EVG ebike + A123s + 1000W motor, inspired by ES and Avatar

[ez-Ebike]

Thanks to the community here at E-S, and all the cool projects you have pioneered, I was able to create this blue daily commuter. I used to bike to work occasionally (10 miles one way, fairly flat) but arriving to work sweaty is not a pleasant situation. I wanted to make a fun, reliable, safe commuter that had a beach-cruiser vibe and a little style. The point was to be fun, practical, and get off oil! Sometimes I feel like the only vote that counts is what you do (and don't do) with your money.

I found an inexpensive EVG bike on craigslist. I really only wanted it for the awesome cromoly frame. It keeps the battery low and hides all your electronics behind fairings. Clean. The stock shifter is also set up perfectly for an ebike. The battery was dead but the rest of the bike was in great condition (minus the scratched up fairings). The plan was to upgrade the bike with a small budget, putting the most emphasis on the battery. Paul (cellman) came through and made a battery that fit my specifications EXACTLY. The battery arrived this week and yesterday I went on my first e-bike ride ever. I AM HOOKED!

So here's the build:

The night I picked it up:

The teardown. The stock controller and motor get boxed for a member here on E-S.

Used my automotive tools to remove the stock sprocket The size of that front sprocket is just silly.

Flipped the stock chain gear and then bolted a 52T to it with some 9.8 grade bolts I had lying around. Had to shave a fairing mounting point slightly to make it work.

This larger sprocket required some hacking of the stock fairings and a larger chain.

Sent cellman some measurements for a 52V battery. This bike was designed to have a battery there, and that's exactly where I want it for handling purposes. This chromoly frame is built like a truck, I love it.

The stock black fairings were beat up and scratched. I envisioned an Avatar look for the bike, so I attacked it with an airbrush.

Strontium aluminate glow freckles. :wink:

Bought a 12V MR16 400 lumen LED spotlight off amazon and fit it into the stock headlight. Works great for my purposes.

I originally bought a 500W motor, but the axles weren't machined in the same plane. Yescomusa took my return and I chose to upgrade to a 1000W. (Change of heart, thanks E-S ) Also bought blue tires.

Added a 11T freewheel from sdelectricbike. Had to dish the wheel to make everything fit.

Test fit the updated fairing:

The new controller fits perfectly. And cellman's A123 battery fit the frame like a glove:

I rewired all accessories to 12V, using Lyens DC-DC converter. Took apart the taillight and rewired it to accept 12V input. The stock horn works on 12V too. Also added some 12V LEDs.
Finished:

And some green underglow for evening beach crusing

 

[StudEbiker]

That's cool about the battery. How many AH is it? The are a couple of EVG bikes on the local CL right now for cheap.

 

[ez-Ebike]

9.2AH. Paul said the package size worked out so well he might start offering them as a standard option.

 

[adrian_sm]

That is one crazy cool looking bike. Congrats on an awesome and unique conversion.

I like the front rack. Where did you get it from? But how does it handle the suspension?

 

[ez-Ebike]

That is the rear rack that comes with the yescomusa kit. I took a hacksaw to it and mounted it at the bottom of the suspension fork and near the brakes. The whole rack moves up and down with the suspension as a unit, so it does not disturb the mechanics (apart from the increased mass). I'm still working on fabbing up some kind of cargobag that goes with the theme of the bike.

 

[Brentis]

Congrats.
That is just beautiful.
Great first bike.
You must be a painter?

I am keeping my eye open for one of these bikes to upgrade as you did.
Nice clean commuter look.



Dude, you need a pedal removal tool.
10$ @ the LBS
Way easier. Less opportunity for damage.

Enjoy your ride

***Edit****
Pedal Removal Tool





Easy.

 

[rjoe]

that's a snazzy paint job

 

[ohzee]

Yep nice work - we have a video of her in action ? The blue tires are like icing on teh cake.. I thought at first you painted them.

 

[NeilP]

That is one thing I could never do..make a smart and tidy looking bike.

I can make it work...but not make it look good

 

[ez-Ebike]

Yes I totally needed that pedal tool, but I was just too impatient to get that sprocket off. If only you knew how badly I've ghetto-rigged tools for my car

I'm not a painter but thanks for the compliment. I'm just a beginner at airbrushing.

I admire the "hunk of wires and fuses" look to a lot of the bikes here, that is definitely a cool style on its own. In fact, one of my favorite bikes here is the legendary Pakistan bike. For this project I wanted a very clean bike that had an element of stealth to it. No visible controller, no visible battery, and no geared-motor hum.

The blue tires are pretty cheap off amazon. Almost like slicks for efficiency. And they have that big wide beach cruiser feel to them. Both inflated to 60psi.

The four dollar LED headlight is one of my favorite mods

EDIT: I don't have any videos of her in action yet. I would have to find a way to attach my cell phone or digicam to the handlebars. Speaking of that, I'm still trying to figure out how to tie my cell phone to the stem.

 

[NeilP]

I would not bother trying to fix the camera to the bike...far better to fix it to a lamppost or similar and get a shot of you riding the bike rather than the scenery you ride past. Once you have seen a video of one unknown neighbourhood, you have seen them all...Rather see the bike in action

 

[Ian]

cool! My original blue color panels are kind of 'weathered' so would be interested in your experience with the paint job - what prep did you do, what kind of paint, did it need an exterior clear coat etc, is it a good durable finish? I guess for a pro job you'd just take it to an auto or motorbike shop you think?

Thanks for review - those batteries should last you for ever...fantastic for the range you need. I figure the max you can squeeze in the bay with lifepo is what you got, around .5kw, although I am pondering if 44v 20ah HK nano would actually work, each 6s 5000mah block is 163mm x 49mm x 48mm so times 8 works on paper, but then there's all the wiring to take into account. Not needing more than 30amp I could narrow the gauge of the discharge wiring, and route it so it faces the front of the pack, there's about 12mm space between the restraining thingy and the outer door. Then another 30v 20ah on a rear pannier no problem there with size - and weight a reasonable 9 pounds, for total 74v 20ah with a 9c2812. we'll see. Let us know how things progress will ya?

 

[ez-Ebike]

For the paint job, I sanded everything with 800 grit and cleaned it with some soap and water. Went to Lowes and picked up a single rattle can of white paint meant for plastic. Used the whole can. Then I airbrushed several different color layers, topping it off with iridescent teals, blues, and violet. Then I used a rattle can of clear lacquer to protect everything after the airbrush paint had cured for 3 days.

I went with Cellman at emissions-free for the A123s because it's a no-brainer. You have a plug and play battery that cannot be beat. Cost per mile over a lifetime works in the A123s favor. And each mile is quality, because you have no sag. Yes, 0.5kw-h is really the max that will fit in the EVG frame, and it fits perfectly. I never road the bike with the original lead acid batteries but can you imagine the difference?

She rides like a dream! This is actually the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden. And when I encounter steep hills it feels like I'm biking in low gravity. It's almost too fast for me but I'm adapting.

 

[amberwolf]

i really like the looks. just needs e-l wire and fiber obtics for nightime and woud be perfect.

 

[Kingfish]

Like a moth-turned-Monarch, the transformation of your ride is amazing! Very well done 8)
Cheers, KF

 

[valsislav]

Very inspiring.
If I could have speed AND stunning style, I think I'd be rather happy.

 

[chroot]

Beautiful AVATAR!!!!!! hehe :lol:

 

[cell_man]

Thanks Erik for the kind word Just now spotted your build thread, you've done a great job!

There really is no room to spare with that pack. Was a bit stumped on the available space you have, in the end I did 12 cells in 1 block then put another 4 series on the top, end to end which is almost as long as 12 cells side by side (12 * 26 = 312mm, 4 * 70 = 280mm (65mm plus a few mm for the folded over terminations)). It ends up not too long like a standard 16 cell long block of cells does (416mm). Can use the same idea to any pack, take some cells off the end and lay a single layer on top end to end with a good insulator between them of course.

Cheers
Paul

 

[ez-Ebike]

The setup is working flawlessly so far. I'm amazed at the range I get, and the power to accelerate and move up hills quickly. The frame, that is by no means a mountain bike setup, works surprisingly well in the hills. That gave me an opportunity to take a few more pics with my phone. I also bought chargers from Paul for the a123 packs and they are working perfectly.

For some reason E-S crops the photos, so you have to right-click -> open in new tab.

I blew the original 30A fuse that came with the yescomusa kit on the first day. Nothing was apparently wrong with my wiring. It was replaced with an automotive 30A fuse and has been fine since. I'm wondering if the QC on the yescomusa chinese fuses is to blame.

 

[Blackssr]

Thanks to the community here at E-S, and all the cool projects you have pioneered, I was able to create this blue daily commuter. I used to bike to work occasionally (10 miles one way, fairly flat) but arriving to work sweaty is not a pleasant situation. I wanted to make a fun, reliable, safe commuter that had a beach-cruiser vibe and a little style. The point was to be fun, practical, and get off oil! Sometimes I feel like the only vote that counts is what you do (and don't do) with your money.

I found an inexpensive EVG bike on craigslist. I really only wanted it for the awesome cromoly frame. It keeps the battery low and hides all your electronics behind fairings. Clean. The stock shifter is also set up perfectly for an ebike. The battery was dead but the rest of the bike was in great condition (minus the scratched up fairings). The plan was to upgrade the bike with a small budget, putting the most emphasis on the battery. Paul (cellman) came through and made a battery that fit my specifications EXACTLY. The battery arrived this week and yesterday I went on my first e-bike ride ever. I AM HOOKED!

So here's the build:

The night I picked it up:

The teardown. The stock controller and motor get boxed for a member here on E-S.

Used my automotive tools to remove the stock sprocket The size of that front sprocket is just silly.

Flipped the stock chain gear and then bolted a 52T to it with some 9.8 grade bolts I had lying around. Had to shave a fairing mounting point slightly to make it work.

This larger sprocket required some hacking of the stock fairings and a larger chain.

Sent cellman some measurements for a 52V battery. This bike was designed to have a battery there, and that's exactly where I want it for handling purposes. This chromoly frame is built like a truck, I love it.

The stock black fairings were beat up and scratched. I envisioned an Avatar look for the bike, so I attacked it with an airbrush.

Strontium aluminate glow freckles. :wink:

Bought a 12V MR16 400 lumen LED spotlight off amazon and fit it into the stock headlight. Works great for my purposes.

I originally bought a 500W motor, but the axles weren't machined in the same plane. Yescomusa took my return and I chose to upgrade to a 1000W. (Change of heart, thanks E-S ) Also bought blue tires.

Added a 11T freewheel from sdelectricbike. Had to dish the wheel to make everything fit.

Test fit the updated fairing:

The new controller fits perfectly. And cellman's A123 battery fit the frame like a glove:

I rewired all accessories to 12V, using Lyens DC-DC converter. Took apart the taillight and rewired it to accept 12V input. The stock horn works on 12V too. Also added some 12V LEDs.
Finished:

And some green underglow for evening beach crusing

Very nice... What is top speed?