700c Road Bike (bicycle) Project

[Meer123]

A high-end mountain bike is nice and a 29'er is even nicer but neither is inexpensive and most will be heavier and rougher riding than needed for normal commuter duty. That being the case, "700c" style flat bar road bikes and hybrids are generally lighter and more efficient especially when fitted with slimmer fast rolling tires. There are many makes and models available and there's one right for every budget.

I am writing because the "Electric Powered Bike" scene seems to be dominated by 26 inch mountain bike/cruiser kits and to a lesser extent, 20 inch kits. The 700c kits are out there but not in the same volume ?

Who has a 700c electric powered bike ? Any suggestions or words of wisdom to share ? Do you know which 700c hub kit is best ? Do you recommend a "Cyclone" style kit (non-hub) over the hub kits ? I'm building a commuter to use to work and hope to use a 36V 15A Li Battery (will step up to a 48V if needed) ... I dont need to race anyone but I need to move smartly (30mph bursts - 16mph to 18mph cruising speed - 9 miles each way) - given these goals, can i still use a front fork kit or must I get a rear hub kit (if the opinion is that a hub kit is better than a Cyclone style kit) ... looking for the best affordable solution given these parameters ? Any input will be much appreciated. My budget for this build is $800 to $1000 (kit + bike) the less I spend the better but I do need these minimum requirements to be met - is this mission impossible ?

I have built two 70cc 2-Stroke (gas) bikes but this is my first foray into electric kits so my ideas/perceptions/expectations are based on fossil fuel powered bikes and if I need a reality check - then please set me straight.

[almightybmw]

I seen lots of people with fixies with 2 gears, a coaster and a fixed on each side of the rear wheel. How hard would it be to have that coaster gear design setup with a chain to a motor? pretty easy I think. Find some guys who know their stuff, especially those fixie guys, they're the craziest.

Find a bike with 7-8 gears, make it a 5-6. install the coaster gear on the other side. No impossible, they make hubs and axles designed for that.

[bryn]

Originally Posted by almightybmw

I seen lots of people with fixies with 2 gears, a coaster and a fixed on each side of the rear wheel. How hard would it be to have that coaster gear design setup with a chain to a motor? pretty easy I think. Find some guys who know their stuff, especially those fixie guys, they're the craziest.

Find a bike with 7-8 gears, make it a 5-6. install the coaster gear on the other side. No impossible, they make hubs and axles designed for that.

i looked into using my flip flop hub this way.
the problem is that my legs are effecient up to 100 rpm, most cheap/free electric motors seem to be 2,500 to 4,000 rpm so by the time you have enough gear reductions to match rpms, the mechanical losses are to big to be worth the trouble.

[bryn]

besides us crazy fixie guys don't like any extra sprockets in the first place