BATTERY/HUB MOTOR/CONTROLLER DEALERS IN S.F. BAY AREA ? ?

[ScooterMan101]

It is time for me to build up an electric bike, The San Francisco Bay area is a large area ,
Who have you bought from ? your experience ? or know someone who bought anything needed to
convert a bicycle to electric ?

Battery makers/dealers ?

Hub Motor Supplier/Dealer ?

Controllers etc.

I want to do 48 plus volts, but run on lower amps . ( 20 amps with 48 volt, and lower with higher voltages, What have you done without ripping out the drop outs ? )

If I go with a front hub motor, I want something small/light like the befang 8 fun. ( disc ready )
( I have a frame picked out that I could buy that has a cro-moly front fork )

If I go with a rear hub motor, it can be a little bigger must have disc ready , and must be able to accept a 9 or 10 speed cassette !

I like what Kepler did with his road bike. http://www.electricbike.com/kepler-super-commuter/
( Scroll down to almost mid page to " New Plan : Stealth Hub Motor Build )
Kepler did what I want to do for first build, and for road, Light , and Small, and Stealthy !

I have a good aluminum Road Bike with 10 speed cassette ( 2/10 ) and want to do what he did but with only
48 or 60 volts, not 72.

but will need to source higher wattage controller for that and program it to run on low amps ,
( know of any good sine wave controllers ? )

I would prefer to buy from California first, and if the prices are too high, buy from the states, and buy from China last , as I have not had a couple of e-mails returned from there.


I have no time at the present to do a mid drive, that will come latter.

 

[teklektik]

Ebikes SF (ebikssf.com)
Parts, custom builds, outstanding service/support.

 

[ScooterMan101]

I will check them out, but absolutely want other options, Update, Just went to ebikessf website, I am going to have to go with better pricing than them, also they have rear hubs that take a 7 speed cassette,
The Frame / build I will do with a front , Or , rear hub motor will have a 9 speed cassette in the rear,
and
When I do convert my road bike, It will be with smaller motor as well, it has a 10 speed cassette/free hub body

I know many here on E.S. go with heavy hub motors, with larger amperage, I am just not going to put a heavy motor weather front or rear on my bike/s , only a heavy motor in / near the center of the bike
A heavy, more amperage motor will come later , when I do a mid drive ( Stokemonkey copy )

also
I have noticed looking at websites that offer kits, that they all seem to offer just a few battery choices and the battery packs are high prices at that ,
I do want to source the batteries, from someone who builds it themselves.

 

[MitchJi]

Hi,

http://www.ebikes.ca/

 

[Barnfresh]

Give Doug at California Ebike a call. (california-ebike.com)

 

[mvly]

I will check them out, but absolutely want other options, Update, Just went to ebikessf website, I am going to have to go with better pricing than them, also they have rear hubs that take a 7 speed cassette,
The Frame / build I will do with a front , Or , rear hub motor will have a 9 speed cassette in the rear,
and
When I do convert my road bike, It will be with smaller motor as well, it has a 10 speed cassette/free hub body

I know many here on E.S. go with heavy hub motors, with larger amperage, I am just not going to put a heavy motor weather front or rear on my bike/s , only a heavy motor in / near the center of the bike
A heavy, more amperage motor will come later , when I do a mid drive ( Stokemonkey copy )

also
I have noticed looking at websites that offer kits, that they all seem to offer just a few battery choices and the battery packs are high prices at that ,
I do want to source the batteries, from someone who builds it themselves.

Ebikessf sells other items it does not advertise. Just hit up the shop and ask ilia brouk the store owner. As for pricing, he won't give you discounts, but I find them very fair for the service and quality he is offering.

However that being said, there are things out of his control like batteries which he has to sell at a set price due to getting them from the manufacture which he has to sell at a certain price. Once you understand that, you'll find his price is really good.

 

[ScooterMan101]

mvly wrote :

Ebikessf sells other items it does not advertise. Just hit up the shop and ask ilia brouk the store owner. As for pricing, he won't give you discounts, but I find them very fair for the service and quality he is offering.

However that being said, there are things out of his control like batteries which he has to sell at a set price due to getting them from the manufacture which he has to sell at a certain price. Once you understand that, you'll find his price is really good.[/quote]




Ok, I will call him and the other listed ones as well, so far I am finding dealers here in the States that are selling the Big Hub motors, which I understand for you commuters, and those who want to go fast,
However for my first build , I am looking for the smaller , hub motors like what Kepler has on his Super Commuter. and I only so far have found one for a front , and it is only 24 volt with 24 volt controller that is just a There is a dealer on the Peninsula , but forgot his name and company name, I remember he has a Russian Wife.
Also
There is someone who makes packs from Headway Batteries, in Alameda or near to there, but I forgot his name / business and where to find him.
I looked at the Stuff Todd sells ( electricmotorsport ) but does not look like much bicycle stuff.

Any one know of the Befang / 8 Fun sellers here in the states ? or is there now a better option for small hub motors, same small size and light weight , but better performance ( I am reading people are uping the Voltage on them ) I would gladly go with something else, I just like the Small area/light weight , and most of all , Price ,
I see overseas prices of just under $ 200 to just a little more.

 

[Chalo]

I got a great price on the first hub motor I ordered from China. But shipping cost me as much as the motor kit, and I was faced with basically no recourse if there had been a problem. Having a local merchant to deal with is worth money.

 

[ScooterMan101]

@ Chalo,

Yep that is what I was thinking, Have you ordered from Canada ? I think it is ebikeca ,
I do however want to get the Battery Pack made Locally .

When going with a Small / Light Weight hub motor, and uping the volts, to 48-72 , is it better to have a high speed low torque motor, so as to not rip out the front or rear drop outs ?

 

[Chalo]

Have you ordered from Canada ? I think it is ebikeca ,

Grin Cyclery (ebikes.ca) is the gold standard of e-bike vendors. They only sell products that can uphold their impeccable reputation, they fulfill orders perfectly, they provide great tech and product support-- and I have even received gratefully appreciated lagniappe from them. Most importantly, Justin and the other good folks at Grin do the hard work of testing developing products to improve the state of the art of e-biking. That's an exceedingly rare quality in any retailer. I get my supplies from Grin whenever their stock and my time frame allows.

When going with a Small / Light Weight hub motor, and uping the volts, to 48-72 , is it better to have a high speed low torque motor, so as to not rip out the front or rear drop outs ?

Raising the voltage does not usually increase peak torque, which is a function of the controller's maximum amp rating. It just makes the motor run at a higher speed (and lowers motor efficiency at low speed). Thus you'll usually want a slow speed motor if you intend to run it at higher than its rated voltage, because the higher voltage makes it run faster than its rating.

If you want to limit the torque your motor can make, use a controller with a modest maximum current output.

Most low speed motors don't actually develop much more peak torque than high speed motors; mostly they just run more efficiently at a lower speed, which might be the speed you require (or can attain). The puzzle to solve is to match your target top speed to a motor output power that can propel you at that speed, in an efficient speed range for the motor, at the voltage you're using. The ebikes.ca simulator is an invaluable tool in finding a motor/controller/battery combination that does what you want it to do.