins for about 4 seconds. The resistance isn’t terrible but it’s there. When I ride with my son I turn off the power to my motor and just ride it like a normal bike, neither one of us likes struggling up a hill while the other one effortlessly pedals uphill with electric assistance.

I’m probably giving you way more info than you wanted but these motors and the various options can be overwhelming so I’ll try to cut through the bs that is out there. There are two types of hub drives, geared and non geared. Mid-drive motors place the motor near your cranks/pedals and use the existing drivetrain (bike chain) to add power.

Personally I believe the brushless/non geared hub motors are superior. Why? They are quieter, don’t have gears made of plastic that can break and tend to be quite strong and long lasting. My motor is brushless and has no gears so the only way to break it is to run an insane amount of juice through it for miles upon miles and overheat it or to do a lot of stop and go riding with hard acceleration. Geared hub motors excel at acceleration and climbing, Non geared motors excel at cruising and achieving high speed while using very little power, they are good for long commutes. When I was racing home from the park yesterday to avoid a rainstorm I loved having the ability to cruise at 35 mph and get home right before it started to pour. If you hook up the pedal assist function or pedal starting out and apply power slowly (my build is straight up throttle only) you put very little stress on your spokes and motor.

If you’re good with zip ties you could probably make the existing rack on your bike work. It really comes down to the battery type you get and how clean of a build you want.

stickman - good info, thanks.

40lbs sounds like a lot; I'll need to double check the capacity of my hitch and rack.

But, it sounds like the extra weight and resistance can be addressed by using a different gear than normal. Something to consider when the e-assist fails on me (knowing Murphy, I know he'll make this happen just as I'm coming up on a hill 10 miles from my car ).

I want something reliable (bad Murphy) and that will help me get up hills. As I age, the hills are challenging me more than distance. And any place worth going has hills.

Sounds like my options to consider:
1) geared vs gearless
2) mid drive vs rear drive
3) motor power
4) confirm spokes can handle the torque?

And finding out which components makes/models are reliable.

This is exciting - there are lots of trails / destinations that I'd like to visit but have been averse because the elevation changes are too challenging.

quote:

Originally posted by skyline009:
It will looks extremely stupid when I ride an ebike on my full set of motorcycle gear lol.

Actually no, it is highly recommended to wear the gear or at least a helmet even with a high speed e-bike. You think regular drivers are blind to motorcyclists, they are even more blind to e-bikers as they are smaller and stealthier like bikes but just as fast as motorcycles. Even when driving the high speed standup scooter that can go 60mph. God Bless

Konata88, My hub drive is one of the more powerful motors on the market. I was quite selective and bought it with an upgraded rim and VERY thick spokes. The spokes on my ebike are almost identical in thickness to the spokes on my BMW R1150GS!

As long as you are not trying to cruise at 35 mph for long periods of time or go very fast a 500w - 750w gearless hub drive motor will be much smaller, lighter and still provide a surprising amount of hill climbing assistance.

Some of the smaller hub drive motors are so small you can’t even tell it’s an electric bike except for the battery hanging off the frame or rack. There are a few super stealthy builds that actually hide the batteries inside of the tube on the frame.

The Luna Fixed Stealth ebike (it’s not a fixed gear bike) is one example that very cleverly hides the batteries inside the tube. It has a small mid drive motor though but at first glance it doesn’t scream electric bicycle. The belt drive is interesting and it has three speeds built into the rear hub. It’s a very unique design.

Luna Fixed Stealth Bike



From this angle it doesn’t look at all like an electric bike.


From the other side the bottom bracket does kinda give away its secret.

Nice bike!

I'll look at 500W hub brushless drive to start. Seems like a good fit for my needs and constraints.