Challenge: Build that outperforms Ride1up Roadster v2 for less?

3

3yt

100 µW
Joined
Mar 30, 2022
Messages
9
Im about to buy the $1050 Roadster V2. Ive never built an e bike before but I already own a great little single speed that's only 19lbs. I want to see if the experts here would recommend I build instead? Thanks for your time.
-----------------------
Goal:
<33lbs
"pedal assist up to 24 mph,"
Range 20-30 miles
<$1050
----------------------
Desired max speed on level ground: 20mph
Desired max range at what cruising speed: 10miles
wheel size of bike you want to convert: 700x23
Bike: reliable but older 19lb single speed, (love the bike but its not work much ~ $100) aluminum frame, drop bars
Fitness level: Can pedal 10miles, but would rather not after a long day at work.
Skill level: competent bike mechanic, no electric motor experience,.
Weather: PNW, wet often
Brake type of motor wheel.
Brakes: Caliper
Rider weight: 145lbs
Terrain: mostly flat, some short hills under 20% grade.
Budget: ideally under $500 up to $1000 if needed
------------------------

*keeping weight low to carry up stairs.

would this kit work? https://www.amazon.com/EBIKELING-1200W-Direct-Electric-Battery/dp/B09LBTCFD9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=39PGCFTJPP5W0&keywords=Ebikeling%2B700c%2Bwith%2Bbattery&qid=1648687635&refinements=p_36%3A-84000&rnid=386589011&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=ebikeling%2B700c%2Bwith%2Bbattery%2Csporting%2C133&sr=1-3&th=1&psc=1
 
All ready-made e-bikes under about $1500 are highly suspect, but that one has a deal-breaking feature. Sooner or later (probably sooner), you will regret having an inside-the-frame battery pack. It makes everything harder to troubleshoot, harder to work on, non-upgradable, and incompatible with generic replacements.

Belt drive murders your freewheel if it's tight enough, and murders itself if it isn't. It's a poor choice for a freewheel equipped hub like that.

All the performance specs on that bike are grossly exaggerated. That's pretty much normal in the e-bike business, but all the same you should expect it to be slower and shorter ranged than they say it is.

In your situation, I'd start with a basic and sturdy bike that has a steel front fork, and use a geared front hub motor with a smallish battery in a handlebar bag or rack trunk. Don't sweat the weight, because it doesn't really matter once you have some help from the motor. Just use a simple, rugged, proven, inexpensive bike that you like, so it won't give you complicated problems.

Have a look at Topbikekit where you can find a lightweight Aikema geared hub like AKM100, and a frame mounted battery pack that contains the controller inside. That's a simple, clean setup that's easy to install. Other simple, plug and play hub motor kits are available on Amazon from Ebikeling and others.
 
thanks for the tips, The weight issue is so I can carry it up 3 flights of stairs when staying at SO place across town.
 
"36V 7.0ah Samsung 35e Cells" (252 watt hours)

At 33 pounds it is light for an ebike however you are not going to get very far with that battery especially after a couple of years have degraded the capacity. I use 149 watt hours just going to the grocery store and back. It is only about 2-1/2 miles away (it is silly to try and pedal at 20-25 mph).

P.S.
See my review of the "eBikeLing 36 Volt, 500 Watt Front Geared motor and 700C wheel"
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=112568
 
wow your weight weenie is amazing, 30 lbs! i don't think I could assemble all that by buying individual parts. If you were to try a kit again what one would you get?>
 
3yt said:
thanks for the tips, The weight issue is so I can carry it up 3 flights of stairs when staying at SO place across town.
Click to expand...

Ah. Well, pick a light bike with a steel fork then. And a small battery, and a small motor.

http://www.topbikekit.com/akm100h-36v350w-ebike-front-driving-hub-motor-p-677.html

http://www.topbikekit.com/36v10ah-samsung-inr2170050e-liion-battery-small-size-and-large-capacity-p-1057.html

http://www.topbikekit.com/t09s-36v48v500w-torque-simulation-sine-wave-controller-with-julei-waterproof-connector-p-760.html

These are examples of things that would work for you, but there are many others that would also do the job.
 
Im a little out of my element here, i see there are 3 main parts battery, motor, controller. beyond that im lost... also, i dont think i could install the motor on a wheel.
 
Build.
3yt said:
-----------------------
Goal:
<33lbs
"pedal assist up to 24 mph,"
Range 20-30 miles
<$1050
----------------------
Desired max speed on level ground: 20mph
Desired max range at what cruising speed: 10miles
wheel size of bike you want to convert: 700x23
Budget: ideally under $500 up to $1000 if needed
------------------------

would this kit work? https://www.amazon.com/EBIKELING-1200W-Direct-Electric-Battery/dp/B09LBTCFD9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=39PGCFTJPP5W0&keywords=Ebikeling%2B700c%2Bwith%2Bbattery&qid=1648687635&refinements=p_36%3A-84000&rnid=386589011&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=ebikeling%2B700c%2Bwith%2Bbattery%2Csporting%2C133&sr=1-3&th=1&psc=1
Click to expand...
No. The motor speed is 260 RPM, so with a 700C wheel, that will only get you assist up to 20 mph. You would need a 300 RPM motor to reach your target of assist up to 24 mph.

3yt said:
Goal:
<33lbs
*keeping weight low to carry up stairs.
Click to expand...
Remove the battery and make two trips. That provides more leeway on the battery. I would buy the kit separate from the battery, and invest in a good one with ample capacity. Geared hub is a good choice, and lets you pedal if you ever run out of juice.
 
LewTwo said:
P.S.
See my review of the "eBikeLing 36 Volt, 500 Watt Front Geared motor and 700C wheel"
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=112568
Click to expand...

That was a good read. I'm going to try out those BMS torque arms when I get around to mounting my old motor into my next build. The fit looked impressive, but your dimensions tell the whole story. :bigthumb:
 
Remove the battery and make two trips.
Click to expand...

humm, this is interesting.... Im not too worried about leaving the bike out overnight. Is there a build where you can quickly grab the "expensive" parts and bring them inside? That way i'll only be leaving a basic bike without a front tire out for the evening?
 
3yt said:
Remove the battery and make two trips.
Click to expand...

humm, this is interesting.... Im not too worried about leaving the bike out overnight. Is there a build where you can quickly grab the "expensive" parts and bring them inside? That way i'll only be leaving a basic bike without a front tire out for the evening?
Click to expand...

On the type of build you are planning, the expensive part IS the battery. The rest isn't much good without it. That said, I have no idea what type of things thieves think are good to steel. That's a whole nother topic and there are several threads about theft and securing your bike.

If it were me, I'd make two trips rather than leaving anything outside. I live in an OK neighborhood, but still wouldn't do it. I'm pretty sure I couldn't regularly carry my bike up a flight of stairs without removing the battery though.
 
Perhaps overnight id take the whole bike, but for shopping, work, quick trips. If I could grab the components it would be a great stress relief.

Is it possible to have a PAS only front hub build with just a quick connect from a removable front basket with electronics to the wheel?
 
3yt said:
Perhaps overnight id take the whole bike, but for shopping, work, quick trips. If I could grab the components it would be a great stress relief.

Is it possible to have a PAS only front hub build with just a quick connect from a removable front basket with electronics to the wheel?
Click to expand...
The only part that would be hard to remove and carry with you would be the motor/wheel, since you would need to carry a big wrench too, and probably look like a bike thief while you're at it. For a "quick connect", many newer controllers have Higo connectors that simplify the connections, but not like one single connector for everything.

Still, like I said, the bike security is it's own thing, and lots of advice and info here on the subject. I never leave my bike out of my sight, except when it's in the garage.
 
Chalo said:
All ready-made e-bikes under about $1500 are highly suspect, but that one has a deal-breaking feature. Sooner or later (probably sooner), you will regret having an inside-the-frame battery pack. It makes everything harder to troubleshoot, harder to work on, non-upgradable, and incompatible with generic replacements.

Belt drive murders your freewheel if it's tight enough, and murders itself if it isn't. It's a poor choice for a freewheel equipped hub like that.

All the performance specs on that bike are grossly exaggerated. That's pretty much normal in the e-bike business, but all the same you should expect it to be slower and shorter ranged than they say it is.

In your situation, I'd start with a basic and sturdy bike that has a steel front fork, and use a geared front hub motor with a smallish battery in a handlebar bag or rack trunk. Don't sweat the weight, because it doesn't really matter once you have some help from the motor. Just use a simple, rugged, proven, inexpensive bike that you like, so it won't give you complicated problems.

Have a look at Topbikekit where you can find a lightweight Aikema geared hub like AKM100, and a frame mounted battery pack that contains the controller inside. That's a simple, clean setup that's easy to install. Other simple, plug and play hub motor kits are available on Amazon from Ebikeling and others.
Click to expand...

I just gotta challenge this statement. I've been riding and modifying my v2 for over a year now with about a thousand miles on it. It's been pretty dead-on true with everything it claims. I'm 6'3, 200lbs and can easily get the range estimate, can easily hit the max speed, it's been super solid (it hangs off the back end of a fast ferry 5 days a week for 30 minutes each way of salt spray and I only rinse it off twice a week) and the battery has been rock solid - it's also easily replaceable in a few mins, it's just not tool-less. There's an access door on the down tube.

They've also got stellar customer service, I've done some modifying to it (lots of titanium and reamed seat tube) and they've not only told me that it was kosher to do so, but even given advice and recommendations. The only thing I have been kinda annoyed by is that a belt drive system is inherently more annoying than chain to me because they're so quiet that whenever they do make even a slight bit of noise it drives me insane vs a chain, I'd really like a little lower gearing for a gnarly hill near my home, I'd like a built-in head and taillight, and the 4 pin computer is kinda proprietary/few alternatives. But for a grand, it takes Seattle rain and salt water abuse like a champ and I've had zero reliability issues
 
Truckasaurus said:
Chalo said:
All ready-made e-bikes under about $1500 are highly suspect, but that one has a deal-breaking feature. Sooner or later (probably sooner), you will regret having an inside-the-frame battery pack. It makes everything harder to troubleshoot, harder to work on, non-upgradable, and incompatible with generic replacements.
Click to expand...

I just gotta challenge this statement. I've been riding and modifying my v2 for over a year now with about a thousand miles on it. It's been pretty dead-on true with everything it claims.
Click to expand...

Well, the battery contains a nominal 252 watt-hours, which would carry me and my bike about 6 miles without ever getting close to 24 mph. For the average e-bike rider, it would be good for 10-12 miles. Either one is a whole lot less than "20-35 miles" as they claim.

The first thousand miles aren't when you find out that your battery self-digested, the company went out of business, and now you have to figure out how to put new cells in your old weird proprietary pack without ruining anything important or triggering some fault state in the BMS or controller.

Check back in after 10k miles to let us know how it's going (and how/whether you managed to extract your stuck titanium parts).
 
I cannot speak directly to the quality or desirability of the Roadster V2, but I purchased a Ride1Up bike for my wife last year, a 500-series, and we are very happy with the bike and the company. It is not a belt drive, nor is the battery proprietary or internal, so those are pluses in my book. I built and re-built my own e-trike and have done lots of research - it would be very difficult to replicate the bike she has for the same price we paid. Is it perfect? No. Just wanted to be sure others knew the company is respectable, and has sold many bikes to many happy customers, and not likely, in my opinion, to disappear soon.
 

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I bought the 3000 watt kit from e-bikling and
And the rim had a big bump in it and there was some other problems I had to go through I had to send it back there was nice of them to take it. I know they sell a lot but that 3,000 watt kit was pure junk.
Where do you live I live in South county California my buddy has electric bike store and rents electric bikes he sells an electric bike after 3 months or he has other deals going on. PM me if you're in the neighborhood.
Get a bigger battery than you think you need I never use less than a 12 ah battery.
If it's too cheap you're just throwing your money away. Can you solder are you mechanically inclined ?
 
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