Nick's Black eTownie

[nicobie]

Why can't Electra build a tamer version for the masses of what you should have inspired them to do?

I sent them pics and invited them over for a ride, but for some reason they didn't seem interested.

However, they did mention that they didn't like me calling it an "eTownie".

[blissisebike]

Why does that not surprise me? Typical 'suit' behavior. The Townie is such a comfy and consumer friendly bike and imho they are missing out on a real marketing opportunity by snubbing their noses at the electric assist possibilities.

I love what you have done, but don't think I yet have enough resources (in several respects) to try to do something similar. This remains, however, one of the ebike builds that truly captures my fancy.

[jkbrigman]

Nick - can you give us an update on your SWEET eTownie build?

How did the electrical components hold up? (you had tried a clyte motor and it blew up)

How has the bike held up? Still running 24" wheels? Same tires?
Anything you would or would not change since you posted the build thread?

JKB

[nicobie]

The bike is holding up fine. The motor that cooked was a reject from the factory. I think it came with a small short in the windings that got big in the first couple minutes. The replacement HT3525 that I got from methods has been working flawlessly. Lyen's 12 fet set at 60a battery and 135a phase is working fine as is the Magura throttle. I wired the controller to a key switch that locks the motor when switched on. This is a nice feture that all lyen's controllers are capable of doing.

I changed my 4s boost pack out for a 6s one. Now I'm hitting 42 mph on 24s Nothing is getting too hot. The temp gauge in the motor never shows more than 80C and that is with bursts of 5500w. I did drill my side covers. If you nail the throttle at 10 mph it will lift the front wheel.

Still using a 24" with 2.5"hookworm on the rear and 26" with 2.3 big apple on the front. The bike is very stable at speed. I can take my hands off the bars at 40 mph without worry. The long wheel base makes all the difference.

The rear wheel and tire work fine, but if I was to do it over again I might use a 17 or 18" narrow moped rim and 2.75" motorcycle tire.

[kevo]

What is the weight now w/ the HT3525 and your present setup? Please describe how it does on the longest hill sections you have taken it on. Thanks for sharing your excellent build!

[Brentis]

Great job on this build Nicobie. I have admired it for years now time flies.
Id like to give my "Ghetto" bike this frame sealing treatment.
Can you give more details/pics of the wood frame/box you fastened to the Alu. frame?
Is it just self tapping metal screws through the wood into the frame? Did you pre-drill holes in the frame.
How has your method held up?

Enjoy your bad ass eTownie.

Thanks

[nicobie]

The bike weighs 85# with a full tank of Vs. I haven't yet found a hill it wouldn't go up at full throttle. However I'm sure going off road I could find some too steep to tackle. This is one of my favorite rides:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/45676552 Check out the % grade

Yep, I pre-drilled the holes with a bit slightly smaller than the self tapping screws I used to hold the side covers on with. I have checked several times for stress cracks and couldn't find any. The alum. side covers add a lot of shear strength. I think the frame is way stronger than it was stock.

[kevo]

Thanks for the details and speedy reply Nicobie. Ah Lompoc, home of Tim Brummer and his famous Lightning recumbents of which my brother and I are owners of full fairing versions of the F40 and the R84.

Comparing hills is always tricky, so appreciate the mapmyride slope of the hill outside Lompoc!

[Philistine]

It's a really cool build Nicobie. Looks crazy comfortable and really cleanly done, nice work.

[bbbelanger]

Hi Nicobie,

Very nice build I'm looking into as basis for my own Townie.

Questions on your rear disc brake retro fit:

Where di you source the Tabs for the brake.?
Did you weld this yourself ?

[nicobie]

Where di you source the Tabs for the brake.?
Did you weld this yourself ?

I just ground off the ends and tig welded one of the extra brackets that came with the Avid BB7. Easy to set up. Clamp the caliper with bracket on the rotor (using the brake lever wrapped with a rubber band) where you want it to be. Then tack it on. Remove the caliper and weld it up in steps so as to try not to get it too hot. I didn't heat treat it but it has held up fine for over a year now.

[bbbelanger]

thanks for your reply Nick. I'll be starting on my project in the late fall as a winter project.

Thank you for showing the way

[jkbrigman]

Nick - I'm about to bring online a bike that's pretty similar to yours (although mine doesn't have the badass triple forks that yours does). I'll post a thread with pics soon.

EDIT: Here's the bike. I've taken it on it's first big test ride. Dude, you're onto something here with the conversion of the "crank forward" bike to an ebike. It's a fantastic ride! This one is the Specialized Expedition Sport. (I don't mean to hijack the thread, but only to support the idea that this type of cycle platform makes a great conversion.)

No thread yet. I'll update .sig when I've got one.

JKB

[jkbrigman]

EDIT: Wiped text from prior post to provide test results...

So I've finished a 28 mile test ride with 18S10Ah LiPo. Kinda scared me - I wanted to "push" the LiPo and I did: the controller did some LVC protection with 2 miles remaining in the ride. It's a SWEET ride! Nicobie, that long wheelbase frame is fantastic for an ebike...I could manage 29.5mph max, average across the ride was about 15mph. I used 8.5Ah total on an 18S LiPo pack.

[nicobie]

Nick - do you see the same with your eTownie? I mean, I always thought it was awesome, but then I'm an ebike geek. I'm hearing from people who are geeks, but well outside the ebike commnity.

My bike gets a lot of attention. You should see the 14 year old boys drool all over it.

[100volts+]

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