This will be a long review, so bear with me.
here are the criteria for my ebike build:
1) Hydraulic disc brakes - I wanted to can stop well enough during an emergency. Moreover, the feel of a hydraulic disc brakes is much better than mechanical disc or V-brakes.
2) Hybrid Bike - I wanted a Hybrid bike so I can take it on road and off road and be fast on both worlds. Many people here used a mountain bike for the conversion, but I didn't want to added a lot of unnecessary weights to my bike if I will not be doing hardcore off-roading. Moreover, I doubt the bearings in electric hub motors were designed to handle hardcore off-roading.
3) Needed at least Front Shocks - I have used my road bike with carbon forks and I feel every bump and pot hole. With a front shock I can mitigate the impact and increase rideablity. Moreover, hitting a pot hole at 30+mph without shocks would probably destroy stuff. : )
I figure this only helps for my comfort and maybe a bit easier on the bike frame. But this again this might increase parts that need to be maintained.
4) relatively cheap bike - I am NOT going to buy a titanium frame cross-tour hybrid bike with front shock for $2K and then convert it. The electronic parts and battery will already cost a shit load.
5) Motor that can freewheel - I wanted to use the bike as a regular bike if I needed to. Plus, freewheeling can really extend range if I coast a lot.
6) Fast ebike conversion - I wanted to go at least 35+mph top speed because I know of roads that will require me to go that fast just to be safe, even though I might be breaking the law a bit.
8) At least 30 miles range full electric with no assist.
9) Budgeted Less than $3000 over all system.
That being said, Here is the bike/motor/controller option
Bike: GT Transeo 2.0 2010 black Small Frame
Motor: BMC V3 1000W
Controller: BMC 50A modified to work with Cycle Analyst
Battery: ebay battery (daojio666) 36V20Ah for now. 48V30Ah (asian-resources_com) ordered and on its way here. I will add on to this post once I get that battery and test it.
Here is the bike's Specs:
http://www.gtbicycles.com/bikes/archive-1/2010/transeo-2-0-disc
Frame: Site say 7000 series aluminium, but I suspect it's 6061 Aluminium since it's heavier than my 7005 Aluminum road bike.
Price: ~$440 after rebates, coupons, tax, etc.
Here is my quick review of the bike itself:View attachment 11 (before Conversion)
Pros:
1) Not too heavy - perfect for ebike build.
2) Hydraulic disc brakes - definitely needed for a ebike that is fast.
3) Tires are pretty good - definitely needed for light off-road and super on-road rideablity. A bonus is the side reflector painted on the wheel. It really shows when pointing a light source at it. I do have side reflectors anyways for added precaution, but the tires itself does a swell job of illuminating at night.
4) Front Air shock with remote lockout - the remote lockout is a nice feature, but I don't see myself using it that much. The front shock however is heavily used! : )
5) Price - I couldn't find any other bike out there with this specs that was in this price range for around $440.
Cons:
1) No rear shock - I can live with this one.
2) Shifter and crankset are of lower end bike - I can't really complain on this one since I did pay only $440 Out the Door for this.
Over all, the bike feels good. It's not super heavy or light. It handles pretty well. The shifters are dead on... for now. 8 speed was a bit too much since, most of the bike build were 7 speed and below, but I figured it should be fine. I originally debated if I should have gotten a medium or a small. But understanding that I might not be the only one that will be using it, I decided on a small instead. A medium size would have given me more triangle room (the triangle in the center of the bike) for battery.
Motor:
BMC V3 1000W hub motor $438 - (from ebay hi-powercycles) when they had "fire sale" on there BMC V3 motors.
Pros:
1) Freewheel with not power - There is still a super low resistance, but only a super low speed. The weight of the bike makes this resistance none existence because of momentum of the bike once it is moving. I can coast for quite a long time just like a regular bike. If I turn off the motor, it feels just like a heavy bike.
2) 1000W - This is plenty of power for starting and accelerating fast.
3) Planetary geared - This really helps with the efficiency because I can coast without much loss of speed.
4) Ultra fast! - I have hit 33mph on electric only on flats with I let it go to 30Amp current limit on only 36V LiFePo4 battery! I will explain more below on the controller section.
5) Supposedly weather sealed so riding in the rain shouldn't be a problem, though I have yet to test this.
Cons:
1) Some vibration noise at 24mph-26mph. I don't know if it's the motor or the spokes, but I would say it's the motor since when I let go of the throttle at 25mph, the noise goes away. Moreover, all the spokes seems to be solid.
Controller $215 + Cycle Anaylst $120:
BMC 50A Controller modified by ebikessf.com to work with Cycle Analyst.
Pros:
1) Modified so it works with Cycle Analyst - I highly recommend this. I have read reviews on this fourm where this motor's wire burnt out or the motor itself burnt out because people were putting too much power into their motors during hill climbing. With this modded Controller, I am able to precisely control how much power goes to the motor.
2) Accepts 36V or 48V - I like this feature because I can switch between the batteries voltages. You just have to make sure you set the jumpers for each setting.
3) Full Current/speed control with the Cycle Analyst - this is pretty important to keep your motor and wiring safe.
4) Cycle Analyst easy to use control - It's pretty easy to use the Cycle Analyst. ebike.ca made this just right!
Cons:
1) Jerky Start - When I start bike up on motor only, it is a bit jerky. Maybe it's the way to turn the throttle, but still it's a bit difficult to get a smooth start. It might be caused by the soft start, but I will try this without it later on. I have a 800W electric scooter that starts up very smoothly as compared to this.
2) Control Delay - I can atest to this one. Someone else on the forum has pointed out that this controller has a delay in control when speeding up while moving. I don't know if it's because of the mod or something else, but there is a delay on when I turn the throttle to when it actually puts more power in when I am coasting and want to speed up. I did not notice this when starting from a stand still though or if I had the throttle half way. It might be something there to protect the gears or motor... maybe.
Battery:
1st Battery: 36V20Ah - $389
2nd Battery: 48V30Ah - pending will add review on this later $789
36V20Ah:
Pros:
1) LiFePo4 - so it's pretty light and has high capacity.
Cons:
1) It rated for 20Ah, but actually less - According the Cycle Analyst I only got 17.5Ah. According to the daoji666 I need to cycle the battery a couple of time before I realize my max capacity. However after a couple of runs and cycling, the battery, the capacity still is 17.5Ah. I will do some more testing afterwords if time permits, but so far after 3 range test, and many recharges, the capacity is still 17.5Ah. Maybe he skimped on a few parallel cells. For the price, it's still good capacity for the money, but I don't like people lying to me. If he advertised it as 17.5Ah, I would totally be fine with that. So this is a word of caution for people buying from daoji666. Just make sure you contact him and tell him that you read somewhere that someone bought his battery and the capacity is lower than advertised after a few cycle of the battery.
2) only rated for 20A Continuous, 40A Burst using the provided BMS. Most other battery usually is rated for 2C meaning 40Amps Continuous. But I think this battery cheaped out on the BMS.
I used this battery initially for my 800W electric Scooter, but later on decide to use it for my ebike. I might return it for the scooter, but for now it will serve the bike. : ) Initially I set the Cycle Analyst to limit the current to 33Amps and the BMS of the battery shut down after it got too hot. it might be my fault too because I put the BMS in the topeak bag instead of outside to cool it down. When it shut down, it was really hot, but thankfull it worked after it cooled down. Looking that specs on the ebay site, I realized that the BMS is only rated for 20Ah continuous. I, since then, set my Cycle Analyst current limit set to 25A and it has not given me trouble since. It does get warm after long rides. After testing the range for a while on 25A current limit and finding that the BMS was fine, I increase it to 30A. It will give me faster acceleration and higher top speed.
Additional Parts. I used amazon link to all of them for reviews and specs look up. Note the price listed is what I got it for not what amazon shows.
1) Topeak DXP MTX w/ side pannier $65 - Definitely something needed like this so you can put stuff in it like your battery.
http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Trunk-Bicycle-Molded-Panels/dp/B000ZKES0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307945964&sr=8-1
2) Topeak Super Tourist Disc $37 - Turns out I didn't need the Disc version since my disc brakes were recessed. Overall the rack is nice, though it was tad more expensive compared to the non-disc version.
http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Super-Tourist-Tubular-Bicycle/dp/B000ZKHN6Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307945982&sr=8-1
3) Fenix TK30 MC-E 630 Lumens Flashlight $105 - This is a must. I have used powerful bike light before, but it were only meant for other people to see you. But with this one, I can see the road and them! I look like a motorcycle from far away.
http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-TK30-630-Lumen-Flashlight/dp/B002UMAIH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307945999&sr=8-1
4) Fenix Flashlight mount $14 - This is also a must for just mounting that powerful flashlight of mine.
http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-Mount-lights-18-22mm-Diameter/dp/B0040JRHG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1307946012&sr=8-1
5) Mirrycle Mountain bike Rear View Mirror $13 - This is also a must since it really helps you see what's behind you.
http://www.amazon.com/Mirrycle-MTB-Mountain-Bicycle-Mirror/dp/B0009R96YK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307946139&sr=8-1
6) Sunlite Double Kickstand $26 - This is also a must since it lets you stand the bike up. It is really sturdy and highly recommend this.
http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Sunlite-Double-Kickstand/dp/B000AO9Z7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1307946191&sr=8-1
7) 2 18650 UltraFire 3600mah battery + Ultrafire quick charger for my TK30 $25 - this one is from ebay. I usually charge after 2 night use on my TK30 (~ 45 minutes each) just so that I don't run out of battery during a night ride.
http://cgi.ebay.com/UltraFire-3600-mAh-18650-Recharge-Charger-WF-139-bat-/250811070419?pt=US_Batteries&hash=item3a658137d3#ht_3636wt_905
8) Battery mount build ~$12 - took me about 2 days to build with the help of my brother. All in all, I think it's a must to even distribute the weight for the bike.
9) Planet bike Super Blinky - Definitely a must for night riding.
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blinky-eXtreme-Bicycle/dp/B000KBEH1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308434626&sr=8-1
10) Topeak Weather bag - A must if you plan to ride in rain
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI6YN4
11) Planet Bike Bracket - A must for the mounting the super blinky on the topeak rack.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IQEAK2
Now to the good stuff: Ebike review
Process:
1) I did a lot of research on what I need for an ebike and the different kind (hub visit crank drive, etc).
2) I knew what I wanted so I bought all the parts from the various place to get the best price.
3) I contacted ebikessf since his website was really detailed on BMC motor stuff. He also posted on this website on the BMC controller/motor problems. So I figured that he was the best person to contact and ask question and build part of the bike for me.
4) I got the battery first form daoji666 for my ebike. I also placed the ordered for the 48V30Ah for asian-resources_com since I knew that I can only get 35+mph using a 48V battery. I also needed 30Ah to make sure that I can get 25miles with hills with battery to spare.
5) To my luck, hi-powercycles from ebay had a sale on BMC V3 motors. I guess they are having closeout sale or something. I could not find anywhere online where the BMC V3 motor was $438.
6) I then went to buy the bike itself. Performancebike.com had the bike for super cheap. Combining this with the coupons they were running and the promo for 2x points back on GT bike purchase during April, I had NO reasons NOT to buy it.
7) I then proceeded to contact Illa From ebikessf and he was very helpful, though a bit slow on the email response. He recommended the Modified BMC 50A controller so that I can control the power going to the motor to not burn it out or kill the composite gears during acceleration or hill climbing.
8) ebikessf quoted me on the labor and controller build with all the extra parts like bolts for my disc brakes, the Cycle Analyst, the BMC 50A modified controller, etc.
9) Since I wanted to use my current wheel to have a matching set, I sent in my current wheel and the motor I got to Illa to mod. It turns out that the wheel was short of spoke holes. So I ended up paying more for a wheel that Illa provided. Shipping and a box cost killed me on this, but I figured it was well worth it since I did get the motor for low price.
10) About 2 weeks after sending the motor and wheel, I got that shipment back. Illa is fast on the wheel build and return. By now, I have since prep the bike for the install, i.e. install fenders, light mount, rear rack, the topeak bag to house the battery, kick stand, etc.
11) After getting the bike, I proceeded to install the wheel, only to find that the torque arm did not fit properly on the bike. Moreover, I really didn't need it since the motor only slides in. The twist throttle also inhibited the gear shifting. And the disc brakes slightly rubbed on the outside casing of the BMC V3 motor.
12) I proceeded to fix the problem one by one.
a) I fixed the twist throttle and the shifting problem by cutting away from the throttle to make space for the shifter.
b) I fixed the torque arm not fitting by using a grinder and filer to cut a section away from the troque arm. As of now, it's not connected to anything. Eventually I will connect it to something.
c) I fixed the rubbing problem on between the motor and the disc brakes via thin washers. It provided just enough space to prevent the disc brakes housing and the motor casing to rub. See pictures.
13) After the full build, I did some quick soldering to get the dean connector on the battery and connected it up to the controller. After a few connection, the dean connector became pretty chard up (blacken by the high voltage spark caused by the capacitor not being pre-charged)
14) I didn't want to make the hack that Illa suggested on the youtube video to seperate the controller and the capacitor power. So I found out on this forum that people are using resistors to precharge the capacitor before connecting the main power line. So I built the pre-charge circuit and tested it. It was pretty crude, but I used 2 100Ohms (10W or something like that) resistors from radio shack with a 10A switch. It still sparks, but much less and does not damage the dean connector as much.
15) After a couple of initial tests, I found out that the bike was difficult to lean during turns due to the heavy weight on the rear (motor + rack + bag + battery). So I decide to build a housing for the battery in the center of the bike. That took like 1 day of planning and work with the help of my brother. Leaning the bike during cornering is so much easier now. If anyone building a bike, I would highly recommend finding ways to put the battery low and center of the bike. It makes a world of difference.
All in all I think this is a pretty good setup.
Using the 36V20Ah battery, (really only 17.5Ah according to the Cycle Analyst) here are some good points:
a) range: 18.9miles full throttle no pedal assist.
b) top speed on 30A current limit: Flat w/o wind: 30mph average, 33mph best | Flat against wind: 27-28mph
- I could increase the current limit, but that might prematurely shutdown the BMS. Remember, this BMS was rated only for 20A continuous and 40A burst. I am already using it at 30A continuous, so I didn't want to push it any harder.
c) Power usage at 30A current limit: around 1070W average, decreasing a bit to 1000W when battery is low. I hear that this motor can safely handle 1400W continuous, but I am not ready to test this fact yet. Accelerating from stop sometime spikes the power usage to 1300W for a second or so. I don't anticipate this to be a problem since it's only burst.
d) cost to recharge the battery: ~ $0.17 which is 1KWh and rates are from SDG&E here in San Diego. Battery is 36*20 = 720Wh, but factoring in inefficiency, I say 1KWh is a good estimate.
e) So far, I do not have encounter any police that has given me trouble. I just keep under the radar by going 25mph whensee one.
f) I have not done rain test since I still need to figure out a way to waterproof the battery and circuitry.
g) What I really like about this motor and bike setup is there is no need to pedal. If I pedal assist, I can accelerate to 30mph as fast, if not faster, than a normal car accelerating. I usually catch motorist off guard since they think I will take a long time to speed up, but I end up leaving in the dust... at least for a while. : )
h) Since this is a new motor and bike setup, I did not do much maintance on it other than checking cables and spokes. So far so good.
i) Battery is good for at least 1000 charge cycle according to daoji666. We will see how many I can get...
j) After a full throttle test until battery is dead, the motor is the hottest part of the bike. It is actually hot, not warm as some other people have stated using the BMC V3 motors. I guess they are not continuously using full throttle for constant 35-40 minutes. The controller is only slightly warm. The battery is warm, the BMS is warm/hot, as expected. The disc brakes are not since I did not use them much, but I have seen time when it was warm when I got home. : )
k) I average around 1.1mile/1Ah if I am using full throttle on 30A current limit using the 36V20Ah battery.
l) overall cost is around $3000 if you include both the 48V30Ah and the 36V20Ah battery.
That is about covers the review. See the pictures for more details. Here is the final build picture.
View attachment 4
All in all, I am proud of this ebike build. Forgive me for any grammatical mistakes. It is a long review and I did not do a thorough read and edit.
here are the criteria for my ebike build:
1) Hydraulic disc brakes - I wanted to can stop well enough during an emergency. Moreover, the feel of a hydraulic disc brakes is much better than mechanical disc or V-brakes.
2) Hybrid Bike - I wanted a Hybrid bike so I can take it on road and off road and be fast on both worlds. Many people here used a mountain bike for the conversion, but I didn't want to added a lot of unnecessary weights to my bike if I will not be doing hardcore off-roading. Moreover, I doubt the bearings in electric hub motors were designed to handle hardcore off-roading.
3) Needed at least Front Shocks - I have used my road bike with carbon forks and I feel every bump and pot hole. With a front shock I can mitigate the impact and increase rideablity. Moreover, hitting a pot hole at 30+mph without shocks would probably destroy stuff. : )
I figure this only helps for my comfort and maybe a bit easier on the bike frame. But this again this might increase parts that need to be maintained.
4) relatively cheap bike - I am NOT going to buy a titanium frame cross-tour hybrid bike with front shock for $2K and then convert it. The electronic parts and battery will already cost a shit load.
5) Motor that can freewheel - I wanted to use the bike as a regular bike if I needed to. Plus, freewheeling can really extend range if I coast a lot.
6) Fast ebike conversion - I wanted to go at least 35+mph top speed because I know of roads that will require me to go that fast just to be safe, even though I might be breaking the law a bit.
8) At least 30 miles range full electric with no assist.
9) Budgeted Less than $3000 over all system.
That being said, Here is the bike/motor/controller option
Bike: GT Transeo 2.0 2010 black Small Frame
Motor: BMC V3 1000W
Controller: BMC 50A modified to work with Cycle Analyst
Battery: ebay battery (daojio666) 36V20Ah for now. 48V30Ah (asian-resources_com) ordered and on its way here. I will add on to this post once I get that battery and test it.
Here is the bike's Specs:
http://www.gtbicycles.com/bikes/archive-1/2010/transeo-2-0-disc
Frame: Site say 7000 series aluminium, but I suspect it's 6061 Aluminium since it's heavier than my 7005 Aluminum road bike.
Price: ~$440 after rebates, coupons, tax, etc.
Here is my quick review of the bike itself:View attachment 11 (before Conversion)
Pros:
1) Not too heavy - perfect for ebike build.
2) Hydraulic disc brakes - definitely needed for a ebike that is fast.
3) Tires are pretty good - definitely needed for light off-road and super on-road rideablity. A bonus is the side reflector painted on the wheel. It really shows when pointing a light source at it. I do have side reflectors anyways for added precaution, but the tires itself does a swell job of illuminating at night.
4) Front Air shock with remote lockout - the remote lockout is a nice feature, but I don't see myself using it that much. The front shock however is heavily used! : )
5) Price - I couldn't find any other bike out there with this specs that was in this price range for around $440.
Cons:
1) No rear shock - I can live with this one.
2) Shifter and crankset are of lower end bike - I can't really complain on this one since I did pay only $440 Out the Door for this.
Over all, the bike feels good. It's not super heavy or light. It handles pretty well. The shifters are dead on... for now. 8 speed was a bit too much since, most of the bike build were 7 speed and below, but I figured it should be fine. I originally debated if I should have gotten a medium or a small. But understanding that I might not be the only one that will be using it, I decided on a small instead. A medium size would have given me more triangle room (the triangle in the center of the bike) for battery.
Motor:
BMC V3 1000W hub motor $438 - (from ebay hi-powercycles) when they had "fire sale" on there BMC V3 motors.
Pros:
1) Freewheel with not power - There is still a super low resistance, but only a super low speed. The weight of the bike makes this resistance none existence because of momentum of the bike once it is moving. I can coast for quite a long time just like a regular bike. If I turn off the motor, it feels just like a heavy bike.
2) 1000W - This is plenty of power for starting and accelerating fast.
3) Planetary geared - This really helps with the efficiency because I can coast without much loss of speed.
4) Ultra fast! - I have hit 33mph on electric only on flats with I let it go to 30Amp current limit on only 36V LiFePo4 battery! I will explain more below on the controller section.
5) Supposedly weather sealed so riding in the rain shouldn't be a problem, though I have yet to test this.
Cons:
1) Some vibration noise at 24mph-26mph. I don't know if it's the motor or the spokes, but I would say it's the motor since when I let go of the throttle at 25mph, the noise goes away. Moreover, all the spokes seems to be solid.
Controller $215 + Cycle Anaylst $120:
BMC 50A Controller modified by ebikessf.com to work with Cycle Analyst.
Pros:
1) Modified so it works with Cycle Analyst - I highly recommend this. I have read reviews on this fourm where this motor's wire burnt out or the motor itself burnt out because people were putting too much power into their motors during hill climbing. With this modded Controller, I am able to precisely control how much power goes to the motor.
2) Accepts 36V or 48V - I like this feature because I can switch between the batteries voltages. You just have to make sure you set the jumpers for each setting.
3) Full Current/speed control with the Cycle Analyst - this is pretty important to keep your motor and wiring safe.
4) Cycle Analyst easy to use control - It's pretty easy to use the Cycle Analyst. ebike.ca made this just right!
Cons:
1) Jerky Start - When I start bike up on motor only, it is a bit jerky. Maybe it's the way to turn the throttle, but still it's a bit difficult to get a smooth start. It might be caused by the soft start, but I will try this without it later on. I have a 800W electric scooter that starts up very smoothly as compared to this.
2) Control Delay - I can atest to this one. Someone else on the forum has pointed out that this controller has a delay in control when speeding up while moving. I don't know if it's because of the mod or something else, but there is a delay on when I turn the throttle to when it actually puts more power in when I am coasting and want to speed up. I did not notice this when starting from a stand still though or if I had the throttle half way. It might be something there to protect the gears or motor... maybe.
Battery:
1st Battery: 36V20Ah - $389
2nd Battery: 48V30Ah - pending will add review on this later $789
36V20Ah:
Pros:
1) LiFePo4 - so it's pretty light and has high capacity.
Cons:
1) It rated for 20Ah, but actually less - According the Cycle Analyst I only got 17.5Ah. According to the daoji666 I need to cycle the battery a couple of time before I realize my max capacity. However after a couple of runs and cycling, the battery, the capacity still is 17.5Ah. I will do some more testing afterwords if time permits, but so far after 3 range test, and many recharges, the capacity is still 17.5Ah. Maybe he skimped on a few parallel cells. For the price, it's still good capacity for the money, but I don't like people lying to me. If he advertised it as 17.5Ah, I would totally be fine with that. So this is a word of caution for people buying from daoji666. Just make sure you contact him and tell him that you read somewhere that someone bought his battery and the capacity is lower than advertised after a few cycle of the battery.
2) only rated for 20A Continuous, 40A Burst using the provided BMS. Most other battery usually is rated for 2C meaning 40Amps Continuous. But I think this battery cheaped out on the BMS.
I used this battery initially for my 800W electric Scooter, but later on decide to use it for my ebike. I might return it for the scooter, but for now it will serve the bike. : ) Initially I set the Cycle Analyst to limit the current to 33Amps and the BMS of the battery shut down after it got too hot. it might be my fault too because I put the BMS in the topeak bag instead of outside to cool it down. When it shut down, it was really hot, but thankfull it worked after it cooled down. Looking that specs on the ebay site, I realized that the BMS is only rated for 20Ah continuous. I, since then, set my Cycle Analyst current limit set to 25A and it has not given me trouble since. It does get warm after long rides. After testing the range for a while on 25A current limit and finding that the BMS was fine, I increase it to 30A. It will give me faster acceleration and higher top speed.
Additional Parts. I used amazon link to all of them for reviews and specs look up. Note the price listed is what I got it for not what amazon shows.
1) Topeak DXP MTX w/ side pannier $65 - Definitely something needed like this so you can put stuff in it like your battery.
http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Trunk-Bicycle-Molded-Panels/dp/B000ZKES0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307945964&sr=8-1
2) Topeak Super Tourist Disc $37 - Turns out I didn't need the Disc version since my disc brakes were recessed. Overall the rack is nice, though it was tad more expensive compared to the non-disc version.
http://www.amazon.com/Topeak-Super-Tourist-Tubular-Bicycle/dp/B000ZKHN6Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307945982&sr=8-1
3) Fenix TK30 MC-E 630 Lumens Flashlight $105 - This is a must. I have used powerful bike light before, but it were only meant for other people to see you. But with this one, I can see the road and them! I look like a motorcycle from far away.
http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-TK30-630-Lumen-Flashlight/dp/B002UMAIH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307945999&sr=8-1
4) Fenix Flashlight mount $14 - This is also a must for just mounting that powerful flashlight of mine.
http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-Mount-lights-18-22mm-Diameter/dp/B0040JRHG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1307946012&sr=8-1
5) Mirrycle Mountain bike Rear View Mirror $13 - This is also a must since it really helps you see what's behind you.
http://www.amazon.com/Mirrycle-MTB-Mountain-Bicycle-Mirror/dp/B0009R96YK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307946139&sr=8-1
6) Sunlite Double Kickstand $26 - This is also a must since it lets you stand the bike up. It is really sturdy and highly recommend this.
http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Sunlite-Double-Kickstand/dp/B000AO9Z7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1307946191&sr=8-1
7) 2 18650 UltraFire 3600mah battery + Ultrafire quick charger for my TK30 $25 - this one is from ebay. I usually charge after 2 night use on my TK30 (~ 45 minutes each) just so that I don't run out of battery during a night ride.
http://cgi.ebay.com/UltraFire-3600-mAh-18650-Recharge-Charger-WF-139-bat-/250811070419?pt=US_Batteries&hash=item3a658137d3#ht_3636wt_905
8) Battery mount build ~$12 - took me about 2 days to build with the help of my brother. All in all, I think it's a must to even distribute the weight for the bike.
9) Planet bike Super Blinky - Definitely a must for night riding.
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Bike-Blinky-eXtreme-Bicycle/dp/B000KBEH1W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308434626&sr=8-1
10) Topeak Weather bag - A must if you plan to ride in rain
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI6YN4
11) Planet Bike Bracket - A must for the mounting the super blinky on the topeak rack.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IQEAK2
Now to the good stuff: Ebike review
Process:
1) I did a lot of research on what I need for an ebike and the different kind (hub visit crank drive, etc).
2) I knew what I wanted so I bought all the parts from the various place to get the best price.
3) I contacted ebikessf since his website was really detailed on BMC motor stuff. He also posted on this website on the BMC controller/motor problems. So I figured that he was the best person to contact and ask question and build part of the bike for me.
4) I got the battery first form daoji666 for my ebike. I also placed the ordered for the 48V30Ah for asian-resources_com since I knew that I can only get 35+mph using a 48V battery. I also needed 30Ah to make sure that I can get 25miles with hills with battery to spare.
5) To my luck, hi-powercycles from ebay had a sale on BMC V3 motors. I guess they are having closeout sale or something. I could not find anywhere online where the BMC V3 motor was $438.
6) I then went to buy the bike itself. Performancebike.com had the bike for super cheap. Combining this with the coupons they were running and the promo for 2x points back on GT bike purchase during April, I had NO reasons NOT to buy it.
7) I then proceeded to contact Illa From ebikessf and he was very helpful, though a bit slow on the email response. He recommended the Modified BMC 50A controller so that I can control the power going to the motor to not burn it out or kill the composite gears during acceleration or hill climbing.
8) ebikessf quoted me on the labor and controller build with all the extra parts like bolts for my disc brakes, the Cycle Analyst, the BMC 50A modified controller, etc.
9) Since I wanted to use my current wheel to have a matching set, I sent in my current wheel and the motor I got to Illa to mod. It turns out that the wheel was short of spoke holes. So I ended up paying more for a wheel that Illa provided. Shipping and a box cost killed me on this, but I figured it was well worth it since I did get the motor for low price.
10) About 2 weeks after sending the motor and wheel, I got that shipment back. Illa is fast on the wheel build and return. By now, I have since prep the bike for the install, i.e. install fenders, light mount, rear rack, the topeak bag to house the battery, kick stand, etc.
11) After getting the bike, I proceeded to install the wheel, only to find that the torque arm did not fit properly on the bike. Moreover, I really didn't need it since the motor only slides in. The twist throttle also inhibited the gear shifting. And the disc brakes slightly rubbed on the outside casing of the BMC V3 motor.
12) I proceeded to fix the problem one by one.
a) I fixed the twist throttle and the shifting problem by cutting away from the throttle to make space for the shifter.
b) I fixed the torque arm not fitting by using a grinder and filer to cut a section away from the troque arm. As of now, it's not connected to anything. Eventually I will connect it to something.
c) I fixed the rubbing problem on between the motor and the disc brakes via thin washers. It provided just enough space to prevent the disc brakes housing and the motor casing to rub. See pictures.
13) After the full build, I did some quick soldering to get the dean connector on the battery and connected it up to the controller. After a few connection, the dean connector became pretty chard up (blacken by the high voltage spark caused by the capacitor not being pre-charged)
14) I didn't want to make the hack that Illa suggested on the youtube video to seperate the controller and the capacitor power. So I found out on this forum that people are using resistors to precharge the capacitor before connecting the main power line. So I built the pre-charge circuit and tested it. It was pretty crude, but I used 2 100Ohms (10W or something like that) resistors from radio shack with a 10A switch. It still sparks, but much less and does not damage the dean connector as much.
15) After a couple of initial tests, I found out that the bike was difficult to lean during turns due to the heavy weight on the rear (motor + rack + bag + battery). So I decide to build a housing for the battery in the center of the bike. That took like 1 day of planning and work with the help of my brother. Leaning the bike during cornering is so much easier now. If anyone building a bike, I would highly recommend finding ways to put the battery low and center of the bike. It makes a world of difference.
All in all I think this is a pretty good setup.
Using the 36V20Ah battery, (really only 17.5Ah according to the Cycle Analyst) here are some good points:
a) range: 18.9miles full throttle no pedal assist.
b) top speed on 30A current limit: Flat w/o wind: 30mph average, 33mph best | Flat against wind: 27-28mph
- I could increase the current limit, but that might prematurely shutdown the BMS. Remember, this BMS was rated only for 20A continuous and 40A burst. I am already using it at 30A continuous, so I didn't want to push it any harder.
c) Power usage at 30A current limit: around 1070W average, decreasing a bit to 1000W when battery is low. I hear that this motor can safely handle 1400W continuous, but I am not ready to test this fact yet. Accelerating from stop sometime spikes the power usage to 1300W for a second or so. I don't anticipate this to be a problem since it's only burst.
d) cost to recharge the battery: ~ $0.17 which is 1KWh and rates are from SDG&E here in San Diego. Battery is 36*20 = 720Wh, but factoring in inefficiency, I say 1KWh is a good estimate.
e) So far, I do not have encounter any police that has given me trouble. I just keep under the radar by going 25mph whensee one.
f) I have not done rain test since I still need to figure out a way to waterproof the battery and circuitry.
g) What I really like about this motor and bike setup is there is no need to pedal. If I pedal assist, I can accelerate to 30mph as fast, if not faster, than a normal car accelerating. I usually catch motorist off guard since they think I will take a long time to speed up, but I end up leaving in the dust... at least for a while. : )
h) Since this is a new motor and bike setup, I did not do much maintance on it other than checking cables and spokes. So far so good.
i) Battery is good for at least 1000 charge cycle according to daoji666. We will see how many I can get...
j) After a full throttle test until battery is dead, the motor is the hottest part of the bike. It is actually hot, not warm as some other people have stated using the BMC V3 motors. I guess they are not continuously using full throttle for constant 35-40 minutes. The controller is only slightly warm. The battery is warm, the BMS is warm/hot, as expected. The disc brakes are not since I did not use them much, but I have seen time when it was warm when I got home. : )
k) I average around 1.1mile/1Ah if I am using full throttle on 30A current limit using the 36V20Ah battery.
l) overall cost is around $3000 if you include both the 48V30Ah and the 36V20Ah battery.
That is about covers the review. See the pictures for more details. Here is the final build picture.
View attachment 4All in all, I am proud of this ebike build. Forgive me for any grammatical mistakes. It is a long review and I did not do a thorough read and edit.
