Anyone ever used this 1000W bike motor kit?

[lookingelectric]

These guys appear to be selling a 1000W motor kit (no batteries) for $460, with shipping. If its true and it works, it looks like about the same level as the 5xxx motors from ebikes.ca, but without the need for a $180 controller.

http://www.cyclone-tw.com/order.htm

Has anybody ever tried these guys? Are there others that are better/cheaper?

Thanks.

 

[TylerDurden]

The cyclone is a good BB-drive. Using gears will help on the hills. Check Jondoh's review in the testing section.

 

[jondoh]

actually i'm looking to sell my kit. while the motor is good, the freewheel problems that i've had has made up my mind that hub motors are better overall because of their mechanical simplicity.

 

[hopbot]

hey there looking,
i have the 500w kit and really like it. as jondoh mentioned, its not as simple mechanically as a hub motor and has required some tinkering. also, your selection of bikes is limited because of some of the spacing requirements of the motor, the spindle and freewheel chainwheel they require you to use (included in the kit) and the tinkering that has to be done to get it all to run somewhat smoothly. haven't seen it mounted on many full-suspension bikes and most mountain bikes i measured would not adequately fit the motor without some modifications to the motor mount. if they are oversized frames, then it wont work at all - so getting the right bike is super important with these kits.

this is all based on the 500w kit, i hear the 350w kit is much easier since its smaller. haven't heard of anyone using the 1000w kit yet.

you can read about my experiences here, if it helps: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1757

EDIT: hah, just looked around the cyclone tw site and they show a ton of their own full-suspension bikes mounted with the kits, so there ya go!

 

[lookingelectric]

What sort of freewheel problems?

Actually, I get the impression that you're in the bay area. Depending on the state of the machine, the freewheel problems and the price, I might be tempted to buy the whole thing (kit with bike attached) from you.

 

[jondoh]

The problem i've been having with the freewheel is that they break. The torque from the motor is so great that they start to split apart and then you get a knocking sound when you pedal. I think this could be solved by going with a smaller chain ring (36 tooth). The guy at cyclone usa does sell these but I haven't been able to buy from his website or contact him through e-mail lately.

I've temporarily solved the problem by using a standard crank but now i have to pedal whenever the motor goes on.

 

[echoppershop]

Ya...geared chain-driven systems can be a boatload of headaches, repairs, and mantenance....they can work well...but there are soo many things that can go wrong....

Brushless, gearless, hub motors are preferable if you want ease of installation and worry free, mantenance free use.

 

[Geebee]

That motor through the gears would be entertaining if you could keep the drive together.
My trike has a sub 15" low, you could just lock on the front brakes and melt the back tyre, potentially you could screech the rear wheel going off the lights.
On my faired trike it would be good for 50 to 60 MPH on the flat, according to the calculator.
Great fun but I think the advantages of a bottom bracket drive are more useful with the low powered motors (200w ish)to compensate for torque up hills, and are better still if you can still have the front triple setup instead of being reduce to a single ring.