A2B Metro - www.ultramotor.com - Video Page4

[Ypedal]

[DervAtl]

That's a really nice ride! Quite the looker too. That bike will get a lot of attention in any group. I've been wondering what the performance is like ever since I saw a short promo video. Thanks for the comparison.

[Ypedal]

posted the video but completely forgot to add the comments..

The Jeep had a 10ah LiFePo4 pack and hot off the charger ( in cold weather ) the voltage dropped to 33~34v, but as lfp chemistry does, the voltage stays level pretty much all the way thru the discharge..

The A2B has a Li Manganese battery, hot off the charger is 41.8v and even without a CA meter hooked up i know the voltage will start high and work it's way lower as the discharge happens,normal for LiMn... thus the bike slows down as the battery state of charge goes down.

This can be seen in run 1, 2, 3, and 4 as both bikes are getting into the same voltage they pretty much end up neck and neck. Tho i weigh more, and the A2B is a heavier bike, i suspect it's controller is pushing a bit over 20 amps.. will know by the weekend !

I popped the bottom cover on the frame, found a load of trailer connectors, a few relays, and a small multi pin connector for what i suspect is the pedal sensor on the Hybrid model. pictures tonight ..

[Sacman]

Sweet looking ride Gaston! Thanks for the vids. Looks pretty solid and comfy suspension and tires too. Should be very stable riding at 20mph.
How do you think the ride would be at 40mph? I'm also wondering how well it climbs hills. Can you try it on a few steep hills in your area next time out?

[dogman]

It looks like just about the perfect ready made bike. Love the use of good components even though it does put the price up higher. The watt limit is what it is, no point in trying to sell a bike that can't be street ridden unless it's a dedicated dirt bike like the bombers. Extra sweet though, if the battery b could be 48v. Somehow, I just can't see that being ok though. I bet it's just 36v. But with the 20" tires and a motor that still does 20 mph, it sounds like plenty of torque and adequate speed for a daily commuter. Really love the fat tires!

Now all I need is $2700. Maybe in my lifetime, the frames will start to show up at the flea.

[zap]

I had a chance to ride an A2B for a mile or two last summer.
It was a salesman's demo, I don't know how many miles it had on it.

My ebike experience isn't that vast but I thought it was a nice bike. At first all I could relate it to was a bmx on steroids. When I first started out it kind of felt like a moped that you could actually pedal well.
I though it was a really nice bike, nice ride, and plenty of pep and by the end of the ride I was in love with it.

The salesman said he rode it to work often, a little over 15 miles one way.

The only thing that concerned me was the fact that almost every connection on the plastic fenders had what looked like Gorilla Glue added to them because the screw had stripped or something. It was a demo model so no telling what kind of abuse the thing had received but it still rode well and as Ypedal said, it's a 'head turner'.

The salesman also had a ZAP Xebra sedan that I took around the block.
I wasn't too impressed with that thing. The brakes were horrible, fit and finish was so so... I walked away with the feeling that it was an overpriced fancy golf cart.

[evblazer]

Now all I need is $2700. Maybe in my lifetime, the frames will start to show up at the flea.

No flea make sure you hit up the estate sales. This is the kind of item that will go on the cheap because relatives won't know what it is worth and neither will most buyers.
It looks like a really good bike to get my wife to/from work without her having to change. $2700 is a little steep for that but it is one of the few bikes that would pass her fit and finish approval.
I like the kickstand looks similar, but more refined, to one I saw on amazon and I'm thinking of getting for my ride.

http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Sunlite-Double-Kickstand/dp/B000AO9Z7K/ref=pd_sim_sg_12

[Lock]

Also notice the mud guards, stiff plastic, solidly attached and they cover the width of those massive 3" tires, the front one could be a bit longer in the back for added splash protection but would not look as good.. i'm satisfied with both front and rear for now, will need to go for a ride in the pouring rain to get a proper test out of them.

If yer not happy w/the length and still concerned about looks I'd consider a telescoping mudguard extension that slides over the original with friction fit/whatever so you could extend the guard in rain-only and collapse/retract the rest of the time.
Lock

[Ypedal]

Hey Guys !!.. update time !

Going back a bit to answer Doctorbass's question about wire gauge, 12 awg !

Removed the 4 screws at the bottom of the frame, cut the zip ties from the wires going to the motor.. the one screw behind the chainring was a bugger, i have a crank puller but instead i used a ratchet with short bit to get at it..

[Ypedal]

Inside this cover i found 2 relays, wires are potted into the top of them ( very good job of keeping the water out !!! ++ UM !

I have not fished the wires yet but i suspect they operate from the key switch for A or B battery.

[Ypedal]

At the very bottom of the unit i found what looks like the throttle wires ( pleasant surprise for when i want to disable the LED on the throttle, 48v !! ) .

And a Fuse !

[Ypedal]

I see a Sanyo sticker !

And 2 black loops for what i assume is a method to yank the battery pack out of the frame. I see not nuts and bolts holding the pack in there so it has to be an adhesive type thing.

[Ypedal]

While on my back looking at the bottom of the frame, noticed something cool.

The gusset that the wires run into is setup in such a way that water can't get into the main tube of the frame, very well thought out. The more i look the more i find on this bike.

[Ypedal]

Going into the motor are 2 power wires, and a smaller 4pin connector.

This is where i'm going to install the CA meter tonight !

[Ypedal]

UM logo machined into the motor, nice touch !

[Ypedal]

Ok, time to install that CA !

Got the tools out, crimper, 45 amp Andersons, wire cutters, blade knife..

[Ypedal]

Nice wire !! 12 AWG

[Ypedal]

Well Hello Mr. Anderson !

[Ypedal]

A2B + C.A =

[Ypedal]

Now that the CA is installed, Some Data !!

No load current at 39v = 0.95 amps

Pin the throttle from a dead stop, Current Limit = ~ 25 amps ( momentary peak of 28 )

GPS speed on level ground, 32~34 km/h on a fresh charge, 30~32 once voltage settles at 30+ % DOD.

Cruising on level ground, 185lbs rider, power consumption no pedaling = 350 ~ 450w

On medium grade hills the motor keeps it's speed very well, smooth power, the motor does not vibrate as the power comes on, at least nothing like a crystalyte. Going up Salisbury Rd. the speed on GPS went down to 26 km/h with 650~700w continuous.

I take my comments back on the seat, if you pull your butt forward some it's easy to pedal along in top gear and keep your speed up, this seat may stay after all.. The foam soften's up after a few minutes and you get a butt-groove that prevents you from sliding around.. not bad !

Put on aprox 10kms. i need to calibrate the speedometer on the CA, it's set for a 24" wheel right now.

[Ypedal]

Just got back from a 40 minute ride !

, and

This bike is like a gym exercise bike with a scenery and fresh air thrown in for free !..

I went up and down this road ( St George Blvd ):

Just to give you a visual of what is considered a " Hill " around my area...


The Metro went up no problem at all barely slowing down and could easily be pedaled at top cadence in 7th gear along with 550w from the motor.

The current limitting on this controller is not like crystalyte, infineon, or eZee controllers.. it seems to restrict amps below a certain rpm ( 15~20 ) , then allow up to 25+ amps mid rpm range up as required to maintain speed.

I still only have 2 good longer range rides on the Metro so far, so lots more testing to do yet.

Not sure if it's the cold weather, but that rear shock has no dampening to speak of.. it's just a spring.. period. Gotta be carefull when leaning into a turn as bumps give you wheel hop.

[Sacman]

NIce to see that the A2B can climb and not slow down. But how steep is that hill really?

Your neighbor is a crack up! Still yelling that same phrase "I'll kick yer ass boy" as your prior vids when testing the X5 uphill. It's like deja vu.

[Ypedal]

Above is an old video, just to show the hill... the A2B is NOT in that video btw !

And the neighbor, lol, what can i say... never a dull moment !

[Sacman]

Above is an old video, just to show the hill... the A2B is NOT in that video btw !

And the neighbor, lol, what can i say... never a dull moment !

Yeah it was the old video... silly me!
So how steep is that hill? 3%? 4%?

[AussieJester]

I just spoted that nice gap behind the swing arm pivot YPedal MaN-->

AB35.JPG (60.27 KiB) Viewed 485 times

Belt drive setup to a Nuvinci hub on the rear pack that frame full
of lipo goodness and you would have a rocket shipz of an ebike mate!

KiM