Anyone from Australia?

[Peter Brigg]

I am looking around for a hub motor front wheel ungeared brushless and am a bit wary of such items on eBay that don't give a brand name and only give a short warranty under 12 months.If something is any good you would think a dealer can give 12 months warranty.
Also looking for members in Australia who can put me on to dealers in this country-also to discuss what is available here-perhaps go for a tryout on a bike.
USA seems to have many people doing this sort of thing.
Have decided not to go for lead acid batteries. Too heavy and too short a life.
I am after a pretty modest setup-no speed or burnouts needed for me however I want to buy a reasonable quality product-not something that gives trouble when it is a year or so old.
Thanks
Peter

 

[Sunder]

Yep, I'm from Australia.

Good luck on finding a local store that offers more than 12 month warranties though. I believe the one in Bondi (Forgot their name, but they're on the main esplanade) offer extended warranties if you pay extra for it, but that's only for their fully pre-built bikes, which aren't cheap. They also offer 24 hour hire for very little for someone considering buying an electric bike. Which state are you in, by the way?

I think right now there are two types of eBike riders:

1. Those that are willing to spend $3k+ on a quality professionally built device. Nothing to touch, set and forget charging, fully road legal, and are mostly ridden on bike paths to aid the cyclists that got culled from the Tour de France teams.

2. Those that convert using $300+ kits, and have the expertise to replace things as they break. These bikes are customised, use RC batteries, and programmable balance chargers, not usually road legal, and can keep up with traffic.

I'm guessing you're in the first category?

 

[nechaus]

G'day!!
yeah im from australia.

I would suggest buying it from http://www.ebikes.ca for a hub motor + controller.
cost you around 500-600 for a good kit that's better than anything on ebay.

As for batteries id suggest Ping Batteries http://www.pingbattery.com/ they sell Lifep04 (safe Lithium batteries) very easy to use and setup

What are you going to use the bike for ?


I should prob tell you the law here is also 200 watt limit..

But that should not stop you from buying a decent powered setup, otherwise you may not use it,

 

[GrayKard]

Member Hyena does ebike stuff and is an Aussie. Hyena Electric Bikes

Gary

 

[jonescg]

I'd recommend Glowworm in Marrickville. Otherwise order stuff online from anywhere in the world.

The 200W rule is easily circumvented with a sticker

 

[Spicerack]

You'll have problems with warranty..... most of us get stuff from overseas and mix'n'match.

Hyena (Jay) here may be able to help.

Let's not forget Cellman (Paul) as he stocks some good quality kits, direct drive and geared. He does live in China, but sends stuff pretty quickly and is good to deal with.

 

[Hillhater]

Hyena (Jay) on here is a good source, but has not been to well of late, and Gloworm Cycles in Marrickville , Sydney ( member , Voicecoils on here) are good to deal with too.

 

[tailwind]

Theres are thread with lots of local resources,

Australia - resources for e-bikes, kits and parts
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=17526

Greg

 

[Peter Brigg]

Thanks for those replies-I am in Maryborough Q so my closest place to get e bike stuff(in person) is in Brisbane.
My plan is to have a bike to get around town (flat town Maryborough) and to move around my 5 ac place which has a few dips and gullies-I grow fruit trees as a hobby and to get to the trees (perhaps 5 or 6 times a day) involved 300m walk and a bit of up and down.
I'm getting on a bit- 66 years old and speed is not my aim.
The plan that is now forming in my mind is to get some reasonable quality components and fit them to an existing bike.
A front wheel 9 Continents motor plus matching controller,hand throttle and a lithium battery pack that will do about 20km on a charge.(long distance is not involved-going up town and back is just 6km).
My feeling is that the total bill will be getting close to $750.Have looked up prices on E-MTB website (Melbourne-I think).
The plan would be to keep a look out for a ladies step thru bike at the recycling centre and eventually change the bits and pieces on to that bike so either myself or the missus can use it.
My thinking about the front wheel hub is for getting up the occasional steep pinch (max 20metres at about 12 degree slope)-I would pedal to assist.
A motor rated at 350w or 500w would seem to be the most I would need. I admire the enthusiasts who want to test the limits with this e-bike stuff-we all learn from them however for me it's just a way of getting around easier. Any thoughts?

 

[LegendLength]

9c hub will be fine but if you aren't after high speed you could easily go to a lighter motor, maybe even a cute 100 (bit biased because I love those little motors).

I get about 30 km with 600 watt hours of lipo so you should be fine with 4 bricks (50 bucks each from hobby king). Although if you don't want to stuff around you would be better off with a ping LiFe pack which is a little more expensive and heavy but contains an onboard system that takes care of the battery for you (i.e. a BMS).

You'll also need a charger (100 - 200 bucks depending on quality) and a power supply for the charger (another 50 or 100 bucks).

Throw in delivery for all those items and you'll be looking at $1000 - $1200 AUD as my rough guess.

I purchased my 9C motor from http://e-mtb.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=65_66 which is melbourne based. They were very helpful with good prices. I had Hyena (forum member from sydney) help me wire up the battery pack and he is highly recommended as you can see from this thread.

If your budget is a strict $700 you may be forced to buy a second hand hub motor (probably a great idea for your first bike anyway) and get a second hand charger as well. Also a second hand controller wouldn't be out of the question.

Also note the hub motors are quite hard to pedal without power. When my battery dies I struggle on any type of gradient, it's easier to push (4.5 kg batteries, 8 kg motor and 2 kg controller and battery box = 15 kg extra weight). It's not just the weight of the motor it is also the passive magnets working against you. For that reason you may wish to consider a geared motor which is an absolutely fine choice for the type of riding you wish to do. i.e. low power riding without any jumping or off-road.

 

[Miles]

Aussie Role Call: http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13395

 

[heathyoung]

There is a heap of us on here. I do controller mods and repairs, so when you blow one (or need a good second-hand unit, I chop and change controllers very regularly) give me a yell.