E Bike setup for hunting

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Bukrub

New Member
Dec 12, 2010
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Texas
Good Morning All. Been trolling these forums for a couple weeks. My bicycle has been hanging on a hook for years. Took it down and put a china girl on it and must say I have had a ball. I built this for getting my hunting gear in the woods about 2 miles. I ve just got too old and lazy to do it anymore. I bought a trailer to haul behind and I must say it works flawlessly. Problem is the noise and the smell of gas that goes along with it.

Seriously thinking about buying a beach cruiser and doing the same set up with an E bike. Can you give me some suggestions of what kit to get. I travel down fairly smooth forest service roads and haul about 50lbs of gear on the trailer, and of course hopefully a deer on the way out. I go about 2 miles in and the same out, maybe twice daily. I'm looking for quality. Maybe not top of the line but not the cheap either.
Thanks in advance.
 
wheelbender6

wheelbender6

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
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Good idea. A front hub motor would give you all wheel drive when you are pedaling (to get you through the mud).
An upright trike may work if you have a lot to carry, but you will lose some speed and range. Tough to make a trike look like a hunting vehicle. What would Ted Nugent say?
Since you are only going 4 miles round trip, you should be able to get by on the cheaper SLA batteries.
You can buy from a domestic site like AmpedBikes, Ebikekit, etc and get some customer service or take a chance on a cheaper kit from EBay.
A 500 watt front hub motor should be adequate if you have a multispeed bike. One of those dual kickstands will help since you are carrying hunting gear.
 
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Bukrub

New Member
Dec 12, 2010
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Texas
OK, I will look into that. I thought from my reading, one should steer clear of the front hubs as a safety issue. Is this not the case? I'm thinking I need Lithium batteries. I use SLA's in my deer feeders and cameras, and am lucky if they last over 6 months. Pretty hit and miss.
 
wheelbender6

wheelbender6

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
4,059
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TX
Front hub motors are safe if you:
Have a fork with a steel crown (Aluminum can crack) and
Use a torque arm (similar to the brake arm on a coaster brake)

There are suspension forks available with steel crowns (they are really cheap used)
Most motor kit vendors sell a torque arm, or you can make one.

I agree that Li batteries are far better. A 36v Li battery pack will cost you a few hundred bucks more than SLA.

Another reason I was thinking about I front hub motor was for weight distribution. I figured you would be carrying cargo on the rear.
 
BarelyAWake

BarelyAWake

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
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Maine
I've a coupla ...well questions mostly as I don't really know it they're a concern or not lol - firstly, I wonder just how well suited an electric hub is for wet/muddy conditions, secondly I'm thinkin' a 500w may be adequate for pedal assist on pavement, but on trails w/cargo? Lastly - wouldn't a rear hub drive be better suited for hauling a weighted trailer?

I've really no idea how various hub drives deal with wet conditions, some claim to be "waterproof" however & how much power vs how much pedaling is always up to the rider ofc, so that's up to you... but I do think for a build specifically designed for trailer weight a rear hub would provide better traction, particularly uphill... I'm inclined to suggest dual 500w hub drives perhaps - for 2WD ossumness?
 
wheelbender6

wheelbender6

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
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Electric hubs are widely used in Europe, so they should withstand the dampness unless immersed.
I agree with you about rear wheel drive being better when pulling a trailer. I hadn't considered the trailer when I recommended a front hub motor.
 
KiM

KiM

New Member
May 5, 2010
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Australia
BarelyAWake said:
I've a coupla ...well questions mostly as I don't really know it they're a concern or not lol - firstly, I wonder just how well suited an electric hub is for wet/muddy conditions,
Click to expand...
I think not very good...

BarelyAWake said:
secondly I'm thinkin' a 500w may be adequate for pedal assist on pavement, but on trails w/cargo?
Click to expand...
Likely would if on 48v but i would personally recommend more


BarelyAWake said:
I've really no idea how various hub drives deal with wet conditions, some claim to be "waterproof" however & how much power vs how much pedaling is always up to the rider ofc, so that's up to you...
Click to expand...
Electric brushed and brushless motors will happily run complete submersed in water, many videos on Youtube of this
was watching them just a few days ago coincidentally.
I know the throttles can be an issue in wet weather
the bois that ride e-bikes in snow country would be better
qualified to answer this on i'm thinking...

BarelyAWake said:
but I do think for a build specifically designed for trailer weight a rear hub would provide better traction, particularly uphill... I'm inclined to suggest dual 500w hub drives perhaps - for 2WD ossumness?
Click to expand...
Agreed the rear hub would be the better choice traction wise,
you could also include a motor to drive the wheel(s)
of the trailer turning this into a push trailer weighted with hunting gear might be just the ticket to help pusjh through any questionable conditions.

I'm not a hub motor expert but i have read that the 9 Continets motor is quite popular, a geared hub like the MAC motor might also be a option rather than direct drive hub motor? Endless Sphere forum member cell_man does a good price on them and A123 battery packs p.m him for a price, my mate Matt.P grabbed one for his MTB and couldn't be more pleased with its performance .

If you haven't already joined Endless Sphere forums Bukrub
might be advantageous to do so, it is dedicated e-bike form lots of solid advice to be had there ... all the best with the bike and hunting :)

KiM
 
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