Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestions?

P

peace

New Member
So I realize that's a pretty vague statement, but I know so little about electric bicycles that originally I posted in the motorized bicycle section not realizing they were different. :)

Should I get a kit? Would that be cheaper? Is it complicated, or easy to make mistakes, I'd rather not have to tinker around with it later if possible?

The info:
I'm pretty tall
weigh over 200 lbs.
Don't want to renew my license (so must be legal w/o one and somewhat standard so I wouldn't get "profiled")
Eventually I plan to move to the city (less hills and probably less distance too) but right now travel time to my current work is 6 miles.
I grow (legal) plants and would like to if possible (when/if I move to city) to get a small cart to transport potted plants to give to friends or could also use for grocery runs, (pending if this is even legal, and possible w/o straining a motor or something).
my made up budget $800 or less (unless it would need to be more for a reason)
And probably looking at getting a used 10 speed bike to put the kit on if I go the kit rout.

I really don't know much about these bikes, I think I'd need more Watt's or more powerful batter to lug extra weight (my own and if I could do a cart), but if someone could tell me:

Here's what you'd need for your situation (parts etc). Here's a link to instructions (pending that its doable, not a mechanic, but I can tell blue from green wires though :) ) and here's around what it would cost.

Then I'd order the parts and build it, or here's a premade bike brand that meets those needs that you can look for in your area.



The cart idea would look something like this..crt. But instead of gas and kids in the back it'd be a small cart with 6-10 potted plants or something.

thanks for the help.
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

here are some links for you to check out. do some research and look around before you buy. http://www.walmart.com/cp/1081404?povid=P1171-C1110.2784+1455.2776+1115.2956-L253 http://www.bikesdirect.com/?gclid=CNLY-8KqxLkCFYtDMgodC0UAcQ http://www.vpower.hk/index.php http://www.conhismotor.com/ http://www.bmsbattery.com/ as you can see there is a lot of options out there good luck. almost forgot trailer http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...raier&_nkw=bicycle+trailer&_sacat=0&_from=R40
 
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Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

wow thank you for those links they are quite helpful, I think I can have some more focused questions now. I have not spent a lot of time looking at those so even these questions might be premature, but I have questions on the build options for this link:

http://www.conhismotor.com/Diy_eBike.asp

1st off what motor is better? Direct Drive Hub or Geared Hub given that I might be transporting weight other than my self, would the power of the direct drive be better (plus hills in mind)?

back to that link I have questions about the different options (this is just to get an idea of what to look for, I realized there are other companies with build options that I might look at)

Wheel type: what is it asking, which wheel I want the motor to go on? Is one better than the other (front or back)? Is it selling me the special frame needed to install the hub motor?

Motor type: 48v 1000 w is this governed by states? I've been seeing 750 watts mentioned a lot is this where they are governing?

Controller type: what's a controller?

led display: what's 3 speed mode pas? Pedelec Sensor? If those are bad then I don't need this led option?

also vs LCD display?

Last question so far is on batteries, it gives several different tabs on batteries but I'm assuming/ hoping that I only need to choose just one.

Aren't Li-ion batteries the best? therefor the 48v 10ah is the "best" option? what is ah, amps? What does that translate to for the bike? There's also the same specs for LiFePO4 batteries, are those better? they get pretty pricey with there 40ah being like a $700 batter.

So far with all these info from that page I came to about a $500 kit, not including shipping nor including the bike itself also there might be stuff missing from this initial inquiry. I'm thinking now that 10 speed race bikes are not the thing to use as most of the rims and tires I've seen are fatter. Plus a 10 speed couldn't go off road so well.


Thanks in advance for any help :)
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

I just recently got into the Ebike thing and went the hub motor route. They are by far the easiest to install if you skills are limited( mine arent, but I like simplicity). There are decent all in one kits on ebay. I just ordered another yesterday of the 36v 500w kit for $239 shipped. It has an actual 9C motor which is pretty good. This kit is really a 48v kit just shipped with a 36v charger. Even cones with a tire and tube and a very nice battery rack. I have tortured this set up on my cargo bike both pulling heavy loads and running higher voltages to see what it would take. So far not an issue! I would provide a link but I bought the last one. Most of these controllers have a speed limit loop keeping the speed to a legal 20mph if necessary. Batteries are the biggest expenditure. If money is not an issue Li-Ion or LifePo4 is the way to go. You could always start with SLAs( sealed lead/acid, modest performance) and upgrade later. I bought a very nice 48v 15ah Li-Ion with a upgraded charger for $500 shipped, but rarely use it preferring my 55v batteries. Could have saved some $$! I live in the flats so I cant offer much comment on hill climbing ability, but the 9C will pull a cargo load from a dead stop with out complaint. Heres a typical load. Hope theres some useful info in these ramblings! http://motorbicycling.com/showpost.php?p=554018&postcount=42
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

Read this on Wikipedia that was praising LI-ion batteries but had a note about lifepo4

"(note, however, that a new study has shown signs of memory effect in the lithium-ion batteries which use LiFePO4 as the positive electrode[6]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery#Electrochemistry

I don't really know if that's true/ or that bad though.

I looked at magic pies that I see people talk about, they were pretty expensive, is that not necessary. There are also 1,2 and 3 and apparently the magic pie 3's still have issues (though I briefly read that somewhere and am repeating it with out enough info).

What are good specs for a battery, and what does the Ah stand for/do. There are 36 v with a high ah and 48 v with a lower ah like 10ah yet they are similar in price. What does Ah do for the bike?

also is a front wheel build or rear hub build better, does it matter?

Thanks.
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

peace said:
Read this on Wikipedia that was praising LI-ion batteries but had a note about lifepo4

"(note, however, that a new study has shown signs of memory effect in the lithium-ion batteries which use LiFePO4 as the positive electrode[6]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery#Electrochemistry

I don't really know if that's true/ or that bad though.

I looked at magic pies that I see people talk about, they were pretty expensive, is that not necessary. There are also 1,2 and 3 and apparently the magic pie 3's still have issues (though I briefly read that somewhere and am repeating it with out enough info).

What are good specs for a battery, and what does the Ah stand for/do. There are 36 v with a high ah and 48 v with a lower ah like 10ah yet they are similar in price. What does Ah do for the bike?

also is a front wheel build or rear hub build better, does it matter?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Ah stands for amp hours. This gives you an approximate distance you can travel, the higher the ah the further you'll go. Many variables go into this. If you live in a hilly area or your riding into a head wind this eats up more power (watts) and will decrease your distance. Also if you pedal some and take off slowly from a stop you'll be using less watts.

If I were you look closely at something in the 48v range and a battery that has plenty of amps, another story altogether lol. If you get a battery rated at a continuous 30 amp output you really only have a max of 20 amp output. If you tax the battery constantly by drawing the max out of it you'll shorten the life of the battery.

Speaking of battery life that's another reason to buy a battery with as much ah as you want to afford and haul around. If the cycle life of a battery is 500 cycles you can still use it but the battery will start to diminish in ah's after that amongst other reasons.

Google Crystalyte drives, I believe they are a better alternative than the GM drives. I'm on the fence myself right now on my next DD. But I think I'll buy a yescomusa 48v 1000w kit replace the controller with something that can handle 40 amps also add a ca (cycle analyst v3 or v2) and buy a 20r rated battery from em3ev.com (rated the number one online ebike seller). That gives me 40 amps to play with using 48volts which pushes my power to the drive up to nearly 2000watts. Plenty enough speed and some added grunt for hills.

Also emerge yourself in the website called endless-sphere.com great place to learn and ask questions concerning ebikes. Be careful though you might wind up spending past your budget as I'm planning on doing lol.

So many things to consider to spend your money correctly. Which charger, battery, direct drive, geared, mid drive etc etc. it's super late here and I need to sleep but I'll try and give you some links that have helped me weed through a little bit of this chaos sometime tomorrow.

Dan L.
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

I meant to add that front drive and rear drive both have their advantages. The biggest problem with front drive if your going to use a lot of power is to resist giving it a lot of throttle in a turn lest you lose traction and hit the pavement.

The upside is fixing a flat and having the ability to have two wheel drive if needed.

Rear wheel drive is more discreet and you can power into the turns (and isn't that fun!). Downside is if you get a flat...yeah it will take a while longer to fix.

Also consider how heavy your battery will be and where it will be positioned on the bike. If your going to just plop it on a rear rack then consider a front drive to balance things out. However the best placement for your battery would be in the triangle and mounted as low as possible to keep the bike handling like it should.

One last thing. Geared motors weigh much less than direct drives but because they have many more moving parts they have a shorter life span. Some say 2-3 years. They also produce more noise, have more torque but less top end speed.

Dan L.
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

hi guys

i'm about to buy a rear hub electric kit setup. Looking at a 48V 1000W kit. Can anyone assist regarding whether i need to use the brake levers and cables that come with the kit? i have a mountain bike with 26" wheels, 27 gears and hydraulic disk brakes front and rear.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

sorry, could find a related post in my search?
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

Apollo 66 said:
hi guys

i'm about to buy a rear hub electric kit setup. Looking at a 48V 1000W kit. Can anyone assist regarding whether i need to use the brake levers and cables that come with the kit? i have a mountain bike with 26" wheels, 27 gears and hydraulic disk brakes front and rear.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

sorry, could find a related post in my search?
Click to expand...
The levers have a switch that either cuts the motor and /or starts regenerative braking. One of my bikes has no regen so I didnt use the levers. Im never on throttle and brake at the same time, so didnt see the point. Im doubtful they would phase a runaway controller, gotta take the battery out of circuit for that. The other bike has regen and I use one lever for that. I really dont like it coupled to the brakes so will be adding a push button for independent control. Just use your existing set up and add a button if necessary.
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

yep. agree. Wont be giving up my 66cc for that type of electric bike.

Looking at the dillenger 48V 1000W hub from Australia
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

Hey its cheap! LOL it looks like a good bike to me
 
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Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

This thread was perfect for my needs. 48 volt 1000 watt hub with variable factors like width and gearing. I'm a future Oregonian and they frown on gas engines so I'll be selling my Morini and pipe in the Yardsale and having the hub laced on my rim. The bike has the fat 26" wheels so I shouldn't have a problem with spokes if I get the same sized wheel. I plan to tow a brace of 4 car batteries in a modified kid trailer, lots of amps there. .elec.
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

I commend you for Going electric, but how long can you go without gas for anything? :3

Im Running 72v 15Ah batteries, with a Crystalyte Brushless hub motor, It gets me up the hills when I need to get there, I peddle to get it up to speed, and to get up the hills faster.
Im about 190, and Ive carried people on the back of the bike on 2 separate occasions, 1 was 150, the other was 230. Both times we went up hills reasonably well (I helped with both but it was easy to maintain 15 and pick up to 20) on the flats and slight downhills we picked up to about 30 Once I add a sidecar to the rig I intend to put a second hub motor on the sidecar wheel. That way Ill have Zero trouble with hills of any kind, with or without passengers and be moving at my cruising speed, closer 35 :)
 
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Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

thanks for the reply, I had forgotten about this forum, until I got an e-mail with your reply. In the end of summer I was planning to get on this, but I loaned my ex-roommate and ex manager $1000 and he was going though some financial stuff but hasn't given the money back yet. Another issue I have now is that unlike where I use to live (where everything was in regular biking distance) I now live in the suburbia where you get in your car drive to the island shop... basically everything is so spread out, and the cool hippie/ progressive things aren't even close to me at all. So I've been thinking about getting a car... bleg! but just so I can get around. Luckily my work is just a 10 min bike ride but the grocery store for instance is... Well I guess its not that far its 2.4 miles. Can a bike like that handle longer distances? I like bike riding alot more + my license expires in a year and I dont want to renew... my paranoia I guess about not wanting an updated picture.

I cant afford this right now, but do you have any links or info on the products you used? I'd like to make this a hobby when I can.

Thanks.
 
Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

Nothing special in any way yet still feature rich (regen, lighting options, cruise control ect), my plain ol' beater/commuter gets roughly 30/30 with limited/no pedal assistance (30mph for 30 miles) for less then a grand total investment, including the bike;

48V 15Ah V5 LiFePO4 $533 http://www.pingbattery.com/servlet/the-12/48V-15AH-V2.5-LiFePO4/Detail

26 Inch Rear Magic Pie 2 Conversion Kit $267 http://www.goldenmotor.ca/products/26-Inch-Rear-Magic-Pie-2-Conversion-Kit.html (note, fully functional but dated, they've the MP 3 & 4 now)

...you can shop around & try to save a couple few bucks with ebay/generic hubs if you're willing to take the "no returns" chance, but the one thing with an ebike you shouldn't scrimp on is batteries. For simplicity & longevity bite the wallet & throw down the pennies for LiFePO4, you'll not regret it ;)



About three years of constant abuse later, same hub & batteries, different bike (old one was fine, this 'uns fully bouncy is all lol);

 
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Re: Looking to get or make an electric... but that's all i know so far, any suggestio

Happy I gave this thread a kick :) Think I'll be going electric where ever I end up. Could be the Oregon coast or McAllen, TX. McAllen so I can walk across the border and get the Meds I feel I need and not just depend on a doctor I see for 20 minutes a year.

Deal is I'm getting a "small" inheritance. I'm on SSI and I have to blow it all in a month or risk losing my SSI. I'm thinking on a Class A motorcoach, a Mercedes ML350 to tow behind it and an ebike to run around on. Sick of freezing my ass off winters here in Idaho I'm a future snowbird :p
 
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