Low budget conversion

Hi all,

I am exploring possibilities to convert a friend's bike to E-bike on a budget of around $600, and I would love to have some suggestions from the available crowd here. I will do the conversion for her.

Bike looks a bit like this:

The requirements:

• Meant to assist when going uphill and expand range when driving around the Basel area with two small children.
• Maximum speed 30km/h, average speed probably between 20km/h and 25km/h (not faster than usually).
• Going uphill at any speed, but giving that extra push when legpower is lacking, so that even a 10% hill is manageable (where otherwise she would not go there)
• To be charged daily, with a daily range of about 20km

Of course, with Cellmans reputation here, I am open for a complete package from him. Then again, I know other people have a good reputation as well.
I have the following in mind:

• Cellman MXUS geared 350W kit with motor laced into a 26" front wheel, controller, ebrakes and throttle for $ 175,-
• Cellman 39V 9.2Ah A123 battery pack high layout and with BMS for $ 350,-
• Cellman 36V 5A LiFePO4 Charger for $ 55,-

Total price excl shipping would be $ 580,-

I am not sure what motor compares to the motors mentioned in the simulator. When using the BPM36V500W, or the BMC torque, with a 39V 9.2Ah battery, I see a nice fit with the requirements. If she keeps pedalling, her range would obviously be larger.


What does everybody think?

hjns said:

Hi all,

I am exploring possibilities to convert a friend's bike to E-bike on a budget of around $600, and I would love to have some suggestions from the available crowd here. I will do the conversion for her.

Bike looks a bit like this:

The requirements:

• Meant to assist when going uphill and expand range when driving around the Basel area with two small children.
• Maximum speed 30km/h, average speed probably between 20km/h and 25km/h (not faster than usually).
• Going uphill at any speed, but giving that extra push when legpower is lacking, so that even a 10% hill is manageable (where otherwise she would not go there)
• To be charged daily, with a daily range of about 20km

Of course, with Cellmans reputation here, I am open for a complete package from him. Then again, I know other people have a good reputation as well.
I have the following in mind:

• Cellman MXUS geared 350W kit with motor laced into a 26" front wheel, controller, ebrakes and throttle for $ 175,-
• Cellman 39V 9.2Ah A123 battery pack high layout and with BMS for $ 350,-
• Cellman 36V 5A LiFePO4 Charger for $ 55,-

Total price excl shipping would be $ 580,-

I am not sure what motor compares to the motors mentioned in the simulator. When using the BPM36V500W, or the BMC torque, with a 39V 9.2Ah battery, I see a nice fit with the requirements. If she keeps pedalling, her range would obviously be larger.

What does everybody think?

Click to expand...

I think your curves a little fat. Although the MXUS is probably 10 to 20% stronger than the small Bafangs, it is not on par with the BPM. Try reducing the throttle 20% for a more representive picture.
Having said that, your top speed of 30 KmH is spot on, it's the hill climbing performance that may not quite meet your expectations.
That bike doesn't look like a great climber and I don't see her,

"Going uphill at any speed, but giving that extra push when legpower is lacking, so that even a 10% hill is manageable (where otherwise she would not go there)".

I suspect that moderate hills, at a greatly reduced pace will be doable, but hills that would be avoided on pedal-only power can quickly overwhelm a mini motor. Sure, it will help in terms of building up speed at the base of the hill, but speed will quickly drop and around 10 KmH, the motor is not contributing much and will over-heat. It's at this point when the throttle[amps] needs to be reduced to reduce risk of damage. She would have to understand this and a temp gauge would be a good idea.
I'm not sure from your post where the two kids come in[although I did notice you set the wt. at 330 lb.s, more than she and the bike would weigh], but tackling steep hills with them on board is not a good idea with this motor. You would need something like a BPM[and more battery for that].
There are lesser expensive batteries, but that would require two Chinese shipping origins, making the shipping costs prohibitive for this build. Besides, Cell_man's battery is probably is as stiff or stiffer than something like a 48V 10Ah. Li-ion.
I think the MXUS is THE mini motor and Cell-man is THE vendor, just be aware it has climbing limitations.

I think you could squeak by with that muxus from cellman, but it's not going to be ideal. 20km per day is a key thing. Way too many newbs lately starting the post with " I want 50 miles range at 40 mph".

So no problems with the battery size, even with hills involved.

However, with the weight of the kids aboard, and 10% hills, the little gearmotor is really going to suffer. Not enough to kill it because the ride will be short. But enough to be squandering range into heat, from slogging too slow up the grades. If the grades were 5%, then the muxus would handle em ok, but by 10%, they really bog down. 350 watts just can't climb hills that steep well.

For this reason, I really suggest the budget stretch just a bit more, to include the Mac motor kit. Get the slower winding, and you'll really be a LOT happier going up the hills faster and easier, but still using about the same power. Just not wasting it into heat so much.

Seriously, the Muxus could do it, but the Mac will do it sooooooo much better.

$125 more of course, so with shipping way past the $600 mark. The muxus dd motor would power up those hills, but real cyclists tend to like a gearmotor a lot better. The dd motor would have to be pedaled hard up the 10% grades, but you'd be able to maintain 15 mph up 10%. The Mac can be bought in a slower winding, so I think the mac is the choice.

Or two MXUS kits
Same as the price difference upgrading to the MAC kit.

the 350w MXUS is a good motor for 1 person, and reasonably flat ground. I like mine for riding in Texas. the speed and range you want are certianly within reason, although my MXUS tops out at exactly 30kph with 2.35" balloon tires. (19mph)

But 10% hills, or weight of kids would kill it. you'll need the higher power MAC for that.

Good looking bike. I think the designer of that bike frame is a member here.

Hi Motomech and Dogman,

Thanks for your detailed and insightful answer! This kind of feedback was exactly what I was looking for.

Using 20% less throttle gives me this simulation:


Top speed still 27 km/h without pedalling. Knowing her, this is enough.

Adding a 10% hill gives me this:


Which confirms your statement that the motor will overheat within 6 minutes. I will have to discuss with my friend whether this 10% climbing is something she values or whether she can avoid the 10% hills and just be happy with the 7% hills at 15km/h. Knowing her, I guess she won't mind, and she certainly will not want to increase the budget with another $ 125 "just for climbing a steeper hill". Note, that she used a non-motorized bike ever since she was a child, and has been biking around here for the last two years with a kid in front and one in the back. The 500Watt extra will already create a huge grin. I will ask her, though, about increasing the budget.

I estimate her weight at about 65kg, her two kids 20kg and 15kg, and another 15kg for the bike. That makes 115kg total and another 35kg groceries....

Therefore, it looks to me I am not far wrong with this setup, and the details can be worked out by carefully managing expectations regarding hill climbing. Basel city is relatively flat. Around the city there are enough hills, and most of the 10% hills should be manageable within 5 minutes. Adding pedalling, and she should be enlarging her current range tremendously.

Thanks again for the advice. Anything else that I should think of?

@Drunkskunk, it is not the same bike, but one looking alike. I think the designer is Dutch as well... one thing (among others) where I am proud of my country!

That would be a great electric utility ebike. Too bad they don't sell them here in the states. Looks like you could ride with a person on the front and rear rack. Very cool design.

The MAC motor puts out the juice, and i would highly recommend it. Two kids plus hills? get the 10T, very nice high torque setup

MXUS is not a very strong motor and can't handle a lot of additional power over the rated power. I run 2000-2500w on my MAC.. lol

If you want a lower weight, 20mph motor, the 350w motor is pretty good. Capable of far more power than the 350w MXUS kit.

She's a strong pedaler, so she could use the muxus gearmotor. And climb the 10% grades.

But here's the deal. She's got to pedal hard enough to get the motor speed up to 10 mph, 15 mph even better. The sim is not taking into account any pedaling. So she can do it, if she's putting out 200w herself. Not a problem for a few minuites at a time, for a fit cyclist. Much depends on the length of the grade too. Under 2k, not such a big problem. 10k of it nonstop, problem.

A 300w assist will feel great to her. But slog the hills at 4 mph loaded down with kids, and the assist will be 50w, and the heater 250w. She has to climb those steeper hills at 10 mph minimum. On the flat, going slow is no problem, the motor won't really be stalling, just running on lower wattage. Only on hills is keeping speed up to 10 mph crucial.

It shouldn't be a big problem. But she'll still be happier with a 10 mac. Tell her it's worth the money if she's going to climb those 10% hills. Double the power is going to be really nice on the steepest hills, because the power needed is quadrupled. The WHOLE POINT of the ebike thing is to be riding up those steep hills whistling a cheery tune. Won't be whistling if you have to struggle to keep the speed up.

The other advantage of the 10T mac, is that not only will it have the power to climb faster, it won't need to climb as fast. The slower winding of the mac will allow climbing the hills at a slower minimum speed, say 8 mph.

I'm a strong pedaler, and i'm not carrying kids around, so maybe the total weight would be equal. The MXUS geared motor had me going about 5-7 mph on a 6% grade. It was pathetic. I was pedaling my heart out too . The 350w motor is the same unit with a better controller that puts out 3 more amps, lol..

So yeah, after two months of owning that thing, i got the MAC

Was that at 36v or 48? 36v 15 amps would be wimpy. My experience with small gearmotors was at 36v 20 amps, so it was more than 350w, and able to crawl up 7% at about 10 mph. Just me, at 180 pounds.

But lame or not, the motor did get you up it for awhile.

Steepest I ever climbed with my little gearmotor was 13% and it was scorching hot in about 2 miles. I was slowed to about 4 mph, and making heat and nothing else. Another one I melted down on 7% in about 3 miles, but it was 110F out that day. The one I melted was running 48v 15 amps.

I just looked up the controller on that kit. Amp limited to 17 amps. So, you start calculating, 36v is actually about 40v x17 amps, that's 680w. That should get you up a hill like you are on steroids right? But it doesn't work quite like that. First, depending on the speed you go, you could be making 550 of those watts into heat instead of motion. Then there is this, the bike never pulls 17 amps continuous. It will for a few seconds, then as the wheel starts moving amps will drop. So chances are the motor will only pull about 14 amps on a 7% grade, moving 10 mph. Mabye even less. Add some batter voltage sag under load, and you are now down to about 500w. That's not enough to go very fast up a steep grade, and now you start slowing down, making even more of it into heat. This gives you less which slows you down making more into heat. See the trend? Pretty soon, 200w assist is what you have, and since the other 300 watts are making pure heat the motor overheat clock is really ticking now.

The little motor kit is really practical up to about 5%, but to do 10% grades you'll have to do 90% of the work.

Get the bigger motor, and enjoy the bike. I know money is tight, I know it sounds expensive, but it's not compared to a car for those trips. She'll still get plenty of exercise, she'll still have to pedal plenty.

For low budget you can't beat the For Sale Used section here on the forum. You get more for your money that way.

dogman said:

Was that at 36v or 48? 36v 15 amps would be wimpy. My experience with small gearmotors was at 36v 20 amps, so it was more than 350w, and able to crawl up 7% at about 10 mph. Just me, at 180 pounds.

But lame or not, the motor did get you up it for awhile.

Steepest I ever climbed with my little gearmotor was 13% and it was scorching hot in about 2 miles. I was slowed to about 4 mph, and making heat and nothing else. Another one I melted down on 7% in about 3 miles, but it was 110F out that day. The one I melted was running 48v 15 amps.

I just looked up the controller on that kit. Amp limited to 17 amps. So, you start calculating, 36v is actually about 40v x17 amps, that's 680w. That should get you up a hill like you are on steroids right? But it doesn't work quite like that. First, depending on the speed you go, you could be making 550 of those watts into heat instead of motion. Then there is this, the bike never pulls 17 amps continuous. It will for a few seconds, then as the wheel starts moving amps will drop. So chances are the motor will only pull about 14 amps on a 7% grade, moving 10 mph. Mabye even less. Add some batter voltage sag under load, and you are now down to about 500w. That's not enough to go very fast up a steep grade, and now you start slowing down, making even more of it into heat. This gives you less which slows you down making more into heat. See the trend? Pretty soon, 200w assist is what you have, and since the other 300 watts are making pure heat the motor overheat clock is really ticking now.



The little motor kit is really practical up to about 5%, but to do 10% grades you'll have to do 90% of the work.

Get the bigger motor, and enjoy the bike. I know money is tight, I know it sounds expensive, but it's not compared to a car for those trips. She'll still get plenty of exercise, she'll still have to pedal plenty.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that pretty much describes my experience with the Mini-Might, @
250lb.s[avg. fitness]
48V Li-ion, 17.5 controller, the steepest hills I have tackled, will soon have me off the seat and down three or four gears on the 9-speed freewhl. Not really a problem, but none of these hills are longer than a 1/2 mile. Longer than that, well, all bets would be off.

The up-side of this installation on this[for sake of argument]bike, would be that everything could go on the frt. for a very clean and stealthy install, leaving the chain guard intact[I wouldn't mount a kid on the "bow seat" anyhow].
A larger gear motor on the other hand, might be better installed on the rear.

Don't forget to include the front VS rear motor efficiency on hill climbing, when the hill gets steep, and the majority of the weight goes to the rear wheel, the front motor is more likely to slip on such a steep climb, however, if one kid is in a child seat on the front, that might negate this problem, but just remember this is a pretty important factor particularly on 10% and steeper climbs.

In my opinion, any loss by using a front hub VS rear while climbing hills is a non-starter, and you don't have to hear the wheel slipping to still be experiencing lost efficiency, just less traction will do it.

That would only matter on wet pavement. But if you do ride in wet, rear motor would be best. Front hubs do take getting used to. Don't hit throttle on a wet spot.

Hi all,

Rear conversion will be too complicated for this bike, although I fully acknowledge that a rear hub is better. Again, this is really to assist my friend, and not meant to be a high performance cromotor greyborg build. When it gets wet and slippery, she will not stray onto 10% hills. In such circumstances, having a powerful hubmotor will be a huge help on the flat when taking the kids somewhere dry and warm fast.

Also, note that my friend and her husband have 4 cars between them. This is NOT about replacing car. This is about the joy of using a bicycle and be able to travel were one can not use a car and travel easily on the relatively short distances where searching for a parking space for a car takes more time than traveling the whole distance. The e-conversion is therefore not to be compared to the pro's and con's of a car. Rather, the e-conversion will be compared to the bike status without e-motor.

Now, I do understand the cheapest Cellman MXUS geared motor is not up to the task of hauling 150kg up a 10% hill. I have been looking into alternatives, front motors only. However, I find it difficult to find something better in the front. Some people made reference to a MAC, however, Cellman only has rear MACs on his website. Also, I received a PM from another ES member about some Puma motors. Anyone has experience with those?

So I looked at the requirements for a 10% hill at 15km/h, and it looks like I need a motor that can easily take 600W and keep cool. That indeed means a bigger motor, more amps, a higher price range, and I came to something completely different;

• 9C 2807 in the front wheel from Grin ($270),
• with a 9 FET 72V Infineon Brushless Controller (LYEN's Edition $89) modified to 45A,
• and a similar battery as the $350 39V pack from Cellman + $ 55 charger

I have a throttle and ebrake lying around, so that's not a problem. Total price would be around $ 770,-
Of course, this is $ 190 more than the cheapest Cellman package, however, I feel that that would give a much better bang for buck than upgrading to a mac.



My questions:

• Anybody has better ideas, especially on sourcing a similarly priced battery pack in Europe that can output 45A?
• Would this configuration indeed outrun a geared Mac? Or should I still get a 500W Mac and ask Cellman to put one in a front wheel?
• Any other alternatives?

I will present the different options and different prices to my friend in the weekend.

• Aka: cheap but no steep hills for $ 580 excl shipping
• Or: slightly more expensive, but at least one steep hill (and then the battery is empty) and upgradable for $ 770 excl shipping
• More: .... to be determined ...

Thanks again for all the feedback!

Email Cellman about a front hub Mac. Bet he can get you one. He's very flexible about filling customers custom needs.

The other thing that would work ok for her might be a 9 continent direct drive motor, if you can find one in the right, slower, winding.

Methods sells one, but I'm not sure he's into international sales. But in Europe, you might be able to internet hunt a slower winding somewhere. 6x10 would be ideal. I love that motor on my cargo bike. Climbs 15% no problemo.

There is just so much market segment for ebikes that just wants fast, and then faster still for the second one, that hill climbing motors just get ignored.

If the hills are short enough, like less than 2 miles long, she can use a regualr winding of any hubmotor, provided she's got wattage. 48v 20 amp controller (1000W) on a typical dd motor climbs 10% fine if you just pedal hard on the steepest part. Climbs 8% no pedaling with no particular problems.

If you go to a dd motor, in the "normal" 9x7 winding, then you are back to cellman again for a great deal. The muxus dd motor kit, for $175 plus shipping. Then as much 48v battery as you can afford.

That motor on 48v would have a top speed of 27 mph, taking care of getting the kids home quick. Obviously, a 6x10 motor with 20 mph top speed would be a ton safer.

dogman said:

Email Cellman about a front hub Mac. Bet he can get you one. He's very flexible about filling customers custom needs.

The other thing that would work ok for her might be a 9 continent direct drive motor, if you can find one in the right, slower, winding.

Methods sells one, but I'm not sure he's into international sales. But in Europe, you might be able to internet hunt a slower winding somewhere. 6x10 would be ideal. I love that motor on my cargo bike. Climbs 15% no problemo.

Click to expand...

Yes, I have bought a front 9C 2810 from Methods and it is sitting in my cellar waiting to be inserted into my own e-bike at 74V as the 2nd motor in a 2WD config on Dual Lyen 121445 controllers.

dogman said:

There is just so much market segment for ebikes that just wants fast, and then faster still for the second one, that hill climbing motors just get ignored.

If the hills are short enough, like less than 2 miles long, she can use a regualr winding of any hubmotor, provided she's got wattage. 48v 20 amp controller (1000W) on a typical dd motor climbs 10% fine if you just pedal hard on the steepest part. Climbs 8% no pedaling with no particular problems.

If you go to a dd motor, in the "normal" 9x7 winding, then you are back to cellman again for a great deal. The muxus dd motor kit, for $175 plus shipping. Then as much 48v battery as you can afford.

That motor on 48v would have a top speed of 27 mph, taking care of getting the kids home quick. Obviously, a 6x10 motor with 20 mph top speed would be a ton safer.

Click to expand...

I did not realize that the muxus DD in the $175 kit was a 9x7 9C, although it does look like a 9C from the pics. I think the top-speed of the 9x7 at 48V is a bit too much at almost 40km/h, however, my friend will love the power. She is also not speeding too much with her BMW M1 coupe, so having a little bit of extra speed / power will be nice but manageable for her. However, at 20A, hill climbing of 10% hills still sucks. Anybody has experience with modding Cellman's controllers? I may just add a little bit of solder on the shunts to allow for 30A peaks.... Climbing a 10% hill at 12 km/h (7mph) sounds more than acceptable to me.

Adding more battery also sounds like a very good plan: A123 M1A 52V 11.5Ah Battery Pack complete with 30A BMS for $550 is too much. So 9.2Ah it is. Sim says that on the flat, range is spot on.



So, total price would be:
A123 M1A 52V 9.2Ah Battery Pack complete with 30A BMS for $450,-
36V 500W Direct Drive Ebike Kit for $175,-
Charger for $ 72,-
Still almost $ 700,- without shipping
Main advantage of course is that it comes from one dealer, one time shipping, so very good deal.

Alternatively:
front 9C 2810 from methods: $ 120
Lyen 9 Fet: $ 89
A123 M1A 52V 9.2Ah Battery Pack complete with 30A BMS for $450,-
Charger for $ 72,-
Total: $ 731,-
Shipping from 3 different locations will be awful, but I like the components.

If indeed the Cell Man DD is comparable to the 9 x 7 9c, then I can tell you at least on a bike with 16S A123 M1(Same as Cell Man's 48V pack) cells and standard 23 amp 9C controller, you will have no problem climbing those hills.

Mine was in a rear hub, but it would start at the bottom of one of the nastiest hills I could find that started at about 20% for a few feet then over railroad tracks, then up about 1,000 yards of 8% and i went up this at 12 MPH with no pedaling at all, and didn't even get warm.

I then proceeded to go the rest of the hill with identical performance even through a section that is 10 - 15% over another 2,000 yards and the rest of the hill averages at about 6% for 1 1/2 mile, and this was all with no pedaling, I weigh 180 lbs, so it might go closer to 8 - 10 MPH no pedaling with the increased load of two kids riding, but sounds like she likes to pedal, so it should be no problem for her. 8)

If I knew what I know now back then, I would have never messed with using the Dewalt pack's as they have a very touchy BMS, and since Cell Man makes packs with the very same high out-put M1 cells, that would be my choice.

I really think that same motor at 36V is a total dog, using a pack of equal capacity (9ah) of Dewalt Packs, that very same motor and controller felt sluggish and too heavy for it's low speed, yet with the same set-up just increasing voltage, it became a dream, great acceleration, and great hill climbing as well as 27 MPH on the flat.

The next logical step up from a mini-motor seems to me to be the BPM. I think there is a 350W frt. that would be a littler smaller, lighter, less exspensive and perhaps a little less reliable than the Mac, Pumas, Bmc's, etc.
This would mean going to a different vendor, but that would open up some, perhaps more appropriate, battery choices, like Li-on rack mount alum. case batt.s. The univerisal fit batt. mounting tray could bolt to the frt. rack.
Go slow wind @ 36V-30KmH, good enough climbing and less stress on the frt. forks, around $400 plus shipping.

I think the 9C[and variants]must be a great motor, I just don't like the big, Frisbee look.I guess it's a personal thing, but the only dd motor that appeals to me visually is the Aetoma, but that doesn't seem to be available at the moment.

motomech said:

The next logical step up from a mini-motor seems to me to be the BPM. I think there is a 350W frt. that would be a littler smaller, lighter, less exspensive and perhaps a little less reliable than the Mac, Pumas, Bmc's, etc.
This would mean going to a different vendor, but that would open up some, perhaps more appropriate, battery choices, like Li-on rack mount alum. case batt.s. The univerisal fit batt. mounting tray could bolt to the frt. rack.
Go slow wind @ 36V-30KmH, good enough climbing and less stress on the frt. forks, around $400 plus shipping.

I think the 9C[and variants]must be a great motor, I just don't like the big, Frisbee look.I guess it's a personal thing, but the only dd motor that appeals to me visually is the Aetoma, but that doesn't seem to be available at the moment.

Click to expand...

Hi Motomech,

Thanks. Although I am sure my friend does not care at all about the looks (she is quite the looker herself), I do want to take a look at a different vendor. What vendor are you referring to?

Lightcycle,

Thanks for posting your experiences. I am quite taken with the front 9x7 + 48V combo, so it is good to know people have good hill climbing experience with that.

Cellmans muxus dd is a pretty close clone of the 9c 9x7. Be nice if it was the 8x8 winding, because that is not usually avaliable, and would climb better, without being quite so fast on 48v.

If you look waaaaaaay back in either the pics or the reviews, you will find a thread from a day when I climbed a huge rocky mountain pass on a similar 9c 9x7 winding clone. Climbed 10 miles of steep hill, 8-10%, plus about 15 miles of 5-8%. Pedaling of course, but I was easily keeping speed up to 15 mph, so the motor kept it's cool.

The aotema is a faster winding, comparable to the 9c 6 winding. So it doesn not climb so well. happy enough to 8%, but runs hotter for sure.

I think a front 9x7, with 48v would work fine, but if you can get a front or rear 2810 from methods do it. That's the motor you want. 20 mph is FAST with two kids aboard I think. His wife kit's more
expensive though, I think, than cellmans. But a good deal, with a CA.

hjns said:

motomech said:

The next logical step up from a mini-motor seems to me to be the BPM. I think there is a 350W frt. that would be a littler smaller, lighter, less exspensive and perhaps a little less reliable than the Mac, Pumas, Bmc's, etc.
This would mean going to a different vendor, but that would open up some, perhaps more appropriate, battery choices, like Li-on rack mount alum. case batt.s. The univerisal fit batt. mounting tray could bolt to the frt. rack.
Go slow wind @ 36V-30KmH, good enough climbing and less stress on the frt. forks, around $400 plus shipping.

I think the 9C[and variants]must be a great motor, I just don't like the big, Frisbee look.I guess it's a personal thing, but the only dd motor that appeals to me visually is the Aetoma, but that doesn't seem to be available at the moment.

Click to expand...

Hi Motomech,

Thanks. Although I am sure my friend does not care at all about the looks (she is quite the looker herself), I do want to take a look at a different vendor. What vendor are you referring to?

Lightcycle,

Thanks for posting your experiences. I am quite taken with the front 9x7 + 48V combo, so it is good to know people have good hill climbing experience with that.

Click to expand...

BMS Battery, it isn't on the perfered vendors list list of many here, but they seem to be getting better as far as cust. service is concerned. There is another guy in China, but I won't mention him because the jury is deffinately still out on his service.
I.M.O., the MXUS and a Li-on rack batt. would be the way to go. The problem is, Cell_man is the place for the kit and BMS Battery is the place for the batt. That would mean two shipping fees.
You could substitute the BPM frt. for the MXUS and realize savings on shipping that way.

motomech said:

BMS Battery, it isn't on the perfered vendors list list of many here, but they seem to be getting better as far as cust. service is concerned. There is another guy in China, but I won't mention him because the jury is deffinately still out on his service.
I.M.O., the MXUS and a Li-on rack batt. would be the way to go. The problem is, Cell_man is the place for the kit and BMS Battery is the place for the batt. That would mean two shipping fees.
You could substitute the BPM frt. for the MXUS and realize savings on shipping that way.

Click to expand...

Hmm. That brings me to another idea:

• Front Magic Pie 3 kit for $ 299.
  
  
• 48V10Ah 20A discharge Li-Ion Alloy Shell + 3A charger kit for $ 269
  
  

Total: $ 568 exc shipping for a 48V kit.

Main disadvantage is of course that it is heavy (>8kg). As the stators of the Magic Pie are larger, it should have more torque as well as compared to a 9C (clone). What is the experience with Magic Pies and how do they compare to the 9C motors? What do people think of this combo in general?

Thanks again!!

Too BIG I.M.O.
Too much motor for the forks, her needs, etc.
Go w/ the slow-wind BPM and the 36V version of that batt.[mounted on frt. rack].