What to do with a Free Sondors?

A Good friend of mine I work with offered me something awesome a month ago- a free Sondor's E-bike, 350w hub motor model. He claimed that the bike was broken (the clutch for the pedals is probably frozen, they always spin) despite it's motor driving the wheels without issue, but I have not attempted to begin charging it yet.

MY problem is that I have no idea where to start, or how to begin to modify it to suit my needs- I've been interested in electrics and their potential since I got the chance to drive a P100D Tesla S, but I have little to no knowledge of electronics- and despite my pursuit to learn, I've found few books that act as good primers. I'm hoping to (eventually) work this bike up to something that can handle my commute to work, and I'd like some help in understanding what can be easily done (searching says the controller is not very open to mods) and whether I should instead custom-build an old mountain bike into my goal instead.

My goal is for the bike to be able to ride the 5 mile trip to work and back, and be capable of dealing and climbing the three large hills to the hospital. What I have found through my research implies that the Sondor is gonna pee itself and sieze the instant it even attempts to go up those hills, so I'm looking for help in learning how I can learn electronics from the Sondor, how to properly begin to charge it after 2+ years of not being used, and a good path to upgrade the bike while I work on a "true" E-bkie for myself. Do any of you have ideas, outside of opening Luna cycle's website and buying everything? Thanks!

Welcome to the forum

yeah, it will pee it's self on any real hill without pedal assist. 350 watts is really just meant to assist the rider. It's enough power for 15-18mph on flat ground when rode like a motorcycle. it will handle ~5% grade hills ok, but anything more, and it will be begging you loudly to add some leg power.
The motor is made by Bafang, and those are fairly good quality motors. If you fix the broken issue, the bike should meet your needs as a pedal assist bike.

Sounds like the freewheel pawls have either frozen, or busted. There are a number of things you can do to check and possibly fix them, but I wouldn't bother. The whole freewheel is a $15 part, and changing one is a 5 to 10 minute job. it does take a special tool, which will run you another $5-10 bucks.

Custom building a bike is always more fun, but starting with the bike you have and learning what you do and don't like about it after a few seasons will help you plan your next build to be even better.

What is the voltage on that battery? I have found that 20-22 mph is the ideal cruising speed and 1000W motor is most available and economical. It also all depends on your budget but if it was me and on a budget. Assuming that the Sondors has 48V battery, I would buy a 1000W fat tire rear brushless hub kit for $160 (throttle only) to $200 (PAS, LCD). The 1000W motor should have a top speed of 28-30 mph and cruise well at 20-22 as I mentioned.

What is the voltage on that battery? I have found that 20-22 mph is the ideal cruising speed and 1000W motor is most available and economical. It also all depends on your budget but if it was me and on a budget. Assuming that the Sondors has 48V battery, I would buy a 1000W fat tire rear brushless hub kit for $160 (throttle only) to $200 (PAS, LCD). The 1000W motor should have a top speed of 28-30 mph and cruise well at 20-22 as I mentioned. That fat tire look is so key.

What is the voltage on that battery? I have found that 20-22 mph is the ideal cruising speed and 1000W motor is most available and economical. It also all depends on your budget but if it was me and on a budget. Assuming that the Sondors has 48V battery, I would buy a 1000W fat tire rear brushless hub kit for $160 (throttle only) to $200 (PAS, LCD). The 1000W motor should have a top speed of 28-30 mph and cruise well at 20-22 as I mentioned. That fat tire look is so key.

What is the voltage on that battery? I have found that 20-22 mph is the ideal cruising speed and 1000W motor is most available and economical. It also all depends on your budget but if it was me and on a budget. Assuming that the Sondors has 48V battery, I would buy a 1000W fat tire rear brushless hub kit for $160 (throttle only) to $200 (PAS, LCD). The 1000W motor should have a top speed of 28-30 mph and cruise well at 20-22 as I mentioned. That fat tire look is so key.

I'd probably fix it and sell it. Too slow.. would rather install a new set of components on a type of bike that handles better on the street ( IE not fat! )

Run it til it blows up. Assess what happened, fix and repeat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Continue to discuss ideas here, but also join the Sondors Facebook group.

Rather than change the existing motor, if it was me..
I would add an identical motor to the front with it's own controller for 2WD, and double the stock power.

Maybe put the stock controller on front, and the upgraded controller on the rear. Just a thought...

Before I get to the replies, do you all think it's a good idea to plug this into it's charger and allow it to recharge? It has not been charged in 2+ years, and i've heard I should take voltage readings off the pack before doing so though I don't understand why or how. It seems like little could go "wrong" tho, since power still flows and it turns its tire. Thoughts?

Drunkskunk said:

Welcome to the forum

yeah, it will pee it's self on any real hill without pedal assist. 350 watts is really just meant to assist the rider. It's enough power for 15-18mph on flat ground when rode like a motorcycle. it will handle ~5% grade hills ok, but anything more, and it will be begging you loudly to add some leg power.
The motor is made by Bafang, and those are fairly good quality motors. If you fix the broken issue, the bike should meet your needs as a pedal assist bike.

Sounds like the freewheel pawls have either frozen, or busted. There are a number of things you can do to check and possibly fix them, but I wouldn't bother. The whole freewheel is a $15 part, and changing one is a 5 to 10 minute job. it does take a special tool, which will run you another $5-10 bucks.

Custom building a bike is always more fun, but starting with the bike you have and learning what you do and don't like about it after a few seasons will help you plan your next build to be even better.

Click to expand...

Emphasis mine. I definitely agree, and that's why my MR2 still has it's 4AGE before I go into mods or engine swaps.
I figured as much otherwise- everything I learned is that aside from the battery pack and smaller parts for LCD displays, the Sondors is a good introduction but is too barebones and limited in controller to really be a *powerful* electric bike, and in turning one into something close to my goals would take more time and effort to modify than if I built one from scratch.

bakaneko said:

What is the voltage on that battery? I have found that 20-22 mph is the ideal cruising speed and 1000W motor is most available and economical. It also all depends on your budget but if it was me and on a budget. Assuming that the Sondors has 48V battery, I would buy a 1000W fat tire rear brushless hub kit for $160 (throttle only) to $200 (PAS, LCD). The 1000W motor should have a top speed of 28-30 mph and cruise well at 20-22 as I mentioned. That fat tire look is so key.

Click to expand...

As far as I can tell, it's the stock 36V 8.7Amp battery and controller- my friend is looking for the key so I can open the pack itself, so I don't *completely* know. And again, I have little to no practical knowledge as to electronics and I'm looking for material to learn from.

Fastest1 said:

Run it til it blows up. Assess what happened, fix and repeat.

Click to expand...

It's a good idea, but again I have little to no knowledge of electronics. Any book recommendations, or websites where I can learn the basics of voltage and amperage?

spinningmagnets said:

Continue to discuss ideas here, but also join the Sondors Facebook group.

Rather than change the existing motor, if it was me..
I would add an identical motor to the front with it's own controller for 2WD, and double the stock power.

Maybe put the stock controller on front, and the upgraded controller on the rear. Just a thought...

Click to expand...

That is an idea. Seems like the true limit to "all wheel drive" is more based around how weird it feels in a bike.

Do you have a picture of it? I think I know what it looks like. It has a fat tire or is it that city commuter version with the 2" wheels. 36V 8.8aH is nothing. i think if you want realistic suggestions you need to give us more details and a budget. Cheapest is slamming 4x scooter batteries in there or a top tube housing for an additional 36V 17.6aH for like $120-150.

If you're getting it for free, then I'd use it as a platform to install and new 1000w ebike kit on. The bike already has disc brakes (check), and room built in for mounting a Hailong battery pack with enough capacity for your needs (check), and room to mount a decent size controller (check), judging by this pic, where it looks like something the size of the charger would fit. Because of the enclosure, you have enough room to keep all the connectors enclosed and out of sight too (check).

https://electricbikereview.com/wp-content/assets/2015/07/sondors-ebike-plastic-case-with-charger-stowed-inside-1200x800-c-default.jpg

For a newbie, it's probably harder to diagnose and fix, or upgrade an existing (proprietary) ebike, than to slap in a kit with parts that should all work together as designed.