No. 3 build ready to kick off...

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Messing around with colour-coding the ACE's wheel rims to match the bike's green painted tank and engine casings. First up, I've used pre-cut strips made from exterior sign grade vinyl. These are supplied pre-radiused to fit wheel rims between 15"-18", making application a cinch. Four quadrants per wheel are required. I ordered green vinyl strips, knowing in advance I'd need to respray them in the same shade of green used elsewhere on the ACE. Happy with the results. I'm also going to give the moulded rubber Rimblades another try. I used these previously on my BLUE BAMBOO e-Stretch cruiser's wheels with great results. I've ordered green Rimblades, but again I'll need to respray them the correct shade of green prior to them being installed.
Whichever method I opt to go with, either method is a .... sight easier, quicker and cheaper than dis-assembling wheelsets prior to having them painted or powder-coated.

DSCN4117.JPG
DSCN4118.JPG
 
Idler sprocket came in from the US so I've been able to sort the ACE's chainline. Conveniently, the sprocket plus a couple of spacer washers fit perfectly onto the pedal shaft in the frame's bottom bracket. Added some raised letter detailing to the engine's sprocket cover before respraying it green.
Also fitted a new horn up top on the forks.
DSCN4120 (2).JPG
DSCN4123 (2).JPG
DSCN4121 (2).JPG
DSCN4130.JPG
 
I know for sure I'm more of a 'Built, not Bought' kind of guy, but I always hankered after one of those Munro 2 eBikes after I first saw mention of them on AliExpress way back in 2017. Always felt that despite being amongst the coolest designed eBikes, their success was held back by their affordability. After checking out the cost, I was put off by the asking price plus the cost of shipping and import taxes into the UK. I checked-into AliExpress regularly to see if the Munro 2 prices varied much but they never did, so I continued to drool over the pictures and dream....

...Till yesterday, when I was browsing UK eBay and spotted a pair of new Munro 2 eBikes - one black, one green - offered for sale as a 'Bank Holiday Weekend Offer' by a seller in London. Bought new, they were listed as unused due to a complete lack of ride time. Auction start price was comparable to what I'd seen on AliExpress but bear in mind there would be no shipping cost or import duty to hike the price. My only stipulation was the bike must have pedals, as pictured in some of the Munro advertising photos. Wasn't ever going to buy an eBike that wasn't capable of being pedaled. Seller confirmed the pedal kit was in the bike's shipping carton, along with instructions telling how to de-restrict the bike so full power could be accessed. All good! So I made a cheeky best offer UK£500 less than the start price and the seller responded immediately enquiring if I could up my offer by £100 'cause courier shipping was included in the price. I stuck to my guns and an hour later the seller accepted my offer. Ker-ching! Result!! Black bike ships Tuesday. Should receive it Thursday. I'll happily ride it as-is for a while - but I know it won't be long till I feel the need to put my own stamp on it....
321.jpg
123.jpg
 
Wow, those are nice looking!
Thanks Jim. I agree. These Munro 2s are up there with the best looking eBikes. Despite being around 5 years old, 48v and only 400w, the design concept has stood up well. I reckon every now and then the Chinese excel and surprise us and themselves with something like this Munro bike. It really is an exceedingly well thought out design, instead of the over-blinged stuff we're used to seeing. I know I'd have been proud to have penned something like this.

Sadly, Jen, my darlin' wife of 48 years, passed away peacefully at home here in Alnwick on April 3rd. After almost 9 years of caring for her at home since her dementia diagnosis back in Oct 2013, it feels like there's a gigantic hole in my life at this time. So I could do with something to raise my spirits right now.

Always pleased to see how well your TRM products are received and it's always a pleasure to see the super creations folks come up with using your top quality parts. Jen and I came so close to achieving our long held retirement plan to relocate to our place in Spain but her illness thwarted that idea. Now I have zero enthusiasm for going there without her. But the good news that my Plan B is to unearth all the stuff we had in safe storage here in Alnwick for the last three years and that includes my DECOLINER which I hope to start putting some miles on.
 
I was actually wondering about her earlier today as I read your latest post. Thank you Pete for sharing the sad news. I know that it must be very difficult but I also know that you have handled it throughout with unwavering dedication and that she was very blessed to have you as a soulmate. You are an inspiration on more than one level.

Looking forward to seeing what's next for you. -Jim
 
The Munro eBike arrived via courier as scheduled last week. Very well packed in a super-strong carton and strapped to a pallet. Took two of us to get it off the delivery truck but once unpacked, the bike weighed a lot less. Assembled and fitted the accessory items that came with it but due to a wet weekend, had to wait till Monday for a debut ride. Took it for a spin to Amble over on the coast and enjoyed a bracing ride home at 10pm, allowing me the opportunity to give the Munro's lighting a big thumbs up. The powerful LED headlamp has both main/dipped beam. Blinkers front & rear are provided. The rear blinkers, together with the stop/tail lamp are neatly integrated into the back of the saddle. Juice disk brakes are fitted fore & aft. Other features included as standard are a GPS speedo and an anti-theft security system featuring an alarm that'll wake the dead. Even cooler, once the alarm system is set, the rear wheel's hub motor will automatically rotate in the opposite direction to that which any potential thief is attempting to push or ride it away. Forwards or backwards. Smart!
Noticed the Munro's hub motor casing has 48v 800w cast into it - which contradicts the bike's advertising blurb that lists the motor's wattage as 400w. I'm guessing what we have here is an 800w motor restricted to 400w. That must have been what the seller mentioned when he said he'd supply instructions advising how to access full power. As supplied, the Munro has ample power for me. Anything more will be an unexpected bonus - and used to help ascend the hills in and around Alnwick, of which there are plenty.
Really happy with my purchase.
DSCN4147 (2).JPG
DSCN4145 (3).JPG
 
Cool! How does it perform as a bicycle (i.e. pedal power)?

It looks great but that chain tensioner is a little distracting to my eye. Very minor criticism though.
The Munro's performance as a bicycle is fine for my needs Jim. The 22 mile ride to Amble and back on Monday was split 50/50 between battery and pedal power. Didn't come close to exhausting battery's charge but even so, there's no getting away from 'range anxiety' on an eBike as far as I'm concerned. Need a few more decent ride outs to start gaining a sense of range confidence. After almost 4 years of being virtually housebound 24/7 because of wife Jen's care requirements, I'm way out of condition, so this bike is intended to help me get back in the saddle for longer rides and increase my fitness. Just been doing very occasional early morning round the block rides these last couple of years - so looking forward to getting back out there in the fresh air.
 
Just got home after driving down to Bedlington to collect the ACE's left/right rear motor mounts which were waterjet-cut from 3mm (1/8") mild steel by Barrington Metalworks. Test fit planned for tomorrow. After which, all being well, I'll paint them and the front engine mount green, same shade as the engine's side cases.

DSCN4153 (2).JPG
 
Test fitting of the ACE's rear motor mounts went smoothly. Everything fit as intended. These mounts attach securely to the frame's bottom bracket and once bolted to the front mount, offer much improved rigidity. Installed the adjustable shift linkage, bearings, collars and cross-shaft which converts the bike's left-side foot gearchange to a right-side hand shifter. Just need to shorten the cross-shaft to correct length before fitting the shift lever. Really happy how this plan came to fruition.

DSCN4157 (2).JPG
DSCN4154 (2).JPG
DSCN4155 (2).JPG
 
Just read start to finish, great work! My MIL has dementia, late stage, its been rough on the family, god bless.
Prayers for your MIL and family. I wouldn't wish this dreadful disease on anyone, but once you're going through it, it's scary to hear how many other families are enduring something similar.

Glad you enjoyed reading this thread. Your post reminded me that I must get back to it. Haven't had the enthusiasm or energy to work on the ACE - or anything else - for the last six weeks since I came down with Covid in mid June. Combined with the loss of Jen, it knocked me for six for sure. Time to get a grip and shake myself out of this spell of lethargy.
 
Wow what an outstanding looking machine! and the Ebike looks absolutely fantastic, I read the whole story, youve endured a lot and now could be the time to re-mount!
Good luck to you pete!
 
Well....it's been a while. Happy New Year to all. Little to no activity from me so far as bike building is concerned. A second round of Covid in November didn't help and the long Covid symptoms of breathlessness after even the least physical effort have wore me down. Felt the best I've been for a long time pre-Christmas, so now I'm looking to get back to some kind of worthwhile activity instead of lounging on the sofa all day. Right now I'm cracking on with fitting the ACE's wiring loom and getting its headlight properly installed. Slow progress - but at least somethin's happenin'!

With a view to my next build, I've begun stashing a few parts aside for future use. Recently snagged a very low mileage 50cc, 4-speed Ace motor (same but smaller capacity as the 125cc motor in my current ACE build). Also couldn't resist pulling the trigger on a set of these leaf-sprung forks I saw on AliExpress a couple of weeks ago. Intended for use with 26" x 3" or 4" wheels/tyres and supplied disc brake ready. I plan on mating these with another drop loop frame when the time comes.

Aa2fa6f0b7f384fc4b01300353c4d519f7.jpg

The last few years of being stuck indoors due to my late wife Jen's care requirements and Covid lock-downs has rendered my car use to an absolute minimum. It's convinced me that my Citroen DS5 daily driver, in which I've covered less than 3K miles during the 4 years since I purchased it in 2019 is, if I'm being honest, surplus to requirements. That being the case, back in mid-December I decided I'd really rather go back to being caretaker of another 'classic'. The plan is to part ways with my DS5 in Spring and rely on enjoying another 'classic' as my daily driver. Bearing in mind that 'daily driver' in my case involves driving to the local supermarket in town for the weekly shop... So with that plan cemented in early December, I embarked on a plan to import a beautifully restored/rebuilt 1977 Saab 96 V4 into the UK - from Finland, of all places. Having already imported both a car and motorcycle in recent years, the import process wasn't at all daunting, so a deal was struck for the right car and importation went smoothly every step of the way. The Saab's voyage from Helsinki to Harwich in the UK took 4 days, after which the car was delivered to my doorstep in Northumberland on Dec 18th, making Christmas extra special this year. The 60 photos I received from the seller had already convinced me of the extremely high standard of the Saab's resto, but seeing it in the flesh was truly a great surprise. It's flawless. Like a new car. The connection for me is that this 96 takes me right back to being a teenager in the '70s, when my Dad's youngest brother bought the first new car ever owned by someone in our family. And that Saab 96 was the car in which I had my first driving lessons - column shift and all. Looking forward to driving it after I go through the UK registration process. After which, installing a bicycle hauler to the Saab's tow bar will be my first priority.

IMG_5034.jpg
PHOTO-2022-09-20-15-17-10 3.jpg

318983927_3399336676965424_895509109829463739_n.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top