Ideal Electric Bike

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Michigan Mike

Michigan Mike

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Dec 9, 2008
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I've been thinking it would be nice to cruise around nice and quitely on a good electric bike.
But I have very limited funds and haven't been able to find an E-system that would perform as well as the small gas engine kits at a comparable price.

Am I just dreaming or does anybody know of a electric bike system that would meet the
MINIMUM requirements listed below with a 200 pound rider:

Top speed of 10 mph.

Range of 30 miles and/or run time of 3 hours.

Full recharge in 12 hours.

Last for 5 years and/or take 1000 recharges.

Weigh no more than 50 pounds.

Repair parts and service available.

Cost no more than $400 (bike does not have to be included in this price).

Thanks.
.trk.
 
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DOC BOLM

DOC BOLM

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Aug 21, 2008
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I ZIP Claims on their site 15 to 20 miles with normal peddling,with one 24volt batt.Ihave 2 of them and never had a problem.Walmart stocks them at 299.99. HD
 
deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
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Not to mention mad as a hatter.

I have a small 250 watt front hub I bought to get some exercise. It is good for that. It had about the same power as a 25cc friction drive so I am basing all my opinion on extrapolations from that.

I think a 600 watt hub motor would give you an overall 10 to 20 mph no problem. More watts more speed but more batteries as well. A 600 with 36 volts should be good. I am performing battery tests now. My dealer said 2oah sla should give me ten miles range.

What I bought was two sets of 12ah batteries. I decided on this because I can charge one set while I use the other set on a short trip. Then when I get home if I need to go somewhere while they are charging. I just switch out the battery packs. If I know that I am going to be headed on a ten mile trip I just use my little trailer to carry the second set.

Thirty miles range might be a stretch but if the bike got fifteen miles on a set of batteries the trailer would get you another fifteen. I have no idea about the fancy batteries all I know is that I can't afford them.

Cost. Right now you can get a hub motor of about 5oo or 600 watts for about 350 but then you will need to buy your own batteries for that. The 12 ah I bought for 50 and change delivered for two. My motor only uses two.

That's about all I can tell you.

Oh yeah my hub kit was 275 and my battery packs were fifty each pack for two packs a little over a hundred bucks. I built my own bike for about twenty bucks. Trailer I had parts around for but if you bought a kids 12" bike at the thrift store for ten bucks you would have all the parts you need for a trailer.
 
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deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
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north carolina
Doc I almost bought that izip from walmart. I would have I think except I don't like gears on bikes and I need a small rear wheel. I would love to build a chain drive though for sure.

One thing I already like about the ebike is that it is stealthy. I have been riding it no helmet just because I have been wearing a watch cap to keep my ears from freezing. I can put a cover over the battery pack and it doesn't look, sound or smell like a power bike. I don't think anyone notices. Now they did notice it today with the trailer on the back.
 
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Michigan Mike

Michigan Mike

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Dec 9, 2008
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DOC BOLM said:
I ZIP Claims on their site 15 to 20 miles with normal peddling,with one 24volt batt.Ihave 2 of them and never had a problem.Walmart stocks them at 299.99. HD
Click to expand...
Thanks Doc. Really appreciate first hand info. Can you tell me:

1) what kind of range do you get?

2) have you owned them long enough to know how long the batteries last?

3) what does it cost to replace the original battery?

Thanks again.
.trk.
 
T

toytime

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Mar 20, 2008
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You will get a cheap bike and not be happy with it on your first ride.
After that you will notice that it just doesn't seem to have that pep that it had the first day. You will then start searching the net for ways of making your bike usable because each day it loses power and distance.
Six months will go by and you will be getting new batteries and will be faced with spending $100 on more junk batteries or spending $600 on ones that will go three times as far and will last for years.
Sorry if this was a downer but I was going to just say "What TigerTooth said"...lol
 
Michigan Mike

Michigan Mike

New Member
Dec 9, 2008
509
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Michigan
deacon said:
Not to mention mad as a hatter.

I have a small 250 watt front hub I bought to get some exercise. It is good for that. It had about the same power as a 25cc friction drive so I am basing all my opinion on extrapolations from that.

I think a 600 watt hub motor would give you an overall 10 to 20 mph no problem. More watts more speed but more batteries as well. A 600 with 36 volts should be good. I am performing battery tests now. My dealer said 2oah sla should give me ten miles range.

What I bought was two sets of 12ah batteries. I decided on this because I can charge one set while I use the other set on a short trip. Then when I get home if I need to go somewhere while they are charging. I just switch out the battery packs. If I know that I am going to be headed on a ten mile trip I just use my little trailer to carry the second set.

Thirty miles range might be a stretch but if the bike got fifteen miles on a set of batteries the trailer would get you another fifteen. I have no idea about the fancy batteries all I know is that I can't afford them.

Cost. Right now you can get a hub motor of about 5oo or 600 watts for about 350 but then you will need to buy your own batteries for that. The 12 ah I bought for 50 and change delivered for two. My motor only uses two.

That's about all I can tell you.

Oh yeah my hub kit was 275 and my battery packs were fifty each pack for two packs a little over a hundred bucks. I built my own bike for about twenty bucks. Trailer I had parts around for but if you bought a kids 12" bike at the thrift store for ten bucks you would have all the parts you need for a trailer.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input Deacon. Have been enjoying your threads on your e-bikes. If I can find something pretty close to minimums I mentioned above I'd like to go electric instead of gas too ... might have to lower my sights a little bit.

The thing is I'd like to ride about every day in the summer and that would mean a lot of recharging ... which I'm guessing is pretty hard on battery life. Also, since most of my trips to the store would be 12-15 miles round trip, I need some range. A lot to ask of "cheap" batteries I know but I can't afford the expensive ones ... common delima I imagine.

.trk.
 
Michigan Mike

Michigan Mike

New Member
Dec 9, 2008
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Michigan
toytime said:
You will get a cheap bike and not be happy with it on your first ride.
After that you will notice that it just doesn't seem to have that pep that it had the first day. You will then start searching the net for ways of making your bike usable because each day it loses power and distance.
Six months will go by and you will be getting new batteries and will be faced with spending $100 on more junk batteries or spending $600 on ones that will go three times as far and will last for years.
Sorry if this was a downer but I was going to just say "What TigerTooth said"...lol
Click to expand...
Thanks toytime ... appreciate your input too. So, do you think that it would take about $1000 to get a good electric bike going today? About how far could I go on such a set up and about how long would the batteries last?
.trk.
 
DOC BOLM

DOC BOLM

New Member
Aug 21, 2008
681
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Mississippi
Michigan Mike said:
Thanks Doc. Really appreciate first hand info. Can you tell me:

1) what kind of range do you get?

2) have you owned them long enough to know how long the batteries last?

3) what does it cost to replace the original battery?

Thanks again.
.trk.
Click to expand...
I ride mine just for pleasure and have had no problems with the batterys ,but i did upgrade the chargers to 3 amp they came with 1 amp.I Think i paid 125.00 for extra batt.Toytime do you have one??HD
 
deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
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north carolina
The friction bikes I rode for about a year didn't give me much trouble but after i stored the batteries with no charge over a winter in my cold shed, they were pretty much ruined. Same thing happened with my grand daughters scooter. You can't store the batteries empty. You have to keep the charge up over the winter months even when you aren't riding the bike.

I don't know what the life is on a bike but sla are the best for photo use if you can stand the weight. Most guys can't so they go with nicad or the new lithium ion. I still like sla battery packs. I have less problems with shelf drain from them.

Batteries are a problem for sure.
 
Michigan Mike

Michigan Mike

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Dec 9, 2008
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Michigan
I like your trailer idea for carring the extra battery. I wonder if with the right trailer or side car a guy couldn't carry one or more BIG sla batteries and get some real range.?
 
DOC BOLM

DOC BOLM

New Member
Aug 21, 2008
681
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Mississippi
Michigan Mike said:
I like your trailer idea for carring the extra battery. I wonder if with the right trailer or side car a guy couldn't carry one or more BIG sla batteries and get some real range.?
Click to expand...
Mike i carry 2-24 volt batteries on mine,their is a switch that changes from left to right.HD
 
deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
Jan 15, 2008
8,114
9
0
north carolina
How I rig my diy battery packs.

I use an extension cord to connect all my diy battery packs. The big hole and big prong are ALWAYS ground. you wire twelve volt batteries series to get the volts up. then you wire them to the female end of an extension cord.

You wire the controller battery wires to the male end. The reason the ends are important where they go is that you don't want the battery end with the prongs on it. It will short out on the bike frame... (yes experience is the best teacher)

Now when you have that you can switch the packs around. To double your range you just make yourself a cord with two male ends. One end goes into each of the packs. That way they are in parallel. You have the same voltage but twice the amps. It will run twice as long with no switch. With most extension cords you have two or more taps. If you tap the cord with the controller end you are into the parallel system 24volts double the range.

Yes you could do this with even more battery packs. The number of backs is limitless as long as you bike has enough power on the drive to pull the trailer.
 
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Michigan Mike

Michigan Mike

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Dec 9, 2008
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Thanks to bbb's thread "Something New?" for a link to MIT's Greenwheel ... here's some more related links below. Google "greenwheel mit" for even more links. Thanks again bbb for discovering this ... looks like it could make quite a bike.

MIT Scientists Create GreenWheel: First All-In-One Electric Bicycle Conversion Wheel - LEV Advisor

MIT GreenWheel: Simply an electric bicycle revolution

Inhabitat GreenWheel Gives any Bicycle an Electric Boost

GreenWheel converts any Huffy 10-speed into an electric bicycle

.trk.
 
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