A2B Metro - www.ultramotor.com - Video Page4

[wymjymn]

I need to replace my 68-406 Kenda Kraze tires that are oem on my A@B.
I have found some available but have a sizing question.
The Kenda Kraze went out of production in 2009~10. The Kenda Flame 68-406 is available here and there. A Swiftor 76-406 appears to be a more conventional (rounded edges) tire. All tires carry a 20 x 3.0 designation.
Can I draw any accurate size information from the 68.406/76.406 etrto sizing with regard to the actual tire size???
I ask as there is only room to increase the diameter of the rear by 3~4mm before I have fender to tire interference.

Any advice would be appreciated..

And Ypedal….are you suggesting that the screw mount to the rear swing , near the pivot, is the area that allows for the transfer of NOISE?.....and if yes, just jbweld the fender to that mount area?

wj

[The Stig]

Anybody have any idea if the a2b batteries could work with Regen? Both batteries will be wired in series for 72V and the controller is a lyen.

Would bypassing the BMSs for discharge/regen be a bad idea?

What would ya'll say was the best and lightest available direct drive motor to run in the A2B at 72V 30A? I wanted a sensord rear HT2425 but they're not available yet

[Ypedal]

Depends on what you expect from it but a 9C motor on an A2B frame would be ok.. if mine quits before i sell it it's getting an X5 !... If the controller quits i gut it and keep the stock motor with an external controller... if the battery quits first i'll flip a coin..

I would not push too much regen into the stock A2B battery and certainly not push it at 30 amps, they are Sanyo 18650 cells of the high capacity variety not high-rate cells, the 11ah pack does ok at 20 amps but would suffer at 30.

[The Stig]

Yeah I'll probably be Setting the limit between 25A-28A.

I'll see if I can get a 9C in europe but I'll need new spokes too. But that means regen and hopefully I can limit the regen to something like 10A.

The lyen controller program has this parameter which probably for limiting the regen amps:
"EBS Level (optional)
This is to select the strength of electric braking system"


X5 on an a2b huh. Are you gonna put shove lipo in the frame?
I have my old stock motor lying around gather dust...

[Ypedal]

Alright, it's October and weather sucks balls right now.. supposed to clear up a bit by the weekend but man it's rough right now........

Rainy day project, add a few more volts to the " A " pack !!!

10ah PSI lifepo4 cell !

[Ypedal]

45v ! woot !

it's not much, but it will help with sluggish top speed ! i expect a few more kph !

If nothing fails within a few rides, i'll add 3 more volts !

[wymjymn]

so what top speed increase have you seen?...does it hurt the initial roll on acceleration?

wj

[Ypedal]

Ok, i did not want to post results until i had a chance to run this for a while.. since it's been pouring rain for the last 3 days commuting to work i've had that chance.. and results.

The acceleration is not much changed at all, it's still soft start as usual, but the top speed is a tad faster, since the operating voltage is 3v higher it results in aprox 2 to 3 kph improvement in top speed. Hey, every bit helps ! lol.

The throttle Led's are wired directly to the A pack, so un-affected by increased voltage to the motor controller.

Tonight, i add 3 more volts !

Bottom line here, the A2B is not meant for high speed, it handles like a tank ( compared to my other bikes ) so going 50 kph on this thing is certainly not a good idea.. 35 kph ok.. 40 max imo.. maybe with better tires.

[pjpeter]

:lol:

Question: Do you have any details on that Jeep bike? I have what could be an identical bike I was considering electrifying - I wasn't sure though how it would work out and if i could even find a rear rack for it. It'd be great to hear a bit more on it - I've also been considering whether to get an A2B Metro for 1900 CAD so it's great to see the side by side comparison.

Thanks,
Peter

[Ypedal]

Hmm.. i know i have a full folder of pictures from this build but canot find it.. only one i have on hand right now is this :

jeep.JPG (66.39 KiB) Viewed 1420 times

came together nicely, the rear rack was already on the bike when i got it for conversion.

Well, update on the A2B, the charger fan finally quit after 2 years, it may be victim of dog hair but i dont think so, i usually make sure the area is clear before turning it on .. but will investigate today..

[pastaisfood]

I'm looking at a used A2B metro today. As an ebike noob, is there anything in particular I should be looking for?

[The Stig]

Test what the capacity of the battery is to see if its still in good shape.

[pastaisfood]

Well, I bought it, $700. Seems to be in good shape, we'll see how the battery does!

[AussieJester]

Well, I bought it, $700. Seems to be in good shape, we'll see how the battery does!

WoW!!! fantastic price, i honestly would pay
that just for the bike without electrics, i really
like the frame on these, well suited to a non-hub
drive, would love to see an astro3220/recumpence drive
on one..:: hint hint :: YPeDaLMaN

KiM

[The Stig]

I recently finished hooking up the two A2B batteries in series using a Diode in parallel with each battery and I nice relay for my on off switch. However I am having intermittent current issues. The motor runs smoothly no load, but stutters and is underpowered when under load. If I disconnect one of the batteries and run it at 36V it runs smoothly. It's probably the BMS. Does anyone know if theres a way to remedy this and avoid bypassing the BMS during discharge?

Link to new topic about the issue: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=35078#p511018

[pastaisfood]

Well, I've had my new (used) metro for about a month now and I've been able to put over a 100 miles on her thanks to this crazy warm winter. Off season prices for in season weather. Hooray.

Anyway, this is my first ebike and I've officially caught the bug. It's a great way to get around my Big Ten college town. I cut down a solid chunk of the rear mudflap, as it was always rubbing against the tire, and tightening it in did not help. I've read this isn't an uncommon problem with the metro. Working on getting an extended seat post...at 6'5" my pedaling is way inefficient even with the seat all the way up. That being said I do pedal constantly and enjoy the bit of exercise it gets me. I knew this would be an issue with any ots ebike I got, but I couldn't turn down this deal.

It's heavy, and carrying it up and down the half flight of stairs to my apartment is a bit of a hassle, but really not that bad. I would like to see how a lighter ebike handles, b/c the metro is a bit tankish.

So far so good, the bike's definitely a headturner. Can't wait until spring!

[The Stig]

Well, I've had my new (used) metro for about a month now and I've been able to put over a 100 miles on her thanks to this crazy warm winter. Off season prices for in season weather. Hooray.

Anyway, this is my first ebike and I've officially caught the bug. It's a great way to get around my Big Ten college town. I cut down a solid chunk of the rear mudflap, as it was always rubbing against the tire, and tightening it in did not help. I've read this isn't an uncommon problem with the metro. Working on getting an extended seat post...at 6'5" my pedaling is way inefficient even with the seat all the way up. That being said I do pedal constantly and enjoy the bit of exercise it gets me. I knew this would be an issue with any ots ebike I got, but I couldn't turn down this deal.

It's heavy, and carrying it up and down the half flight of stairs to my apartment is a bit of a hassle, but really not that bad. I would like to see how a lighter ebike handles, b/c the metro is a bit tankish.

So far so good, the bike's definitely a headturner. Can't wait until spring!

Good to hear man. I don't think pedaling really does that much when riding around on that hulk. Always be comfortable!

[pastaisfood]

Need to adjust the brakes, got the front knocked out with an assist from :

http://www.ecovelo.info/2011/04/15/a-fo ... sc-brakes/

For the rear brake, is there any good way to get at the pad adjustment knob? It's pretty well obstructed by the motor.

[Ypedal]

You can turn the red knob without using any tools, but if there is much grit in there you may have to remove the 2 bolts to lift the caliper from the mount and clean it.

http://ypedal.com/A2B/a2b2.htm

[deepfraught]

Just got one used, also white, great thread Ypedal. Sold my 3 wheel 500cc scooter so something more camp and ridicule attracting was required.
Wife introduced it to her remote mining/country town family and parents down for the weekend as "this is his new 11th bike, the Metro...sexual, that he bought from... a Lesbian" (true story)
Ours claims 200W and 25kph top speed limited for throttle only use.
Can't find the "offroad button" or mention of it in owners manual.
First mod - de-restrict to 500W dammit still no luck, any help please post!)
Second mod - stealth de-stickering not possible, they're under a clearcoat paint layer

[deepfraught]

Here is another little interesting snippit I found online while doing more research. Seems some Metro's have an OffRoad-Boost button right next to the throttle.
Anybody know if that is a feature of the EU/pedal assist bikes? Or if controler just dumps more unregulated amps into the motor?

Source http://crave.cnet.co.uk/gadgets/0,39029552,49302308,00.htm

In england and probably the rest of the EU the A2B Metro is limited to 250W unless you press that "off road button" then it becomes a normal 500W A2B Metro.

I'm in Aus and don't have that button at all... GPS confirmed ~25kph as stated in the 200W 25kph limit owners manual.
Does anyone have photos of their relay box wiring with that "offroad switch" traced to where it goes?
I just checked and didn't find any obvious connector that plugged or unplugged that changed the wheel speed.
Just the LED lights and throttle in black plugs, battery relay and battery wires in white plugs, black/grey plugs, and the brake kill switch signals white/black. I unplugged the front brake kill switch for burnouts
I'm just stumped for de-restricting it now, hopefully something on the controller board inside... but still a pain.
My relay box said model C on it, in case othershave the offroad switch wires additionally in there.

[Ypedal]

My Metro does not have that button either.

I"m fairly sure all the settings are programmed at the controller and would require opening the motor to mess with... If you bother un-lacing the wheel, opening the motor ( press fit, not screwed. ) you may as well cut the internal controller and run external wires to a 3rd party controller.. the soft start and power limits being removed, the motor would end up heating more and would be prone to controller failures if left inside the hub..

If i dont sell my Metro soon, it's getting modded the moment something fails..

[deepfraught]

Yeah it's a small shame. I've hunted through the wiring, but no luck finding a harness plug to bridge for the European offroad button that I hoped for.
15mph looks terrible on paper for all that weight and cost, but wasn't as bad on the road after a test commute day Friday, finishing trip about the same time as most faster road bike commute rides.

I've only ever shattered that time riding the Norco fast for a battery test, after peak hour on a Friday evening, home by dusk, low pedestrian traffic on shared paths, got home in 35min with 32mph top cruise speed only reached a few times. That wasn't any real cycling though and I didn't enjoy it as much.
I did enjoy the cycle challenge of the stock A2B. I rode home with new wide panniers carrying some new cycle stuff that had arrived with the panniers and had been sitting at work for a couple weeks, trickling it home in spare space on the road bike backpack. Since the A2B Metro has rear suspension, I used the backpack rack bungee cords under tension to the swingarm as pannier stays, it did a pretty good job to get me home safe, only one bit spot of rubbing wear.

I don't mind the soft start, I'm not wanting to wheelie it like the Norco I was still able to cross the road quickly enough with or without pedalling to slip through gaps in traffic. Trying to figure out a removable auxillary battery option with either a 7Ah 36V watter bottle mounting type I have, or 10Ah 36V seat post type. Both options taking up luggage space with current ideas.
Has to be removable so I can ride on auxillary B batt, charge it at work, ride home on frame A batt and charge at home.
Factory option B batt would be ideal to keep more luggage options and convenience... but $650+ ouch. I emailed Ultramotor asking if any refurbished or unservicable B batt's, but no reply.

I was wondering what B batt with +12-18V (<60V) would do for top speed, if controller didn't drop current to keep the 15mph speed limit.
I saw mention of 62V on controller caps.

[Gregor]

Please excuse me if I have skipped over this somewhere in the 14 pages, but hasn't anyone run this stock motor/int. controller at 48v for any extended period of time yet? If it's still the slow start, that's OK, but it would be nice to know if this motor could be put on a much lighter wt. frame with maybe 2 inch wide tires and get some good performance out of it? I have purchased a wheel (rear) only and it has just been sitting, even though it is fairly easy to hook it up to any hall throttle and a battery and I'd be good to go. I just don't want to put the time in to relacing it and find the right frame to put it into. Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

[Ypedal]

The whole soft start makes it not worth the hassle and potential over-heating of the internal controller at 48v imo.

Yes, it works.. but no it's not right.

This thing really needs to be opened up and gutted.. The motor has plenty of potential as a 3000~5000w rig, but needs a proper external controller.