Fuji Nevada 29er + BBS02 + NuVinci (WIP)

[WebEsquire]

It's been a few days since any new builds, so... my turn!

My first build (last month) was a 1998 Marin Nail Trail Hardtail. Overall, it was a great bike; perfectly tuned. It was very fast and nimble. However, the brakes were super old, and it did not support disc brakes, so stopping was a problem. Plus, it just looked old. I wanted something sleeker.

I have a Fuji Nevada MTB that I love, and I wanted to basically clone that bike, but with a BBS02. So I found a donor bike on Craigslist (a Fuji Nevada 1.9, their lowest model), and started the motor swap last weekend. So far, here's what I've added/removed:

1. BBS02
2. Gearsensor
3. New Tires: Schwalbe Marathon GG RLX/Mr. Tuffy Tire Liners
4. Replaced stock brakes with Avid BB7 Brakes
5. Spraypainted my raceface NW Chainring silver, then bronze
6. Arkel Randonnuer Rack (Broke on 2nd ride, now using Topeak rack)
7. Arkel Tailrider Rack Bag
8. New wheels: WTB FX23
9. NuVinci N360
10. Upgraded fork: Rockshox 30 Gold TK

[WebEsquire]

Regarding tires, I decided to run a Kenda Small Block 8 (2.1") up front, and a Schwalbe HS-420 Marathon RLX GG in rear (2.0). This should give me some speed without sacrificing control. The rims and tires have arrived. Just waiting on rack, bag, and Nuvinci before this bike really shines.

[WebEsquire]

Yesterday, I hooked up an XT-90 to the battery wire, near the motor. Will probably end up adding one more closer to the battery.



I also visited Sports Chalet (for the nth time this month), which is going out of business any day now. At this point, the deals still aren't all that great, yet all the good stuff is gone. I was able to pick up some Diamondback aluminum black pedals, inner tubes, and a new chain for less than $30 though.

I'm currently in a bidding war with someone over the only 21T Surly cog on eBay, which I'll need for optimum range on the N360, given my 38T raceface chainring.

[WebEsquire]

Today my Sondors THIN arrived, (the bike that started it all), as well as my Arkel bag and rack. I assembled the Sondors, test rode it, then got right back to installing the rack and fitting my battery in the bag. It doesn't come close to this Fuji BBS02 bike.

I'm happy to report that my 16.3" bottle battery DOES indeed fit inside the Arkel tail rider bag. It's snug, but it fits. I took it around the block a couple times, and it rides about as expected. The bike feels top heavy, but I like my posture on it. It will make a fine commuter. Top speed was a meager 20MPH, but I'm sure I can get that up with tuning. A center mounted battery makes a huge difference in the way the bike handles. That said, I like how stealthy this bike looks. I don't think anyone will notice it's an ebike until I breeze past them uphill.

Edit: After another ride, top speed is around 27mph on flat ground.

[WebEsquire]

Took it out for a spin again today, this time on the trails. Got a flat right behind my house almost immediately. Ran home, swapped out the tire, tube, and liner, and I was on my way back into the wilderness.

The bike is a beast. For around $2k, I have a very good looking stealth bike that performs quite well, and should hold up over time.

For comparison, I took my new Sondors THIN out for its first ride, and it doesn't even come close. The only category the THIN has on this Fuji is weight. The rear of this Fuji stealth bike weighs a ton.

Not all of these parts have made it onto the bike yet, but here's what we are looking at:

Category	Item	Store	Price
Motor + Battery	BBS02 + Panasonic Bottle Battery 52V 11.5ah	LunaCycles	$1,013.00
Frame	Fuji Nevada 1.9 29er	Craigslist	$250.00
Brakes	Avid BB7 Brakes	eBay	$78.00
Rear Derailleur	NuVinci N360	eBay	$200.00
Cassette	Endless Bikes 21T Cog (Blue)	eBay	$51.00
Pedals	Diamondback Black Aluminum Pedals	Sports Chalet	$15.00
Wheelset	WTB FX23 Wheels with Quick Release	PricePoint	$100.00
Tires	Kenda Small Block 8 29x2.1" Tires (2)	PricePoint	$40.00
	Schwalbe Marathon GG RLX 28x2.0" Tires (2)	Amazon	$75.00
Accessories	Arkel Tailrider Bag (Black)	Arkel	$115.00
	Arkel Rondonneur Rack	Arkel	$100.00
	Ancor 301503 Marine Grade Electrical Adhesive Lined Heat Shrink Tubing Kit (3/16 to 3/4-Inch Diameter, 3-Inches Long, Black, 8-Pack)	Amazon	$7.87
	3/4 Dual Wall Adhesive Lined Heat Shrink	Amazon	$5.53
	TOPCABIN Bicycle Adjustable Aluminium Alloy Bike Bicycle Kickstand Side Kickstand Fit for 20" 24" 26"- Black	Amazon	$12.70
	Jagwire Alloy Stick-On Guides with C-Clips Black, 1 Box of 4	Amazon	$12.00
	Jagwire Rotating S-Hook Box of 4	Amazon	$9.22
	XT90 Battery Connector Set	Amazon	$12.99
	Extra Wire 10AWG 10ft	Amazon	$12.99
	Helping Hand w/ Magnifier	Amazon	$6.99
	29" Inner Tubes	Sports Chalet	$10.00
	Wheel Lacing at LBS	Rack N Road	$80.00
	Surly Singleator Chain Tensioner	Tree Fort Bikes	$60.00
	Mr Tuffy Tire Liners	Tree Fort Bikes	$19.11
	Wheel Tape and Tube	Rock N Ride	$20.00
			$2,306.40

[WebEsquire]

Small Update: LBS is lacing up the new wheel + Nuvinci for $80. Another thread caused me to realize I hadn't yet gotten a chain tensioner, so had to get one. Got a Surly Singleator.

Went for a 10mi ride yesterday, 1800ft. elevation. I was led by my girlfriend's Sondors Thin, so didn't push it very hard at all. That said, it performed pretty well. The saddle rack is giving me some trouble - the mounting plate is bending, and comes loose when I lift up on it. My fear is that it will break or I won't be able to tighten/loosen it due to the warped metal. Not good after one real ride.

Adding to that, I would really much rather have a triangle battery in a bag on the frame. It would suck to do that, but this bike is currently just not as nimble as I'd like it to be.

Also, I want full suspension. :( Might keep this as my commuter, and move onto my next project. Haven't even finished one bike, already shopping for the next one. I need a support group guys.

[Bicycle365]

......The saddle rack is giving me some trouble - the mounting plate is bending, and comes loose when I lift up on it. .......

Sock down these two pivot points, you should be able to lift the bike up by grabbing the back of the rack. I have a 12 lbs 20Ah triangle pack, my cable lock on top, and some tools in mine. Solid as a rock. Not sure why you are getting the mounting plate to bend, the quick release on the rack attachment has to be firm but not crazy tight.

[WebEsquire]

You are giving me hope. I will tighten those some more this evening and get back to you. Thanks!

[WebEsquire]

So I checked and they were tight as can be (pretty sure I stripped one in the process). However, I took it all off, straightened out the metal plate using a rubber mallet, and then re-installed it very tightly. It's on there nice and tight now, with no upward play. We'll see if that holds over time. I also adjusted the angle to be even higher. Although it looks kinda silly and it's tough to dismount, it vastly improves the handling IMO.

FWIW, the top-most highlighted bolt in your photo was tight as can be, yet the mounting plate could still rotate freely around it. I don't think that is designed to lock.

[Bicycle365]

OK,i cranked them both down so nothing moves, maybe my plate could ?? and tonight I wrapped the seat post clamp with silicone tape since I don't want this to be removed quick for security reasons. That will take another point of possible movement away in case mine starts to loosen . I've got a couple topeak rack hardware kits here, I'll experiment with them to see if I can get the mystical 100 lbs limit ! ( Kidding) but I will see if i can use the upper seatstay bosses to bomb proof this some more.

I gave you hope that we can get this to work for you, and now I'm thinking mine won't last 😀 . Social psychology at its finest

[WebEsquire]

Where did you see this 100lb limit? I thought the same thing, but not sure why I thought that. Their website says 13lbs. That said, I am worried about your rack...

[WebEsquire]

For some reason, I am feeling more confident about my current configuration, although nothing is really different from before. I will report back after I've ridden it some more to see how it holds up.

[WebEsquire]

Wellp, that was false confidence. I am sitting here on the side of the road, waiting to get picked up because this Randonneur rack couldn't make it 7 miles with 7.5 lbs of weight. As I feared, the metal plate broke in half while riding. Not happy about this- something rated for 100+lbs shouldn't break this easily.

[WebEsquire]

Just checked their webby again, and they state a maximum load of 13 lbs, but also mention that it "can withstand more than the stated maximum load."

But that makes a heck of a lot more sense - I have no idea where the 100+lbs figure came from. I might've confused two racks :/

[Bicycle365]

Hmm.... :( Something is definitely not right...

[WebEsquire]

I ended up getting a more sturdy (ugly) rack from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A2L77EE7U53NWQ

I also recently read about the Mighty Mini and heard good things, and I think it might have just enough juice to get me to work. So I grabbed one of those too (the Panasonic GA cells, of course). Somebody stop me!

[Bicycle365]

I added the struts from a Topeak rack to my Arkel just to head off any future problems.

http://electricbike.com/forum/forum/builds/customer-gallery/5958-motobecane-bbshd-1st-build?p=8459#post8459

[WebEsquire]

After having installed my Topeak rack, I agree that those struts might help out some, but I'd still be worried. Speaking of that,I am sending my Arkel rack back and using a Topeak rack instead. It's much more stable and gives me the peace of mind that I need.

Fork: I am also in negotiations with an eBay seller for a new fork :) I recently discovered the "Make Offer" button and I've been having fun with it.

Battery: I got the Luna Mighty Mini 52v battery with the GA cells and it is amazing! The future is truly here. I can do everything and so much more with this little battery. The ~5lb weight reduction off the back of the bike has a major impact on performance. I want to take this thing off some jumps! It feels that solid now. Every element of my riding has improved thanks to this battery, at a cost of 40% range, which hasn't impacted me yet.

N360: LBS still has my wheel and N360. They had to order custom spokes. I can't wait for it to arrive, got a bunch of stuff waiting on it!

Seatpost: Now that I switched to the Topeak rack, I was able to use a Thudbuster ST.

Also thinking this forum needs a chat room for some reason...

[WebEsquire]

Finally got the N360 back from my LBS yesterday and installed it. It's great!

I then proceeded to install the my new RockShox Gold 30 TK 29er fork. Everything went smoothly - I even got my LBS to remove my old crown race from my old fork for me, for free.

Everything was going great - I dry-fit the new fork, added the spacers, and made my mark. I followed the someone's advice to cut just slightly below my mark. My pipe cutter worked flawlessly.

Once I got it sanded and re-fitted, it occurred to me that I forgot something very important when making my measurement: the headset. I forgot to include space for the headset! There's not enough space for the headset to grab, even without spacers. It's toast.

Wellp, after doing some research, I've resigned to the fact that my brand new fork is probably wasted and it's time to buy a new one. Anyone else ever cut a fork too short? I feel like a complete newb right now.