Raleigh MTB with MAC 500W & fibreglass panels (AUS)

G'day,
Here is a quick picture run down on how I built my Ebike. It took about 2 months to build.


I started with a brand new Raleigh M200 mountain bike.



I bought some 75mm styrofoam sheet to shape some covers to hide the battery and controller inside the bike frame



Shaped foam finished



I covered the foam with tinfoil. This is because I layered the fibreglass directly onto the foam and the resin would dissolve the foam.



First layer of fibreglass put down



Fibreglass panels removed from the foam samples



Applying body filler to smooth out the fibreglass



Body filler sanded smooth



Undercoated ready for painting



Painted up. The first coat was white, then some stickers applied, then I painted then red. Once dried, I removed the stickers to reveal the white writing.

The charge port and on/off key are mounted in a recessed panel on this side



The front panel mount. It's also made from fibreglass with an alloy sleeve inside. An adjustable width alloy rod sits inside the sleeve and it locates the panels.



The controller mount and rear panel mount. This bolts to the existing drink bottle threads. The fibreglass panels have 2 alloy locating spigots made into them, this helps align everthing easily when removing and refitting them



Rear torque arm for the hub motor



Ping 48v 15ah battery mounted on a folded alloy cradle. The cradle is attached to the frame via the drink bottle threads, there is a layer of foam rubber between the cradle and battery.



All done





The next job on the list is to fit front and rear disc brakes.

Thanks for looking
Stuart

Nice work, I love the real clean canopy and glass work, great job. It looks like it is a great transport solution. What type of connector do you use to charge the batteries and can you do that without removing the canopy? I like the security key too, is it of a motorbike or something? All the best.

Great job! The logos really make it look like it's meant to be part of the bike and not something added later.

Well done. You obviously have some prior experience with fiberglas and molds. How many hours did you spend mudding and sanding? How much does the end product weigh? What is the internal width? Did you make a second mold for the left side, or just alter the panel to fit the battery?

That's pretty slick, dude. I like it!

Beautiful job Stuart!

Question from someone who has never worked with styrofoam: Where do you buy it? What tools do you use to shape it?

Very clean and professional looking. I'm doing something similar and was wordering how to attach the two side panels together, can you show some more detail on how your's works? I like the stickers too, it's too bad Raliegh doesn't stand for the same quality products that they used to.

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to have a look and comment. I hope to make a few videos of it over the next few weeks.

comradegerry said:

Nice work, I love the real clean canopy and glass work, great job. It looks like it is a great transport solution. What type of connector do you use to charge the batteries and can you do that without removing the canopy? I like the security key too, is it of a motorbike or something? All the best.

Click to expand...

The charging plug is the XLR style connector that Ping supplies with his batteries, i fitted a panel mount socket to the left hand panel. You don't need to remove any of the panels on the bike. I really wanted something that you could ride home and plug straight into the wall without pulling things apart. The key switch is from a ride-on lawn mower, it is rated at 30amps.

gordo said:

Well done. You obviously have some prior experience with fiberglas and molds. How many hours did you spend mudding and sanding? How much does the end product weigh? What is the internal width? Did you make a second mold for the left side, or just alter the panel to fit the battery?

Click to expand...

I've done some fibreglassing in the past, but not a lot, I am a fitter and turner. It took about 2 hours for each panel to cover them with body filler and sand it back smooth. The total bike weight is around 29kg. I haven't checked the internal width, but the Ping battery is 100mm wide and the panels only have a few mm clearance on each side. Each panel was made sperately because of the differences around the bottom bracket area.

SamTexas said:

Beautiful job Stuart!

Question from someone who has never worked with styrofoam: Where do you buy it? What tools do you use to shape it?

Click to expand...

I bought the styrofoam from the local rubber/foam/plastic supplier. I comes in big sheets of 1", 2" , 3" or 4" thickness. I believe that it's also available from certain hardware stores as it is used as a building insulation? I roughly shaped it with a knife and then a file, then sandpaper. If I was going to do it again, a hot-wire cutter would be quicker and make less mess!!

etard said:

Very clean and professional looking. I'm doing something similar and was wordering how to attach the two side panels together, can you show some more detail on how your's works? I like the stickers too, it's too bad Raliegh doesn't stand for the same quality products that they used to.

Click to expand...

Each panel has 2 attaching bolts, they are 5/16" UNC cap screws that are recessed below the panel surface. If you look at the photo below, I highlighted the mounting points. These are 20mm diameter alloy rods which locate on another alloy spigot that is fibreglassed into each panel. This ensures a positive location of each panel, so you don't need to muck around lining everything up.

Cheers
Stuart

A hot wire is great and second best is an electric bread knife. I use a shopvac close to the work point when sanding foam. Masking tape on my wrist and ankle cuffs. That stuff wants to crawl up your arse. I have not been successful using tinfoil, as I always get creases. A few coats of latex paint and floor wax will protect the foam, or use epoxy, which won't eat the foam, for the first coat. If you make a frame slightly larger than the part and cover it with cellophane, you can just lay it on the part while still wet and you save a lot of mud and sanding for the large flat surface. Run a soft roller from the center out, to move the air bubbles out. Stretch the cellophane over your frame and fasten it. Then spritz water on the cellophane. When it dries, the cellophane is tight and wrinkle free. Cello Finishing seems like a lost art?

G'day Gordo,
The cellophane method sounds pretty good, I might give it a try if I ever decide to make up some more.

-Stuart

Brilliant build, I would worry about the charger being shaken apart though. I put mine in a rucksack on my back so that it doesn't get bad vibrations from the rode. KP chargers are great but not designed to be shaken about.

G'day Spacey,
It's only the battery and controller that is mounted inside the panels. I just use the charger in the normal way and plug it into the panel mount socket on the left side. I agree, it probably wouldn't like being shaken up on the bike. If i need to take the charger with me, I take it in a back pack.



Cheers
Stuart

Ha....I thought the controller was the charger...doh! And man I hope no one noticed typo on 'road' (rode) lol. Great build though, I think I will have a go at fiberglassing.

gm6046 said:

G'day Gordo,
The cellophane method sounds pretty good, I might give it a try if I ever decide to make up some more.

-Stuart

Click to expand...

I have searched all over the internet trying to find information, better than my mumbling. Lots of local guy use this method for coffee tables, wood clocks etc, but I can find zip for references. Strange? The trick is getting the cellophane tight on the frame and then gently lowering it on the wet glass from one edge to the other. Then rolling any air bubbles gently off. If you use a little more resin than necessary on the last coat and use an air-roller before putting the celloframe on, you don't get any bubbles. You can also use a pin to prick the cello and let a bubble out. These are the tricks I was trying to find written up. This system allows you to mix color paste in your last coat and then you have a deep finish which will not scratch away easily. The color only works on a flat surface.

Hey Gm, which part of Melbs are you from? Greetings from Ballarat....

Samd said:

Hey Gm, which part of Melbs are you from? Greetings from Ballarat....

Click to expand...

G'day Samd , I'm in the northern suburbs near Tullamarine. Not too far from you if I had a few more batteries on board!



As an update on the bike, I have now fitted disc brakes. On the front I'm using a 203mm rotor, which was a simple bolt on fit since the forks already had the mounting tabs. The frame had no provisions for a rear disc, so I had a machine up an adaptor. I also had to make a spacer between the hub/disc to get enough clearance for the caliper and also a spacer on the axle so the disc would clear the frame a little better. The rear is rotor diameter is 160mm, I don't think anything larger would fit without more work. The calipers are Avid BB7s. All sorted now and it stops like it should.

Photo showing rear disc spacer in place


Machining the spacer


Trial fitment of the caliper


-Stuart

Thats an awesome build. I'm thinking of getting a few folks together for a beer and ride sometime soon, with a view sometime to incorporating a vic ebike group. Someday. Interested?

Samd said:

Thats an awesome build. I'm thinking of getting a few folks together for a beer and ride sometime soon, with a view sometime to incorporating a vic ebike group. Someday. Interested?

Click to expand...

Sure, sounds good!

-Stuart

An update and video added today.

I have now travelled just under 300km on the bike and I'm pretty sure all the bugs have been ironed out. The disc brakes have been a big improvement over the standard v-brakes. I've been doing a few distance runs and the best I have got so far is 44km with some pedalling. It's about 30-34km if I just ride with no pedal assistance.

[youtube]8r54ImaOb-w[/youtube]

Nice speed at 1:14! How fast d'you think?

It's a 50kph zone, so I'd say around 49..

Very impressive work indeed.. What a beast..

I still haven't built my first e-bike yet, in fact this is my first forum post. Been reading a fair bit till now, and saw your thread.. the fiberglass work is really cool. Must turn some heads for sure. Your pics make it look easy.. I have only ever done rust repairs on my car every year back in the day. Sometimes with bog, other times with fiberglass.

I was going to look into a Falcon-EV triangle bag, but i am in no rush, and your fiberglass magic has really got me thinking twice about the bag..

Much appreciated mate..

Cheers,

Tuna...

G'day Tuna,
Thanks for having a look and for your comments. There are a few other threads here of people making fibreglass battery enclosures, most go inside the 'triangle' part of the frame but I decided to make mine look a bit more integrated into the bike. It's not difficult work and if you've had a bit of a play with car rust repairs then you shouldn't have any troubles. It's just takes time to get all the various stages done.

It does turn a few heads when I'm riding it around, a few people have stopped and asked about it, but most think the panels are for aerodynamics and don't realise it's electric.

Cheers
Stuart



I

Thanks mate,

I am still trying to decide which motor / battery / controller combination to get. After watching your video and a decent amount of reading on this forum, I am leaning towards the MAC. I want a commuter, and would also like to be able to still ride the bike without using the motor too. Thus the Mac with its clutch would suit that. It certainly didnt seem loud in your vid too, and cell_man's site lists it as only around 4kg..

Just wondering, which winding Mac 500 motor did you use? as in 10T, 8T, or 6T ? From what i have read, the safest, hassle free battery that i could get for the purpose of commuting (not racing) would be the one you used. After seeing how your bike ran, I am certainly keeping the ping 48V15AH on my list. Also wondering which controller you used? Is it the 9 (30A) or 12 fet (45A) ? ..

So many decisions, but with no prior experience, its hard to know what to get.. I am also worried if i get gear just powerful enough to suit the commute, that I will get addicted and what more power.. Thus thinking of future proofing now so i don't need to buy it all twice..

Pretty much i reckon if i could get a bike to go like yours, I would be stoked.. Hence me asking what gear makes up your system..

Cheers,

Tuna.

G'day Tuna,
I'm using the 8T winding and the Infineon 9 FET controller that Cell_man supplies with his 500w 'speed' rear kit as shown here.

http://www.emissions-free.com/catalog/i23.html

Top speed is approx 48-52 kph. If I ride everywhere at full speed and don't pedal at all, I can get around 32km per charge. If I keep the speed to around 35kph and pedal a bit I can get 46-48km per charge. I use it to commute every day and for my needs I find it pretty much spot on for speed and distance per charge. I can understand your thoughts behind wanting more power later on, and trying to purchase with that in mind. What sort of bike are you going to convert? Something I initally overlooked on the build was the braking performance. My bike had pretty ordinary brakes even as a pedal powered bike, so once I converted it to electric they were dangerously inadequate!

If you were a bit closer you could drop past and take it for a ride

-Stuart