Author Topic: Gravel / Road options?  (Read 1480 times)

Fat Larry

Gravel / Road options?
« on: August 30, 2024, 03:13:46 AM »
I'm considering a building an ebike commuter as I'm moving to a place that will force me to commute up and down a 200m over 6km climb and i'm not really looking forward to grinding up it for 40 minutes everyday. 

Can anyone suggest some budget options for a gravel/road style ebike with space for 40-50ish mm tires? Looking around at the moment and there doesn't seem to be much out there. Ebikes seem to come in all sorts of wacky shapes but not a lot of road looking options.

Doesn't have to be carbon. Doesn't even have to be Chinese, though i'm NZ so China is probably the best available source and Bafang kits look reasonably priced on Ali.



rasch

Re: Gravel / Road options?
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2024, 05:00:49 AM »
They exist, yet I think they end up not being much mainstream because for commuting people go with the normal urban ones or the mtb.

LC was working on one frame https://chinertown.com/index.php/topic,5107.0.html and there are a couple other which have these options.

I went down already that rabbit hole and ended up concluding it's simply not worth it if you have to buy most/all of the pieces. You can get decent electric commuter bikes in big stores like decathlon or so for 2k or so fully built. Yes, they will be alu and not carbon, but for commuting the difference is negligible.


Fat Larry

Re: Gravel / Road options?
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2024, 07:32:32 AM »
Should have said i was thinking a gravel shape so i could have the option of doing some light trail riding on it. Looks like that lightcarbon might be a good cost effective option. A motor kit for it is about the same price and i've already got a drive train and brakes i can use, so would just need wheels and to work out how to wire up lights to the battery.

Everything else i've seen is $5k+ like the Trek Domane+ etc.

rasch

Re: Gravel / Road options?
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2024, 11:46:54 AM »
LC is an option then. But I think all common sellers/factories here mentioned produce those. You just need to check which engine u want/need. That will "limit" the frame options.
There are also the fiido ones. Not gravel handlebar but maybe they can be adapted and are fairly cheap. However, never seen any review so can't talk

atlet

Re: Gravel / Road options?
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2024, 02:37:37 PM »
I think on https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBh0b4b yo can put Bafang kit or tsdz8.