Best upgrades for $200-300

[potatorage]

Hi guys, I've been slowly working on my bicycle and it's been fun at 25mph... But unfortunately for my bank account I'm itching for another upgrade. So far, it's made me about $1000 poorer but I've learned a lot and honestly it has kept me busy. Although I know there are several ways to join the 30~35mph club, I'd like to find out which one would hurt my budget the least. I currently have a 48v A123 20AH pack, an eBay front hub motor (appx 25mph @ 48v), the KU123 48v controller with 63v caps, and a steel frame hardtail mountain bicycle, with a triangle that will barely fit my a123 pack.
I am considering the following options:
1. Upgrade controller and purchase 24v,20AH of either RC LiPo, A123, or whatever else is available at a reasonable price at a cost of appx $200-400
2. Upgrade the motor to a fast wind, perhaps even ditch the front motor for a fast wind rear one. Appx cost: $ 200-???
3. Sell what I have and go for a fossil fuel powered vehicle.
4. Forget the speed and use the money to fix the current problems on my bicycle, which include
-Broken Kickstand
-No rear view mirror(s)
-Exposed and very ugly wiring
-Very hard seat that hurts my tushie
-Crappy tires
-Very ghetto mounting system that involves a lot of 36" zip ties (currently working on this)
-Slow 320W charger
-Active inrush/precharge circuit
For a total of around $200-300
With some of these options, I am afraid that my current bicycle wouldn't be able to take the increased speeds very well which could result in something bad. Also, as it is my tushie gets a little sore from running over stuff but it's bearable. Buying a new bicycle would be out of my budget for now unless it's something around $100.

 

[wesnewell]

Keep your battery pack and upgrade the motor kit to this one, and then sell you old kit. Up front cost $285 and then get back money when you sell your old kit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/48V1000W-26-Rear-Wheel-Electric-Bicycle-Motor-Kit-E-Bike-Cycling-Hub-Conversion-/370646092582

 

[amberwolf]

4. Forget the speed and use the money to fix the current problems on my bicycle, which include
-No rear view mirror(s)
-Very hard seat that hurts my tushie
-Crappy tires
-Very ghetto mounting system that involves a lot of 36" zip ties (currently working on this)

I'd say that if you want something that's faster, you might wanna look into the first two, at least, and the third depending on how secure it is with vibrations/bumps. In my experience, most zipties are pretty crappy and break without any kind of warning, with the least exposure to sunlight. I trust crappy duct tape that doesn't stick right a lot more than most zip ties. :lol:

Remember that if your tires don't stick tot he pavement when braking (a common problem with crappy tires), it's kinda hard to stop even at slower speeds, and is REALLY hard to even slow down safely at higher ones, especially in an emergency situation that can come up more often and quicker at higher speeds.

The mirrors aren't as big a deal, but at faster speeds it makes a lot more difference when you have to turn your head behind you to see things, as that second or two covers a lot mroe ground. Plus, many people tend to turn the bars a little bit when they turn their head, and the faster you are going the more dangerous that is. With the mirrors, you don't have to do more than glance down/sideways at them a bit, if properly placed.

 

[hjns]

Nice, you are asking for the right balance between performance and safety. Of course, you will have to make that decision yourself. However, here are my thoughts. Note that it depends on you having an RC Lipo charger. If you do not have one, you will quickly run out of budget.

• Get a programmable controller to play with. Get at Lyen controller for 89 bucks, and ask him to make it suitable for 48V AND 74V using a wire. This is of course assuming that your motor can take the higher voltage.
• If you have an RC Lipo charger, get a 5S 5Ah Lipo brick and put it in series with your A123 pack to gain some speed for 5 minutes. With the current frame that would probably be enough....
• Spend the rest of the money on upgrading tires, add a cheap mirror, tie up the wires, and improved mounting system.

This would allow you to play with higher speeds, and at the same time spend money on the safety aspects.

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah, spend at least the first 50-100 bucks fixing the bike, particularly tires and a better battery mount. Drop that battery and it's $$$$.

What to do next depends on a few things. Fortunately the c rate of your battery is not the problem, so several approaches are possible for under $200.

Cheapest approach. Look on ebay for a really cheap 48v 40 amp 12 fet controller. It will really perk up your starts, and the extra amps should pick you up 2-3 mph. Not a big improvement, but it can be done for less than $75. I think I paid less than 50 for mine shipped.

Then perhaps look into a faster wind dd motor, especially if you can snag one used for cheap. Or like Wes suggested, buy a faster motor kit, then sell off your old kit. I still think though, that if you did that you'd benefit from the 40 amps controller. Faster windings controllers like amps, so give it 40 eh? In any case, if you buy a new motor and controller, you do have the option of getting some money back out of the used stuff. Just don't expect much over half your money back for a quick sale.

The last and most expensive route would be to add more battery. It won't take much RC lipo or A123 pouches to make your bike into a 72v hot rod. But you'd of course need a 72v controller, so by the time you add battery, charger, and controller, it gets well towards your money limit. For that though, you really do want a solid bike, no floppy frames no brakes that don't work well, fresh tires.

 

[Drunkskunk]

Spend the money to fix every little problem on the bike. Clean up the wiring, good waterproof connectors, a solid battery mount or even a box enclosure. torque arms. Good balloon tires, 2.5" if your frame can hold them, or atleast the biggest it can handle. Disk brakes if you can fit them. Then a good seat and possably a thud buster seatpost.

40 amps on your controller would probably wake that motor up. Not any more speed but likely more torque. You may be able to solder the shunt on the controller you have to get more power from it. 6 FET controllers can usualy handle 30 amps, 12 FET can usualy handle over 40 amps easily.

After you get everything else sorted out, then you might look at a motor upgrade. Since you have that big@ss battery, I'd look for a faster wind motor rather than trying to run at higher voltage.

 

[potatorage]

I purchased a 40A Infineon controller and a 9c 12x5 fast wind motor, total cost was around $215, which leaves me a little more to spend. Now, I can't decide whether to do 2wd or try to sell my front hub motor. The 9c came with andersons, but I cut those off and replaced with bullets to fit my controller. Now that I bought a new controller I'd have to replace the connectors again...

48v 40A takes me up to around 2000w, which means that a phase cable/ ventilation mod for the 9c might be necessary. The problem is that I can't seem to get the cover off, as it appears to be sealed with glue or something. I'm also concerned about rust, since my bike is outdoors in the rain, snow, etc and it rains a lot more in Saint Louis than in Texas. So getting the thing open is a priority for me.

That just leaves the misc components, all of which should not be too expensive. Too bad I can't work on my bike all winter, but I sure can order more crap for it!

 

[hjns]

Do a google search for "site:endless-sphere.com remove cover" and you should find quite a lot of info how to remove the cover from your motor.

I would suggest to install your new motor as rear WD first, and see how it is to drive around with 2kW on the rear. It really should be a nice improvement in terms of torque due to the higher current, and speed, due to the faster wind.

If that is not enough torque, aka acceleration, you can always try and get 2WD working. However, it will not give you extra speed on the flat. It will only give you extra acceleration, or extra speed when going up a 20% hill. Otherwise, the extra weight and trouble is just that: extra weight and extra trouble.

edit: link fixed