Stevil_Knevil
10 kW
[youtube]VOIu4VfnMYU[/youtube]
Yes, please :lol:
Planning to bring my new 50+ MPH 'Borg..
Alan B said:
Yes, please :lol:
Planning to bring my new 50+ MPH 'Borg..
CroBorg Super Commuter
- Thread starter Alan B
- Start date
Alan B
100 GW
Cute!
From time to time I think about a "turbo boost" switch, adding 6S to go from 18S to 24S, for that occasional need. It would take my setup to 45+.
From time to time I think about a "turbo boost" switch, adding 6S to go from 18S to 24S, for that occasional need. It would take my setup to 45+.
Stevil_Knevil
10 kW
Ya' man, looking forward to getting the 'Borgs together for another ride soon!
I think a 12/24 - parallel/series switching circuit would work well, but the ability to program current limiting with the 3-speed switch on Lyen's controllers is a much easier (and efficient) way to get the same effect.
Did you program your controller with anpaza's XPD? Care to share your settings?
I think a 12/24 - parallel/series switching circuit would work well, but the ability to program current limiting with the 3-speed switch on Lyen's controllers is a much easier (and efficient) way to get the same effect.
Did you program your controller with anpaza's XPD? Care to share your settings?
Alan B
100 GW
It has been awhile since I programmed my controller. I did set up 3 speed switch for something like 50, 75, 99 and it works great. I get 20, 29, 37 or thereabouts on fresh charge. Of course we always run in speed I on the road. Don't recall If I used XPD, I may have, but I'll have to check the old laptop to see if I did. I definitely messed with it. I probably covered it in this thread when I did that, but all the ebike grinning has erased some of the memory. 
I've given up on the 12/24S plan but might try a 18/24S booster sometime. 24S is a bit much for full time operations on a 100V controller from and engineering perspective. Have to get a 150V controller to go there. Maybe I should do that, but I have three 18S chargers.
But 24S is tempting. It would also make regen difficult and might be hard on my LED lighting. I really enjoy regen, it works great on the big hills I have on my commute.
I've given up on the 12/24S plan but might try a 18/24S booster sometime. 24S is a bit much for full time operations on a 100V controller from and engineering perspective. Have to get a 150V controller to go there. Maybe I should do that, but I have three 18S chargers.
But 24S is tempting. It would also make regen difficult and might be hard on my LED lighting. I really enjoy regen, it works great on the big hills I have on my commute.
Alan B
100 GW
I bought a White ENO freewheel but it won't fit as the motor threads are too long and there is insufficient space in my frame. So now I'm using the standard inexpensive Dicta freewheel. It is probably mentioned earlier in this thread. The only information in the order is "Dicta 16T 3/32 inch Chrome", "item FWHL10112"; it doesn't mention a thread size.
Thanks alan, i read that in your thread, [the dicta im about to order states 1.375 x 24 threads per inch is standard] but cant find the cromotor info atm to be sure, anyone?
Edit, just for the record i took mine to a bike shop and my V1 is indeed 1.375 x 24 threads per inch.
Edit, just for the record i took mine to a bike shop and my V1 is indeed 1.375 x 24 threads per inch.
Alan B
100 GW
Emoto said:
Good to have documented. My Dicta and White ENO both fit the threads okay, but only the Dicta worked out due to the long threaded section and limited spacing.
Alan B
100 GW
Excellent News
One of the reasons I decided to do an ebike (or three) was to get more exercise. Now one might debate the amount of exercise one gets from an electric bike, but at times I pedal hard (500-600 watt reduction in motor power), and often I pedal along, and one day I had to push the bike a couple miles.
Anyway, I checked my blood pressure the other day and it has dropped noticeably. Since no other significant changes have taken place I'm crediting the ebike for this.
So now I can take a medical equipment deduction for my ebike expenses, right?
One of the reasons I decided to do an ebike (or three) was to get more exercise. Now one might debate the amount of exercise one gets from an electric bike, but at times I pedal hard (500-600 watt reduction in motor power), and often I pedal along, and one day I had to push the bike a couple miles.
Anyway, I checked my blood pressure the other day and it has dropped noticeably. Since no other significant changes have taken place I'm crediting the ebike for this.
So now I can take a medical equipment deduction for my ebike expenses, right?
John in CR
100 TW
Unless I'm riding really fast my blood pressure always drops lower as soon as I get on one of my ebikes. For me there's nothing more relaxing to do with your clothes on.
LSBW
100 W
I used both 16T and 22T on my cromotor. Good thing about this freewheel is their removal tool fits exactly cromotor's axle. Don't go lower than 16T, as thread changes and it won't fit.
Alan B
100 GW
Upgrade Ideas
The weather is really excellent for ebike commuting these days, and I'm having a great time racking up the miles almost every day. Gliding along nearly silently, focussed on the patterns of light filtering through the trees; looking for pavement ripples, cracks and potholes; setting up for each curve, making sure the inside pedal is high enough to avoid a pedal strike, checking the rearview mirror for traffic, and watching ahead for bicyclists to give them a ring on the bell as I approach. Great times!
There is often enough time to think about improvements and unfinished ebike projects on this Cromotored Greyb.org. The chain tensioner and kickstand sitting unfinished, the desire to have more battery capacity and onboard charging. Various alternatives drift in and out of ideaspace, but one recurs that rises above others:
Any better ideas out there?
Thanks for your comments!
Edit - fixed typo, 18 FET controller, etc!
The weather is really excellent for ebike commuting these days, and I'm having a great time racking up the miles almost every day. Gliding along nearly silently, focussed on the patterns of light filtering through the trees; looking for pavement ripples, cracks and potholes; setting up for each curve, making sure the inside pedal is high enough to avoid a pedal strike, checking the rearview mirror for traffic, and watching ahead for bicyclists to give them a ring on the bell as I approach. Great times!
There is often enough time to think about improvements and unfinished ebike projects on this Cromotored Greyb.org. The chain tensioner and kickstand sitting unfinished, the desire to have more battery capacity and onboard charging. Various alternatives drift in and out of ideaspace, but one recurs that rises above others:
- Add 6S 20AH in series to make 24S 20AH 100V peak Lipo for 30% more capacity,
- Change to 18 FET 130V controller mounted externally to handle the higher voltage and make space, plus
- Mount two Meanwell HLG-320-48A constant voltage/constant current supplies internally for onboard 600W charging.
Any better ideas out there?
Thanks for your comments!
Edit - fixed typo, 18 FET controller, etc!
Alan B
100 GW
Interesting Moment
Yesterday on the home commute I noticed a motorcycle overtaking me on a residential street. I didn't realize until he was alongside that it was a state Highway Patrol motorcycle officer. He paced me and took a thorough look at the 'Borg as I let off the throttle and drifted, gently decelerating. He then accelerated on.
I wonder if he was looking for a gas engine on my bicycle? He was more interested than I've ever noticed any officer before, but usually cops are in cars and appear to be uninterested in ebikes. Perhaps motorcycle officers are more interested in ebikes, or perhaps my velocity was interesting to him. I was not pedaling much, it was a straight road, very slightly downhill, and I was going a safe speed but more than usual for a bicycle. It was not on a road that CHP woud patrol, not sure why he was on it. I've never seen them on that road before, it parallels a highway they probably do patrol occasionally.
Ride Safe,
Yesterday on the home commute I noticed a motorcycle overtaking me on a residential street. I didn't realize until he was alongside that it was a state Highway Patrol motorcycle officer. He paced me and took a thorough look at the 'Borg as I let off the throttle and drifted, gently decelerating. He then accelerated on.
I wonder if he was looking for a gas engine on my bicycle? He was more interested than I've ever noticed any officer before, but usually cops are in cars and appear to be uninterested in ebikes. Perhaps motorcycle officers are more interested in ebikes, or perhaps my velocity was interesting to him. I was not pedaling much, it was a straight road, very slightly downhill, and I was going a safe speed but more than usual for a bicycle. It was not on a road that CHP woud patrol, not sure why he was on it. I've never seen them on that road before, it parallels a highway they probably do patrol occasionally.
Ride Safe,
pucksterpete
1 kW
I recently encountered (or I should say, they encountered me) 2 officers on Segways & also on motorcycles. They were more interested than anything else. The cops on Segways asked about the bike, I told'em straight up that she is fast & the details. Their Segways take 12hrs charge and only go 15mph, but they patrolling the parks. The other 2 cops on motorcycles just starred and road next to me for about a 1/2 mile at 40mph So much for the pedal assist laws over here in France!!!
So much for the pedal assist laws over here in France!!!
Stevil_Knevil
10 kW
Motorcycle officers are motorcyclists at heart, and -as they tend towards picking off the most offensive drivers- especially the ones who drive with utter disregard for other (motor)cyclists ..are probably the best ally you could hope for.
They have guns :wink:
He was shadowing you waaay before you recognized him, probably watching out for your safety.
You and the 'Borg were captured on video ..not likely to be included in his daily report.. but I bet dollars to doughnuts that he has watched it a few times! Your Greyborg looks stunning.
Hope you smiled and waved as he paced next to you
They have guns :wink:
He was shadowing you waaay before you recognized him, probably watching out for your safety.
You and the 'Borg were captured on video ..not likely to be included in his daily report.. but I bet dollars to doughnuts that he has watched it a few times! Your Greyborg looks stunning.
Hope you smiled and waved as he paced next to you
Alan B
100 GW
I gave him a nod as he took off.
Well, I'm on vacation for a few days, preparing the trailer for a trip. Unfortunately I'm not set up to take the ebike. Would enjoy having it along. Have to work on that. The nice rack doesn't work since I need the hitch for the trailer. Need a hitch on the front...
Well, I'm on vacation for a few days, preparing the trailer for a trip. Unfortunately I'm not set up to take the ebike. Would enjoy having it along. Have to work on that. The nice rack doesn't work since I need the hitch for the trailer. Need a hitch on the front...
Alan B
100 GW
On vacation here, sure wish I had brought my ebike. Lots of good bike trails here at South Lake Tahoe.
I've been reading the thread about Amberwolf's house fire, if you haven't seen it look for it here on ES. Great to see folks pitch in and help a fellow forum member.
I've been reading the thread about Amberwolf's house fire, if you haven't seen it look for it here on ES. Great to see folks pitch in and help a fellow forum member.
Alan B
100 GW
Back from Vacation Surprise
Back at work, had some wet weather Tuesday and then Wednesday was able to ride the Borg again, though the roads were wet in spots. Need fenders, got a spray bath.
A friend made me an offer I could not refuse - he loaned me his Ford Focus Electric car for a few days, so the Borg is resting while I play with the Ford.
I'm getting about 220 watt hours/mile on the E-Focus, compared to 50 wh/mi on the Borg, so the ebike is 4.4 times as efficient! (and the Borg cost about 4.4x less to buy as well).
I'm charging the E-Focus on 120V with the supplied Ford "emergency charger" which draws about 12 amps. It takes all night to charge most of the battery, and makes a 16 gauge extension cord get warm, so I drug out a monster 12 gauge cord and that doesn't heat up at all.
The E-Focus has a lot of power and handles nicely. I'm impressed with how smooth the regen braking is, they manage it very nicely from the brake pedal, mixing it with 'real' brakes automagically. There is also a "low" on the shifter that increases the default regen braking which is nice for downhills and stop-and-go traffic.
There are lots of creature features, and the navigation system is highly integrated into the energy management. I put in a destination at work, and it asked if I was going to charge there. When I answered no it moved the work destination to a via and left the destination blank, it wants to consider the next charging station as the real destination and plan through to there. Makes sense. Once you have entered the next charging destination it can plan the whole energy cycle and show you how much surplus you have (or if you are not going to make it). If you have a number of stops to make it can reorganize them for efficiency if you wish, and you can reorder them as needed.
I'll add some photos later.
Back at work, had some wet weather Tuesday and then Wednesday was able to ride the Borg again, though the roads were wet in spots. Need fenders, got a spray bath.
A friend made me an offer I could not refuse - he loaned me his Ford Focus Electric car for a few days, so the Borg is resting while I play with the Ford.
I'm getting about 220 watt hours/mile on the E-Focus, compared to 50 wh/mi on the Borg, so the ebike is 4.4 times as efficient! (and the Borg cost about 4.4x less to buy as well).
I'm charging the E-Focus on 120V with the supplied Ford "emergency charger" which draws about 12 amps. It takes all night to charge most of the battery, and makes a 16 gauge extension cord get warm, so I drug out a monster 12 gauge cord and that doesn't heat up at all.
The E-Focus has a lot of power and handles nicely. I'm impressed with how smooth the regen braking is, they manage it very nicely from the brake pedal, mixing it with 'real' brakes automagically. There is also a "low" on the shifter that increases the default regen braking which is nice for downhills and stop-and-go traffic.
There are lots of creature features, and the navigation system is highly integrated into the energy management. I put in a destination at work, and it asked if I was going to charge there. When I answered no it moved the work destination to a via and left the destination blank, it wants to consider the next charging station as the real destination and plan through to there. Makes sense. Once you have entered the next charging destination it can plan the whole energy cycle and show you how much surplus you have (or if you are not going to make it). If you have a number of stops to make it can reorganize them for efficiency if you wish, and you can reorder them as needed.
I'll add some photos later.
Alan B
100 GW
On the Road Again
Had a bit of ebike downtime with sore neck muscles, the ebike wasn't likely the cause but did exacerbate the strain so I didn't ride much for a few weeks. I'm getting back to near fulltime commuting again, and last week I added a Hipo bike radio/speaker system to the Borg. These under $30 devices have velcro straps to attach to the bike, speakers, an MP3 player, audio input for phone, storage inside for phone, glasses, whatever, and work pretty well at 25 mph and less. The wind noise overtakes it closer to 30, but even if I can't hear it the bicyclists and pedestrians nearby can, and that in itself is useful.
I blew my air zound horn a couple of times last week at cars that ventured into the bike lane. They didn't seem too impressed, but perhaps they did hear it. I suppose we need to get missiles to really get their attention.
The weather has been really excellent lately (aside from some wet foggy mornings), looking forward to more ebike commuting. Need to look for fenders, I suppose.
Had a very busy day last week and forgot to charge the Borg at work till 4pm. The three 12 amp 25 volt Meanwell LED supplies really shone when they dumped a full charge back in 90 minutes or so. I did notice the butt crimps heat up a LOT at 12 amps, I'm going to have to find something better for that. Perhaps the hydraulic crimper and copper rings so the wires overlap would be a better choice, though not quite as smooth a transition.
Ride Safe!
Had a bit of ebike downtime with sore neck muscles, the ebike wasn't likely the cause but did exacerbate the strain so I didn't ride much for a few weeks. I'm getting back to near fulltime commuting again, and last week I added a Hipo bike radio/speaker system to the Borg. These under $30 devices have velcro straps to attach to the bike, speakers, an MP3 player, audio input for phone, storage inside for phone, glasses, whatever, and work pretty well at 25 mph and less. The wind noise overtakes it closer to 30, but even if I can't hear it the bicyclists and pedestrians nearby can, and that in itself is useful.
I blew my air zound horn a couple of times last week at cars that ventured into the bike lane. They didn't seem too impressed, but perhaps they did hear it. I suppose we need to get missiles to really get their attention.
The weather has been really excellent lately (aside from some wet foggy mornings), looking forward to more ebike commuting. Need to look for fenders, I suppose.
Had a very busy day last week and forgot to charge the Borg at work till 4pm. The three 12 amp 25 volt Meanwell LED supplies really shone when they dumped a full charge back in 90 minutes or so. I did notice the butt crimps heat up a LOT at 12 amps, I'm going to have to find something better for that. Perhaps the hydraulic crimper and copper rings so the wires overlap would be a better choice, though not quite as smooth a transition.
Ride Safe!
Alan B
100 GW
New Covers
The new Greyborg side covers arrived yesterday. I can't try them for a few days, but they are made of a MUCH more durable and flexible plastic.
So now I have two problems. How to attach them, and how to prevent the forks from hitting the covers at full lock.
I'm tired of the little screws to hold them on, I've had to take them off a few times and would like that to be easier. I'm going to be looking at other techniques for attaching them. Would be really nice to get under the hood easily without tools.
The new Greyborg side covers arrived yesterday. I can't try them for a few days, but they are made of a MUCH more durable and flexible plastic.
So now I have two problems. How to attach them, and how to prevent the forks from hitting the covers at full lock.
I'm tired of the little screws to hold them on, I've had to take them off a few times and would like that to be easier. I'm going to be looking at other techniques for attaching them. Would be really nice to get under the hood easily without tools.
Alan B
100 GW
Today was the wrong day to drive a vehicle to work. I suppose the day after the Labor Day weekend is one of those days EVERYONE works, plus the new Bay Bridge is just coming online (first commute day), so the roads were PACKED. Instead of taking 30 minutes to drive to work it took about 90, and the bike would have been PERFECT to breeze by all the traffic with. Go Ebikes!
zombiess
10 MW
For the attaching part, someone suggested the barbed plastic push pins they use in cars, you know the ones that hold your the plastic up under the dash you always end up losing when you install a stereo or do any kind of work under there. Cheap and plentiful. I think that's the way I am going to go, just need to find the right size then decide how many per side.
BTW, you previously asked me if they can be painted, sorry but I don't know. I would think the answer is yes since they are produced from an automotive plastic, but I don't know the type. I think I'd go for a wrap vs paint for durability myself. Gotta look into that when I get further along, just got my frame back tonight.
BTW, you previously asked me if they can be painted, sorry but I don't know. I would think the answer is yes since they are produced from an automotive plastic, but I don't know the type. I think I'd go for a wrap vs paint for durability myself. Gotta look into that when I get further along, just got my frame back tonight.
Alan B
100 GW
Great idea on the plastic attachments, though they always seem to break when I use them. For me those will be difficult as I have rivet nuts installed in all of the tabs, but I suppose I could drill them all out.
Let me know how the wrap works out, It will take me awhile to prepare the mounting and some kind of fork stop to protect against crushing the new covers. Perhaps I should try painting the old covers since I have nothing to lose there now.
Good luck with your new frame!
Let me know how the wrap works out, It will take me awhile to prepare the mounting and some kind of fork stop to protect against crushing the new covers. Perhaps I should try painting the old covers since I have nothing to lose there now.
Good luck with your new frame!
Alan B
100 GW
So nice today, commuting on the ebike. Passed about 3 miles of stacked cars, including a police car and a motorcyclist splitting lanes, he couldn't do it nearly as fast as I could travel in the ebike lane. Also passed a couple of bicyclists this morning. Nice, relaxing commute!
Alan B
100 GW
Have been looking at DC-DC converters. Saw a nice one the other day, a Sevcon, that will work from 60-100V at 24 amps / 300 watts. Potted for high vibration and moist environments, and with a low current remote on/off input.
The Hella horns I'm looking at draw 5.5 amps each, and normally operate in a pair with two different notes, so need 11 amps for that, plus 4 amps for the heated vest, plus lights and miscellany. So 24 amps is not all that excessive.
The Hella horns I'm looking at draw 5.5 amps each, and normally operate in a pair with two different notes, so need 11 amps for that, plus 4 amps for the heated vest, plus lights and miscellany. So 24 amps is not all that excessive.
Similar threads
