Beach Cruisers

I'm thinking that the beach cruisers will be a big E-hit.
One thing that bugs me a little is that none of them except the fat tire versions come with disk brakes. Disk brakes are mandatory for any ebike with more than 1000W motors. None of the bikes I found have hydraulic disk brakes, so that will be an upgrade option.

 When I saw my first fat tire bike I thought it would be a pain pedaling something with such fat tires. Then it dawned on me that with a motor, these bikes make a lot of sense. They look cool and have a nice ride quality. They excel in snow and sand.

Because of their sturdy (some more than others) frames, I would feel comfortable riding one equipped with a Cyclone 3000W (mid drive) motor. Even the 7500W motor would be an option, but only with hydraulic disk brakes.

Depending on what bike you choose, the price range is roughly between $200 and $500 USD. I'll be posting on the side bar, all the manufacturers and sales sites for reference material in the next few weeks. You can order your own bike if you like and have it sent to me for electrification if you wish, or I can just order it for you. Either way you want to go, I won't be charging any markup on the bikes or motor kits. Any profit I make will be my labor to build the ebike. This way you don't get stuck paying for a bunch of hype and shoddy parts like most ebike builders.

Below are samples of the main producers of beach bikes these days.

GreenLine FT-707 M 7 Speed Fat Bike, Flat Black - Men's 26" Beach Cruiser. Priced at $269.99 from J-Bikes, this is a excellent choice. www.jbikes.net

 

 
Next up is the Micargi Slugo fat bikes.  These are available for around $350.
www.bikeberry.com

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Sikk inc makes some pretty cool bikes starting around $500.
Sikk inc

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 Micargi with regular balloon tires. I like these, but as I mentioned above, nobody makes a beach bike with disk brakes unless it has 4" fat tires. If you want one of these with any motor above 1000W, I can add front disk brakes for you by changing the front end and lacing a disk brake hub to the existing wheel. Almost all of these bikes come with junky brakes, but can be upgraded cheaply.


 
Firmstrong offers several beach bikes worth considering priced around $250. I have one with a 3 speed internal geared hub and like it a lot. In fact, everyone who comments on it want to buy it. I'm starting to get tired of telling people that this one is not for sale. 
www.beachbikes.net 

I've started making my mold for the Firmstrong bike battery box that will fit inside the frame. I'm making it just large enough to fit the newer 2170 batteries (up to a 72V pack) for when they become available. These will be made of carbon fiber. Should be tough as nails! As new bikes come in, I can make boxes that fir their particular frame. I like the bikes with the large top tube (backbone) because they can fit a large battery and a mid drive motor inside the frame. For my Firmstrong, I'll be trying it out with a 1000W two speed motor first to see how I like it on this bike, then I'll change it to a Cyclone 3000W mid drive setup with the 72V battery pack. The mini Cyclone 2000W motor would fit this bike beautifully, but for the price point, the 3000W motor is cheaper. Who wouldn't want the extra 1000W for less money?