EVG Ebike creative conversion refurbish

[omarpitraswaqar]

Hi everyone!

I'm super new to electric bikes, but i'm really excited to learn from this amazing community. I was super lucky to score TWO EVG Ebikes off of craigslist. in trade for $100 and an inexpensive bass guitar. They only came with one aftermarket battery to swap between the two. I took them for a test drive and right away laughed like crazy at people on regular bikes passing me as i gunned it. So these things can't stay stock i'm afraid. I'm a tinkerer by nature and i have done tons of music related electronic projects and i work on my fixed gear bike so i feel like I'm not starting from zero. I have researched BLDC vs the brushed ones that are in there. and i want to go that direction. But i/m wondering about how creative i can get and really push the boundaries. I want some speed 50mph could suffice but really i want distance. i want to become a modern day bike ascetic and go on long trips and write a novel about zen and the enlightenment of my shakra kundalini... i'm just kidding, i'm a bike messenger so the longer i can ride the more money i make, the more i can deliver. I have also looked into dynamos, i'm wondering why people don't use these to help recharge the bikes i have seen so far.

main questions right now:

can i put both 500w brushed motors on one bike, with one controller one battery?

can i use a dynamo to recharge batteries? if so can i make a dynamo out of the old brushed motors?

can i build a dynamo around the pedals?

can i use flexible solar panel on the ferrings?

can i somehow use the existing forks as a shock for the seat, since it fits the bolt size?

should i put a downhill fork on it?



some design ideas:

More Photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/...967.1073741828.1317597778&type=1&l=e44ca5e4af

 

[amberwolf]

I want some speed 50mph could suffice

If you really want 50MPH, you need to read the threads here:
http://www.endless-sphere.com/w/index.php/I%27m_a_Noob_and_I_Wanna_Go_50MPH
before you really set your mind on that kind of speed, unless you have quite the budget, or don't need to go very far.

It's gonna take a while, but it will save a lot of time and typing for everyone, including you.

I have also looked into dynamos, i'm wondering why people don't use these to help recharge the bikes i have seen so far.

Because of the laws of physics. It's been discussed to death, but you can look up regenerative or regen charging or braking, and things like "recharge while riding", etc. Lots and lots of threads and posts about it, probably mostly under teh Alternative Energy section.

It comes down to the fact that you will use more power overcoming the resistance of the dynamo than it can possibly give you back, and you will have SHORTER range than before.

If all you want is to recover the energy lost while braking, then you can use regen(erative) braking, which can give 2-5% back, typically, though I wouldn't expect that much--it depends on a lot of factors, part of which is how well your controller is designed to do it (if it even can). At the very best I'd guess you could get 10% back, maybe, but I've never seen that on any of my bikes, only sometimes claimed by manufacturers (but never demonstrated under real world conditions).

Just for the wear and tear savings on brakes, and the sligth extra braking power I get out of it from 20MPH down to around 5 or so, it's worth the extra complications of setup and torque arms/plates, etc., but some would rather have freewheeling motors (that can't do regen) so they can coast a little longer instead. Iv'e had both, and it depnds on which bike and how I'm riding which I prefer.

can i put both 500w brushed motors on one bike, with one controller one battery?

Maybe, but AFAIK if they're the in-wheel (hub) motors on the rear, they won't fit the front fork unless you modify the fork itself, or replace it with a much wider one. Or you could make a middrive, and run the second motor thru the chain along with the pedals. There are a lot of middrives around, and some are based on modified hubmotors.

can i use a dynamo to recharge batteries? if so can i make a dynamo out of the old brushed motors?

Can? Yes. Should? It's not worth the effort, except just for the lesson.

can i build a dynamo around the pedals?

Can? Yes. Should? you'd get a lot more power to the road if you just leave the chain there. (efficiency of conversions). If you had a trike that would let you sit and spin the pedals while stopped at lights and signs, then it might be worth doing (that's been done at least once I know of).

can i use flexible solar panel on the ferrings?

Can? Probably. Won't have enough surface area to give you much charge, even here in Phoenix AZ at noon on the best summer day, with the bike parked in whatever position gives the most perpendicular angle of the panels to the sun. People do sometimse put small panels on bikes to get a little charge; it's just that in the end the weight and cost of the panels and conversion apparatus may end up more than the value of the energy you get back out.

See a couple of recent threads about trikes with pretty large panels on them, and how well they work for them. I forget the members that did them, but the threads should be easy to find.

can i somehow use the existing forks as a shock for the seat, since it fits the bolt size?

Never tried that, but you could probably hack and adapt it. It'd be easier to get a shock seatpost if that's what you really want. The best I know of is the Thudbuster, but I haven't tried that one. I tried a couple of the cheaper types and neither is very good. Slightly better than nothing if you have a hardtail.

should i put a downhill fork on it?

If your roads are that bad, it could save your wheels from damage, I guess.



What kind of music stuff do (did) you do? We have a few members that either are musicians/composers, or tinkerers with the equipment, or both (like me).

 

[omarpitraswaqar]

Hey amberwolf !

Thanks so much for reading my post and the super detailed response!!

before you really set your mind on that kind of speed, unless you have quite the budget, or don't need to go very far.

I guess ride time is my priority but 45-50mph is my goal. that way if i need to ride on a major roadway i can without getting hit, i'm not looking to make a cyzc or agni bike that can race, but as close to a scooter or moped as possible.

It comes down to the fact that you will use more power overcoming the resistance of the dynamo than it can possibly give you back, and you will have SHORTER range than before.

maybe converting the existing 400v motor into a dynamo, or building one in its case to run the lights, horn, digital display, may be a heating pad in my jacket, would be more practical use of a dynamo and help battery life by not draining the bike battery... once i remove the cassette i think i can fit it in the front fork no problem, and if i get a downhill fork should work also, but i want a disc break too... i have regen braking on my civic i think, seems to not do much.

Maybe, but AFAIK if they're the in-wheel (hub) motors on the rear, they won't fit the front fork unless you modify the fork itself, or replace it with a much wider one. Or you could make a middrive, and run the second motor thru the chain along with the pedals. There are a lot of middrives around, and some are based on modified hubmotors.

I'm going to swap out the motor for sure, but i hate to just toss good heinzman motors just because they are only 400watts. there must be a creative use for them, if my cooky dynamo idea is not practical, may be a windmill mounted on a sissy bar lol.

If you had a trike that would let you sit and spin the pedals while stopped at lights and signs, then it might be worth doing (that's been done at least once I know of).

i was thinking of a second set of wires that comes of the hub motor that you can run to the charger (with an on/off switch) so when you have parked somewhere you put up the bike on your heavy duty double kickstand and pedal to recharge, get your little work out, and when you are done human powering just click switch and go back to using the motor to power the bike

People do sometimse put small panels on bikes to get a little charge; it's just that in the end the weight and cost of the panels and conversion apparatus may end up more than the value of the energy you get back out.

yeah i mean a big panel seems out of the question but those thin flex ones seem like they could be pretty cool, but yeah without doing the math who knows if its worth it.

It'd be easier to get a shock seatpost if that's what you really want.

it came with this lame shock seat post, i think I'm going to weld or mount a leaf spring to hold up the new seat i made, that way it acts like a shock, might even work as a fender

What kind of music stuff do (did) you do? We have a few members that either are musicians/composers, or tinkerers with the equipment, or both (like me).

yeah i'm a musician. you can check out my "mystical dance-punk" band here http://www.sarmust.com


thanks again for helping me flush out ideas.

 

[omarpitraswaqar]

i finished up my home made banana seat...

and I'm thinking of a leaf spring design to mount it...

with fairings

been getting inspired by rat bikes. which begs the question. would a springer fork be a sensible upgrade to the zokes suspension that is standard on these bikes? if so may be an old leaf springer style like 30's indian. i guess if it can support a huge gasoline cycle it should work. but i think those ones they sell for lowrider conversions must be kinda cheap.

 

[omarpitraswaqar]

if i stretched out the front to make it low... i'd have better aerodynamics and even more room for more batteries

but pedals... i could make them short cranks. but the pedals become less useable with this design i think.

 

[spinningmagnets]

There are a couple threads on these bikes, and they provide useful info on battery upgrades. You say it is important that you can do 50-MPH. If you are really serious about that, these bikes are not appropriate. Convert them to lithium batteries, and possibly a higher voltage for a little more speed and power. Then maybe sell one of them (or both). Since you got them so cheap, you should be able to make a profit.

https://www.google.com/webhp?source...espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=site:endless-sphere.com evg

40-MPH has been done around here a lot, you will need 72V...and enough copper mass that the motor will not overheat. It can be done at 60V and using geared hubs if you use two MAC's. However...a single MAC would overheat at 40-MPH. If you don't want dual geared hubs, that leaves a direct drive (DD) hub in the rear.

The latest affordable DD hub is the MXUS-3000, it is rated for 3K watts and has a 45mm wide stator. I am confident it can handle 40-MPH without overheating. 40-MPH has been done by ventilated Crystalyte H35XX's with its 35mm wide stator (ventilated: holes in the sideplates to let excessive heat out). Its a new motor, so not a lot of performance data yet.

The Cromotor has a thick aluminum core in its 48mm wide stator to absorb and shed heat-spikes, and it has been run at 50-MPH quite a bit. If you could make the jump to 24S / 100V, it will make this easier.