Canadian
Karate Monkey Commuter
Vancouver, BC
|
15
Published: 2026-08-18
Goal: Ultimate (for me) commuter under $4000 that still looks and feels like a bicycle
Specs
2013 Surly Karate Monkey Size Small
Surly Krampus Fork
Surly Moloko Bars w Arkel BB Packer Front Bag
Grin Rear Build to Alex DM24 700 Rim
Schwalbe AL Grounder Tires
Magura MT5 Brakes
Electronics:
Grin All Axle V3 w/torque sensing
Phaserunner V6
Superharness
600C KM5s Display
Thumb Throttle for Throttle & Regen
Build Story
This was my first conversion and I'm stoked how well it turned out overall. My goal was to make a car replacement commuter that could take me on long commutes, grocery, errand runs around town as well as just going on rides for fun, to the beach, to the local parks and hiking destinations etc. Bonus if it has a bit of off road capability for gravel fsrs.
I didn’t do a ton of research on the frame choices beforehand, other than I knew I wanted something steel and with disc brakes. I bought the frame used off marketplace and brought it to Grin to check out which batteries would fit. I didn’t really think about how much space was in the triangle, and I quickly saw that most batteries wouldn’t fit, but the Triangle battery they had for sale at the time looked like it would juust fit with a bit of filing.
I ordered the kit online from Grin and took my time building it up. I wanted things to be super tidy and clean. Thankfully I only had to cut away the center of one of the tabs on the battery to make it fit. Now it fits almost like they were made for each other.
I used a number of the bike build parts from a touring bike that I have since parted out and a previous brand name ebike that I sold and took the accessories off, including the front light, saddle, seatpost, rack, pedals etc
If I were to do it again I’d look for a slightly more modern frame with Thru axles instead of the fork end style drop outs that the older Karate Monkey models have. I had to grind away part of the drop out to make sure the motor cables wouldn't nbe pinched. Unfortunately I cracked the Display mount shortly after building it up and the current temporary fix is some zip ties and adhesive.
Overall I am super happy with the build and it’s a joy to ride it every day to work. I love how silent and powerful it is, and yet still fun when ridden slowly on bike paths and trails. Thanks to Grin and the Endless Sphere community for all the information they have put out there for newbies to learn from!