nlhaines
100 W
Let me preface this by saying that I am a complete newbie and in the middle of my first e-bicycle build, but I think as such my perspective on this is important to consider....
Electric bikes and conversion kits are great, but in my opinion are being held back from wider popularity by a couple of things. For these things to work on a massive scale things need to be a lot easier. I know most of the people here enjoy engineering/modifying/tinkering their own personal setup, but most consumers don't. The average person does not want to solder, test wiring combinations, modify shunts, etc.
There is a serious lack of 2 things that make things difficult for e-bicycle consumers. Lack of standards, and lack of information.
One thing that I think would be very helpful is a database of product information. It would contain things like the following:
Hub Motor dimensions, KV Ratings, Wire guages, windings, and other specs
What kinds of connectors different products use
Maximum recommended voltages, amperages, etc
What size rim/spokes/nipples/etc are the hub motors sold by X laced with
etc.
A lot of information is buried in the forums here, and even though the its all searchable, isn't very easy to find. Maintaining such a database would be pretty time consuming, but it would make building e-bikes a lot more accessible, and would probably prevent a lot of the same questions coming up again and again.
Electric bikes and conversion kits are great, but in my opinion are being held back from wider popularity by a couple of things. For these things to work on a massive scale things need to be a lot easier. I know most of the people here enjoy engineering/modifying/tinkering their own personal setup, but most consumers don't. The average person does not want to solder, test wiring combinations, modify shunts, etc.
There is a serious lack of 2 things that make things difficult for e-bicycle consumers. Lack of standards, and lack of information.
One thing that I think would be very helpful is a database of product information. It would contain things like the following:
Hub Motor dimensions, KV Ratings, Wire guages, windings, and other specs
What kinds of connectors different products use
Maximum recommended voltages, amperages, etc
What size rim/spokes/nipples/etc are the hub motors sold by X laced with
etc.
A lot of information is buried in the forums here, and even though the its all searchable, isn't very easy to find. Maintaining such a database would be pretty time consuming, but it would make building e-bikes a lot more accessible, and would probably prevent a lot of the same questions coming up again and again.