Cargo EBike build for 7000km Tour - what do you think?

[twist]

I'm planing right now an building a Cargo Ebike for a 7000km tour in Europe and would like to get some input from people who have maybe more experience.

Start date will be 1. of August ... so I have time till then to finish everything up.

Right now I already have a Bafang BBSHD on an converted Bike with Xtracycle Free Radical (witch I already own over 10 years) but the whole Frame has "to much" flex when I have a lot of cargo. On my bike tour I will be making a documentary so I will have some camera & audio stuff with me and not just the stuff you need on a normal tour. Will be traveling around 120-150km a day.

So for now that is what I would like to use:

Motor: Bafang BBSHD ... got that already
Battery: 30Ah 48V Samsung 3000mAh Battery Pack ... already on my Test bike ... works good and I can make the 150km in one charge
Gear: Rohloff 14 Speedhub (http://www.rohloff.de/en/products/speedhub/) ... is on it's way to me already

Front Breaks: I would use some disc brake ... any suggestions?
Back Breaks: 2016 Magura HS22 Hydraulic V-Brakes (http://www.magura.com/en/bike/products/katalog/produkte/detail/79-2014/speed-emobility-series-1/allgemein/hs22-fuer-e-bikes-und-pedelecs/allgemein.html) ... one reason is because the Rohloff I bought used doesn't have the disc break option ... but I could maybe get a disc break option if people say that a V-Brake is not an good option

Frame: Would like to go with a Long-tail ... right now my options that I'm down to:
Wooden DIY Frame (would love to make that happen) ... good idea or not?
Yuba Mundo Frame (http://yubabikes.com/mundo)
I also own a Kona UTE (my Girlfriend is using it) but I would like to have a longer Long-tail and I would love to have Sideloaders.

Rims: Andra30 (http://www.ryde.nl/andra-30)

Charger: Grin CYCLE SATIATOR (dream) ... will look if I can get a used one or maybe on sale ... right now I have a 2Ah Charger without Fan and a 4Ah Charger with Fan .. but that one with Fan is really loud ... will probably hack that one with a bigger fan and the ability to also have 80-90% Charge
Bike Computer: Cycle Analyst or DIY Arduino ... depends on budget and time ... is it easy to connect BBSHD with Cycle Analyst?

Handle Bar: Still looking for a good and flexible on ... I already did a 2400km tour and know that the Handle Bar needs to be flexible or have many different holding points

Bags: Will probably will use Ortlieb Rack-Pack (https://www.ortlieb.com/en/produkt-details/?produkt=rackpack&list=reisetasche&slug=reisetasche&clearname=Reisetaschen) ... have already 2 L (49L) and one XL (89L) maybe need just one more XL

Still working out the small parts.

What do you guys think?

Thanks for any input!

Chris

 

[miuan]

My suggestion is to add a small hubmotor up front with a small inexpensive sine wave controller for redundancy. I wouldn't trust the Bafang for such distance. Your bike will be heavy anyway, and the front motor can aid up hills. Since you are using a 48V battery, your bike is no more legal anyway. In the event of a breakdown, you can have a replacement part sent to one of your scheduled places, without having to wait.
Re charging: unless it's the Satiator, take 2 or 3 small dumb CCCV fanless chargers with you. If one fails, you can dispose it and go on. When all work, they can charge in parallel.
Have a good leather/textile bagset made by a skilled craftsman. It will last longer and you can have it made in custom size to complement your longtail.
Mechanical disc brake like the Avid BB series or Tektro Aquila will be a good choice, just make sure the caliper clears the front motor. Stock on brake pads too!
I suggest you use Andra 40 for the rear wheel. Overkill for most, must for me. Even better, you can try some 3.0 cruiser tyres if they clear your frame.

 

[twist]

Thanks ... will be going to Slovakia as well

With a small hub-motor just for redundancy is a great idea!
I also didn't think of parallel charging with multiple chargers ... that's a great tip! My plan was to charge with 4Ah most of the time over night.
For my camera & audio stuff I need a 100% waterproofed bag ... but big leather bags are also a good idea ... was also thinking about getting the Go-Getter-Bags (http://yubabikes.com/cargobikestore/add-ons/105-go-getter-bag.html).
Andra 40 is also a great choice ... should be stronger than the Andra 30.

So here my tour plan right now:
Spain
France
Belgium
Netherlands - Amsterdam (because of there bike lifestyle)
Germany
Denmark - Copenhagen (also because of there bike lifestyle)
Germany
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary - Budapest around 30 August to 3 September 2016 (http://budapest.degrowth.org/)
Austria
Italy
France
Spain

QUESTION:
Many Long-tale bikes are switching to a small wheel in the back (http://www.xtracycle.com/bosch-electric-edgerunner-8e/ & http://yubabikes.com/spicy-curry)!
But what are really the benefits if you have the BBSHD ... I get the lower center of gravity for kids on the back or cargo that is on top of the bench and the benefit if your motor is not strong enought (the BBSHD is really strong ) ... any other real benefits if you have a strong motor and the cargo will be on the sides? I would otherwise go with 26" wheel in the back!

Thanks for your help!

 

[dogman dan]

I've done some short tours, but rocky mountain riding can kill stuff. So I also considered a geared front hub motor, both for extra power up mountains, but also for redundancy. I never did it though, because I got some large, unbreakable hub motors. On the other hand, just carrying a few spares for the bafang might be all you need. Or just have them at home, and somebody ready to send them in an instant.

I know exactly what you mean about too flexy. One of my first home made long tails had that problem some. It rode fine, but just couldn't descend fast without going wobbly when fully loaded. More recently, I built a long frame that is rock solid. Much better!

If you can find a long bike that is steel, then you can make it more rigid easily, having some small additional steel added, much like the beach cruisers have. Since you are in Europe, there is a lot more options for cargo bikes than just a Yuba or surly.

Get the satiator, worth the money on a tour like that.

 

[Eskimo]

On a long trip it"s all about charging. Where, when, how fast. I have done two five-day tours. Other one in a foreign country.
Get as powerful charger/chargers as possible. That"s the thing you really need on a long tour. If you can top up, say, in an hour instead of three hours, it makes a great difference.
Noisy fans can be silenced if you cut off that grill next to that fan. Use jesustape to cover it when not in use. I have done that for all my chargers and PSU"s.
I would use 1000W DD. It"s really reliable. Dunno much about mid-drives. Might last.
Good luck.

 

[dogman dan]

That's true enough. Unless you have the range to go all day, then charge at night in a motel, you need at least two satiators.

For me, the speed I like to tour, 2000wh of battery is plenty. But if you only had 1000wh, you'd want to charge at more than 5 amps for sure. Anything much over an hour squatting next to some ice machine plug sucks. Waiting 3-4 hours someplace for a charge from a pair of 5 amps chargers was horrible!!!! I'm never going to tour like that again. You don't head out on a tour with the intent to sit at some gas stations plug for half the day. You want to ride.

 

[twist]

My plan is to couch-surf all the time and always have a place where I can charge the batteries over night. I'm planing to conduct interviews almost every day and all my gear also needs to be charged so enough energy is essential on this tour and I will just not have the time to wait for charging or trying to find a plug that I can use for free. I did a 2400km tour with a normal bike and did 120km/day (always in a tent) ... so my plan of 150km with battery power should be doable ... I just want to go a bit faster then I could go without motor. On the 2400km tour I did maybe 15km/h on average with a heavy bike (lots of cargo) and now I'm planing on 25km/h.

dogman dan ... why at least two satiators? or just if you have to quick charge all the time?

Any tip for a good 48v front hub motor that has a freewheel and is reliable. This would just be for redundancy (as miuan suggested)?

In Europe the only strong Long-tail frame that I can buy is the Yuba Mundo Frame (http://www.e-lastenrad.de/backpacker/yuba-mundo-rahmenkit) ... all others just sell the whole bike and no Frame-Sets. Or am I missing one?

Thanks for the good input!

 

[NordicNorm]

In Europe the only strong Long-tail frame that I can buy is the Yuba Mundo Frame (http://www.e-lastenrad.de/backpacker/yuba-mundo-rahmenkit) ... all others just sell the whole bike and no Frame-Sets. Or am I missing one?

Not certain, but you might try these guys for Big Dummy frames: http://surlybikes.com/dealers/#Spain

cheers

 

[dogman dan]

I meant two satiators if you were charging mid day. One fine if you have range to go all day.

I carry 48v 30 ah, and it only takes me about 60 miles 96 km, about 5 hours road time. So I did sort of assume you'd be doing two charges a day.

But towns are not 60 miles apart in Europe, and there are things to stop and see, besides cactus. So you won't need to cover the distances you'd need to out here in the deserts of USA.

Out here, the ideal battery would be a pair of 48v 20 ah packs. Then a pair of chargers for them for when you are needing to sit waiting for them to fill. BTW, if you are charging overnight, then no real need for a satiator. But a second charger is a good idea, or have one ready to ship to you.

I did mean a second front hub motor just for redundancy. It could be anything. even something cheap and weak would work for a limp to the next town. When I was thinking of a second motor, I was going to need it just to get over mountains. Now I have some old 5300 crystalytes, and they are reliable and get me over the rockies with no problems or worries.