Slow Rider, Dakota Lithium & Ebikeling

This spring I decided to make our two old hybrid Giant 700c bikes into ebikes. I bought 36V 260 (low) rpm front geared wheels from Ebikeling and initially powered each bike with three 12v 9ah SLA batteries in series. We wanted to see how these inexpensive SLA batteries would perform for us as we live on the top of a big 3/4 mile hill. After running out of power several times while coming home from 15-20 mile rides, we upgraded to the safe 12v 10ah LiFePO4 Dakota Lithium batteries with BMS. Keeping the ebikes safe and simple was a top priority. We just plug in inexpensive 36v 1.5ah chargers after each ride. They automatically turn off after the batteries are charged. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U2YJKJQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

My wife and I are both 71 years young and each have our share of problems. We physically could not bike for the last 3 years and that is why I decided to power assist our bikes. Now our typical ride is 15-30 miles at a “smelling the roses” speed of 10-12 mph. We do pedal almost all of the time but need assistance on any hill or against the wind.

Ebikeling:
http://www.ebikeling.com/#/kits/15
We paid about $220 each to have these kits shipped from Chicago to Rochester, MN. Shipping was fast as they arrived in two days. We did have a problem with one of the motors and they immediately shipped another one to us at no charge. Very good service. Motors and controllers work great but I did have some difficulty getting their wheel to fit between the front forks of our bikes. A few washers and sanding of a brake pad was needed. I ended up putting the thumb throttle on the left handlebar extender so we could simultaneously shift with the right hand. Their pedal assist sensor and brake levers were not installed. Top speed is 17mph.

Dakota Lithium Battery:
http://www.electric-bike-kit.com/12v-lithium-lifepo4-replacement.aspx
These batteries are the exact same physical size as the SLA batteries they replaced but at half the weight. Shipped in two days to our house for about $293 for 3 batteries (call for a 10% discount). They have not yet failed us even after 25-30 mile rides or getting up the big hill to our house. The SLA batteries were rated at 9ah but only about 5-6ah were usable and they got tired when we needed them the most going up our big hill after a long ride. I believe these new batteries will be a true 10ah and deliver full power until the end. So far we have used a maximum of about 80% of their energy on our longest ride. They are mounted for a low center of gravity on the bike. The frame mounted bottle holder was removed and a board was screwed to the frame in the bottle holder holes. Gorilla Tape was then used to attach the 3 batteries to the board.The controller is mounted on the handlebar and exposed to the wind for cooling, cables are in the front bag. We are very happy with this setup.

Summary:
We are enjoying biking again as it has given us a new outlook on life. Our city has 85 miles of paved bike trails, plus, other nearby communities have many miles of trails. We are enjoying all of them and I have, so far, put on over a 1000 miles.

I was concerned about the front wheel slipping when under power but it has not yet happened even when wet leaves are on the paved trails. Maybe the extra weight on the front tire or the new “Continental Tour Ride” tires help with traction.

I did not want to order anything directly from China and am glad we didn’t when one of the motors developed a problem. We had a new wheel in two days after a quick phone call.

Here is a picture of my wife's ebike, mine is exactly the same except for a bigger frame. Note the Thudbuster LT seatpost, we love them and could not ride on some of our bumpy roads/trails without it.



Thanks go to all who have contributed to these endless-sphere forums. I know most of you are far advanced in ebiking knowledge and appreciate your sharing of information. It has made a big difference in our lives.

Dave G

Thanks for posting, and a hats off to you and your wife for staying active, instead of just sitting in front of the TV all day.

Good to see that the ebikeling kits are getting around.

I bought their 36V 500W geared rear wheel kit last month. I wonder if it's the same motor with a bigger controller. I enjoyed tinkering with my bike to get this kit running. There were no issues at all. All the cables matched up. All the parts worked. Top speed is 20mph but I don't need it.

I also put it together without the PAS sensor, because I needed a crank puller to remove the left crank arm. I also needed the bearing puller because i think the right way to mount the sensor is to put it under the bearing retainer vs the glue recommended in the instructions. Anyway, I only got the crank puller ($8 of ebay) and the arm on my 30 year old bike came off like butter. I put the sensor on a bracket (59 cents from the plumbing department at Home Depot) that I clamped the frame in front of the kick stand.

PAS is wonderful. On level 1, this slow rider gets 12 mph, and it's effortless. Level 3 at the same minimal effort is 16 mph. I only need 12 mph to ride with my wife on her e-bike, so I often have the power off when we ride together. The throttle still works too. I would suggest you put it on if you need something to do this winter. It's a better experience for me than using the throttle, although I rode motorcycles when I was young.

I had a little ownership experience with my wife's factory e-bike, and I liked the dolphin style battery on it. So I bought this one off ebay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/36v-10AH-HEADWAY-lithium-ebike-bottle-battery-with-charger-for-electric-bicycle-/321838073617?hash=item4aef0b4711

It shipped in three days with proper hazmat labels from China. Good thing, as Fedex inspected it and might have confiscated it if the seller had not done so. I know it's buyer beware, but so far the battery has worked well. Only three charge cycles so far though.