Building my work commuter

[heatwave]

Hey everyone,

First post here. I've been doing a lot of reading on the topic and ordered some parts so I figured I'd stop being so lazy and make a thread about it. So I've decided to build an ebike for commuting to work. I live in Houston, in Midtown about 2 miles from my office, which is located downtown. I typically drive home to eat lunch and take a break at my apartment. I have been paying about 240$ a month just to park in the Garage at my office. I figure with the money I would save on gas and parking the bike would pay for itself in a few months time. I typically wear a suit to work else id probably just ride a regular bike, dont want to be all sweaty and deal with me being lazy in the morning. I've always wanted to build an ebike, now I actually have a reason!

so I ordered parts from bmsbattery under the impression that it would be the cheapest/fastest way to get the parts as their shipping quote stated 2-5 days... Appears they take some time to actually ship the items.

Parts:
-Q11 motor (9c clone)
-s12sh controller (35amps sine wave)
-the 48v 10ah battery in the lockable alluminum case
-all the other misc items like display, throttle, and brakes

Looking around on craigslist i found a Genesis v2100 for cheap looks like its never been used. Ordered a Suntour XCR front and DNM rear shock, comfort grips, and some Maxxis Hookwork tires off amazon. Have some spare wheels i can use to replace the cheapo wheels as well as handlebars and stem ill steal from one of my other bikes.

after ordering some parts i kinda second guessed using the v2100 as a donar as the dollars add up i could have gotten an actual nice bike.. but it looks like i'm too deep at this point to turn back now, plus i think it will turn out nice once im all done with it.

I also wish i had thought more about the battery and where it would be placed. The aluminum battery case box is supposed to be mounted on a rear rack.. which with full suspension might be a little strange, plus the more i look at ebikes, the "stealth" look looks so much better than the rear mounted, and would have better center of gravity. I almost wish i had bought the Triangle battery pack i saw on some vendors site, it looks like someone on this site was able to get it to fit into the v2100, but its also so much more expensive.

My apartment has a storage "closet" that is down the hallway (not connected to my apartment) which is where i will store the bike. There is no outlet, so i figured i could store the bike in there and slide the battery off with ease and take it inside to charge. This would not be possible with a triangle mount battery, but there is a light and light switch in the storage closet i could possibly hijack power from? id rather not have to take the bike into the apartment as it would take up too much room.

I have really no idea what to expect in terms of acceleration for the setup i have chosen. Will i have to pedal from a stop to accelerate at a decent pace or would this have a bit of pickup? I'm looking at the "chromotor" 5KW builds and im thinking damn that would be fun... im sure my bike will be nowhere near that.. plus I already have an S1000RR so I dont need another death machine.. Im just hoping it has enough umph to the point where i dont have to rock back and forth to get the thing to go when im riding too and from work.

another issue im trying to figure out is, where am I going to park the thing? there are no racks at the building I work at.. but maybe a bike rack across the street. there are a lot of trees outside my building i could use? The parking garage below my building has a rack but there are swing arms (for cars) opening and closing and if i stop paying for the garage i wont have access... still trying to figure that out.. oh also what about when it rains or is cold/hot as balls? hmmm i seem to do... then think ..

anyways those are my thoughts on the build. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Thanks!

 

[BikeFanatic]

Congratulations on your first Ebike. I think an Ebike is perfet for that commute, and you are going to love it when it hot out and you don't have to pedal. You should be satisfied with the torque, you could always upgrade to a higher voltage in the future.
I would park in the garage with a thick chain lock, ask at work about putting a bike rack in the garage
It is 2014.
As far as the battery placement that is always somthing to figure out, more difficult with a dual suspension . There is an excellent bag though, mounts on the down tube saddle bag style, it is pricey, but would hold your battery and looks good
. There is a group buy going on now, Merlin is organing. It cost About 160$shipped


shipped.http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=57623

 

[dogman dan]

2 mile ride, excellent candidate for the ebike. All four trips easily done on one charge.

For a ride that length, the Genesis will do, especially after the upgrades. It might help some with theft to still look like it's cheap.

If your storage closet has a light socket, all you need is a socket plug adapter. It's like a light bulb, screws in on the male side, has plugs on the side, and then still allows a light to screw in. Put a really low watt CFS bulb in there, so lighting the closet all night won't matter much.

Ask about parking the bike in the garage. They might give you a much different rate to use the bike rack.

 

[edcastrovalley]

I like everything you're putting on the bike so far from the Hookworms to the sign wave controller. Should be a fun bike. Your bike might work well with a battery case over the front wheel to balance the weight. Should make it handle better. Some guys will use a aluminum or plastic hard case. As for parking at work are you sure you can't bring it into the office with you. I've seen high rise buildings with large guarded entrances and still people will bring their bikes up to their offices with them.

 

[USAEBIKECO]

another issue im trying to figure out is, where am I going to park the thing? there are no racks at the building I work at.. but maybe a bike rack across the street. there are a lot of trees outside my building i could use? The parking garage below my building has a rack but there are swing arms (for cars) opening and closing and if i stop paying for the garage i wont have access... still trying to figure that out.. oh also what about when it rains or is cold/hot as balls? hmmm i seem to do... then think ..

anyways those are my thoughts on the build. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Thanks!

Using a U lock up against a tree works fine. Ive done that with my ebikes. Or a fence railing. Never had a problem.

When its cold you can simply bundle up. Dress like your going skiing. Rain is a problem. I sometime use a poncho but drive to work if I can. Rain sucks.

One thing I will add.. Invest in high quality Kevlar tires and thicker slime tire tubes. I once went a year without a flat by doing this.