the <$1000 eBike

arkmundi

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I shared my enthusiasm for eBikes with my Nephew over the winter holidays and he now has to have one of his own! He asked for advise. Here I'm sharing that advise. Constructive criticism invited. I'll pass on useful suggestions. :mrgreen:

Because of the interest generated by the Sonders, aka "Storm" ebike - new fat tire entry and other low-cost eBikes in kickstarter ++ phases, the idea of a less than $1000 ebike has captivated more than a few. I wanted to take a stab at it myself. Nephew's interest is predicated on keeping costs below that.

Note that encapsulated below are suggestions for bike, motor & controller kit, battery, wheel rims & spokes, tires, tubes, rack, saddle --- everything needed for a comfortable, safe reliable ride <30mph. Summary & index...
 
Would love to advise you on your eBike build. Unlikely you'll spend the countless hours I have mulling over various possibilities, and there are lots of them, so lean on me. The magic formulae of a <$1000 eBike may exist, with compromise, but what do you compromise?

The things you need: 1> a worthy bicycle, 2> a hub motor kit with controller & controls, laced into a rim, 3> a matching battery and charger.

All <$1000 eBikes will compromise one or more of the above. I suggest not, so spending a bit more to get decent quality for all three. Major cost savings will come from ordering up a Walmart bike and doing all the assembly work yourself, including kit install and battery.

I liked the Walmart Avalon: http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Avalon-Men-s-Cruiser-Bike/21635130. It has the component set we've discussed: a dual suspension steel frame, Shimano 7-speed gear system, and simple caliper brakes. Price: $107.

You won't need more than 7 gears. Latter you can upgrade the front chain ring to a larger ring to match out your top speed pedalling at full throttle.

Get the EM3ev upgrade 8T motor kit without battery: http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=36. Get it with the best Infineon controller - a 12fet 3077. You'll be pushing it with a 48 volt battery. Get it laced into an Alex rim. Price: in the range of $600 complete, shipped from China.

Get the rear motor with the 26" Alexrim DM26 CNC and Sapim spokes. Black spokes with a black motor, black rim & tire looks good. Get it with the HWBS sensor eBrake so it goes on the bikes existing brakes. Throttle choice is either, but I like the thumb throttles best.

Add in: the 7-speed DNP 11T freewheel, a DNP extractor tool, a Grin rear torque arm, 6 pairs of Anderson 45 amp powerpole connectors for the battery harness.

You'll need to get yourself a decent soldering gun & solder and 12 gauge wire in red & black to make up the battery harness, among other electrical chores. As well as some household tools if you don't have them. Pliers, screw drivers, hex wrenches, etc. A good vice is also nice to have. Amazon, eBay, Home Depot stuff.

The battery! Here's where a lot of kits and production eBikes compromise, because decent battery with sufficient capacity costs. I considered a lot of possibilities for you and settled on Headway: http://www.headway-headquarters.com/48v12ah-diy-headway-battery-kit/. Its a well regarded LiFePO4 battery. 48 volts is what you'll need. 12 amp-hours is OK. You're saving by getting a kit & making it up. By doing so, you can also service it over time replacing out dead cells. Price: about $600.

Add in one of their 48V chargers. They have a 4amp, 10amp and 15amp. More amps means a faster charge, but also more cost. Your choice. 10 amp price: $154.

You're looking at about $1500 total, approximating shipping costs. Again, to make it less, you'll have to compromise and you'll end up regretting it or not using it. Idea: get your mom to give you some of this for your birthday.

In addition to that, you'll need to figure a method of attaching the battery pack and controller to your frame. I use a decent quality rear rack. Made up my own pannier to hold the battery.

Let me know what else you need from me. Happy to advise and help as I can. Look forward to my next visit in December and taking that eBike ride around Austin.
 
But that sparked some controversy in the family, since his intimate partner once worked for a bike shop and hates Walmart.

-------
Here's the same bike from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Avalon-26-Men...schwinn+Shimano+7-Speed+26"+steel+frame+men's

With nearly 5-star rating.

Basic recommendation is to not spend a lot of money on a bicycle, that a basic steel frame, 7 speed bicycle with suspension can be quite adequate as an eBike. The wheel is going to matter, but that's coming from EM3ev. What the eBiker community is putting their money into: good battery and the wheels, including tire, like Maxxis or Schwalbe.

-------
Here's more options for the Kent Avalon: http://www.kent.bike/where-to-buy
But that bike is just one suggestion among a plethora of choices. Again, its just a general recommendation using the KISS approach - keep it simple - with steel frame.
KentBuy.png
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Hope you'll continue to invest yourself to completion, and best of luck in the undertaking! To be clear, you should get a bike that suits your needs, riding style and aesthetic temperament. And budget - my suggestion was an address to that. My intent was to point you in a direction. That the likes of Amazon, Walmart, Target, Sears, etc. are perfectly good places to buy a bike, for the budget conscious.

I'm happy that Teri may have issues with Walmart, their low wages, etc. Pointed out in my last email, that the Kent Bike can be had from many stores, like Amazon, paying more, but paying more can be a good thing if you're into the socially-responsible buying thing.

If I had it to do over, instead of the Trek Shift 3 I bought for $600 plus dollars, I'd get something like that Kent Avalon. Discovery #1: The Trek's aluminium drop-outs proved to be shit. Its where the hub motor meets bike frame, an all important and not to be overlooked mechanical connection. In may axle spin-out, those drop-outs tore apart. Lesson: steel frames are preferable.

Discovery #2: Out of the 24 gears available, I'm only using two. The Mac motor is a powerful 1500 watts+ of motive power at 48v/40amps. I running at the highest gear ratio available - the 11 teeth on the rear and there is no rear gear with fewer teeth. I only down-shift when I hit a hill with greater than ~10% grade. I hardly ever shift the front gear. Lesson: a rear 7-gears is plenty. And the 7-gear free-wheel is a better fit for the Mac motor on 135mm dropouts - the standard for 26" bicycle frames.

Discovery #3: While bike shops are nice to have around, I do all my own maintenance work and if I need parts, I'm shopping online. I get tires, tubes, parts, tools, everything online after doing a bit of shopping. So the local bike shop is superfluous. Its Trek's business model - the local bike shop. A significant part of the $600 spent was for that model.

If I had it to do over, I'd get a solid steel frame 26" MTB with suspension and 7 gears, just like the Kent Avalon. In fact, I may do just that. Being car-free, it was a huge inconvenience having the axle spin-out and loss of my primary transport. I bought a second Mac 8T with Infineon 12fet IFRB3077 controller. I'll repair the original motor/controller. And instead of putting it on the shelf for backup, put it on an Avalon.

Anyway, figured I'd stand behind my recommendation. But get what suits you, because it'll be your ride. Best!
 
Headway Cells
I posted this originally at Headway or A123?, but its salient to this thread.

"While I remain a proponent of A123, I recently purchased some Headway cells, for my Nephew, who is making his own eBike now. Its not just chemistry, manufacturer, format and so forth. Its also about how easy it is to source and make a fully operational battery pack. "

First there are a variety of sourcing opportunities for the cells, among them:
http://www.headway-headquarters.com/40152s-15ah-headway-cell/
http://osn.en.alibaba.com/product/946152087-220710673/3_2v_15ah_lifepo4_battery_cell.html
http://www.greenbikekit.com/battery-cell/40152-headway-cell.html
https://bmsbattery.com/ebike-batter...lifepo4-cylindrical-battery-cell-battery.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale...0150414103657&SearchText=headway+lifepo4+15ah
Cells need to be widely available, in use, easy to buy with a healthy competitive marketplace. Headway meets this criteria. All of the above sourcing opportunities allow PayPal and CreditCard purchases as well.

Second, I like the relative ease of assembling these into a pack. They have a nut & bolt assembly at the cap ends. So no soldering or spot welding needed. Ease of assembly also means ease disassembly, when replacing a dead cell and so forth.

Third is cost. The Headway cells are a fraction of A123, yet still have the promise of 2000+ charge/discharge cycles.

Specifications
http://www.headway-cn.com/en/showproducts.php?id=1562
Nominal capacity 15000mAh (0.5c)
Nominal voltage 3.2V
Internal resistance ≤8mΩ
Maximum charge current 3C(45A)
Maximum charge voltage 3.65±0.05V
Maximum discharge 10C(150A)
Cut-off discharge voltage 2.0V
Maximum dimensions Diameter 40±1mm
Height 165.5 ±0.5mm
Weight About 480g
Operating temperature
Charge 0~45℃
Discharge -20~60℃
Storage temperature
Within one month -20~45℃
Within 6 months -20~35℃
 
Nice of you to help him get into ebikes. Surely you will save him much money and hassle.

I would like to suggest a used bike from Craiglist. Around now, there will be folks starting their spring cleaning and listing old bikes that they don't use. That same money, instead of funding Wal-Mart will help lube the secondary market and even get you more bike for your money.

I got my DH bike (that retailed for over $2.5k when new) on CL, for $250. It was short a chain, seat, and pedals. So for under $300, I got a tank of a bike with a patented Horst-link rear suspension. I'm not suggesting that he gets a DH bike and aims for high speed, but let someone else take the depreciation on their shoulders.
 
cal3thousand said:
Nice of you to help him get into ebikes. Surely you will save him much money and hassle.

I would like to suggest a used bike from Craiglist. Around now, there will be folks starting their spring cleaning and listing old bikes that they don't use. That same money, instead of funding Wal-Mart will help lube the secondary market and even get you more bike for your money..
Yes, we have both looked at http://austin.craigslist.org for used bikes, and that remains a viable choice. He has not bought anything yet, so open to suggestion. ++to recycling.
 
Hubbie? Kinda enjoying "chain free" these days w/no gears or chain. Thinking of going friction drive motor on front tire. (Back would work too, for a two-wheeler. But I'm on trike, pedaling the larger front wheel.)
 
Back when I was working as an IT analyst in the early 90's when the Internet phenomena first appeared, I first discovered Amazon and it was wow. Using first generation Netscape as a browser. Ever since, I have tended to use Amazon more & more, starting a shopping cart until I fill up to the point of free-shipping and then check-out. One of the great features of Amazon are the user ratings. Which can lead to an interesting browse of possibilities, including their #1 choice: the Schwinn Men's Network 3.0 700C Hybrid Bicycle, White, 18-Inch
SchwinnBest.png
Comparative shopping is a great way to reach a final purchase decision. I'd stick with the Kent Avalon for the reasons above. I'm a believer in steel frames and simple gearing now.
 
At: Suggestions for a strong rear rack for e-bike?, posted: After looking over a slew of different racks, I got the Sunlite Gold Tec HD Tourer Rack from Amazon. Having a "strong rear rack" is for many of us a necessity, not a luxury. For me, it carries the weight of my battery.

Also, what I consider a very important eBike asset: the saddle. My favorite is the CLOUD-9 Comfort Gel Men's Saddle, 11" x 7.75". There is nothing that comes close to the comfort of the Cloud-9 line - there are choices between mens/womens and sizes. Its their multi-layer gel build-up that sets these apart.
 
Ark, you have so much triangle on that bike, have you ever thought of frame mounting the battery? Maybe you could get it into a frame bag?

After I moved my battery to my frame, my life was changed (seriously). I will never make that compromise to safety and handling again. My bike is super heavy but with the battery on the frame, it feels natural, nimble and less 'flexy'. If your nephew hasn't bought anything yet, steer him in the frame mounted direction with a $40 EM3EV bag.
 
arkmundi said:
I bought two headway 15ah cells to play around with. And yea, mounting these to a bike frame is a few steps away, so plenty of time to figure the best way. Frame bag is a definite maybe. Bike itself is as yet undecided. Nephew's birthday is July 11th and the birthday surprise is everything in, mounted, tested and ready to roll.

Video tape that ebike grin and share it here! :D
 
The rear wheel, less tire, comes from EM3ev, with the Alexrims DX32, and 13 gauge Sapim spokes. To complete, just add tube, tire and air. I ride on 2.5" Maxxis Hookworms and recommend them as part of the elite class of tires. With the Maxxis downhill tubes.

There are other good tires - here''s a good thread: Advise on tires.... Maxxis, Continental, Kendra, Panaracer, Shwalbe, Michelin are all good tires.
 
Got a name fer the bike yet? (Sorry. Sailor speaking.) Mine "Horny Devil", seems like. Weight high up BAD (makes frame wobble), but did add (black alum.) rack over front wheel w/combo (black alum.) TOBA basket/handlebars on rack fer stuff like lights, horn, bells and whistles and V.3 Cycle Analyst.

Seen here:
file.php


Thinking Li batt case instead clamped on back behind seat.

So, when's HER christening?
 
Steel-frame
High-quality steel frames integrate great design, superior assembly, and better alloys in the tubing. A popular quality steel for bicycle frames is American SAE 4130 steel, better known as "chrome molybdenum," and referred to as "chromoly" or "chrome-moly."

Steel-frame advise on the sphere, a sampling:
  • List of STEEL-framed bikes now available, a thread dedicated to the cosideration
  • Making an ebike ?
    999zip999 said:
    Find an older comoly steel bike. Steel and cheap with room in the triangle for the battery. 21speed for the freewheel of 11t so you can pedal with it. Rim brakes o.k. with good pads and a torque arm so thr axle doesn't twist in the comoly frame. 48v 15ah or better. Plus ect.
  • home made e-bike frame. stealth fighter look a like
  • First Ebike advice
    slacker said:
    steel bends where as aluminum breaks without any warning signs. :D
    dogman dan said:
    Well, there are alu frames and there are alu frames. Good quality frame, good whether it's steel or alu. Cheap ass bike shaped object from walmart, go for the steel.
    Fastest1 said:
    The difference between steel and aluminum frames is the resilience of the metals. Steel will cycle many many more times than aluminum before failure. As mentioned above, an aluminum frame will just snap.
  • Seattle commuter bike v2
    Link said:
    Steel is good for an ebike. You want a strong frame, not a light one. There aren't any electrified carbon fiber road/racing bikes (that I know of) for a reason. Ironically, quite a few here use very cheap Schwinn frames (myself included) as bases for ebikes. They're excellent for this purpose. Cheap, fairly light (for a cheap mountain bike), and full suspension (which happens to be a URT :p).
  • Dogmans Longtail Beach Cruiser
    dogman dan said:
    Oh no, there I go again. Here is the donor bike as it rolled out the door of walmart ... image: Schwinn Del Mar Cruise... now adjusted so it fits me. Beach Cruisers are the only bike shaped objects that fit me... The best feature of the donor bike is the welded on rear rack. Dutch style. Solid and strong. ...
  • http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/6-DIY-electric-bike-conversion-tips.html
    Toll: You need a bicycle with a decently meaty frame at the dropouts (the part that holds the wheels). Nearly any mountain bike, 20-inch folding bicycle or cruiser is great, and most road bikes too. Bicycles that are pushing the limits of lightweight frames, especially carbon fiber bikes, are not a good choice. Basically, if you can picture the bike in the Tour de France, it's not a good fit. Cheaper department store bicycles are actually a great option, since they usually use steel frames and aren't worried about weight savings, which actually makes the frame stronger.
  • https://www.electricbike.com/ebikecomponents/
    most e-bike gurus prefer steel frames over aluminum. Why? Steel is stronger and does not fatigue the same as aluminium. Aluminum fatigues and snaps and breaks. At high speeds this can be fatal.
  • http://surlybikes.com/info_hole/spew/some_things_about_our_steel
    As you may know, we build our bikes from steel. We always have. We use steel for a lot of reasons that we won’t go into detail explaining here, but the crux of it is that steel offers an nice balance of design flexibility, ride quality, cost effectiveness, durability, repairability and environmental sensitivity....
 
Schwinn
I find that a good way to buy a bike is start off considering the "what" of it, looking at pictures and specifications. So for instance, going to high-volume sites like Trek or Schwinn and browsing around their these sites that show-off their entire line of bikes, listing specifications, etc. And certainly finding in the range of options a bike I like, by styling, ride, make and price, like, for instance, a http://www.schwinnbikes.com/usa/bikes/hybrid/wayfarer
SchwinnWayfarer.png
Here the consideration is again, a steel frame because it is the lower-cost option AND in many respects perhaps a better frame option for eBike riding. Like the Kent Avalon, its a steel frame purposed for bikes (light weight alloy), with single gear front chain ring, and a seven speed rear dérailleur. And lots of places to buy... http://www.schwinnbikes.com/usa//where-to-buy/mass
 
Steel also rules in medium and high end price bikes. My Steintrikes Mad Max is something like Chromoly (Mannesmann ST52) and my wife's Sun USX is also decent steel. We use torque arms but no worries about parts failing. Perhaps alloy aluminum would be 5 lbs lighter, but perhaps not.
otherDoc
 
docnjoj said:
Steel also rules in medium and high end price bikes. My Steintrikes Mad Max is something like Chromoly (Mannesmann ST52) and my wife's Sun USX is also decent steel. We use torque arms but no worries about parts failing. Perhaps alloy aluminum would be 5 lbs lighter, but perhaps not.
otherDoc

In the world of ebikes, aluminum doesn't hold as much advantage as it does with pedal bikes.
 
26" Schwinn Sidewinder Men's Mountain Bike, through Amazon
SchwinnSidewinder.png
$166 from Walmart

Another great find in my relentless search for a notable steel-frame bike in the low-cost category, that does not compromise any of the essentials for use as an eBike. Note this is from Eagle Ridge Liquidators, so a bike that was produced, the remaining inventory of which is being liquidated.

A review with pictures... http://forums.mtbr.com/mongoose-schwinn/new-guy-new-schwinn-sidewinder-534635.html
[youtube]jDHpJf5PjrU[/youtube]

And there's a contingent of ES'ers with Schwinn bikes converted with the MAC hub motor:
My Schwinn High Sierra Mac 8 (em3ev) ... Update
 
I'm going to second the opinion that staying away from walmart bikes is a good idea. The new schwinns are garbage too. Once you add the weight and extra speed of an ebike, they're just failures waiting to happen, plus you're funding megalo corporations that make the world a crappier place.

For e-bikes, I like checking scrap yards. There's a nice gt i-drive frame at the one down the road from me. It's got a rockshocks judy xc fork, bontrager crank, king headset, and thompson seat post. The guy wants $2 a pound for it, so $20ish. This leaves a lot of budget left for good components.

I built this one up for $40 and a few parts I had laying around from old projects. I couldn't decide between a dirt jumper, trials, and mountain bike so I made one that does all three pretty well for less than the cost of a good tire. I might electrify it some day but it's pretty fun as is.

PICT0040.jpg
 
At: Frame material and supension choice for on-road use, a good discussion, and:
My recent experience has proven to me that: 1> its not a good idea to use aluminium frames for eBike conversion, and 2> torque arms on both ends of the axle are a mandatory part of the build.

See Trek 820 Commuter Build - good for noobs to learn basics for some pics and build advise. And... Trek 820 frame, go or no!
Rifle said:
I use a Trek 820 frame for both my builds. Works great. I run a rear 2810 9C at 50v 30A with no problems.
dogman dan said:
When recommending the ideal type of steel frame MTB for a first build, I often cite the Trek 820. Could be the same thing in a giant, specialized, whatever. Nice space for the battery in the tallish frame design.

The drops look a bit tiny, but they are good strong steel, and nothing will interfere with installing a good torque arm. It should have tolerably decent wheels, crank, brakes, etc. So you won't spend $200 upgrading that $100 bike after everything wears out in 500 miles.
.. newbie build with Trek 820
SamTexas said:
The Trek 820 is a good choice in my view.
 
Just a brief update that nephew has 48V 16S1P 15ah Headway cell battery, a Trek 820 used from craigslist, and on order a MAC 8T from EM3ev.com. Which I consider a very generic easily replicable low-cost eBike build. Since there are lots & lots of Trek 820's, that its their entry-level MTB, and the advent of Craigslist, finding & buying is a proven approach to saving a few bucks and starting with a very sound frame on which to complete a build.
AndysCLTr820.png
 
Unfortunately my MAC 8T, OSN A123 48V on Trek Shift 3 was stolen. I had about $2500 invested in that eBike, plus all the time it takes to make the battery pack, do the assembly, make it all tight, endurable, and neat. Since I use my eBike as primary transporation, and am disabled, making it impossible to revert to walking, I needed to get back in the game. I didn't want to send another $2500 replicating that build. So here I am back on this thread, accomplishing the less than $1000 eBike:
Total cost: $1011.35

This experience can be easily replicated. There are a lot older steel frame MTB's out there that can be had for free - sitting around unused in people's garages, backyards & barns - just need to find them. Note that most of the dollars were for a top-notch state-of A123 battery. You can spend less for less quality and bring that total cost even lower.
 
I still believe that any DIY/conversion teaches more... but, just as point of reference:

"Raleigh Electric Bicycle. Reg.$1599. Now only $ 799!!!!!!!!!!!":
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-other/c...tric-bicycle-reg-1599-now-only-799/1209335205

$_35.JPG


Motor: 250W
Battery: 25.9V 10AH
Battery type: Lithium
Battery life: 800 charges
Brakes: V brakes (front / rear)
Charger type: 24V-1.6Ah
Charger input: 110V-240V
Charging time: 4-6 hours

"YOU CAN BUY ONLINE AT www.ebikeuniverse.com
Only a few units left. "
 
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