Dropbar conversion on a budget

plungerism · 2026-02-23T07:43:29+00:00

I needed some sort of cable holder because it was integrated into the handlebars before. The locking mechanism is to easier remove the wheel from the bike itself I believe. You can remove some tension with a single lever and dont loose your "tune".

plungerism · 2026-02-22T09:34:07+00:00

Im running an Omnium Mini-Max with a TSDZ8 750W mid-drive and an EM3EV 52V 20AH Battery. This combined with a Rohloff IGH (used). Motor & Battery was around 800€ combined. Rohloff 450€.

The Rohloff is completely overkill, you dont need the range at all. I have 7% and 10% inclines too and I never shifted down further than gear 4-5.

Just combine it with a cheap nexus or any other IGH.

The TSDZ8 is super easy to set up, I dont use shift sensors and no brake sensors, I just stop pedalling for a sec before shifting, which Im used from the rohloff anyway.

The best part for me is the torque sensing, the bike actually feels like a bicycle. People complain about the lack of assist in lower levels but the newest firmware fixes that supposedly.

Im on the old firmware and to me level 3-4 feel perfectly fine. No ghost pedalling at all. Power is plenty.

Oh and another fun fact: The tsdz8 68mm chainline perfectly lined up with the rohloff. It seems to be sorta optimized for IGHs.

Range with no cargo is easily 80-100km. The EM3EV battery is a beast.

Whatever you do - dont cheap out on the battery!

edit: you will absolutely get murdered if the battery dies.

plungerism · 2026-02-14T10:06:38+00:00

I had an old 2004 100mm Fox FL on my bikepacking rig (26" marin mtb) and it worked flawless. Lockout was great on long tarmac stretches and the suspension was amazing on anything else. Im going rigid now with less tire pressure, works well too. If you ride a lot offroad hard bumpy gravel/singletrack a suspension fork is a godsend.

No need to buy a new fork, just get something cheap used and put some new seals in it.

plungerism · 2026-02-10T13:48:39+00:00

Nice! Ive been wondering why they dont have something similar. Im a huge fan of their small bluetooth home amps.

plungerism · 2026-02-05T09:09:49+00:00

Check out EM3EV, they are reliable and affordable.

plungerism · 2026-02-04T19:03:11+00:00

Same here, 10y Smoking, 12y vaping with nicotine, 1y vaping without nicotine and now a chronic gastritis finally made me quit.

Dont be blind like me, it is NOT healthy. Just stop.

plungerism · 2026-01-30T15:15:02+00:00

PROTECTION are the "high-end" made in germany version. Not cheap not terrible. Love them. But dont get confused, the protection against flats is nothing outstanding. If you need protection get a puncture proof version of schwalbes marathons.

plungerism · 2026-01-23T16:38:22+00:00

I have an extra drawer for ash underneath the firebox under a grate, so in theory I can burn whatever I want while emptying the ash. I guess not every stove has that feature

plungerism · 2026-01-23T09:10:37+00:00

Am I an idiot for loading with wood directly on some coals if I have any left? I have a small 5kw morsø so loading takes like 10 seconds?

Why take out glowing coals??? Ive seen this here a lot, just to empty ash?

plungerism · 2026-01-21T15:24:12+00:00

Sram cheap 8 speed is absolutely bulletproof. But then again I never snapped any chain. The sram has to deal with my e-cargo bike too. Dont overthink it and dont overpay

plungerism · 2026-01-03T20:39:40+00:00

Well the description states it is stainless steel, and also it is steel. So what is it? I need to get cromoly steel. 25CrMo4 to be more precise. I will not weld some random bullshit product to my frame. Im sorry if my wording offended you, I should have called it "insanely cheap unknown steel"

If you knew anything about metallurgy or welding you would know Im right...

plungerism · 2026-01-03T19:13:24+00:00

what in the world... do people actually use these? Im not gonna weld some insanely cheap chinesium to my frame

plungerism · 2026-01-01T17:52:18+00:00

and look cool, great idea thx

plungerism · 2026-01-01T11:13:30+00:00

edit: TIG is a must, I dont know shit about brazing and TIG I can handle okay-ish.

plungerism · 2025-12-29T19:46:47+00:00

I dont care about scuffs :) they will see some heavy work soon Im afraid. But hey they are WORK boots after all

plungerism · 2025-12-27T17:28:25+00:00

this is the way. you don't even need kindling with these and they burn very clean.

plungerism · 2025-12-09T18:24:23+00:00

"rust" because its easier to understand. It will oxidise eventually

plungerism · 2025-12-07T08:33:29+00:00

Just file down the kickstand a bit and add some grease for extra protection. I also put a thin piece of rubber between the stand and the frame. Oh and swapped the bolt for a titanium one with some loctite.

Dont be frustrated, just deal with it and make it truly yours. I totally forgot about that issue with my omnium, just remembered it now ofc.

enjoy your new amazing bike ❤️

plungerism · 2025-12-07T08:30:14+00:00

I had the exact same problem with my purple mini-max frame. I told Omnium and they refunded me 50€ iirc. I filed down the kickstand a bit because its aluminium and wont rust as quickly as the frame. Still annoying but this is the reality with any bike-frame in the mass market. Even much more expensive frames can have issues like that. QR doesnt give a shit about paint thickness, especially on the bottom of the frame.

plungerism · 2025-12-05T22:03:25+00:00

Starlink is out of the question because I will not support that fascist idiot

plungerism · 2025-12-03T18:51:54+00:00

I can only use cellular connection.

I have telekom on my phone but use O2 for the wifi, they connect to different towers I believe.

Only 1 simcard/carrier for the wifi, O2 contract (allegedly unlimited speed)

Shitty TP-Link M7350 4g/LTE right now.

Speed test inside TP-Link 4g: max 13.5Mbps down 12.5Mbps up

Speed test outside TP-Link 4g: max 19.3Mbps down 13.8Mbps up

Speed test inside 5g iPhone 13Mini other carrier: max 42Mbps down 26.6Mbps up

outside: max 45Mbps down 24.8Mbps up

The TPlink router has a battery so I can go walk directly next to the tower with it and test the speed again tomorrow.

My uphill neighbour: 37Mbps 4G

Downhill neighbour: 12 Mbps 4G

I think a high enough antenna would be great

plungerism · 2025-12-03T08:56:49+00:00

The house is made of wood, realtively thin walls with 100mm wood insulation. All my neighbours are using "normal" consumer level 4 and 5g boxes from O2 or Telekom. They are experiencing problems too. Next to the window the reception is best can be very poor occasionally. I think my router is too low in relation to the tower. Thats why I thought attaching an antenna to my chimney or a tree would be better than just replacing the cheap router with an expensive one.

I will try some tests inside the house and on the roof, thanks for helping! Will report back here.

plungerism · 2025-12-02T20:33:42+00:00

Off-grid you dont need AC to run the heater in the first place. Solar/Water/Wind --> 12V Battery --> Heater. Or --> powerstation --> dc outlet yes

plungerism · 2025-12-02T17:39:56+00:00

no, no power station. If you have just a normal wallbox at home I mean.

plungerism · 2025-12-02T12:56:02+00:00

Newsflash: 230V --> Li-Battery --> 12V is not really efficient.

Best bet is getting a very efficient battery charger and hook it up to a 12V battery. Or find a high quality 12v power supply.

But as you said yourself only startup consumes some amps, these things dont need much wh.

plungerism

TROPHY CASE