'Electric Bikes for Dummies'... aka, I need advice.

[Bigkat650]

Hello all, and thank you for your time.

I have done some research on this forum and another, and I'm getting some very basic information and some information that is way over my head at this point. I have some goals and plans for an E-bike build in the future, but I want to make sure It fits all my needs, and I want to make sure I buy everything I need, and dont buy things I don't. I'm on a rather fixed budget, and Ebike conversions are kinda pricey so I need to make sure I get the best options with as little waste as possible.

So my question is, is there like an ebike for dummies post or information around? Something that discusses what the different components are, how they relate to each other, what the abbreviations are (both company names and bike components) and some basics on the construction and usage of ebikes. I did do some searching but found limited information, and some was not that helpful. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


BTW, I'm looking at something like a 250-500 watt geared hub motor, as I am looking for torque (help on hills) more then anything else.

 

[morph999]

I hear you. I was the same way. I had no idea what I needed. Here is what you need to make an e-bike.

A) a hub motor
b) A controller
c) batteries

That's all you need. 3 essential items. When I got into this, I didn't even know that. If you knew that, then you were ahead of me when I started. If you want a good deal, hightekbikes.com has a pretty good deal I hear. If you want something that will be get maybe 10 miles range. YOu could get the $350 deal at hightekbikes.com and then buy maybe $100 worth of SLA's. So total on that would be: $350 +$100 = $450.

The $350 is for the hub motor and controller.

 

[morph999]

Oh I didn't real the last part. I hear that the Ezee motor is one of the best geared hub motors for hills on the market. Might check that out at ebikes.ca . It comes with a lithium battery too.

 

[pkcheng55]

I'm a new to ebike too and I have the same question as you about 3-4 weeks ago. After reading thru this forum, I got my ebike kit from hightekbikes.com.

So far, I'm happy with my choice since I'm looking for something under $1000 (for everything), easy enough to install for a novice like me but durable enough (see dogman's reveiw) for long lasting. The kit I got form hightekbikes is a front hub motor with 36v 15ah battery for $810. It tooks me about 2-3 hours to install the whole kit but I have spend half of my time to swap the old tire to the new hub wheel(Yes, it is my first time to change bicycle tire too). I made a little mistake when I hook up the battery but Terry from Hightekbikes is kind enough to help me to solve the problem. I have tested a few 8-9% grade slopes and it run smooth with just very little pedal in mid-low gear.Top speed in the flat without pedal is around 22-23mph which is verified by GPS.

Here is what I got:

• Schwinn MTB with steel fork (got it from target a few years ago)
  Hightekbikes front hub motor kit with their 36v 15ah battery. The front hub kit comes with all the necessary components (eg. controller board, throttle control, wire and etc) you need.
  Topeak rack and bag to store the battery (from Amazon.com for around $100 for both).

What am I going to get next?

• Better brake pad - it is fast now.
  Torque arm - extra safety for the front hub kit.

Hopefully, it gives you some idea what is needed and what to expect.

 

[spinningmagnets]

Here's a beginners guide for e-bikes, its a wiki, so you can log on and add, change, edit, correct.

http://ebikeinfo.ca/index.php?n=BeginnersGuide.BeginnersGuide

 

[317537]

I hear you. I was the same way. I had no idea what I needed. Here is what you need to make an e-bike.

A) a hub motor
b) A controller
c) batteries

d) a 5v hall throttle.
e) Good power cable and terminals.
f) for safety, break switches or a cut off switch connected to break connectors.
g) 50 amp fuse with holder
h) An on off switch that can handle 40 AMPS @ +60v.

 

[dogman dan]

If you haven't already, browse through the tech reference area threads. Some good explanations of basics there, series and paralell battery connections etc.

The best ebikes for dummies read I've seen is on the Ebikes.ca website. It does get techie, but after about 20 reads, things began to gel for me that I thought were going to be electrical gobbleygook for me permanently.

Reading other vendors websites helps too, if nothing else, with familarization with brands and types of motors. Just don't belive any vendors range claims, only Ebikes.ca is smart enough to make no range claims at all. Range is just too suceptible to a lot of variables to be very predictable. I like to say, with lithium, or nicads, most mid wattage kits get somewhere around 1 mile per amp hour of battery. Usually they get much better than that, but 1 ah per mile can pretty much be counted on. At full throttle of course. Huge range is possible at half throttle.

One thing that often trips up newbies, especially the electrically impaired like myself. Amp hours and Amps. Amps is a measure of how much electricity is flowing. Amp hours is a measure of how long it would flow at a specific rate.. So amps is like measuring how far a gas pedal has been pushed, and amp hours is like a measure of how big the gas tank is.

The other confusing one is c rates for batteries. Simple as possible, a 10 ah battery would put out 10 amps at 1c. A 20 ah at 1c, 20 amps. The c rate is basicly a way to measure how fast a battery is being discharged. keeping the c rate low, like 1 or 2 c , can make it last longer. So a kit with a 15 amp controller is a good match for a 10 amp hour battery able to handle 2c. For a 25 amp controller, a 15 or 20 ah battery would be a better match. For big controllers, like 50 amps, most of us choose a more durable battery that handles a higher c rate, rather than carry a huge battery.

A good rule of thumb for lots of hub motor kits is to buy a 15 ah 48v, or 20 ah 36v battery. Those sizes are big enough to stay under 2c, have tons of range, and yet aren't so big they get hard to carry on a rear rack. 10 ah batteries can work, but are best for those with shorter rides, and less hills.

 

[DahonElectric]

First of all, it's kind of difficult for us to give you basic advice if we don't know what your budget is. Since you're in a fixed budget, this sort of limits you on what you can buy kit wise because the 2 most costly items on the list of 3 are the motor and batteries + charger. Secondly, what is your range of commute and what bike will you be putting it on to? Are you planning to use this as your secondary vehicle to your car?

I suggest that you stick with a kit form for the 1st ebike project. The eZee kit is by far I think the best in terms of quality and workmanship, so you can use this as a gauge. If the lithium battery is a bit on the pricy side for the eZee kit, then you can opt for the kit only without the battery. SLA is the cheapest option, though heavy. Nicad is a better option -- lighter, proven technology and no BMS to deal with.

 

[deardancer3]

Ebikes for Dummies, or the newbie file stuff :

To add to all the good responses above, when discusing Ebike systems with newbies I like to include the following topics:

Motor --- already covered

Battery --- already covered

Control system ---usually includes a throttle but not on some bikes. already covered.

Interconnects -- wiring; length, gauge, routing ; switches and connectors

Rider abilities --- Do you want to/can you build/maintain this ebike, How much do you want to pedal, do you bicycle much now, physical limitations, and of course budget?

Terrain and Load -- Needed hill climbing ability, top speed, range, cargo to carry?

And of course "The Bike" --- Standard DF, FS, 'bent, feet forward, x-mart, etc.

This approach prevents getting to the end of the designing and discovering that your rider cannot pedal at all, or that with a stream lined 'bent the only real challenge is hill climbing.

Some folks like to go directly to the motor/battery stuff, but I like to know the functional needs, (250lbs up a 1/4m 7% grade at 10mph, top speed 20mph for 12 miles). sometimes the needs are so conservative that almost anything will do.

--
I like to categorize things, so I put ebikes into 4 basic categories, 1.useless toys, 2. basic use, 3.extended use and 4. car replacement.

We dont deal much with 'useless toys' here. Some challenges happen when people buy for a particular category, say "basic use" then the new ebike owner wants to do more and more things with it, rather than just doing the 7 mile r/t comute to work, then wants to start taking longer trips on hillier terrain. Or, they move and the commute is tougher. A well thought out system will have the reserve capability to handle some change in needs, or can get reasonably priced component upgrades.

More stuff for newbies:

Many bicyles are poorly maintianed- tires, chains, brakes, wheels, bearings. With the number of miles to be ridden on a good ebike, the extra weight and the increased speeds, Maintenence is REAL important. A bike carrying a 150 lb person 5 miles a week at 12 mph top speed needs a different service service schedule carrying a 150lb person, 20 lbs of batteris, 10 lbs of motor and 20 lbs of groceries 10 miles a day at 20 mph top speed sometimes in a little rain.

This is still a bicycle and routine service is more important than ever. Ask a qualified bike person for a service schedule and use it. You can design the best electrical system available, but if you keep getting flats on the wheel with the hub motor- you will be upset. But not as upset as you will be if you are not keeping up with the brakes.

Your normal local bike shop may or may not work on your ebike. Find out ahead of time.

 

[Lessss]

Bare basics list
A) a hub motor
b) A controller
c) batteries and safe mounting method
d) Throttle
e) RETENSION ARM

 

[monster]

buy a standard commercial e-bike first and then learn from there. learn to solder. then up-grade/over-clock the thing untill you brake it, then replace with something more expensive and powerfull.

 

[kriskros]

check out world wide electric bike.... everything you need for$675.00us....geared motor...36v 10amp lifepo4 battery..controller charger throttle and more... buy any good used bike to go with it and youre rolling,,,, see new products and testing [this site] two reviews re fusin motors

 

[Bigkat650]

Thanks everyone who has replied, you have provided a good amount of info to further my start-off point.

As far as wiring batteries, that is the one area I am confident it... I working as an installer for a car accessories company (did stereo installs, remote car starters, etc). I did a lot of series/parallel wiring with both amplifiers and batteries there.

As far as budget goes, $1000 u.s. is my budget... I did like the option given before for checking out hightekbikes... that seems like a great budget system for me, and really one of the first I have seen with LiPo batteries. (the rest have been cheapo lead acid) I will have to do more research and check out some more reviews before I make a purchase, but it is nice to get going on the right direction. Thanks guys