Chances are, you can build your own bike much faster, cheaper, or with greater range than purchasing—and easier than you expect.
If you’re thinking of purchasing an eBike, you should explore options first, especially if you have an old bike laying around and you’re just thinking of upgrading. Chances are, you can build your own bike much faster, cheaper, or with greater range than purchasing—and easier than you expect.
Here’s what I was able to do with a 1990’s Specialized Stump Jumper that I picked up off of Facebook Marketplace for only $70.
This was a good bike to start with as the frame is titanium and is strong and lightweight. The bike was complete when I bought it but had been someone’s campus bike and had been parked for a while. I bought it to trail ride but found myself enjoying road biking more than mountain biking, so then it was parked in my garage for a while. That’s why I decided to build it.
Electric bike kits are available from different sources such as Amazon, eBay, and other marketers. From what I saw, kits from different manufacturers are similar in design and price. The biggest difference is if you’re looking for a rear-hub, center mount, or front hub motor. Center or front mount might be easier to install, but I opted for rear hub for more weight and therefore more traction on the drive wheel. I selected the Voilamart 26” Rear Wheel Electric Bicycle Conversion Kit because the Stump Jumper has 26” wheels, and because of the power, price, and high consumer ratings. I also wanted a twist throttle instead of a thumb lever.
The kit comes complete with the nylon tire, alloy rim and motor assembly, controller and controller bag, brake levers, Pedal Assist System (PAS), wire ties, and instructions. It does not include the battery or charger.
For the most part, the installation was fairly simple. I had a few challenges as I was building from an old bike that needed some new parts and upgrades, but worked through each challenge I encountered. I had to replace the crank because one of the arms was stripped and I couldn’t screw the new pedal into it. I added a new stem to reposition the handlebars and make the bike fit me better. And since I wanted the twist throttle, I had to replace the shifters and reconfigure the handlebars to make space for the new controls. I also added universal torque arms to reinforce the frame, a new saddle, a kickstand, a phone mount, and a new front tire and tube. And lastly, I took it to a bike shop to get the shifters and brakes adjusted.
In case you’re interested, here’s the breakdown:
- Voilamart 26″ Rear Wheel Electric Bicycle Conversion Kit, 48V 1500W E-Bike Powerful Hub Motor Kit with Intelligent Controller and Pedal Assist System (PAS), Restricted to 750 W for Road Bike (Several variations in power are available.)
- Lithium Ion eBike Battery Cell
- Suntour Crankset
- Zacro Mountain Bike Pedals
- Alta Duro Diamond Grip tire
- Front tube
- Sunrace SLM10 Friction Shifter Set
- Vader Bike Saddle
- Universal torque arm kit
- Throttle mounted paddle cruise assist
- MaxMiles phone mount
- Kickstand
- Bike shop tune
Note, to be a street legal, a bike conversion should be restricted to 750W and 24 mph.
All in, this $1250 project was to build a bike, and it has enough torque to make you gasp in surprise on the launch, will climb any hill in your path, hit and maintain street-legal speeds, and has a range of over 50 miles on a charge!
