The eBike thread

Ush1

Looking at a foldable ebike for around 800 to get through bike to work scheme. Any particular ones recommended? I see Decathlon have some reasonably priced ones.

Joe1919

mistake

Joe1919

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117974254#Comment_117974254

I bought from pswpower (German warehouse) in the past and they had quick and free delivery. They have an unbranded cell 20ah 52v below for 356 dollars.

https://www.pswpower.com/products/eu-stock-electric-bicycle-battery-dc-5c-brand-inr21700-48x-21700-cells-pack-48v-192ah-36v-192ah-lithium-ebike-battery-fits-1000w-bafang-tsdz2-tong-195

Psychlops

Whats the law on de-restricting them?

Krusty_Clown

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976838#Comment_117976838

If you derestrict them, you may change their classification. From the RSA:

If it can be powered by mechanical or electrical power alone (i.e. it can continue without you pedalling or scooting it) then it is considered to be a ‘mechanically propelled vehicle’ (MPV). 

• Under road traffic law if an MPV is used in a public place it is subject to all of the regulatory controls that apply to other vehicles i.e. it must be roadworthy, registered, taxed and insured. 

• The driver of the vehicle must hold the appropriate driving licence and is obliged to wear a crash helmet.

Outside of the above, there isn't definitive government legislation on the subject, but it's on the way. A likely outcome will be a definition based on power/top speed which will support classification as either bicycle or moped. https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/12185-government-approves-next-steps-for-escooter-and-ebike-legislation/

Krusty_Clown

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976783#Comment_117976783

Thanks for that. I see this particular spec uses 'China Li-ion battery', which is an understandable trade-off, given the price. Do you know if your battery similarly used Chinese non branded batteries and if so, have you noticed any battery performance concerns? They also sell products that use branded batteries, so I'm just wondering if there's an observable difference. Thanks!

Joe1919

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117977972#Comment_117977972

I dont have that particular battery but I do have experience of two batteries built with 'china type' or unbranded type cells that are over 3 years old and have got a lot of use (well over 10,000 km each) and still perform ok. However both developed faults that were repairable. The first was a 36v 11ah phylion/joycube battery. This battery is well built but an internal wire broke from it rattling but was repaired. The second battery was not as well built, had a poor quality battery managment system and lost capacity due to cell inbalance. This battery worked well after a manual balance and continues to but the cell groups did need to be rebalanced a few times since. There is also a bit of 'sag' (caused by increase in internal resistance/voltage drops under load) with this second battery but its capacity is ok.

Psychlops

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117977939#Comment_117977939

Thank you, Is it common to de-restrict them? I only just got mine yesterday but was looking at de restricted ones online on youtube. Also if I de restricted mine it wouldnt really be an MPV if im pedalling it would it?

Krusty_Clown

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981656#Comment_117981656

I believe based on the wording, that if it has the capability to move without human/physical assistance then it is an mpv, whether you are pedalling or not. Whether anyone would ever know or not is an entirely different conversation. Also, based on the wording, you can use it on private land.

Canis Lupus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981656#Comment_117981656

If you're just cycling about in a normal safe manner you'll be grand. If you turn your bicycle into a battery powered motorbike and use it like a scummer then you'll catch someones eye sooner or later.

Psychlops

Hi all, anybody know if possible to get EBike brake disc locks like what you might see on a Moped? Also where should I go to insure my bike? Thanks.

Psychlops

Anybody?

Esel

I'd say you would be better posting in the Motorcycle forum, or try a motorcycle shop?

DaveyDave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118054405#Comment_118054405

Contents insurance would cover a bike but only at a really low value. A sturdy chain lock at the front and U lock through the rear wheel/frame is the best way to lock a bike. Don't think a disc lock would be any use.

I think there's only one or two companies insuring bikes outside of contents insurance and to be honest I've never bothered.

Psychlops

Thank you, I was looking at https://www.bicycleinsurance.ie/

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064033#Comment_118064033

I shopped around for specialist insurance, but it was really expensive. In the end I put my bike on the house insurance, even though they had to get clearance to cover the full value (minus excess in the event of a claim, obviously). I can't remember the figures exactly, but I worked out that if I managed to keep the bike for a year or two (and hopefully a lot more!) I'd be quids in, even allowing for the excess.

Schorpio

Hi all - I'm thinking about going the ebike route for commuting, and want to get the most bang for my buck. Would I be mental to buy a cheap commuter bike (something like this from Halfords) and a mid-hub conversion kit (like this)?

Wouldn't be as pretty or slick as a dedicated ebike, but would seemingly be quite a bit cheaper......

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118064074#Comment_118064074

Same here, if you plan to insure it, quite often you are better off buying the locks the insurance would require anyway and then just putting that money into a savings account. My gut feeling was I could afford a new bike relatively frequently with this thinking. It's not without risk but have no idea how pernickity the insurance might be. You hear stories about them asking for the broken lock to prove it was stolen etc. which might not be possible.

kyomi

I have a Japanese upright shopping-style bike that's in good condition - I brought it here from Japan in 2007 (pic below to show the type of bike). It has no gears, is very heavy and isn't suitable for even my short (5 mile) commute, plus I already have a road bike which I use for most things. Rather than leave the Japanese bike sitting in a shed unused, I'm thinking of converting it to an e-bike for shopping trips, carrying bags, etc.

I'm not super-handy with bikes over and above basic maintenance (although I'm willing to spend time and watch a lot of YouTube) - and the bike is non-standard in this part of the world so a lot of the more common solutions might not be suitable. E.g. I wouldn't go for a motor in the bottom bracket because I would be worried about the fit. A front hub looks ideal because the front wheel has rim brakes and would be the easiest to take off - the back wheel has hub brakes and loads of other stuff attached to it.

The problem is that the bike has 27" wheels (it's a 650A wheel which is pretty standard in Japan but not here) and a lot of the recommended companies on here (e.g. Yose) don't offer this size. Swytch does a 27" wheel (and the ease of installation appeals to me) but as they're UK-based, all the extra costs post-Brexit are pushing up the price (even after signing up to the early access discount) to a point at which I would get better value by just buying an e-bike outright, especially as I can use the Bike to Work scheme.

As it's an East Asian bike, there are probably a thousand different conversion kits available from China that would be perfect for it, but I just wouldn't know where to start.

So what I'm wondering is this: Would anyone know of an equivalent of Swytch that's based in the EU and will do either a 27" or a custom size wheel? Or failing that, a recommendation for an inexpensive front-hub kit from further afield that would be fairly easy to install? Or is there another solution I haven't thought of (e.g. switch out both wheels on the bike to a more standard size - no idea whether this would work within the existing frame).

I don't need particularly high power and, given that this whole thing is an experiment, I'd prioritize value for money over power.

Thanks for any ideas!

unkel

Some decent bike shops will lace a hub motor into your existing wheel. I think I paid €50 labour for that a few years ago.

Joe1919

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208650#Comment_118208650

There is very little difference between a 28 inch/700c wheel (622mm etrto) and a 27 inch wheel (630mm). The brake blocks have to be adjusted downwards by 4mm which is usually possible without changing the calipers, and you need a different tyre. But I would be worried about the dropouts. Most older 27 inch wheeled bikes used a smaller lighter front axle and the forks were often closer together by a few mm, so fitting a standard ready available 700c motor kit might involve a bit of stretching the forks and filing the dropouts which may not be safe if there is not enough metal on them. It is possible but more difficult to get a smaller and lighter motor with thinner axle etc.

There are kits available that have a roller that spins on the tyre. I dont know much about them (other than they do wear out the tyres quicker) but they may be useful for your situation.

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/revos-electric-bike-conversion-kit/

kyomi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208800#Comment_118208800

Thanks @unkel, there are a couple of independent bike shops near me so I'll have a chat with them about that option.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208939#Comment_118208939

That's interesting @Joe1919. The wheels have a wider rim than would be typical for a 27" wheel, at 37 mm rather than 32 mm, so it's possible that the whole wheel, and therefore the forks, would be slightly wider as well.

I saw a kit with a roller in passing while doing my research - I initially thought it wouldn't work for me, as the one I saw replaced the back carrier, but the one you link to looks like it would fit in better - I'll check those types of motors out as well.

Psychlops

Anybody have a Speedbox? Any good/bad outcomes with it?

Psychlops

No? Anybody?

Thargor

Anyone seen any good conversion kit bargains lately? Got a decent Trek MTB here that I'd love to stick a bit of power on. They seemed to be getting very cheap before covid but I suppose that's changed.

woody33

My pre owned e-bike has a downtube Impulse brand battery which has begun to act weird when on charge

Lives in a shed, temp this morning 8° C.

Plug in, charger has green light, handlebar screen says charger connected.

No lights on battery.

Press, press and hold, eventually led 1 then 5 flash in turn.

Later, in warmer kitchen, swap mains leads, no difference, but eventually it starts charging.

It was about 80%, bring it to 95% or so.

Go for spin, battery lights flash 1 and 5 in turn. Press battery button, eventually it stops flashing.

Motor power seems fine.

So, there we are, any ideas? Thanks.

woody33

Right, I'm thinking it's too cold for the battery and charger to start working at about 8° C, even though the manual say down to 0° C is ok. A nuisance, but liveable with.

Thargor

What a beauty:

https://twitter.com/MetCycleCops/status/1468613221909245952

unkel

Is that a petrol generator? LOLOLOLOL 🤣

With one or two 14S batteries and two 50A controllers, that thing should easily do 100km/h

DaveyDave

Apparently Fazua updated their software in the Summer to allow Bluetooth connectivity between the motor and phones/bike computers. I have an ancient Garmin Edge 500 which doesn't have Bluetooth but apparently the Wahoo mobile app supports sensors so I should be able to get rider power data.

I got a power meter for my road bike earlier in the year. Even just for casual fitness it's nice to have an accurate measurement of performance. It will be interesting to see what sort of power I'm putting in with an ebike and to see how much shortfall there is, or if I'm putting in enough effort with a 15kg bike vs an 8kg bike.

Other mid drive bikes seem to have this function too, from what little I see discussed about them online.