Start of my E-Cruiser Project

E-GE

10 mW
Joined
Jun 14, 2010
Messages
29
Location
Europe
After watching lot's of electronic vehicle video's on YouTube and driving in a Lotus Tesla I really want to have my own electric vehicle. Unfortunately I don't have the money to buy a Tesla from the shop, so I have to make my own e-vehicle which is going to be a Nirve B1 Beach Cruiser. For me it was obvious to choose for a Beach Cruiser cause of the looks and the low center of gravity.
I'm quite new to the electric vehicle e-bike scene, although I have been studying Electronics for 2 years ages ago.

Here you can see the bike I just bought and assembled for this e-bike project. The bike has 26" wheels.

bike1zc.jpg



As it comes to the performance of the bike I have several wishes:
- Instant start rear hub motor. (I'm going to remove the peddles and the chain so no freewheel needed)
- Fast accelleration is more important than topspeed.
-Top speed ± 30 MPH (or about 50 Kmh)
- 2 disc brakes and front-fork suspension
- Twist Throttle
- Lithium-ion battery pack
- No e-brake system

I have been looking around for the proper setup, and I find it very difficult to choose the proper setup. Until now I have the following setup:
- BMC V3 Rear Hub Motor (1000W) or BMC V2 High Torque Rear Hub Motor (600W)
- BMC full-twist Throttle
- LiFePO4 48V 10Ah Battery
- BMC 48V 50A Controller
- Cycle Analyst Stand-Alone

Can anyone tell me if this setup will work properly according the required needs? Any help or suggestions would be more than welcome!
 
E-GE said:
As it comes to the performance of the bike I have several wishes:
- Instant start rear hub motor. (I'm going to remove the peddles and the chain so no freewheel needed)
- Fast accelleration is more important than topspeed.
-Top speed ± 30 MPH (or about 50 Kmh)
- 2 disc brakes and front-fork suspension
- Twist Throttle
- Lithium-ion battery pack
- No e-brake system

I have been looking around for the proper setup, and I find it very difficult to choose the proper setup. Until now I have the following setup:
- BMC V3 Rear Hub Motor (1000W) or BMC V2 High Torque Rear Hub Motor (600W)
- BMC full-twist Throttle
- LiFePO4 48V 10Ah Battery
- BMC 48V 50A Controller
- Cycle Analyst Stand-Alone

Can anyone tell me if this setup will work properly according the required needs? Any help or suggestions would be more than welcome!

E-GE:
That is great that you have selected high torque / high speed setup. But how are you planning to put 2 disc brakes at the front? Are you planning to put rear brake? If you have to stop in a hurry, you will flip over with dual front disc brakes.

Ken
 
Hi Ken, With double disc brakes I mean one in the front and one in the rear. A superman dive over the steer was not exactly my idea :D
 
Wheelbender,
Can you show me some pictures of your just finished project?
As for the looks: I want to keep the bike as clean and raw as possible. Do you have any tips for working away the cables? Drilling holes in the frame could be an option, but don't know how it will work out.
After seeing some BMC V3 video's on YouTube I guess I should go for the 1000W version :D
 
E-GE said:
Hi Ken, With double disc brakes I mean one in the front and one in the rear. A superman dive over the steer was not exactly my idea :D
Ok. I see. The reason I am focusing around your front brake, if I am correct, your frame do not have rear disc brake mount, nor v-brake mount. We actually did a similar configuration with Nirve Classic-3. It has a coaster brake, no front brake.

- We installed Sturmey Archer XFD front hub drum brake
- We used a regen sensorless controller which also provide some regen brake to rear wheel
- the dropout width is not a standard 135 or 100mm, we use custom 115mm axle, with single speed freewheel

The BMC 1000W is a powerful motor with 48v pack, you need to have some good brake to stop. If you don't have mounting for the disc brake, you will need other type of alternative, or weld the disc mount onto the frame.

Here is the picture of the bike.
 
itselectric said:
E-GE said:
Hi Ken, With double disc brakes I mean one in the front and one in the rear. A superman dive over the steer was not exactly my idea :D
Ok. I see. The reason I am focusing around your front brake, if I am correct, your frame do not have rear disc brake mount, nor v-brake mount. We actually did a similar configuration with Nirve Classic-3. It has a coaster brake, no front brake.

- We installed Sturmey Archer XFD front hub drum brake
- We used a regen sensorless controller which also provide some regen brake to rear wheel
- the dropout width is not a standard 135 or 100mm, we use custom 115mm axle, with single speed freewheel

The BMC 1000W is a powerful motor with 48v pack, you need to have some good brake to stop. If you don't have mounting for the disc brake, you will need other type of alternative, or weld the disc mount onto the frame.

Here is the picture of the bike.

Hi Ken,
Nice bike you have there. Is there a forum topic of the build of you bike?
I'm going to replace the front-fork with a MTB suspension fork including disc brake. In the rear there is no disc brake mount yet. I'm going to use an adapter for the rear to make it disc brake compatible. I think that should do.
 
gestalt said:
That's a rockstar status cruiser frame to build an e-bike with, if you haven't already done so you should check out this thread http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8099&hilit and get a load of all those early motorcycles. I cant wait to see this bike start to take shape.

Hi Gestalt, Thanks for the link! I've build up a folder on my computer full of these old-skool bobbers and motorized bicycles just for inspiration.
I really dig your project. The bike is going to look completely different from the first picture. Unfortunately I'm not that skilled and can not weld, so I have to do it with more "plug and play" parts. I'm going to try to keep the bike as clean as possible.
 
E-GE said:
Hi Ken,
Nice bike you have there. Is there a forum topic of the build of you bike?
I'm going to replace the front-fork with a MTB suspension fork including disc brake. In the rear there is no disc brake mount yet. I'm going to use an adapter for the rear to make it disc brake compatible. I think that should do.
Thank you for your comment! I don't have a topic of my build, it scatter all over the place, but here some of posting of my build:

the most interesting to you, may be the Electra cruiser and Crazy Chopper bike

Stealth Bike
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16930

Solar Bike
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13091

Crazy Chopper Bike
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7710

Electra cruiser conversion
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17095

Cruiser Trike
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7674

I am a retailer/online dealer, so I have seem more bike and have converted many interesting bikes. By now, I know what works and what to avoid for pitfall.

Ken
 
Geetarboy, They are Schwalbe Fat Franks 26". I know Electra has the same kind of balloon bike wheels.
 
I'm still not sure if I should go for a BMC v3 or a Crystalyte hub. I've been reading about the pro's and con's of both, but still find it hard to choose.
My feeling says I'm better off with the BMC v3 because of the circumstances where i'm going to ride the bike.
- Mostly flat and good city roads (no off roads)
- Not for everyday use
- Temperatures from 0°C to 25°C Max (32F to 77F)
- Toque / acceleration is what I want
- top speed of 25MPH is more than enough

Any help or advice would be appreciated. Can anybody show me a video of the acceleration of the BMC v3? I'm curious about the sounds that this motor produces. I can't find any good ones on YouTube.
 
Finally, I have the stuff needed for my first e-bike project. :D
I will use a Nine Continent 2806 hub with a 25A Infineon controller on a Nirve cruiser with metal frame. The current space between my dropouts is 109 mm, while the dropout space needed for the 2806 hub is 134 mm.
That means I'll need to bend the frame for 25 mm which is quite a lot in my opinion. Here you can see 2 images of the frame.

imag0008la.jpg


imag0006bv.jpg


Would it be safe to bend the frame, or do I need to make another construction? Any advice is welcome!
 
G'day.
You can bend the frame a bit but make sure you keep the pedal & wheel sprockets lined up. Gently does it. Make sure the dropouts stay parallel as well.
 
Just finished working on my bike for this day. I've managed to get the rear 135mm hub into the 110mm frame by using a little tool to stretch the frame for tire replacements (it's laying on the ground on the left side in the image). As you can also see on the image below is that the 9C wheel in not really centered, although the frame is stretched on both sides. The space between the frame and rim on the left side is 28mm while on the right side it's 18mm. I'm not sure how to deal with this problem yet. I guess it's possible to drive, but a centered wheel would always be better. I've placed the washers on the outside to minimize the frame stretch. Are there any good reasons to place them inside?
Tomorrow I'll try to give the wheel it's first spin while upside-down by connecting all the parts. :D

imag0011h.jpg
 
Yesyes, got my first ride on the bike yesterday, although the bike is far from finished. First impressions are great. I was unable tot do a lot of testing since my single side calliper brake is not braking at all. I'll hope to find a front suspension fork with disc brake soon!
 
Double post...
 
For the wheel not being centered, You can try loosening the spokes on the side the wheel is to far over on and then tightening the other side to pull it over. Go really slow and try to count the turns you make and match them on the other side to keep it somewhat straight, then you can finish it up by checking the straightness of the wheel by spinning it and adjusting where needed to get it perfect, its not too hard just time consuming...Nice looking bike!
 
Whiplash said:
For the wheel not being centered, You can try loosening the spokes on the side the wheel is to far over on and then tightening the other side to pull it over. Go really slow and try to count the turns you make and match them on the other side to keep it somewhat straight, then you can finish it up by checking the straightness of the wheel by spinning it and adjusting where needed to get it perfect, its not too hard just time consuming...Nice looking bike!

The wheel has been trued by the local bike shop. I think the flight from Canada to Europe was quite bumpy, since the bikeshop found out that there is a slight bump in the rim, so it will never be fully trued.
After placing the wheel in the frame for the 2nd time I centered the wheel by adjusting the position of the axle. Have to say that it looks pretty good now.

By the way: The auto-cruise functionality on the new Infineon controllers is horrible. I'll desolder this "feature" as soon as I find a good instruction...
 
I would try to run a washer on the inside. 9c motors have a really small flat on the axle. I would worry that it will try to pull through the dropout.
 
Torque arm(s)?
otherDoc
 
docnjoj said:
Torque arm(s)?
otherDoc
I'm currently drawing my custom torque arms for both sides. I've a steel frame, so for now I'm good.

torker said:
I would try to run a washer on the inside. 9c motors have a really small flat on the axle. I would worry that it will try to pull through the dropout.
I'll try to place the washers on the inside next time I'll have to remove the wheel. The axle is not suited for every day pit-stops...
 
I'm about to (re)start the project again. I've a new suspension fork with a brake disk and I've been working on a battery tank that's hopefully going to look quite awesome. I'll try to post some new photo's within the next few weeks!
 
Yea +2 on the washers inside. If that is a steel frame it should be no prob to spread it a little more. You did say you are going to run singlespeed or no pedals so you could do like I did and file/mill the flat on the axle. I gained another 1/4 inch doing this. I pretty much had to as my rear drops are alum. and I was not about to spread those. I have to run a singlespeed sprocket now but no bother for me.
 
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