# I gotta dumb question --- swapping components



## rdawson808 (Oct 19, 2015)

And I can't seem to find an answer anywhere. Maybe because it's dumb.

I'm thinking of buying a relatively inexpensive ebike for commuting. But that means skimping on stuff. Battery is no issue because I have a pretty short work ride so I don't need much range. But can I just swap out the drivetrain and brakes with no issue? I have a whole Shimano XT drivetrain and brakes sitting in my garage. There appears to be nothing special about the components on what I'm seeing. 

thanks


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## oab1 (Apr 18, 2018)

I think the crankset would be the only potential issue. Often the hubs are wider to accommodate larger tires so you might be looking at a mismatch there depending on the bike. Everything else should be ok. Don't know if I'd bother with the xt stuff on a cheap commuter though.


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## Battery (May 7, 2016)

Depends on which inexpensive ebike you plan to buy. Commuter? MTB? Road/gravel style ebike? 

MTB brakes might not fit on it properly if it's a commuter ebike. Same with drivetrain. Just depends on a bunch of things.


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## natrat (Mar 20, 2008)

mech should be ez but chain ring can be a pain because you might be locked into a spider with a bcd that won't work with a shimano ring, more so a problem with 12 speed hg+


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## RBoardman (Dec 27, 2014)

I agree, that was a dumb question. 
What does “relatively inexpensive ebike” mean? How are we supposed to know if your parts are compatible if you can’t even describe what type of bike you are getting. Also, “XT drivetrain” is far too general as well.


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

Brakes could also be an issue. E-bikes can have a throttle cutoff in the brake system. Another thing to consider is that E-bikes are harder on drivetrains than human powered bikes. So that stout 6/7/8 speed chain might be preferable to a 10 or 11 speed chain.


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## rdawson808 (Oct 19, 2015)

Hi guys and thanks for the replies. In my effort to keep the post short I guess I dropped an important point. I'm not concerned with mechanical issues such as hub spacing, brake mounting, etc. I'm really asking about whether eBike specific components are really a thing in the drivetrain and brakes. 

For instance, an Orbea Vibe H30 commuter comes standard with Deore drive train. To me that's nothing special or ebike-specific. It's just a typical Shimano group set. Therefore I should be able to swap in an XT set (same spd, etc.). Whether or not it's "worth" it, is a separate but good point. (I happened to have it sitting around and think it's better.)

@paramount3 hit the issue of the chain, which I worry about. Thank you.


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## minimusprime (May 26, 2009)

Not a dumb question. I was in a similar conundrum. I drive a modified 15 f150 that gets close to 14mpg on a good day. I was looking to get a commuter ebike so that I could ride to work 4/5 days a week and not have to work overly hard while doing it in the process. I was not happy with any of the options under 2k, so I built my own based on a bbs02 kit sourced from luna for around $600. I cheaped out on the battery and just got a $250 dollar, 13ah - 48v unit off ebay. The battery is of mediocre quality, but this bike easily does my 18 mile round trip and I don't have to worry about what mode i'm in.

This isn't my first DIY ebike build, so I knew what to splurge on and what to skimp on. Some of the short notes are: 1) start by deciding which drive system you want (hub or mid drive) 2) Decide on battery you're going to use 3) select frame that is selected based on accomodating #1 and #2 and has the minimum features you want. For me that was disk brakes, no suspension, 700x50c minimum tire clearance, fender/rack mounts and a comfortable riding position.

This specific build was built to be more of a bicycle moped then an ebike persay. This will do 25mph with minimal effort from me, 28mph with like 150 watts of my power and is capable of doing 30-35 mph if I'm putting in effort and I'm hammering the battery. There are some torque sensing mid drive conversions that have much better ride feel, but have more nuanced things you need to do to make them reliable. For no maintenance, a good hub drive conversion is the best bet. Expect to spend around $1,200 - 1,400 if it's your first conversion. I have been able to make them cheaper and cheaper the more experience i have and I can now build them for sub $800 depending on parts availability.

Resources for doing such a conversion.
endless-sphere.com
Luna forums
Reddit ebike subreddit
ebikes.ca (grin website)




























If all of this seems like too much, buy a radpower, upgrade the brakes to hydro's and call it done. To go back to your actual original question... there is not much point in having really nice components on an ebike commuter like this. I have 2 top of the line mtb's and 1 emtb that are no expense spared builds, all of them easily pushing bumping up into 5 digits. My ecommuter however, is using shimano non series hydro trecking brakes, 1x10 xt shimano drivetrain, wire bead tires on an old WTB lazer wheelset that's converted to tubeless. It's a no muss, no fuss build that's built out of cockroach specific parts. class 2 mid-drive ebikes absolutely roast drivetrains. Other then brakes, there is no reason to have nice stuff on them. Besides, the nicer I make it, the more likely I am to be bummed when it gets stolen while I'm in buying a 6 pack and it's locked to a light pole with a questionable cable lock.


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## DtEW (Jun 14, 2004)

rdawson808 said:


> Hi guys and thanks for the replies. In my effort to keep the post short I guess I dropped an important point. I'm not concerned with mechanical issues such as hub spacing, brake mounting, etc. I'm really asking about whether eBike specific components are really a thing in the drivetrain and brakes.
> 
> For instance, an Orbea Vibe H30 commuter comes standard with Deore drive train. To me that's nothing special or ebike-specific. It's just a typical Shimano group set. Therefore I should be able to swap in an XT set (same spd, etc.). Whether or not it's "worth" it, is a separate but good point. (I happened to have it sitting around and think it's better.)
> 
> @paramount3 hit the issue of the chain, which I worry about. Thank you.


You do know that there are generally a couple versions of each component at a given component level (eg. XT) so that they fit the particulars of the bike, right?

You would need to do your homework to figure out if the particulars of the specific e-bike (eg. freehub body type, centerlock vs. 6-bolt, lever attachment type, etc.) work with the parts you have in your possession. This is not a e-bike thing, but something you will encounter moving components from MTB-to-MTB.

So I would concur that it is a bad question that can only be answered with "it depends; we need specifics to answer such a overly-general question".


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## rdawson808 (Oct 19, 2015)

DtEW said:


> You do know that there are generally a couple versions of each component at a given component level (eg. XT) so that they fit the particulars of the bike, right?


Yes, thank you. I thought I made that clear enough in my second email you quoted. I guess not.


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

i've not run into any issues swapping out cheaper components for upgrades along the way. just like any other bike, make sure the part fits before buying...


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## rdawson808 (Oct 19, 2015)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> i've not run into any issues swapping out cheaper components for upgrades along the way. just like any other bike, make sure the part fits before buying...


Thank you.


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