Noob in need of some advise please.

[digitalkiwi]

I've been browsing this site and speaking to a mate who has electrified his bike and I've come to the decision that I want to electrify one of the two bikes I have laying around. I would like to hear your thoughts, tips or any potential pitfalls I might fall into.

I have these two bikes laying around.
Kona Aloha and Norco hard tail (both quite old)
Better to have the suspension or not?

I'm looking at a rear wheel hub, 48v, around 500w, batteries from Hobbyking (I'm based in Australia) - I'm looking to do pedal assist 50/60km trips, not off road (mainly a commute into town/beach when the wife has the car)(having a second car in Aus is not worth the cost)
I'm a little torn between getting a good set up that I could potentially swap out if I want a better bike or going as cheap as possible to see if the investment is worth it (its not something that will be used on a day to day basis, more once or twice a week max)

I'm considering this set up:
http://www.bmsbattery.com/ebike-kits/400-250w350w-q-85100sx-motor-bike-conversion-kit.html
With these batteries
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__19531__ZIPPY_Flightmax_8000mAh_6S1P_30C_AUS_Warehouse_.html

I'm also considering splashing out and getting the Magic pie but I need to do some more research. (anyone got any views on this)
http://www.bmsbattery.com/hub-motor/429-magicpie3-third-generation-ebike-hub-motor.html

Does anyone have any comments on this set up, (I've read about the dealings with BMS - I'm trying to build this as cheaply as possible and my friend had a good experience with them)

I'm wondering if anyone has put together a step by step video of their build? including any pitfalls?
What are the problems I'm likely to run into? ie not bolting in / lining up correctly? are there common issues that arise?
Torque arms - what do I need to know here? being rear mounted and 500w do I need to be concerned?
What other misc bits do I need to get ie. a threaded cluster?

I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty!
(Background as an Auto Electrician (15years ago now though) and I've done a mechanical engineering course that coincided with being an auto sparky) so I'm happy with to get my head around DC and mechanical concepts.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mark5]

For a video I like the one below best which shows kit installation in 13 minutes. Hyena is on E-S and in Sydney.

Hyena Electric Bikes kit installation tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwIp3GC5F_c

 

[wesnewell]

Lots of options in AU
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=48v+1000w&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1

 

[dogman dan]

Either bike will work fine. Just get a direct drive motor, or a larger gearmotor and put it on the rear. It doesn't sound to me like you want a tiny low power motor, despite the nanny state rules you have to endure. Ride like a gentleman, and pedal all the time and you won't likely have cop trouble with more than 200w.

Installing the kit is easy, and one simple torque arm should be all you need for 1000w or less.

Re the batteries, that's where all the pitfalls lie. Nothing wrong with the lipo route, I have 48v 45 ah of it. But don't charge it where a pack catching fire will burn the house. If you live in apartments, it's for sure got to go outside. Get hardpacks, or build a hard shell around the pack, so you don't ding them the first time you drop it, or chafe holes in packs carrying them on the bike.

The number one thing about RC packs, chuck em immediately if they act funny. Any that won't stay balanced, or stink, or have a crushed corner, TRASH THEM RIGHT AWAY. If you do that, your pack will need very little TLC to operate safely.

 

[Ussyamoto]

I've got a magic pie 3.
Havn't had one problem with it in the 1000 miles I've used it.
I use mine as a daily commuter 22 mile round trip at WOT the entire time.

One issue is always double check your screws before you ride. Before I got my torque arms my axle nut would come loose every so often.

 

[d8veh]

You'll be lucky to get much more than 20mph out of the Q128. The one I had was gutless even at 30A. They have the Q128H now, which can handle more power, but it's still a small motor, so It's not going to do 60km/h unless you chuck it off a cliff.

A 328 rpm BPM will get you to about 45kn/hr with enough torque to make it realistic. Whatever motor you get, you need enough torque to reach the speed you want, and you need a lot to reach 50km/h. High torque means high current, which means a strong (normally heavy) battery. Set your sights a bit lower speedwise, and you can have a powerful electric bicycle. Normally, I'd say 40 km/h is what's comfortable for a bicycle. After that, you go to something that's heavy. For 50km/hr, you need a 1000w direct drive motor, at least 30A controller and a minimum 48v battery capable of giving that current. Higher voltage would be better.

 

[TotalConfusion]

For a video I like the one below best which shows kit installation in 13 minutes. Hyena is on E-S and in Sydney.

Hyena Electric Bikes kit installation tutorial

Hyenas kits are ment to be good but i gave up trying to get one myself after no return email after 3 weeks of waiting and went and bought all my parts seperately.

Have you considered a Mac 10T motor from Paul at all and one of his 50 volt batteries? The upgraded motor would serve you well and they are still quite small compared to a DD motor.

Take a look at his site, he ships from Hong Kong i think and my battery only took a few days in poatsge to get to me. http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=36&product_id=138