- Introduction: The Mongoose Envoy Project (You Are Here)
- Chapter 1: The Raised Rear Deck
- Chapter 2: Better Brakes
- Chapter 3: What kind of Motor?
- Chapter 4: Motor Choice
- Chapter 5: Motor Installation
- Chapter 6: Misc upgrades and notes
- Chapter 7: The Build Sheet
- Chapter 8: Low Cost Builds
I’ve wanted to build a cargo bike for some time. I’ve gone halfway a few times, with Frankenbike (front and rear racks, plus a handlebar basket on fat 4.9″ tires, with a 48v, 20a geared hub drive) being the closest I have gotten to the mark.
When Mongoose began offering a mid-tail ‘urban’ frame — in a complete bike that retails for less than half of anything similar on the market — I had to jump in and give it a shot.
So here it is, fresh out of the box in its stock form.
Which lasted about a day.
As I write this, the bike has had its cranks and bottom bracket removed, its chain and derailleur detached, the brakes have been upgraded, and of course there’s the double-kick longboard raised upper deck …
… and thats only the beginning. With that said, this bike is going to be left outside unattended (but securely locked) at local shops. I don’t want to pour money into its components in case someone manages to make off with it. So I will be keeping the changes to a minimum – or at least minimum for me. I’ll be doing just what is needed for improving drivetrain reliability, safety and of course, adding a motor. And a front rack. And a suspension seatpost. But that is it. Really.
EDIT: As you can see from the content in the other chapters of this project… all that talk about keeping things under control went out the window. In the end I decided to just go for it and ended up with what I think is a top line cargo hauler capable of handling 450 lbs+ total system weight (or more… 450 is just how much I have loaded so far) with ease, as well as being an easy commuter.
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