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The eBike thread

unkel

A quick look seems that this doesn't really seem to fit in the cycling forum. So starting a thread here about all things eBike

I'll get the ball rolling. I have zero experience with eBikes. But I was going to build myself a battery anyway, for various reasons (like in bringing with me in my EV as a "petrol can")

I'm going to buy a solderless kit to make the battery (with 18650 cells I have removed from dead / old laptop batteries). This kit cah handle 20A max, and I would like the battery pack to produce 1kW constant. P=V*I so 1000W = 50V * 20A

This dictates that my battery needs to be nominal 48V (was thinking of making a 24V battery pack, but that won't be able to charge my car)

A quick browse on eBay and Amazon shows that you could buy a powerful 1000W bike conversion kit with everything needed except the battery for about GBP120 (a bit more from Amazon but peace of mind)

What to buy though, front wheel or rear wheel kit? Pros and cons? Any other advice?

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[Deleted User]

Interesting.

I must go to the motor simulator to see what 60 amps battery power would have translated in torque in my 8T mac motor, it was amazing.

I ran 80 Amps ( battery current ) through a small direct drive motor, a conhismotor, similar to the one unkel got only it was rear wheel of course, that translated to about 5,500 watts, you can't beat LiPo batteries !

[Deleted User]

LiPo is the way to go alright for proper power = Amps. The BBSHD at full chat is too much for my battery, not that it matters in my particular use case.

And just to reiterate. The BBSHD installed in a 2CV would result in the best climbing 2CV in the world but with a top speed of probably around 5 km/h or less on the top gear. The max revs of BBSHD is about 150 rpm versus about 6000 for the 2CV engine. That's why Citroen has 30 hp and the Bafang about 2.

[Deleted User]

Just can't beat electric motors full stop !

I'd love an AWD i3, 400 HP now that would be something lol.

LiPo is great and cheap to build up a pack and one someone knows what they're doing with it and how to charge/store/discharge it it's fine. Some enourmous amps can be pulled from it and the newer Graphene cells have fantastic specs, 1000+ cycles and mega C rates, it's expensive but normal LiPo is more than good enough for ebike use.

20 C Turnigy is the job !

unkel

My 36V 4Ah battery cost €45 including shipping. And will have a range of possibly 15-20km. And will cost about €0.02 to charge at the night rate. You can't beat electric for sure

[Deleted User]

unkel wrote: »

My 36V 4Ah battery cost €45 including shipping. And will have a range of possibly 15-20km. And will cost about €0.02 to charge at the night rate. You can't beat electric for sure

Just be careful where you store and charge that battery.

unkel

Shed

BarryM

Jaysus, just reading that tech stuff about a bike makes me feel tired

I never realised there was so much know-how required to ride a bike.

Low Energy Eng

[Deleted User] wrote: »

That's in US Dollars ?

Hard to know really , they are Bafang hubs and usually get good reviews however I have no experience with this motor so can't say for sure and it would depend on your expectations of the level of power delivered.

Hub motors are great, especially geared hubs because they have a clutch that disengages the mechanical connection from the wheel completely when no power is applied to the motor which makes peddling with no motor power much much easier than what they call direct drive motors + they have more torque for the same power.

Depends on the power that is actually being fed, ignore the 200 Watt rating because most of the time it's many times more but I can not say for sure, if it's really 200 watts being pulled from the battery chances are it would be very weak but you'd have to review this setup.

Perhaps if you can find the motor model number I can check it out ?

My favourite ebike setup was a em3ev.com Mac 8T hub motor, I was feeding it 2 Kw to begin with and it was super even on hills, I modded it to 3 Kw and it was amazing !

Now the thing is that chain drive or crank drives are more suited to lower power because they are more efficient only because they can use the bikes gearing and are best suited to very slow steep long trails.

So depending on the motor setup, your terrain and what kind of power you expect to put into peddling.

Most of the big ebike companies, Bosch for instance are running 700 Watts peak or at least that's what's being pulled from the battery, and so we don't know whether the ebike limit of 250 watts for Europe for instance is motor power or battery power. But either way no one cares about power because power isn't tested and this is not what gives them their certification , it's the acceleration and top speed that makes them legal in the end, oh and of course the 250 watt sticker just to keep legislators happy ! :-)

Even a geared hub at 500-1 Kw will provide very good assistance.

Thanks for the feedback buddy.

I went to the shop to get details of the motor and one of the staff members advised they were popular with uber eats drivers who had bought them and after a few weeks they were generally unhappy with them.

So taking all that into consideration I'm now looking at a 500w geared hub.

http://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/electric-bike-kits/off-road/500w-high-torque-electric-bike-kit-by-dillenger.html

I looked at em3ev but seems expensive, I think the above kit is better value.

I'll look at getting a cheap doner bike next.

[Deleted User]

Low Energy Eng wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback buddy.

I went to the shop to get details of the motor and one of the staff members advised they were popular with uber eats drivers who had bought them and after a few weeks they were generally unhappy with them.

So taking all that into consideration I'm now looking at a 500w geared hub.

http://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/electric-bike-kits/off-road/500w-high-torque-electric-bike-kit-by-dillenger.html

I looked at em3ev but seems expensive, I think the above kit is better value.

I'll look at getting a cheap doner bike next.

That will pull about 1 Kw from the battery and should offer decent performance however, at this power level I would opt for a Crank drive shuch as the BBSHD or BBS 02. they will be more efficient and provide much more climbing power due to being able to use the bikes gearing.

Still the geared hub inthe link above should offer decent performance but I have no experience with it.

Just remember the import charges if you get stung, customs will look to screw you for the max and if the courier pays this for you they could screw you altogether.

krissovo

Has anyone stumbled across a semi decent folding ebike? Would be great to have one I can chuck in the boot and take on trips.

I will test drive the brompton next week but at €2.5k its a little cheeky plus I am right at the weight limit at 110kg. I came across quite a few Chinese Samebike 20LVXD30 in the Netherlands and at €700 looks good value for money, the owners had relatively positive reviews and the weight limit is 120kg.

Joe1919

Low Energy Eng wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback buddy.

I went to the shop to get details of the motor and one of the staff members advised they were popular with uber eats drivers who had bought them and after a few weeks they were generally unhappy with them.

So taking all that into consideration I'm now looking at a 500w geared hub.

http://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/electric-bike-kits/off-road/500w-high-torque-electric-bike-kit-by-dillenger.html

I looked at em3ev but seems expensive, I think the above kit is better value.

I'll look at getting a cheap doner bike next.

I bought and fitted a light weight Yose power 350w geared rear hub which is a good buy (imo) but is perhaps a little weak on hills/strong winds if you have weak legs. Delivery time was about 10 days. I arranged my own battery. I have about 4000 mile covered. I have had to replace some broken spokes, which can happen with rear hubs.
As regards the donor bike, the rear hub come with special washers and the dropouts need about to be about 16mm deep, so I had to file an extra 4mm into the rear dropouts. This may be a problem with some bikes (and owners).
https://www.yosepower.com/en/product/Hub-Motor-36V350W-28%22%28700C%29-Rear-Motor-Bicycle-E-Bike-Hub-Conversion-Kit-Black-DIY-E-bike-LCD-Display-128.html

[Deleted User]

Paul @ em3ev has the option to build heavier duty rims and spokes.

[Deleted User]

Unless weight is an absolute concern then there no reason to buy tiny hub motors, a MAC 8T, 10, T or 12T motor should be ideal and can run it up to 2 Kw without issue, em3ev sell heavy duty wheel builds + upgraded internal gears and clutch, the newer heavy duty clutch is a lot stronger but go easy on the throttle from standstill and it should last a long time, you can choose any power you want then, for hills a 10 T or 12T MAC motor would be ideal, or for lower power a crank drive would be best.

BarryM

I said in a previous post -

"I have a Huzhqu Li i battery 36v 10A; and BFSWZB 36v 250w 170R 24-190 1118485 letters and numbers on the motor."

Another poster suggested that is a Bafang.

I just got a mail from the manufacturer, Jorvik, to say that 250w is the only option available for my model.

So, now my question is, is it possible to get an upgrade somewhere else? Are there compatibility issues? Does an upgrade come as a direct swap wheel/motor? If I upgrade, are there street legal issues, apparently that is the reason there is no upgrade possible in the UK.

TIA

unkel

Waiting for over a month now for the GBP3 charger from China and some XT60 cables. Couldn't bear it anymore so bought a €15 charger locally this evening and a XT60 connector, as I couldn't get any XT connector with a cable already attached (that I can cut and easily crimp to the cable from the charger that I cut up)

So I had to get out the soldering iron. Let's just say my ironing skills are as close to zero as they get - and it was getting dark too. But by some miracle I did manage to get the job done, so the battery is charging now. Hope to do a range test tomorrow if the weather is ok

[Deleted User]

30 Amp Anderson connectors and Anderson Crimp is your friend.

unkel

You're a bit late with that advice!

But nah, I'm sticking to XT60. Also 30A and far cheaper and more common standard. And all I need it to do is provide 500W / 36V = under 14A at any time

Weather not looking good for any leisurely cycling today

[Deleted User]

unkel wrote: »

You're a bit late with that advice!

But nah, I'm sticking to XT60. Also 30A and far cheaper and more common standard. And all I need it to do is provide 500W / 36V = under 14A at any time

Weather not looking good for any leisurely cycling today

lol I told you about anderson connections ages ago

Andersons are easy to work with esp for multiple pack config, for instance , adding series and parallel packs and if you accidentally create a short the connectors vaporise acting like a fuse !

[Deleted User]

Deleted User wrote: »

30 Amp Anderson connectors and Anderson Crimp is your friend.

unkel wrote: »

You're a bit late with that advice!

But nah, I'm sticking to XT60. Also 30A and far cheaper and more common standard. And all I need it to do is provide 500W / 36V = under 14A at any time

Weather not looking good for any leisurely cycling today

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/show...7998924&page=8

HEHE see told you and you even liked the post !

Go on ye good thing !

Low Energy Eng

Hub arrived, after doing 90% off the install I'm now waiting for my gear cassette to arrive.

Pas sensor ring doesn't seem to fit so I may need to shave it. Anyone address this same issue?

[Deleted User]

Low Energy Eng wrote: »

Hub arrived, after doing 90% off the install I'm now waiting for my gear cassette to arrive.

Pas sensor ring doesn't seem to fit so I may need to shave it. Anyone address this same issue?

U went to what shop ?

Unfortunately can't help you out with the PAS sensor. No harm leaving it out to be honest.

xckjoo

Low Energy Eng wrote: »

Hub arrived, after doing 90% off the install I'm now waiting for my gear cassette to arrive.

Pas sensor ring doesn't seem to fit so I may need to shave it. Anyone address this same issue?

Is it the type with the overlapping "teeth" in the centre? They're supposed to be trimmed to fit as far as I know.

Edit: I have this type on my newest bike and you can see the extruded bits of the teeth that need to be trimmed to fit. Think I had this type on my old bike. Don't remember having to trim bits but wouldn't worry about doing it. They're purely for grip and to stop it slipping when you peddle.

Low Energy Eng

[Deleted User] wrote: »

U went to what shop ?

Unfortunately can't help you out with the PAS sensor. No harm leaving it out to be honest.

Bought this package:

http://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/electric-bike-kits/off-road/500w-high-torque-electric-bike-kit-by-dillenger.html

I'm based in oz so it arrived quick.
I have a thumb throttle but may upgrade to grip shift type throttle.

Low Energy Eng

xckjoo wrote: »

Is it the type with the overlapping "teeth" in the centre? They're supposed to be trimmed to fit as far as I know.

Edit: I have this type on my newest bike and you can see the extruded bits of the teeth that need to be trimmed to fit. Think I had this type on my old bike. Don't remember having to trim bits but wouldn't worry about doing it. They're purely for grip and to stop it slipping when you peddle.

I wouldn't say they're overlapping but yes there are teeth, I think that's my only option really. However I think the thickness of the pas body is just to thick.
An image of them is on the link:
http://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/electric-bike-kits/off-road/500w-high-torque-electric-bike-kit-by-dillenger.html

[Deleted User]

Low Energy Eng wrote: »

Bought this package:

http://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/electric-bike-kits/off-road/500w-high-torque-electric-bike-kit-by-dillenger.html

I'm based in oz so it arrived quick.
I have a thumb throttle but may upgrade to grip shift type throttle.

Ah yes I see, way down under

Yeah best of luck with it, definitely a far better choice than the 250 watt motor.

You can always tweak it for more power if you need, provided the battery can take it, that motor should be able for 1 Kw easily but it would be interesting to see what power is being pulled from the battery if you can hook up some kind of power meter.

One thing that interests me is that it has an integrated controller, never saw that the last time I looked, should make for a very neat installation and you'll love not having to ease off the pedals/power to change gears like on a crank drive.

Just be very, very careful if using aluminium dropouts that the axle doesn't spin or you will damage your cabling to the motor. I would use a torque arm, there is none supplied that I can see, maybe torque washers, be very careful.

xckjoo

Low Energy Eng wrote: »

I wouldn't say they're overlapping but yes there are teeth, I think that's my only option really. However I think the thickness of the pas body is just to thick.
An image of them is on the link:
http://dillengerelectricbikes.com.au/electric-bike-kits/off-road/500w-high-torque-electric-bike-kit-by-dillenger.html

Ya fairly sure they're supposed to be trimmed to fit. I'd just go for it. Trim, test, repeat.

Low Energy Eng

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Ah yes I see, way down under

Yeah best of luck with it, definitely a far better choice than the 250 watt motor.

You can always tweak it for more power if you need, provided the battery can take it, that motor should be able for 1 Kw easily but it would be interesting to see what power is being pulled from the battery if you can hook up some kind of power meter.

One thing that interests me is that it has an integrated controller, never saw that the last time I looked, should make for a very neat installation and you'll love not having to ease off the pedals/power to change gears like on a crank drive.

Just be very, very careful if using aluminium dropouts that the axle doesn't spin or you will damage your cabling to the motor. I would use a torque arm, there is none supplied that I can see, maybe torque washers, be very careful.

I see this as my steep learning curve, so yes I'll be hooking up meters etc to get a better understanding.
Tbh I was weighing up the benefits of hub vs crank and I personally think the hub made more sense. It has its own set of gears so that offsets the crank using the bikes gear sets.
Then there's less maintenance on the chain etc.
Thanks for the heads up on the drop outs, I'll keep a close eye, especially if I crank up the power. I'll flick up some pics of I figure out how!

Low Energy Eng

xckjoo wrote: »

Ya fairly sure they're supposed to be trimmed to fit. I'd just go for it. Trim, test, repeat.

Thanks matey

Low Energy Eng

Here's the integrated controller in the battery pack

Low Energy Eng

https://ibb.co/tJ1G8mK