I was recently handed a new AI1 ebike kit to install and review as an unbiased 3rd party tester. This thread is to post my thoughts whether positive or critical and answer any questions in a non sales forum that others pose. First, let me say I did not do this for the exchange of money or fame, LOL, just my love of ebikes and new tech. I am generally into the high powered side of our hobby, and this is definitely a medium range output, but it is something new enough that I was very eager to try it out. :lol:
The PARTS
When I first opened the box I was very impressed with the quality of the parts given the price point of the kit. I have not had the displeasure of ordering the super cheap ebike kits on ebay, so I can't honestly compare it with the bottom of the barrel kits or the magic pie kits to which it is probably most similar. It does not show any major cut corners on first impression.
The connectors all fit together tight and have the same or better quality of the recent Bafang BBS02 kits I have installed, though I would like to see the wires for the battery lead a slightly thicker gauge. The wheel was laced true and all the spokes had equal tension. The freewheel and axle threads were cut well and everything threaded very nicely which can be problematic sometimes on these axles with discontinuous threads. The bluetooth connector puck was much smaller than I expected it to be, and appeared to be very well sealed/packaged. It is definitely a lot of bang for the buck! If I were to give it bad marks anywhere it would be for the cheap quality ebrake levers that are of the same ilk as other ebike kits or the throttle which is a full grip twist throttle. That is a personal preference thing... although I also ride high powered motorcycles and am used to a full grip throttle, I strongly prefer half grip twist throttles on ebikes.
What came with the kit:
1. A motor with internal controller
2. PAS sensor
3. (2) Ebrake cutoffs
4. Cruise control button
5. Bluetooth Link
6. Throttle and matching grip for other side
7. ALL necessary wiring and connectors
8. The app for programming the controller and dashboard display of speed, mileage, etc.
What's Missing
My only complaint is that it should come with torque arms and a phone mount to complete the needs of most users. That is probably me expecting a little too much, as those are not going to be universal across all bikes/people for one reason or another... so I take that back, haha.
Additional things you will need to build a working ebike:
1. A bike
2. A 36v or 48v battery
3. An Android phone and some sort of phone mount on your bike
3. I would recommend torque arms or torque plates
4. A hand full of zip ties or velcro straps to attach the wires
5. A thread on freewheel gear set
6. I actually needed an extra washer to space my highest gear from the Trek's frame dropouts, but this will vary based on your install
7. An hour or two depending on your skill level and available tools
Installation Steps
After building many, many ebikes I have to say this was definitely the easiest yet. On a scale of 1 to 10 here is the difficulty ranking I would put this kit versus others... 10 being a fully custom built ebike with home made battery pack, modified/used components, programming a cycle analyst or controller via USB, wire harnesses and connectors made from scratch, etc. and 1 Being stupidly easy:
[4] Crystalyte HS3540 kit (controller programming is a pain)
[3] Electric Rider Phoenix 2 kit (the APM thing is a pain in the butt)
[2.5] Bafang BBS02 (sometimes getting your chainline and gears setup will is tricky)
[2] AI1 kit (it was definitely the quickest and easiest yet - especially because like the bafang you don't have to fiddle with a controller or as many wires)
Steps you will need to take to build it:
0. Lay out all your parts and tools and make sure you have everything you have everything you need
1. Swap the tube and tire from your old bike to the new motor wheel
2. Install the freewheel and gear cluster to the new motor wheel
3. Put all the pieces on the bike: (torque plates if you are smart,) motor, chain, wires, battery, controls, PAS sensor, etc.
4. Hook up the battery
The APP and Programming via Bluetooth!!!
This is the first time I have used an app to program settings on an ebike controller. IT IS ABOUT DAMN TIME, haha. Once I figured out how to switch from Chinese to English in the settings menu, I have to say I have never had a more pleasurable controller programming experience. It had quite a few configuration options. There were a few things that stood out as missing. Mainly being to switch from metric to SAE units which doesn't bother me, but I know will drive some Americans mad. It also was lacking a temperature, and some of the important electronic metrics those of us who ride with CAv3's have gotten spoiled with. It should at the very least include temp and amp-hours used each cycle to make me not miss my CA. Regardless, this is a leap in the right direction!
First Test Drive
It was very, very quiet. Almost perfectly silent. The controller has to be sine wave. It was dark and late and I only had time to take it up and down my street once. It has been raining off and on all day, so I did not take it to work. I will post more after my rides this week and after I measure the power output, top speeds at different voltages, etc. I need some riding time to give you my road test reviews.
So far my review is that this is a great kit for someone who wants to put an ebike together with minimal fuss. What I really want to report on is how it performs though, so stay tuned! Pictures and screenshots will be coming soon with my next set of impressions... Any questions, just ask!
The PARTS
When I first opened the box I was very impressed with the quality of the parts given the price point of the kit. I have not had the displeasure of ordering the super cheap ebike kits on ebay, so I can't honestly compare it with the bottom of the barrel kits or the magic pie kits to which it is probably most similar. It does not show any major cut corners on first impression.
The connectors all fit together tight and have the same or better quality of the recent Bafang BBS02 kits I have installed, though I would like to see the wires for the battery lead a slightly thicker gauge. The wheel was laced true and all the spokes had equal tension. The freewheel and axle threads were cut well and everything threaded very nicely which can be problematic sometimes on these axles with discontinuous threads. The bluetooth connector puck was much smaller than I expected it to be, and appeared to be very well sealed/packaged. It is definitely a lot of bang for the buck! If I were to give it bad marks anywhere it would be for the cheap quality ebrake levers that are of the same ilk as other ebike kits or the throttle which is a full grip twist throttle. That is a personal preference thing... although I also ride high powered motorcycles and am used to a full grip throttle, I strongly prefer half grip twist throttles on ebikes.
What came with the kit:
1. A motor with internal controller
2. PAS sensor
3. (2) Ebrake cutoffs
4. Cruise control button
5. Bluetooth Link
6. Throttle and matching grip for other side
7. ALL necessary wiring and connectors
8. The app for programming the controller and dashboard display of speed, mileage, etc.
What's Missing
My only complaint is that it should come with torque arms and a phone mount to complete the needs of most users. That is probably me expecting a little too much, as those are not going to be universal across all bikes/people for one reason or another... so I take that back, haha.
Additional things you will need to build a working ebike:
1. A bike
2. A 36v or 48v battery
3. An Android phone and some sort of phone mount on your bike
3. I would recommend torque arms or torque plates
4. A hand full of zip ties or velcro straps to attach the wires
5. A thread on freewheel gear set
6. I actually needed an extra washer to space my highest gear from the Trek's frame dropouts, but this will vary based on your install
7. An hour or two depending on your skill level and available tools
Installation Steps
After building many, many ebikes I have to say this was definitely the easiest yet. On a scale of 1 to 10 here is the difficulty ranking I would put this kit versus others... 10 being a fully custom built ebike with home made battery pack, modified/used components, programming a cycle analyst or controller via USB, wire harnesses and connectors made from scratch, etc. and 1 Being stupidly easy:
[4] Crystalyte HS3540 kit (controller programming is a pain)
[3] Electric Rider Phoenix 2 kit (the APM thing is a pain in the butt)
[2.5] Bafang BBS02 (sometimes getting your chainline and gears setup will is tricky)
[2] AI1 kit (it was definitely the quickest and easiest yet - especially because like the bafang you don't have to fiddle with a controller or as many wires)
Steps you will need to take to build it:
0. Lay out all your parts and tools and make sure you have everything you have everything you need
1. Swap the tube and tire from your old bike to the new motor wheel
2. Install the freewheel and gear cluster to the new motor wheel
3. Put all the pieces on the bike: (torque plates if you are smart,) motor, chain, wires, battery, controls, PAS sensor, etc.
4. Hook up the battery
The APP and Programming via Bluetooth!!!
This is the first time I have used an app to program settings on an ebike controller. IT IS ABOUT DAMN TIME, haha. Once I figured out how to switch from Chinese to English in the settings menu, I have to say I have never had a more pleasurable controller programming experience. It had quite a few configuration options. There were a few things that stood out as missing. Mainly being to switch from metric to SAE units which doesn't bother me, but I know will drive some Americans mad. It also was lacking a temperature, and some of the important electronic metrics those of us who ride with CAv3's have gotten spoiled with. It should at the very least include temp and amp-hours used each cycle to make me not miss my CA. Regardless, this is a leap in the right direction!
First Test Drive
It was very, very quiet. Almost perfectly silent. The controller has to be sine wave. It was dark and late and I only had time to take it up and down my street once. It has been raining off and on all day, so I did not take it to work. I will post more after my rides this week and after I measure the power output, top speeds at different voltages, etc. I need some riding time to give you my road test reviews.
So far my review is that this is a great kit for someone who wants to put an ebike together with minimal fuss. What I really want to report on is how it performs though, so stay tuned! Pictures and screenshots will be coming soon with my next set of impressions... Any questions, just ask!
