Commuter Build

robbie · Nov 22, 2012

I thought I'd post my first ever post.

I just spent a bunnnnch of time on this and I'm kinda happy with the results; aesthetically and performance wise.

This is my lovely commuter e-bike.

Specs:
Originally a Fuji Track bicycle
700c Wheels.. blah blah
Welded on front disk brake tabs

The cool specs:
Front Ezee fast-wind motor
Modded 20A Infineon controller (shunt mod to 25A) <- this is kind of useless considering I'm "obeying the law" - but I can open her up if I want to!
20Ah 36V LiMn AllCell battery
CAV2.3 (Speed limited to 33km/h, Current limited to 15A, LV@32V) Custom mounted to stem
Grin Tech LED lights
39-16 drivetrain - a comfortable cadence of 90-ish RPM at my CA speed limit.
I've successfully gotten over 100km to a charge (with pedaling, of course), which is pretty bombtastic.
The weight is.. decent I'd hazard a guess at 35Lbs.

Pictures:

Chalo · Nov 22, 2012

34/16 ratio on a skinny tire 700c wheel at 90 pedal rpm equals 15mph. While that's a useful and comfortable speed, it doesn't really require anything over and above normal leg power. Do you have steep hills to deal with or something?

robbie · Nov 22, 2012

Updated the ratio - it's definitely around 32km/h at around 90rpm, so I double checked the front ring haha.

There are hills around here, I'm in Vancouver, BC.

You're right, I can easily get around without the electric.

miuan · Nov 22, 2012

Nice simple build! Love the setup, although I know I'd have little use for it myself.
How do you deal with charging the built-in battery - can you get your bike all the way to your preferred wall plugs? I definitely can't so I carry my battery with me.
Ever considered attaching a rubber flap to the bottom of your front mudguard? It saves my feet from most of the crud.

robbie · Nov 22, 2012

miuan said:
Nice simple build! Love the setup, although I know I'd have little use for it myself.
How do you deal with charging the built-in battery - can you get your bike all the way to your preferred wall plugs? I definitely can't so I carry my battery with me.

Thanks! It has an XLR plug on a wire that I can pull out of the back of the battery bag for charging. I wasn't planning to remove the battery from the bag, so I lug the bike to the closest wall charger available (really easy to do at work).

Ever considered attaching a rubber flap to the bottom of your front mudguard? It saves my feet from most of the crud.

Yeah. Next little project is to extend the fenders - the front fender needs to come down at the back, and out in the front (If I go too fast in heavy rain I run into my own rain spray from the front tire!)... actually come to think of it, the rear fender could use the same extensions. The bottom bracket and people behind me would be happier.

Chalo · Nov 22, 2012

I used to live in Seattle, which is also hilly, cold, and wet. That's where I put together the first e-bike of my own. Like yours, it was built on a road bike frame and it had a modest top speed under power (in my bike's case, about 18mph). It was basically a tool for helping carry my tired body up a >100m hill to my house from where I worked.

I used slick 700x40 tires, which were the largest I could use on that frame. And I had an external motor underneath the down tube, driving the rear wheel by a small pitch chain. I used 24V 22Ah SLA batteries, which made the bike quite heavy and not particularly fun.

There's something pleasant and harmonious about a powered bicycle that still weighs and moves like an unpowered bicycle. If I were to do one now, I'd probably use a Carradice seat bag for a lithium polymer battery and controller, with a small geared hub motor in front.

Chalo

robbie · Nov 22, 2012

Chalo said:
I used to live in Seattle, which is also hilly, cold, and wet. That's where I put together the first e-bike of my own. Like yours, it was built on a road bike frame and it had a modest top speed under power (in my bike's case, about 18mph). It was basically a tool for helping carry my tired body up a >100m hill to my house from where I worked.

I used slick 700x40 tires, which were the largest I could use on that frame. And I had an external motor underneath the down tube, driving the rear wheel by a small pitch chain. I used 24V 22Ah SLA batteries, which made the bike quite heavy and not particularly fun.

There's something pleasant and harmonious about a powered bicycle that still weighs and moves like an unpowered bicycle. If I were to do one now, I'd probably use a Carradice seat bag for a lithium polymer battery and controller, with a small geared hub motor in front.

Chalo

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I'm definitely keen to try and reduce the size of the battery and controller, and even the motor (at a cost of power). I'm hoping to go to a much smaller LiPo pack and controller (36V ~8ish AH, with a vectored sinusoldal controller). The beastly Allcell pack is a result of product testing, and really would be much better suited on a cargo bike, with its 40A capabilities. A waterbottle style battery is also of interest!

Commuter Build

robbie

1 W

Chalo

100 TW

robbie

1 W

miuan

10 kW

robbie

1 W

Chalo

100 TW

robbie

1 W

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