What kind of ebike to get? a non profit org exercise

What kind of an ebike/kit can you get for $1300?

Am doing some work for a sustainability non profit, wants to know a typical case study for ebikes.

So what would be your ideas?

One Case study average male, slightly over weight, 40yo, 180lbs 5'10", used to ride in college.

8 mile commute to work desk jockey. works out at the gym twice weekly.

count on stoplights, hilly terrain. usually picks up odds and ends at store on way home from work.

failry dry climate, 6 month failry comfy riding season; mornings 45F or better, afternoons seldom above 90F, usually mid 80's.

married, 1 child, two car family. : Driving in town 9000 miles per year. Going to cut that
in half down by 4500 miles --- most trips under 10 miles each way.

Car averages about 15 mpg in town so that is an even 300 gallons of gas, figure 3.50/gal... $1050.

If I tell the insurance guy that I'm not taking the car to work much any more, will save me about $200 for six months.

that's 1250. plus an oil change or two,. for $1300.. maybe a little more.

But this thing has got to have some range some speed and some hillclimbing. and be reliable.

what can one get? what skills are needed?

Should we use a two year payback? should we list other potential benefits?

What type of significant obstacles do newbies usually encounter?

other thoughts?

A "presentation" to go on the organizatins list of ideas for a more sustainable life style, doable by typical people. goes next to the justification for using CFL bulbls, and having a DIY greenhouse and other environmental/cost saving ideas.

A 501 (c) 3

thanks

dick in colorado

Somebody is boud to ask: "Why not get a bus pass?"

:?

TylerDurden said:

Somebody is boud to ask: "Why not get a bus pass?"

:?

Click to expand...

For the money it is a good partial solution. Our bus system is quite limited, is decent for some routes, not many.

Most busses run once per hour, a few every half our. about 1/4 of our city, colorado springs,
is covered. I bought two 20 ride bus passes about a year ago. we still have about 20 ofthe 40 rides still available.

Still, for going long distances in bad weather, if the bus schedule works, it is a good solution.

I can get down town on an ebike 7 miles in bad traffic always wihin 40 minutes, obeying all laws and lights. car takes 30 minutes. bus takes one hour after getting on the bus. But still, bus works sometimes. It is all up hill coming home, so sometimes i take the bus with the e-bike.

dick

$1300 is a good budget for a commuter bike. Is this assuming the individual has a usable bike to convert?

Can the individual solder? Can he use a wrench? Can he maintain a (regular) bicycle?

What sort of range, and what sort of hill climbing? Does the individual ever need to navigate traffic faster than an unmotorized bike could?

Should your case study include what that man will want to do with the $1300 he saves the next year after becoming addicted to his ebike?

Sorry if any of the following is patronizing. I'm just phrasing it how I would explain it to the uninitiated in a presentation.


So, let's say for simplicity he has a donor bike (it doesn't need to be a big investment. Many qualities that make good road bikes do not necessarily make them good ebike donors).

Hub motors are perfect for this application. Very easy to install, rugged, maintenance-free, and just simple.

Since he is on a budget, he won't be making a beast of a setup, but since he is a male, he will need something with some appreciable power. Something in the 500w-1.5kw range, meaning a Crystalyte 400 series or equivalent. $300

He'll need a controller to go with that. It doesn't need to be too powerful. but with the crazyman controllers coming out, it sure could be. $150, to give it wiggle room.

Throw in a CA. I hate biking without mine, and I'd consider it irresponsible not to recommend the thing to another. $150, for the stand-alone version.

Then, the batteries. The budget leaves ~$600 here, so let's make the best use of it. Again, he doesn't need that much power, so a bunch of Chinese LiFePO4 would do the trick. A 48v 20ah duct tape pack would fit that budget and provide 30 miles of range cruising at 25mph. A 15ah pack would likewise be good for 20 miles and would leave more room in the budget for the weekend at the spa his wife will need after she finds he spent $1200 on a bike.

The E-Zee kit from ebikes.ca for $1285 comes with a 9.6Ah lithium battery ($1000 with NiCd) & includes everything except a donor bike.
Which the left over $15-$300 spare change might cover.

some very nice suggestions for the generic joe/juanita ebike needs in a medium size town. would go for the lesser pricing on each usggestion, and go with an entry level AH meter rather than c/a.


that would leave some $$'s for eithr a bike to buy or for some assistance in assembly if the buyer has limited mechanical skills. ( I once did a 5 hour "build assist" at buyers home for $100, leaving them with the ability for self maintenence. VERY happy customer)

part of year two's saving woudl go for more batteries, other than that for family budget relief.

So where would the Bionx kit fit into this? maybe the 360w 36v NIMH for $1200? Maybe the most turnkey with a good reliability reputation, for those with such worries. Just little light on hilly performance though.


BTW, there is one fellow here that kind of did this so all of his teenager's could drive, he quit driving and went with ebiking and a bus pass. He is on his third year on a Giant Suede-e. Quite happy and he gets family credit for being a martyr!

happen to see a posting here for the VW Bug ebike equivelent; wonder if e have some overlap here?

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4133

keep the ideas coming, I think it is very good that there are multiple suggestions for an ebike with a ONE YEAR Payback!

I'd stick with the CA instead of a Watts-Up, but get the cheaper non-standalone.

You can get a pre-wired controller from Justin, or just slightly re-wire the cruise control connector on a v2 c'lyte controller.

A 26" 408 rear hub with 10mm wrench torque-arms will fit most cheaper off the shelf bikes, and handle hilly terrain.

Go to LiFePO4 immediately ... older chemistries are just too much of a headache.

You just described me, biked to college, am 52: 180lbs, $1,250 spent on e-kit though one could get it for less, live in semi-arid Kalifornia desert, need to visit stores 7 mi away with a few stops on the way home, have a bus stop 100 yds from my house that I only rarely use, I take it on vacation where it's quite hilly, I lost my license due to medical and rely on wife's driving/car saving $300 a month 8) I was electrically illiterate, though I've learned some since converting my bike to E; I don't have a CA and am ignorant of what value it would be. My C-lyte408 with 48v 10.5 amp li-mg battery is a perfect fit. It'll run 20 to 35 mi per charge with light to moderate pedal assist @ 17-18 mph everyday. Top speed with no pedal is 22 mph when battery is fresh on Mtn bike 26" which generally keeps it legal. Don't forget puncture resistance tires or having 'flats' could hinder your project. $120 to $300 Target Schwinn bikes are worthy for conversion. Surprisingly, I went from a soft 165 lbs to a muscular 177 lbs when I converted to e-bike, all my clothes still fit :wink: Seems I exercise much more with the conversion, than when I was without it

Besides flats, when I 1st started using the e-bike as primary transportation, night lighting became an issue. In the winter, daylight is short. In the summer, the temp is comfortable after the sun sets. Some towns, the rider may want pepper spray to adjust the attitudes of dogs and to have some form of protection. Keeping the bike from getting stolen would need to be thought out beforehand. I've learned to find the best alternate routes to get around using 'Google Earth.' Jimmieny, don' put an old guy back on a bike with clip in pedals and tell him, "You'll get used to it." At 49 yrs young, I wound up in the ER. If clip ins are desirable, it's important to start with 'multi-directional' clips, not standard racers clips, Shimano comes to mind. Also, start off with the clip pedal adjusted loose, just tight enough so that one could get some power by pulling up with his legs. Arrange to have spokes tighten/trued after a break in period. I've learned 'How to bicycle in traffic' by reading around on the net. Knowing 'survival e-biking' ought to be part of the program. Educate about "lith batteries." They are potently powerful and need respect. Also, my battery would die while out riding as I thought the charger green light meant the battery was fully up. A participant 'training' session may be desirable.