Bike recommendations for BBSHD

[7200rpm]

Hi All,

First time building an ebike and don't have a lot of experience with bikes in general. Have a few questions I thought the community could help out with.

For background, I am looking to build a bike for longer road commutes with only a few small hills. I don't plan on taking it off road much if it all, and I don't need to go faster than 20 MPH. I've chosen the BBSHD motor for my build due to its reliability.

1. Wheel size: 27.9 vs 29 - any extra consideration when going electric? I think I would prefer the smaller 27.5 size.

2. Brakes: Hydraulic seems to be the better way to go, but this becomes rather complicated to setup with the BBSHD when mechanical disc brakes appear to be a much simpler integration. Is the hydraulic system worth the extra fuss?

3. Bike choice: I was originally thinking a nice hybrid bike, but those don't seem to be very popular. It seems that MTB are recommended for even road use due to the shocks, robustness at high speeds. I honestly don't really know where to start and looking through forums isn't quite as helpful. The community seems to be obsessed with fat bikes, but these heavy bikes have no appeal to me as I won't be riding in winter or sand, etc. Anyway, what are some recommended MTB for road commuters? These are some I'm considering:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/275-650b-bikes/527ht_27-650b_mountainbikes.htm

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/650b-27.5-bikes-g275-g2.htm

And here is a "plus" bike that looked interesting: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...75-x7-plus.htm

Any other recommendations or specific things I should look for?

4. Finally, how do i find the width of the bottom bracket so I can order the BBSHD?

Appreciate the input!

Brandon

[HD Rockhopper]

Buddy and I have BBSHD builds on our mountain bikes.
His bike has 29s, very good for high speed commuting.
My bike has 26s, almost as good for high speed commuting. But since I spend most of my riding time in steep mountain trails, I prefer the lower gearing for climbing. And, although our batteries are identical, my smaller wheels have longer range on trail rides. And our bikes are otherwise very similar.

[spinningmagnets]

Is the hydraulic system worth the extra fuss?

I haven't tried hydraulics yet, but I plan to upgrade the front to 200mm disc with hydraulic caliper. The rear cable-operated disc seems adequate for now. Some riders really like the "feel" of hydraulics, so it may just be a personal taste thing. A hydraulic system auto-adjusts for pad wear, so they take less fiddling over time. The most popular cable-operated caliper is the Avid BB7, partially because pad wear is adjusted with an integrated knob, so no tools needed at the side of the road when you realize it needs an adjustment.

Cable-operated has a little "stretch" in it, and is sometimes affected by mud and moisture getting into the cable sheathing. Hydraulics have a consistent feel.

[Michael-95037]

Both the Motobecane and the Gravity use a SUNTOUR BB10-XCT-SQS-113-CBT bottom bracket. Suntour list the bottom bracket width for this part as 68mm. Here is the info on their web site.

http://www.srsuntour-cycling.com/fi/FI/bike/details/XCT-BB10-XCT-SQS-113-CBT-3707.html

[7200rpm]

Both the Motobecane and the Gravity use a SUNTOUR BB10-XCT-SQS-113-CBT bottom bracket. Suntour list the bottom bracket width for this part as 68mm. Here is the info on their web site.

http://www.srsuntour-cycling.com/fi/FI/bike/details/XCT-BB10-XCT-SQS-113-CBT-3707.html

Thanks for the link. After doing some more research, it looks like you need a bike with a compatible bottom bracket. But I can't seem to figure out the type of bottom bracket based on that part link. Any idea if it is BSA, BB30, PF30, etc?

See here: https://www.empoweredcycles.com/blog...cket-standards