2012 Time to build a new Ebike!

GrayKard

10 kW
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Messages
576
Location
San Antonio, Texas USA
Been thinking I need a new Ebike :D This will be all new parts so I can leave my working bike intact and have a spare.

So what do I need? Faster, more range, less flats. The bike will be for on road commuting only. With that in mind I started to think about what I need to make this happen.

Faster - First step in that would be more voltage so I've decided to go Lipo. I've ordered these from EP Buddy:

1 Ring Terminal to 4mm Female Bullet Adaptor
1 MWSE1000-24 MeanWell 1000W 24V Power Supply
1 1105-306B iCharger 306B 1000W Battery Charger with Free ParaBoard

OK so now I can charge the Lipo when I get it but what about using it? To help in that I ordered three of Methods HVC LVC boards. I plan on running 12s to start with on my current bike but on the new bike I will be running 18s.

As far as motors go I am considering a dual Mac setup with the 6t wind. I'm thinking a 350 watt version up front as it's disc brake compatible and a 500 watt in the rear.

More Range - The lipo helps here again as I can start with 1p and keep adding until I get the range I need.

Less Flats - A post JRH made in another thread about the benefits of going with moped tires and rims sounds really good to me. One thing I need to do first is decide what bike or frame I'm going to buy and see what will fit in it.

Still have lots of stuff to decide but that's half the fun...

Gary

******** Start of Edit *********

BUILD COSTS

Devinci Hectic 3 frameset: $599.00
Used Fox Van 36 RC2 fork: $450.00
Cardiff Cornwall leather saddle: $69.50
Clark front and rear hydraulic disk brakes: $148.72
Used 20mm front wheel and tire set: $110.00
iCharger 306B and 1000w 24v MeanWell PS: $389.84
2 Maxxis Hookworms 2 DH tubes 2 Mr. Tuffy Tire liners and Sealer $116.46

Total So Far: $1883.52

********* End of Edit **********
 
If your looking for less flats get Kevlar tires and thicker tubes. That's what I did and I have not had a flat in a long time.

I'm looking into getting airless tires.
 
What voltage do you plan to run the Macs? Seems like if you really want fast you should go with dd that takes 100v a bit better.

The 6t mac will be pretty fast at 15s lipo of course. A very good motor for moderately fast.
 
Jason27 said:
If your looking for less flats get Kevlar tires and thicker tubes. That's what I did and I have not had a flat in a long time.

I'm looking into getting airless tires.
Yeah, that's a thought also. What tires are you running? I hear the Schwalbe Marathon tires are pretty flat resistant. And if I go with 26 inch bike tires I won't need as fast motors to get the speed I want.

dogman said:
What voltage do you plan to run the Macs? Seems like if you really want fast you should go with dd that takes 100v a bit better.
The 6t mac will be pretty fast at 15s lipo of course. A very good motor for moderately fast.
I was thinking of 18s but waiting to hear from Cellman if that will be excessive with a 2wd Mac setup. That's why I haven't bought the batteries yet. I like DD motors but I liked the balance of small motors in both wheels better.

cassschr1 said:
Greyborg...then hopefully you can't improve and limit the loss of funds. Damn this hobby.
I have been considering a Greyborg. Would be the more expensive option but I really love that setup.

Thanks guys, your input is helping me decide between all the options.

Gary
 
My order from Methods is being packed and shipped as I type this so should have that soon. I also decided on batteries. After reading a bit more on the Zippy 8ah packs and how they don't give the full amount I decided to go with the Turnigy 5000mAh 6S 20C Lipo Packs.

From what I've read they are solid performers for the money. I ordered 6 of them and plan on running 12s in either 1p 2p or 3p on my current bike depending on how much range I need. Then I will run 18s on the one I'm building now. The charger and power supply should be here soon and the batteries in a week so I better order some connectors and wire.

I did want to get a harness from Icecube57 but his website was down. Anyone know if he is still doing those?

Gary
 
Can you send me the link for the power supply you are getting? I can't find any website that sells Mean Well power supplies.
It would be GREATLY appreciated :D
 
Trackman417 said:
Can you send me the link for the power supply you are getting? I can't find any website that sells Mean Well power supplies.
It would be GREATLY appreciated :D
Sure thing, here's a link to all their power supplies: EPbuddy power supplies

The one I bought is half way down the page: MeanWell 1000W 24V Power Supply

It's should to be a good match for the charger I purchased. I already received both the charger and power supply and everything looks good. All things listed were included and arrived undamaged. Will have to wait for my batteries to show up to use it though.
icecube57 said:
Im here didnt know the site was down.

It's working for me now thanks. Now I just have to decide on my setup.

Gary
 
Received a couple of packages last week. HVC/LVC boards from Methods and charger/power supply from EP Buddy. Both were great to deal with and will do business with them again.

Originally I had planned on buying a bicycle shaped object from Bikesdirect but that plan went out the window. After reading a few threads on people building up bikes using the Norco A-line frame it looked like a good option. But in the end I found this little beauty being sold by the same company selling the A-line.


Made by Devinci, a Canadian company, the frames are manufactured in their plant in Quebec. The one I purchased, a 2008 model, comes with a rear shock, headset and seat tube clamp and I hope to add components similar in quality to what the bike would have had when complete. Should have the frame by the end of the week or early next week :D

Gary
 
The Lipo arrived yesterday just as I was leaving for work so couldn't test them until I got home. :cry:

After work I set up the new charger and power supply and read enough of the directions to do some testing. Cells on all 6 packs are within .02 volts of each other with not more then .01 off in any one pack so looks good.

I selected the wrong parallel board when I ordered the charger but it was free so no biggie but it means I can't do any charging yet. The board I need is out of stock so I guess I'll order a few 4mm bullet connectors and do some pre-use cycles individually on each pack to see how they do.

Cellman got back to me about my motor ideas and he thought it would work but that I should stick with 26 inch tires instead of smaller mopeds to keep the motors at a lower rpm. He said I would be pushing it a bit to much in the smaller wheels. So with that in mind I ordered some CST Cyclops tires from Niagara Cycle a few days ago.


They already came in and I'm testing them on my current bike. So far I'm really impressed with them. At 26 x 2.4 these are the largest volume tires I've tried and I like how they ride. I'll probably buy another set for the new bike and leave these on the Ibex.

According to Ebay my frame shipped yesterday but no tracking number yet. I can't wait to see the frame up close. 8)

Gary
 
GrayKard said:
Received a couple of packages last week. HVC/LVC boards from Methods and charger/power supply from EP Buddy. Both were great to deal with and will do business with them again.

Originally I had planned on buying a bicycle shaped object from Bikesdirect but that plan went out the window. After reading a few threads on people building up bikes using the Norco A-line frame it looked like a good option. But in the end I found this little beauty being sold by the same company selling the A-line.

file.php

Made by Devinci, a Canadian company, the frames are manufactured in their plant in Quebec. The one I purchased, a 2008 model, comes with a rear shock, headset and seat tube clamp and I hope to add components similar in quality to what the bike would have had when complete. Should have the frame by the end of the week or early next week :D

Gary
Gary, nice fast-looking frame: Where are you going to put the batteries?

Curious, KF 8)
 
Kingfish said:
Gary, nice fast-looking frame: Where are you going to put the batteries?

Curious, KF 8)
I've been pondering your question all weekend Kingfish and I still don't have an answer. My first thoughts when I decided to do a new build were a Pelican of SKB case mounted on the forks like oatnet's been doing. But they don't seem to have a small case that would fit just 6 or 9 of the 20c Turnigy 6s packs. I'll keep looking but if I don't find a suitable hard case then that option is not looking so good.

Next I was thinking some kind of fabric saddle bags over the frame but without the frame in hand not sure how that would work out.

Basically I'm open to suggestions please. I realize I picked a frame with zero triangle space but I'm OK with that.

Gary
 
If it were me, I’d go the custom saddlebag route. :) For the inside surface next to the frame I’d line with HDPE so your suspension doesn’t become restricted. You could probably get 6-8 batteries per side, presuming you’re looking at LiPo bricks. All your shifter/brake cables are in the inside: That’s good! Means you can tie down/secure the bags at three points without issues: Head, Seatpost, Downtube. The width of the bag should not greatly impact riding, especially if you add a HDPE cover over the bag. This way you could ride with shorts or with winter gear (look at mine for a visual guide).

Attempting a rear rack would be problematic, but then so is placing weight there. On mine it introduced wobble which I had to shim to remove.

I see you’re planning on 12 or 18S: That’s good. So think of brick ratios of 6 cos it’s divisible by 2 and 3. For a side, you could go 6, 8, or 9 bricks. For comparison, I run 15S6P; 9/side… comes out to about 24 lbs., and roughly 50-mile range.

Just thinkin’ out loud, KF 8)
 
Placing your batteries in a box on the front seems okay, but my favorite way is to use panniers (not pictured in avatar)

http://www.arkel.com has the strongest racks (with pivot) for full suspension bikes like yours. I'm always hauling beer or groceries on my bike and absolutely need storage space. Panniers have low center of gravity and hide the batteries from view. Just my two cents because they've worked well for three years, and are safe from rain.

edit: "Arkel" link is not correct, "arkel panniers" works though.
 
Arkel Cold Springs Rear (correct link).

Agreed: This might work on your frame if the motor is up front. :)

~KF
 
Just purchased a 3s 3p harness from icecube57. I'll use it as 2s 3p on my current bike to cycle the new lipo and range test. On my new build it will run 3s 3p and I plan on adding another 3s 3p harness later so I will have 30ah at 72v for when I need lots of range.

My frame should arrive on Friday. :D

I also have a few odds and ends coming from Grin Tech that should be here Thursday or Friday. After this I will need to wait a few weeks before buying anything major to let my bank account recover. :oops:

That will give me time to break in the lipo though. 8)

Gary
 
Whatever happened to this build or the harness. Ive been trying to figure out what happens in the field with my harnesses.
 
icecube57 said:
Whatever happened to this build or the harness. Ive been trying to figure out what happens in the field with my harnesses.
The build is still just a pile of parts at this time but I've been testing things on my old bike though.

Your harness is working great! Absolutely no issues with it so far and I'm using it every day since I got it. I'll get with you in a couple of weeks as I need some more bits too.

Thanks icecube :)

Gary
 
Your harnass is Still working fine, IC57, on my wife's trike. That was 6P andersons for fatpacks!
otherDoc
 
The pile of parts that is my new ebike is starting to reach critical mass so I thought I would get caught up here.

IceCubeHarness-1.jpg
I've been using my wiring setup from icecube57 for about 5 months now with zero issues. It gets a lot of plugging and unplugging and stuffing into a backpack and shrugs it all off

Really happy I went this route as I also bought a charging harness from Epbuddy earlier and it isn't as user friendly as icecube57's. The leads are too short and makes it a pain to plug in 6 packs so it's collecting dust now.

Gary
 
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