Well, it has been a while since my last posting. I took August off from teaching, and I just got busier. We’re in a ‘de-junking’ phase where we identify things that we no longer use or need, and either sell or donate stuff. Also, since I sold my last motorcycle (had 3 when we moved here from Seattle) I’m on an e-bike kick now. This post is about the last two e-bikes I built/bought – I’ll explain…
E-Bike #1 (DIY)
Many years ago I purchased a Trek 4500 hard-tail mountain bike. Overall, it was a pretty good bike for the amount I paid (probably $450 in the late ’90s). Lately though, the Trek was not getting ridden much, and the front wheel was a bit tweaked that made the front brake not very effective.
So, when I got bit by the e-bike bug, I thought the Trek would be a great base to build on. After watching a few YouTube videos of similar DIY (do-it-yourself) builds on Trek bikes, I was ready to bite the bullet. Like in the video, I decided on a 48 volt, 1000 watt configuration with a roughly $500 kit price point. I received the kit (basically a hub motor/wheel, controller, and battery/charger), and as I started the build I soon realized I would need to buy more stuff to get this working and have a ‘safe’ bike to ride in the end.
As you can see from my price sheet, most of my extra money went into necessary front wheel and brake upgrades (almost $200), and I sunk another $100 into a superior battery charger. Also, when you’re building an e-bike from scratch, you have some choices to make like ‘do I install the pedal assist system or not?’ – I didn’t, or ‘do I use the hand-grip throttle, or use something like a thumb throttle?’ – I prefer the thumb throttle on this bike.
At the end of this project, and my $900 budget, I’m really pleased with the result. The bike performs extremely well and is SO much more fun to ride than it was without the e-bike mods. The only real downside of any e-bike is weight. This e-bike mod nearly doubled the weight of this bike, from 30 lb before the mod to 56 lb after. This additional weight, much of which is carried high up with the battery, can be an issue for many riders. There are lighter e-bike configurations, one of which I’ll present in a moment, but always consider weight when shopping for an e-bike
The following 3 photos are of my DIY Trek e-bike mod, and following that is a link to the final price list. Thanks for checking in! I hope you enjoyed this post so far…
| Voilamart 48v rear hub motor kit ($219 – eBay) |
| 48v 1000w battery ($275 – Amazon) |
| Programmable battery charger ($100 – Luna Cycle) |
| Front wheel (to install the hydraulic disk brake) ($82 – Amazon) |
| Hydraulic front disk brake rotor kit ($93 – Amazon) |
| Magnetic motor cut-off switch (for the hydraulic brake lever) ($15 – eBay) |
| Thumb throttle (replaces the hand-grip throttle) ($14 – Amazon) |
| Chain ($14 – Amazon) |
| Chain breaker tool ($8 – Amazon) |
| 7-Speed Mountain Bicycle Right Thumb Gear Shift Lever ($18 – Amazon) |
| Electronics bag ($14 – Amazon) |
| 20amp blade fuse and holder ($6 – eBay) |
| Center stand ($23 – eBay) |
| XLR Male to XLR Female Cable ($4 – eBay) |
Update (10/14/21) – After my 3rd charge to 80% I’m getting 54 miles on an 80% charge. My next charge will be 100% to ‘re-balance’ the cells. I’ll report what kind of mileage I’m getting after that charge as well. My guess is it’ll be closer to 65 miles. ____ And as the old adage goes “your mileage may (will) vary.”
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E-Bike #2 (Amazon Budget E-Bike)
My Dad would have said something like this: ” Why do you need two e-bikes when you can only ride one at a time?” Good question, but with thinking like that I would never have had 3 motorcycles at a time, which I always had and I rode them all, just not at the same time. Now they’re all gone, hence my e-bike obsession…
So, why two, really? As I said in previous posts, “I do this for you.” I think e-bikes are incredibly useful for our aging population since it helps us get out and exercise without the stressing our less functional parts as much. I find myself riding my e-bike daily, where I would find excuses not to ride before adding a motor. I still pedal almost always, but I’m doing a lot less gear shifting and no longer need to huff and puff up the hills.
But let’s get on with it. What’s this Amazon Budget E-Bike about anyway? Well, I started with a YouTube video like this one (link), and this one (link) – and there are a thousand more. Then I price-checked the Metakoo e-bike on Amazon (here) now $600 which is $100 less than I paid, AND there’s also a slightly higher performance model (here) for $750 after discount available. Note: One thing you’ll find with e-bikes is everybody is selling them so it’s difficult to weed through the various options, especially in the ‘budget’ e-bike class.
But I chose the Metakoo Cybetrack 100 for it’s price, components, and positive reviews. Once received, the only issue was a ‘bent’ front wheel – this happens. I contacted Metakoo and after a few email exchanges got a new (straight) front wheel. And as you’ll see from my price sheet, I added better tires, pedals, handlebar stem, seat post and seat which took my final price up to about the $900 mark. With current discounts, that would have been an $800 bike with mods, which is a really good price for this package. And another bonus is the overall weight of this bike is 46 lb, ten less than my DIY bike.
Here are some pictures of the finished product, followed by my price sheet.
Compare my build to the stock image of the Metakoo Cybertrack 100:
Amazon Budget E-Bike Price List
| Cybertrack 100 26″ Electric Bike (now $600 – Amazon) I paid $700 |
| 26×1.95 PAIR Mountain Bike Tires Urban/Trail ($55 – Amazon) |
| 2 Pack Bicycle Rim Strip Rim Tape – 26″ x 20mm ($9 – Amazon) |
| Bike Pedals,MTB Flat Bicycle Pedal Set,9/16 Non-Slip ($14 – Amazon) |
| Zefal “Cristophe” Mountain Bicycle Half Toe Clip ($9.50 – Amazon) |
| 31.8 MTB Adjustable Handlebar Stem ($20 – Amazon) |
| 350mm Bike Seat Post for Mountain Bike ($16 – Amazon) |
| Planet Bike A.R.S. Classic bike seat ($40 – Amazon) |
| Bar End Bike Mirror, 80mm ($13 – Amazon |
| Aluminum Bicycle Bell ($7 – Amazon) |
| Bicycle Light Set 5 LED Headlight, 3 LED Taillight ($11.00 – Amazon) |
| Center stand ($23 – eBay) |
| Fender Set ($6 – Amazon) – poor quality, not recommended |
In conclusion, e-bikes ARE the wave of the future. Getting the weight down while maintaining good performance and range is the next big challenge. Also, when you own an e-bike, be aware of state and local ordinances that dictate where you can and can’t use them. Here’s an interesting article on the topic (link 1, link 2). That said, a Class 2 e-bike like the Metakoo should be able to be used most places a regular bicycle can be ridden.
Here’s a brief explanation of the different e-bike classes FYI:
Happy Riding!
