Oh, how I miss my Northrock XC00 e-bike conversion! A friend asked if I would sell my Build #4 fat-tire e-bike (aka Fatty I) to him, so I did. Then I waited for Costco to put the XC00 on sale again, which they did last week. It’s on sale for $399.99 (plus tax, free shipping) until 2/28/23, then the price goes back up to $499.99 (which is still a pretty good deal for this bike).
This will be my sixth custom e-bike build, if you consider the Silver Phoenix frame swap as Build #5 (which I do). And although it’s too early to tell if I’m actually going to receive the Bafang 1000W rear-hug motor instead of the Sutto motor, this build will mostly follow the same path as Build #4. As I get going on the build, I’ll let you know if I make any significant changes. But really, why would I if the original Build #4 was so good? I loved that bike and now I get to build another. I’m a lucky guy!
Starting point:
And, as of March 6, 2023, this was the end result (and yes, I did receive the Bafang 1000w motor this time):
Since this picture was taken, I have upgraded the headlight and taillight. Turns out this headlight was DOA so I replaced it with a rechargeable Blitzu which I think I’m going to like a lot better. Fenders were the other change from the Fatty I build. I thought I would try out a budget fender set from Vbestlife, and so far I’m impressed. Installation was easy, they seem durable enough, and I think they look great on this bike! Granted, coverage isn’t as good as you would find on say a RadRover 6 Plus, but it’s good enough for the kind of riding I do.
Final build cost, including PA sales tax was $1524.54. Note, this is also a ‘throttle-only’ build, which is my preference. At this point, only Build #3 (Blue Wave) with its mid-drive motor uses PAS (which I have mostly disabled). I just find that PAS gets me into more trouble than without it.
Here’s my build parts list for those that find this sort of stuff interesting:
** Update **
One and a half upgrades to report. The first upgrade was this:
BAFANG Twist Throttle for eBike ($20)
Here’s a photo of it installed:
Looks nice enough, BUT not only is the downshift trigger no longer accessible but I just really dislike the twist throttle action. It’s hard to use effectively and still have a positive grip on the hand grip. So off it came shortly after my test ride and I’m back to the left-hand thumb throttle pictured above, which I like a lot and have on all my e-bikes. So that’s the half upgrade.
The full upgrade which I have yet to install and test is this:
Suntour SR SP12 Suspension Seat Post (~$90)
This is not a cheap upgrade but one that my back will thank me for since Fatty II has no suspension to speak of. I’ll take a picture of this installed and give you first impressions then. I expect it will make a big difference in ride comfort and, if so, will be well worth the price.
** Update **
Well, that didn’t work. Turns out a 31.6mm seat post won’t fit into a 30.9mm hole. Go figure! So, what to do. Well, here’s your justification for having several self-built e-bikes. 31.6mm is the standard for most mountain bikes, just not the Northrock XC00 fat-tire bike, and Suntour doesn’t make a suspension seat post between 27.2 and 31.6mm. So this amazing suspension seat-post is going on my Trek 4500. It fit perfectly, and here’s the proof:
My quick test ride was enough to convince me that this is a good upgrade for the Trek, perhaps better than using it on Fatty II which already has the benefit of large, low pressure tires.
** update **
After a bit more investigation, I found a 30.9mm Suntour SR SP12 Suspension Seat Post on eBay. It shipped from China so took some time to get here. But it was almost $20 cheaper than the one purchased on Amazon, and it fit without the use of a shim. Turns out there is no source for the 30.9mm version of this seat post available anywhere in the US. And the post length is 350mm, which is fine for my application, though 400mm might be better if you can find it. Here are some images of this suspension seat post:
I’ll provide a picture of the seat post installed on Fatty II in the future, but suffice to say, if you have back problems that are exacerbated by your bouncy bicycle, this seat post is for you. It makes a big difference in the quality of the ride and is well worth the money!