# First post: My "Electric Monkey" Commuter Build



## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

First of all, I'd like to thank Matt Hughes at EMPowered Cycles in Castro Valley, CA for all the help. He goes above and beyond to get what the customer needs.










https://www.empoweredcycles.com/

This project was started with the main goals of getting me out of daily commute traffic while still arriving to work quickly. Also, I wanted a bike that could get me there with minimal sweat.

I've recently changed jobs and my commute had turned from a quick 15 minute drive into a big long commute to San Francisco. I picked a Surly frame for its rigidity and versatility. I am not a big fan of road biking, spandex, and skinny 700c tires. A mountain bike with a rigid fork gives me a road bike style handling, but with a more comfortable riding position that I enjoy. I can also mash over curbs without fear of pinch flats, and hit any urban dirt trails around my home.

He are the before pictures.










On to the bike specs. Large Surly Karate Monkey 29er. Geared up as a 1x10. Brakes are being upgraded from Avid BB7 mechanical disc to Tektro Dorado hydraulic. Much greater stopping power and control. Tires are a nice wide street tire, will find out the brand name soon. Tubes are puncture resistant. It came with a brooks saddle, extra tubes, knobby tires, tools, a pump, etc all for 500 bucks on Craigslist.

Here is the conversion in progress. Matt went above and beyond to adapt a new controller that would fit a shift sensor. We're going with a 1000 watt motor, a 52 volt battery, shift sensor, lekkie bling ring, and upgraded brakes as I mentioned earlier. Better pics to come.










I may swap out the handlebars to Jones h bars, and throw on a light. It will be a pretty minimalist commuter, and I'll only be adding things as I find them necessary. The project is not complete, so stay tuned for more updates tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, my name is Ian btw.

Cheers!


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

That is going to be awesome, Ian. With 1000W you should be able to pull a trailer pretty easily for errands too if you want to. Heck, you can probably pull a trailer at 30mph!

Sweet.

-Walt


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## formula4speed (Mar 25, 2013)

Is the rear axle slammed forward in the drop outs? I'd be worried about it slipping with 1000w motor with track end dropouts. Good luck with the commute.


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

Yeah, the axle is seated all the way forward. Locked down tight, it should be fine.

Thanks for the compliments and feedback.

Walt- I was actually thinking of finding some way to pull a set of gold clubs. Would be neat to ride this to the range.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

Unless you want to fab something from scratch, I'd just get a BOB or something similar to pull your clubs around. Plenty stable, very versatile for adding tiedowns and such, and single wheel so it'll track you pretty well around obstacles/through traffic.

-Walt


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## formula4speed (Mar 25, 2013)

I think someone on the fatbike forum here posted a picture of their bike pulling their golf clubs, you might be able to pull it up in a search.


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Great deal on the Surly and that steel frame should be around for a long time. Nice looking conversion with that looks like a BBSHD.


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## Welnic (Feb 6, 2013)

Fat bike and golf.

http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/playing-golf-my-fat-bike-1011910.html#post12627896


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

Thanks for the link. That's pretty neat.


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## JVG1967 (Feb 22, 2014)

galipeau said:


> First of all, I'd like to thank Matt Hughes at EMPowered Cycles in Castro Valley, CA for all the help. He goes above and beyond to get what the customer needs.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks neat, bet it's a blast to ride! Wonder if you could install one of the kits on a carbon fiber frame?


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

I'm sure you could. That would definitely save some weight.

Steel is heavy, but very sturdy over time


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## JVG1967 (Feb 22, 2014)

galipeau said:


> I'm sure you could. That would definitely save some weight.
> 
> Steel is heavy, but very sturdy over time


Aluminum is probably better, still can save some weight but would hold up better.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

In the context of bike+rider, a pound of frame weight makes no difference. Especially with 1000W at your disposal!

The Surly frame is a great choice.

-Walt


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

I had considered an aluminum frame as well. There are many great choices out there. I based this build on my style of riding and a few other electric conversions I'd seen.

These Surly's are popular for bike packing, so they handle the weight really well. They also have tons of braze-ons for attachments. Overall, very happy.

Going up long gradual inclines at 20mph is a blast.


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## Moe Ped (Aug 24, 2009)

galipeau said:


> First of all, I'd like to thank Matt Hughes at EMPowered Cycles in Castro Valley, CA for all the help. He goes above and beyond to get what the customer needs.
> 
> This project was started with the main goals of getting me out of daily commute traffic while still arriving to work quickly. Also, I wanted a bike that could get me there with minimal sweat.
> 
> ...


Nice moped you're building Ian. I've though of doing the same to my Surly Pugsley.

Out of curiosity do you have the Calif. M1 or M2 license to be legal riding it on the street?


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

I'm not sure individuals need an M1 or M2 for this type of ebike. I can keep the power at 750w to extend range and keep it road legal with top speed requirements. The extra power from unlocking the full 1000w would come in handy for towing a bike trailer or off road use. 

I will be using this bike for commuting and city riding only. Looking to save up for a nice used Yeti for trail riding.


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## Moe Ped (Aug 24, 2009)

galipeau said:


> I'm not sure individuals need an M1 or M2 for this type of ebike. I can keep the power at 750w to extend range and keep it road legal with top speed requirements. The extra power from unlocking the full 1000w would come in handy for towing a bike trailer or off road use.
> 
> I will be using this bike for commuting and city riding only. Looking to save up for a nice used Yeti for trail riding.


The new law (AB-1096) doesn't really take into account DIY e-bikes and the labeling provision doesn't come into effect until 2017. When it does, to be a Class 1-2-3 e-bike it'll need a "manufacturer/distributor's" sticker proclaiming classification number, top assisted speed, and motor wattage. Not sure what the penalty is for a DIY "cheat" label?

But if not a legit Class 1-2-3 e-bike then it's a moped and the rider needs that M1 or M2.


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

The Class 1 bikes that most manufacturers are producing now and the designations that will be required next year will make an OEM bicycle easy to classify. However, DIY bikes are much more difficult, and AFAIK, there are no guidelines. For instance one could (theoretically) set the BBSHD controller to 15 amps and with a 48V battery have less than 750w, but probably not be how DIY bikes will be evaluated. The easiest method would be to use the motor's "labeled" wattage, but two to four times the stated wattage can be introduced to most motors.


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

Thanks for sharing this information. It will give me a few things to look into. 

I won't be blasting through traffic, or going so much faster than standard bikes that it would be very noticeable. Unless the police officers in my town are really bored, I doubt I'll get any flak. I will do more research into the new laws to be as compliant as possible however. 

I'm glad some of the more knowledgeable members here have contributed some useful info. Thanks and happy riding!


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

From my experience doing a lot of street riding in socal, as long as I'm pedaling and riding responsibly I've gotten second looks from the constabulary, but that's it. Good luck. It will be really interesting how DIY kits are "rated".


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## WoodlandHills (Nov 18, 2015)

If your ebike is geared such that it's top speed is less than the state maximum for Class 3 and your motor is stamped by the importer or retailer as being 750w then you are legal. If the importer or retailer is knowingly selling illegal motors and representing them to the public and the relevant authorities as being legal, then it seems to me that you are the victim of a crime (fraud) not the perpetrator. At that point the authorities will need to take it up with whoever sold you an incorrectly labeled motor or one that was correctly marked, but was dealer changed to an illegal power level before sale.

Of course, if you bought a programming cable and changed the power level yourself then it is your responsibility, not the folks who sold it to you.


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

I haven't changed anything on it. I appreciate the cautionary words, but I doubt it'll be an issue. I live in a quiet place, and cops in the city where I work have bigger problems to deal with than nit-picking wattage on a bike. Maybe I'm being naive, but these are my thoughts.

Also, I've ridden both 750w and 1000w, and I don't notice a huge difference in power. Could have been due to a difference in bike, or wheel size, but those are my observations.

Tomorrow is the first day of commute on this little stealth bomber, so we'll see how it goes. Here's the finished product BTW!


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Really clean installation, and looks like a perfect commuter.


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

Some thoughts 3 months into riding. It is a great bike for short trips, but if you try to stretch the limits, you just end up with a really heavy bike... possibly far from home.

Pro's:
-super fast
-what's a headwind? 
-removable battery
-easy to use

Con's:
-heavy 
-limited range
-square tapered spindles, wtf?

Long story short, I picked up a 1994 Specialized Allez Epic for free. This 20 odd year old carbon bike has given me less problems within roughly the same mileage. Due to its lightness, I've been gravitating towards the road bike for commuting.

That paired with the fact I picked up a Yeti SB66 for riding the trails has lead me to consider selling this bike.

Glad it got me back in the saddle though!

The Replacements:


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Interesting tale. Coming back around full circle to just leg power. Were you able to do say 1/2 power for a longer range? Commute distance? Mine is 16 miles one way. Car take an hour,the bike in good weather, 10 minutes longer. Boston, MA area.


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## galipeau (Jun 2, 2016)

Yeah, 16 miles should be fine. I can do about 8-9 for sure at full blast. If I lived somewhere with crap weather and I wanted to bike, this is the perfect setup. 

It's just a personal preference. I also can't afford to keep all the bikes. One road and one trail bike will do it for me. 

If I were to do another electric, I'd choose an aluminum or carbon frame to offset the weight. It would even fun to put this kit on a full suspension. Best of luck!


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