Help? - Buying Electric kit

Crisscrow · Jun 12, 2014

After chatting with one forum member on here I've decided to take a look at considering a electric motor assist peddling kit but I know little to nothing about them and was hoping someone could help me understand the basics,

As well as maybe point me to some good stores, at the moment Ebay is where I'm shopping and this is the kit I'm considering, though a little above my price range

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291119531800

My budget is around $250 to $300

my requirements are as follow

Must not require a driver's license in the state of OR.
Must be able to take a 280lb + rider a total of 12 miles daily to and from work.
Lastly get the out of shape rider to work with legs that can still do a 8 hour shift.

Thank you every one who helps, I look forward to reading your posts and thanks you.

I will edit this post when I've gotten all the help I needed and have ordered my kit so if you see this, I'm still requesting further help, thank you.

wheelbender6 · Jun 12, 2014

With a budget of $250, you will likely be limited to a 24 volt kit with SLA batteries. The higher the voltage of the motor, the more batteries you need and the batteries can be the most expensive part of the kit.
A 24v kit will not normally power you faster than 12mph or so without pedallng. You must pedal to go faster.
With your budget, you may be better off with a gas kit
I have a 24v electric kit but I don't mind pedaling. The electric assist makes starting and accelerating easier on my knees, but I still get a workout.

Crisscrow · Jun 12, 2014

wheelbender6 said:
With a budget of $250, you will likely be limited to a 24 volt kit with SLA batteries. The higher the voltage of the motor, the more batteries you need and the batteries can be the most expensive part of the kit.
A 24v kit will not normally power you faster than 12mph or so without pedallng. You must pedal to go faster.
With your budget, you may be better off with a gas kit
I have a 24v electric kit but I don't mind pedaling. The electric assist makes starting and accelerating easier on my knees, but I still get a workout.

Well with a $300 to $350 budget help any?

I mean to be able to coast for a while on a flat stretch of road?

cannonball2 · Jun 12, 2014

Check ebay there were 36 and 48v 500w 9C/clone kits in the $219-239 range. Some of the cheaper price ones dont include the charger so look closely. You should have money left for 3/4 12ah SLA batteries. This will be a useable but bottom end build. You can always upgrade the batteries later.

Mannhouse51 · Jun 12, 2014

My bike has a 24V 500W hub motor. With the sla batteries total cost was about $350. As cannonball said...batteries can always be upgraded later.

Crisscrow · Jun 12, 2014

Alright, I will browse marketplace and find what I can, post here and maybe someone can make sure I didn't miss something?

deacon · Jun 12, 2014

I actually bought the kit you linked first. When it arrived it was not a halls effect motor. I was so dumb I didn't know how poor that kind of kit performs on a bike. I also over volted the controller and burned it out adding 80 buck to get a new controller.

I now have a working pedal first motor and controller sitting in my garage since I went back to a friction drive. I'm not trying to sell you anything I'm just saying keep asking questions and learn as much as you can before you buy.

36v 800 watts is the smallest I would consider. But then again I live in HIGH POINT you can do the math/.

Crisscrow · Jun 12, 2014

What would be better in my case, a front wheel kit or a rear wheel kit, I'm thinking rear but again, this is all basically new to me just a few days ago.

Also from what I'm learning I will probably have to settle for buying a kit with out a battery then later buy batteries in the following months later, with that in mind I still need to understand what to look for when shopping for batteries,

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to ask for someone to do all the work but any help would be nice, thanks.

Crisscrow · Jun 12, 2014

Should kits with out batteries include chargers or should the chargers come with the battery and how do you know which on will work with what?

Easy Rider · Jun 13, 2014

I have a couple of 1000w 48v mp3s on my bikes and I'm happy with both my Set ups. If you want to go over 25 mph (without pedaling) then go with 1k watts but if your looking for a 20 mph max speed bike with range, go with a lower watt hub and voltage. My advice is, save up and buy a decent battery. (15>ah LifePo4)
I also have both a LifePo4 & a Li-Ion NiCoMn battery and I prefer my Lifepo4 because of the consistent power and range.
This is where I get my stuff from www.bmsbattery.com
Prices are decent but the $200 shipping is crazy. Before it was $100 back when they ship thru FedEx.

cannonball2 · Jun 13, 2014

Heres a good kit I have bought three of them. They are 9C motors. and a charger is included. I run my 48v on 59v for 944wts with no problem. Running a 36v on 48v would get 720w. Just add a voltmeter to monitor the batteries voltage as the low voltage cut on the 36v controller will be a bit low. The charger will be 36v so one battery will have to be charged seperately. If this is too much to keep up with just run it on 36v. http://www.ebay.com/itm/eBike-36v-5...373?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2334afbb6d

Crisscrow · Jun 13, 2014

cannonball2 said:
Heres a good kit I have bought three of them. They are 9C motors. and a charger is included. I run my 48v on 59v for 944wts with no problem. Running a 36v on 48v would get 720w. Just add a voltmeter to monitor the batteries voltage as the low voltage cut on the 36v controller will be a bit low. The charger will be 36v so one battery will have to be charged seperately. If this is too much to keep up with just run it on 36v. http://www.ebay.com/itm/eBike-36v-5...373?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2334afbb6d

could you link me to a battery you'd recommend with that kit?

cannonball2 · Jun 13, 2014

For entry level batteries I would suggest any good quality 12ah SLA. I have used 15ah but they get pretty heavy. Something like these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mighty-Max-...US_Rechargeable_Batteries&hash=item1e8c78884f Also didnt realize the link I posted for the kit was a rear wheel. The same seller has fronts.

Crisscrow · Jun 13, 2014

so with that kit and batteries it'll cost me around $364, Kit, + Battery and a bike off of craigslist, hmm

cannonball2 · Jun 13, 2014

Thats not bad. Probably about as cheap as you can get in. You would have a bike with a good hub motor with decent power. There are ready to ride bikes in the $400-500 but the majority are 250w also with SLA batteries. Plus this type of hub motor tolerates voltage increases if you should want to do so, and you get to build it as you want.

Crisscrow · Jun 13, 2014

Given I'm a big guy, how long do electric bike motors last usually, I can't picture them with standing a lot of stress even given their purpose, I mean, what usually goes first or needs replacing first?

I'm looking into 4stroke motor kits too but it seems electric has less restraints in my state law wise when it comes to when a DL is required,

Though would this electric kit outperform a 4 or 2 stroke 33cc gas motor kit, would they be the same?

I get the feeling the gas motor would last longer and cost less in the short run but which one would preform better, I'm not sure, I want to say gas but I really like that electric takes a lot less effort to install and you can keep it inside the house with out smelling up the joint with gas.

cannonball2 · Jun 14, 2014

Having both, the gas set up is superior in speed and range unless you really build an out there ebike. That said unless you need speed and greater range, the ebike is much easier to deal with on a daily basis, very pleasant to operate, and better accepted by the more eco conscience society. I have pretty much run the gamut on gas bike types and engines and have several I will keep forever. With the ebike its just too easy to jump on it and go. The area I ride in is perfect for them, flat and bike friendly. I can run many errands on a charge. I doubt most folks ride gas bikes generally greater distances than a good ebike can range at a time. So the take away is determine your actual real use then decide.

As to durability from what I have read over at Endless Sphere the hub motor when treated properly basically has a very long lifetime(seen motors with claims over 10k). Seems bearings and Hall sensors are about the only thing that need attention. There is just not much there to wear out.

Remember you are doing an entry level build with SLA batteries. Down side is range, upside is low initial cost and an easy battery relationship. I run Li-Ion packs, my battery of choice. For what my 48v pack cost($500 with an upscale charger) you can buy the 36v 12ah SLA packs 6.8 times!

KCvale · Jun 14, 2014

Crisscrow said:
Should kits with out batteries include chargers or should the chargers come with the battery and how do you know which on will work with what?

It's best to buy the charger with the battery.
Different batteries have different needs and good chargers are 'smart' and have multiple charge settings like 50% for storage, 90% for most use to extend battery life, and 100% overcharge when you want to go crazy.

I suggest you just go with a 2-stroke direct drive on your tiny budget, you really need to add a 1 in front of your $350 if you want something decent.

motortriker · Jun 14, 2014

It is nice to be able to play with gearing with an ebike kit.

That is why this program. http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=54729

So you can try and figure out your gearing because it is hard to change on a hub motor.

This is the new stuff.

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=55152

This is old school but still very good stuff and you can play with gearing.

http://www.currietech.com/bikes-online/currie-electro-drive-conversion-kit-1/

KCvale · Jun 14, 2014

motortriker said:
It is nice to be able to play with gearing with an ebike kit.

That is why this program. http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=54729

So you can try and figure out your gearing because it is hard to change on a hub motor.

This is the new stuff.

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=55152

This is old school but still very good stuff and you can play with gearing.

http://www.currietech.com/bikes-online/currie-electro-drive-conversion-kit-1/

This is the even newer stuff I've built.

$400 for the 1680W electric motor kit and programmable Kelly controller.
$850 for the battery and charger.

Don't even ask about the customers full suspension mountain bike, it was at least 10x your budget itself and worth every penny.

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