Thinking of getting an E bike

Jay64

Jay64

100 kW
Joined
Nov 16, 2007
Messages
1,640
Location
St. Petersburg, Florida
Looks like my home based work isn't cutting it bills wise, so I am applying for another job. I'm going in for my interview on Wed. It is 6 miles from my house. I decided that I don't want to drive my 2500 truck to work everyday, so I might as well use an electric bicycle. I could just ride my regular bicycle, but I don't want to show up for work all sweaty. On the way home it would be no problem and actually help with my training. So I'm trying to decide which way to go. Should I build my mountain bike into an electric bike, or should I buy one of these cheap electric bikes that already has everything done, and then I can supe it up more later?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=6339293
I'm thinking it might almost be about the same amount of money to buy all the parts to convert my current bicycle as it would be to buy this thing.
I've been looking around for some ways to convert my bike and haven't found any good ones yet. Any suggestions?
 
I just got a e bike a month ago. I really enjoy it . I saw where you mentioned training.

I will train in the summer for some 100 mile rides. I dont think the ebike really helps with that for as speed work. However, since i get on it all the time right now i save money and burn calories.. Mine rides about 22 on the flats no wind zero assist. So i start to pedal to help that out and you get a light work out but you get lots of them..

I think you will really like it . Good luck with your pick.
 
What bike did you end up going with, how much was it?
 
Nobody has any input on this bike, or an alternative to building one?

I was thinking that it would be cheaper to build a bike then to buy one that is already built, but for the price of that bike, it seems cheaper to buy that one. I have two mountain bikes that I could use to make an ebike, but if I am going to spend the same amount of money to convert one as to just buy a 3rd bike, I might as well get the third bike. Both of my mountain bikes have front suspension and I saw it stated that a front hub shouldn't be used on bikes with front suspension.
 
:idea: I think that bike is a good idea.

You can also increase the voltage to get more power so:

:arrow: 24 volt - 30 amp controller (450 watt)

:arrow: 36 volt - 30 amp controller (675 watt)

...translates into an increase of 50% more power and speed. (or somewhere in that neighborhood)

Just don't do this:

:arrow: 24 volt - 30 amp controller (450 watt)

:arrow: 36 volt - 40 amp controller (900 watt)

...unless you are prepared to deal with cooling it or getting something like an Armature Current Limiting circuit (like I'm working on) to prevent overheating.

If I were you I'd just buy it and start riding... you will be spending plenty of time later building other stuff and you need at least one bike to be RIDING while you do all the other work.
 
Jay64 said:
Nobody has any input on this bike, or an alternative to building one?
Click to expand...
There are two things I don't like about it
1. This bike is a little under-powered at only 450W/24amp
2. It does not have front disk brakes.

However, there are some good points about it
1. It is a cheap starting pont.
2. You could add front disk breaks later
3. You can and easily upgrade the motor.

There is an upgrade kit made by powerpack motors at 36 volts this motor produces 738 watts and it can also be used at 48 volts. for more details check out their website.

http://www.powerpackmotors.com./index.html
 
You will get a good introduction to the idea of the "modified class" by starting with a "stock" bike like this and tricking it out. There are all kinds of upgrades that people do and some have been mentioned already.

Just getting you onto a BICYCLE verses a motorcycle or pocketbike will give you a stronger feeling for what many of us here are into. :)

Hopefully you will take an interest in true "Electric Bicycle Road Racing" as opposed to pocketbike racing.
 
safe said:

If I were you I'd just buy it and start riding... you will be spending plenty of time later building other stuff and you need at least one bike to be RIDING while you do all the other work.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that is what I was thinking too. Do you (or anyone) know if the stock controller can handle 36v or would I have to buy an aftermarket one? Also, would the controller/motor handle 48v? The reason I am asking that is because I just ordered up a 48v SLA setup. I don't need all that just to go to work 6 miles away, but it would be interesting to mess around and experiment with.

iberkt, if the motor is totally underpowered I would rather just pay for a better setup now rather then pay for this and then turn around and pay for another one. But if I can bump up the v without having to change out the motor, then I think I would be happy with it for commuting to work.
Again, looking for any upgrades that anyone has done to this particular bike.
 
Safe, a lot of what I have been hearing about is the 750w motor. Would this motor be able to handle something like that?
 
My Currie with the same motor does 36v but at 42v the throttle doesn't function. I'm not sure if that one has the same controller but I'd bet it does. I'm a cheap B'terd and I think thats the bike I'd get if I were buying. The my1018 is noisey but its a powerful little motor.

If you just ordered up 4 twelve volters you can combine with the two stockers and do a 3s2p setup for longer range. Going to be heavy though, but who cares.
 
The motor will handle 48v, but I don't know about the controller. Aftermarket brushed controllers are quite cheap from TNC scooters.
 
Well I just got the job today and it is only 6 miles away from my house (in florida so it is COMPLETLY flat), so I don't think I will be too worried about range. I will probably be doing mostly pedalling on the way home too.
 
Jay64 said:
iberkt, if the motor is totally underpowered I would rather just pay for a better setup now rather then pay for this and then turn around and pay for another one.
Click to expand...
I would not say that it is "totally" underpowered. Just that the top speed may not be as good as you might want and it may require some peddle assist to climb the steeper hills.

Jay64 said:
Do you (or anyone) know if the stock controller can handle 36v or would I have to buy an aftermarket one? Also, would the controller/motor handle 48v?
Click to expand...
If I am remembering correctly (and I may not be, someone can correct me if I am wrong) this is a brushed motor with a separate controller. It may not like being over-volted too much. I know that Currie has a 36volt controller for the scooters not so sure about the bikes since the motors rotate in the opposite direction.

I suggested the Powerpack motor because it is a brushless motor and controller.
 
fechter said:
The motor will handle 48v, but I don't know about the controller. Aftermarket brushed controllers are quite cheap from TNC scooters.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. I don't mind buying an after market brushed controller to get more power, I just didn't want to turn around and buy a new motor.
 
I just got in a brushed 48v 20a controller from that HK company that sells the cheap brushless 28a 48v ones. $30 with shipping. Hopefully I will get it on my Currie soon and let you know how the 1018 does at 48. You'll probably have bought something by then though. :!:
 
So this bike has a currie 1018 motor on it? I've been to 5 different websites that carry this bike and haven't found any real specifics about the motor or controller.
 
I've got that ebike at the moment... my suggestion would be to get rid of the currie tech batteries (coz they are heavy mofo / their chargers are shithouse!)...

At the moment, i'm running a 36v 20aH SLA Pack which does around 35km/h... Also now have got a Doc Wattson to monitor my battery usage / levels.

However, goign to ditch the stock setup, and move to a hub motor setup (I currently have a duct tape lifepo4 pack coming - 46v 15aH). Still deciding between a puma or an x5304 setup
 
Jay64 said:
So this bike has a Currie 1018 motor on it? I've been to 5 different websites that carry this bike and haven't found any real specifics about the motor or controller.
Click to expand...
I know it is difficult finding specifics on these motors. I could only find information on the 450 watt Scooter motor. I think it is the same (or at least in the same ballpark) except that the rotation is reversed, but I'm not 100% positive.

Motor:
Voltage: 24 VDC
Rated Speed: 2300R/Min
Rated Current: 28 Amp
Output: 450 Watt

Controller
DC Brush motor Controller
Input Voltage: 24 Volts
Control Voltage: 1-4 Volts
Output Current: 30 Amp

I know that Currie has 20 Amp and a 30 Amp controller so it could be either.
 
There is a bit of info on the MY1018 on these boards...

Reid W. did a good thread on forced air @36V.

I drilled the shit outta mine and will try testing @48V... when I get my friggin turbotrainer back (lent out).

As Ice said, they can be a bit noisy, but they are cheap and easy. Hmmmmm.... 8)
 
1018Z

I've already modeled that motor with my spreadsheets. If you plan to go to 48 volts I'd STRONGLY suggest doing an (ACL) Armature Current Limiting circuit to cut down the excess low end heat problems. This is a chart of what I think is about as good as you can expect using 48 volts. Notice that if you did it with the ACL circuit you could achieve the extra power without much difference in heat production. Go without the ACL circuit and you have a heat problem. (you would need either air cooling or ice cooling) The chart values are in watts.

If you want the spreadsheet I could post it too...
 

Attachments

  • 1018Z 24V BCL to 48V ACL at 30 Amp.gif
    1018Z 24V BCL to 48V ACL at 30 Amp.gif
    12.2 KB · Views: 2,162
  • 1018Z Dimensions.jpg
    1018Z Dimensions.jpg
    26.3 KB · Views: 1,947
TylerDurden said:
There is a bit of info on the MY1018 on these boards...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. The problem I was having was that all the websites that were selling the bike, didn't list a spec on what motor the bike had, so I couldn't find info on a motor that I didn't know what I was looking for. Now that I know that this bike comes with the 1018, it will help me to look up more info on it.
 
Since the forum upgrade, the search-engine is kinda tight... you can search using the "any" selection with:

1018
my1018
my1018z
1018z

Search found 83 matches

Search term used: (my1018|my1018z|1018|1018z)


:?
 
Thanks for that tip. I did the search and got 82 posts too. Turns out the first 10 or so were just from this thread. :lol: But when I got to the end of page one and tried to go on to the next page of results, it said no results available. :cry: If anyone has any good mods that they have done with this bike or motor, I would be glad to hear about them. How does this motor compare with the kolls motor? From what I have seen so far, the kolls motor has a higher rating.

I have decided to go ahead and get this one from Walmart, less then $300. Considering my regular vehicle is a huge Dodge 2500 diesel truck, and diesel is currently about $3.39/gal here, I should be able to make up this money in no time. I figure that it will take 142 days of riding to and from work to make up for the price of the bike. But that is not figuring in the extra cost of electricity to charge the bike up. But then again, if I use my stock DeWalt battery packs and just bring them into work and charge them at work, I won't have to pay for that. :twisted: I'm not doing this just to save money, but that is a perk. I think it will be pretty fun to ride a motorized bike to work everyday. Now I just need to find an good etek or Perm for that ICE motorycle that is just sitting in my side yard with a blown engine. 8)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Need help on what bike to get (EU)
Replies
23
Views
717
1boris
1
lakeyboi12
    • Like
Idea for a high capacity e-bike using LiFePO4 12 volt batteries. Good idea or nuts?
Replies
18
Views
919
Ebike Bob
Ebike Bob
H
MAX speed of 30mph on my DIY E-Bike kit. 3000w, 72v battery, 30amp controller. What am I doing wrong?
Replies
10
Views
735
2old
2
inkobl
Valdenaire french postman bicycle TSDZ2B, TSDZ8 or BBS02B ?
Replies
22
Views
1,672
inkobl
inkobl
T
Stolen Cheetah Lessons Learned
Replies
10
Views
792
m3vuv
M
Back
Top