First time checking out the electric scene!

[NerpAngel]

Hey guys!
You may have seen me asking questions and such on the forums for my gas powered bike and let me tell you it's been a BLAST to ride around. I want to expand my fun and check out some electric solutions for riding to and from campus for when school starts here soon. (I don't think using a gas powered bike on campus will be safe haha).

I've been hunting the threads for info about electric bikes and I understand the whole Amps and Volts situation with batteries and such, but I'm just curious as what the next step is. Since this will be my first electric build, should I start with your typical, all-in-one, kit? Or maybe order separate parts that tailor to the kind of riding I'm looking for? (About 7-10 miles per day and has decent speed for the city roads).

I don't want something completely cheap that will fail on me in a short time, BUT I don't want something that's going to rip a hole through my wallet

Any help?

-Nerp

 

[jdcburg]

Welcome to the quiet side Nerp. Where you go from here depends on your preferences, your time frame and your fabrication skills. Kits are thought to be more expensive but easier, however they may not be either. Building from scratch can be cheaper but may not be. You might choose hub drive, where the motor is the center of the wheel and the wires come in through the axle. If you go that route you have to choose front or rear wheel drive. With either (but especially front) you have to have strong dropouts or the axle can spin or even break the forks, so aluminum forks (like most front suspension forks) are out. Also with fwd there can be traction issues.

You can also choose a non-hub arrangement where the motor is outside the wheel and the power is transmitted by chain, belt or friction. There are kit and non-kit options there too. There are also battery considerations: lead acid are the cheapest in initial cost but are very heavy and don’t last very long under moderate to heavy use. Because the voltage may sag (drop considerably) when lots of current is drawn, they are not suited to high watt motors. There are several different lithium chemistries with different characteristics but all are much lighter than lead and with reasonable care last 3-6 times longer, so the costs average out over the batteries’ lifetime to be generally equal or better for lithium. They also sag less or not at all under heavy draw. There are several other ebike forums, the most active of which is Endless-sphere.com • Index page I suggest you go there and check things out then return when you have more questions - jd

 

[Evoforce]

Plus one on the suggestion of endless sphere!

 

[wheelbender6]

Since electric kits are more expensive, I would get a moderately priced, complete kit for my first project. When you are more experienced, you can select batteries, motors and controllers individually and customize your system to your needs.