Getting an ebike

[lbz5mc12]

Have you thought about maybe using a Currie kit? You can usually get one on amazon for about $300.00. Then all you do is change out the controller for a 36V version and get a matching 36V throttle and a 36V battery pack.

Here's some links:
http://www.amazon.com/eZip-by-Currie-Technologies-IZ-KIT/dp/B002RRBDIW/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1393708175&sr=1-1&keywords=currie+kit

http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/currie-36-volt-5-pin-controller-throttle.html

http://www.bmsbattery.com/36v/445-36v-15ah-lithium-ion-electric-bicycle-battery-pack.html, I have this battery and It works great on my Currie kit. It says 15ah in the link but it actually goes to a 20ah battery.

The 24V motors on the Currie kits can safely handle 36V. Your top speed will be 25-27 mph and you should get the range you're looking for. Also since the motor is mounted to the wheel, the wheel completely freewheels so there will be no resistance like what you get from a DD hub motor. The kit comes with a rack with an enclosure for the controller and if you go with a lipo pack, you can reuse the lead acid battery case for it. Also with this kit you'll still have your range of gears. Some of the rear hub motors seat in such a way that they interfere with the rear derailleur and you can't use all of your gears. It uses a normal size solid rear axle so you don't have to file your dropouts deeper and you don't need to use a torque arm with it. If you want to squeeze even more speed out of it you can get one of these, http://www.amazon.com/ACS-SouthPaw-Left-Drive-Freewheel/dp/B000VSWIWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1393709017&sr=1-1&keywords=ACS+Southpaw, which will give you about another 5 mph.

 

[Zshortyz]

Yea on second thought I probably shouldn't buy a battery off ebay, since that is the most expensive and important part of my build. I plan on putting the battery in the triangle of one of my mountain bikes at home

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1127640_-1_400308__400308
or
http://www.amazon.com/Schwinn-S-40-Mens-Mountain-Bike/dp/B000A8POI0/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I think if I want to go the triangle frame battery I will have to use the fuji I don't think the schwinn has a big enough triangle I won't be able to measure it until I head to my parents house where they are.

I looked at the curry kit however to upgrade it to 36v 20ah will cost around $100 more then what I am spending right now so I don't think that will be for me thanks though, but ill be looking around for the right battery still, and forgot about bms battery so ill have to do more research.

And i'm currently in Tucson for school but ill be back up in Phoenix during the summer.

 

[dogman dan]

There is on ebay seller with a decent reputation, Sunthing. In any case, one 48v 15 ah battery will get you up and running for winter. In summer, it will be possible for you to carry the bike to 15 -20 miles from work, then ride in from there. Park someplace you can leave a car all day. Cut your gas bill in half that way. Or perhaps bike to a place you can get a bus, that can carry the bike enough of the distance.

 

[friendly1uk]

A 5 minute search was fruitless, but there are maps much like googles, where in-putting a route leads to battery capacity data.

 

[Zshortyz]

Ill take a look, right now im just using some of the simulators that you can input motor and battery info and also hill incline. I know the info won't apply as well into the real world but its a good start.

edit: i think i found it http://www.electricbikerange.info/Electric_bike_range.html

 

[Zshortyz]

After doing some more research the actual distance to my closest location to work is about 18 miles which seems a lot more doable then the 25-27 I initially thought. According to the website I will use around 9.6ah at an average speed of 21 mph, and would take around 50 minutes which isn't bad seeing as it takes around 35-40 minutes driving taking the freeway during morning rush hour. Now I know these are extremely best real world situations and should accumulate for errors but it gives me a good estimate on what I need to estimate for.

 

[teslanv]

My Commute is 10.2 miles each way with a few hills sprinkles in along the way. It usually takes me 45-50 minutes to ride that far. Not because I am going THAT slow, but because there are many stop lights, so I cannot ride my typical 16-18 MPH speed continuously. 16-18 MPH is the speed that my face and eyes can tolerate during the winter months in Seattle. Temps are typically in the low 40s F.

Some "Real world" conditions to keep in mind:

If there are a lot of stops signs or lights on your route, add watt-hours for starting and stopping.
If you pedal to get started and use the motor only after getting under way, you can minimize the efficiency losses.

As speed increases linearly, watts will increase exponentially. This is due primarily to wind resistance. To stay efficient, minimize drag or just slow down.

Cold weather will reduce your range as well.

Know what speed or RPM your motor is most efficient at and try to maintain that RPM if you can.

A Windy day can help you if it's at your back, but more often than not, it's just pushing you around randomly.

 

[Zshortyz]

Ill be riding the main road that has a bike lane so most of the lights stay green during the times ill be riding however i'll have to give myself more time on the first trips just to see how long it would actually take, and I am still figuring out the whole ride the whole way or drive some ride some. As far as cold weather, I am not too concerned about that as I live in the middle part of Arizona, but I guess I should be more concerned about the motor overheating, but I don't plan on being full throttle during the trip.

As far as peddling ill probably be peddling during the whole trip probably not fast unless I find myself running late, I think in the simulator it was 100w peddling effort im not sure how slow or fast that is but it was the second from the slowest on the simulator so im assuming that is a slow peddle.

So as of right now im just doing some final run arounds on the size of batteries and weight and am looking to get a 48v 20ah battery as most the ones I am seeing have higher continuous output and are the same weight as the 15ah ones im also looking at, along with better range.

 

[dogman dan]

If lifepo4, a 48v 15 ah battery is about the max you should try to carry. But in limn types, now very popular, a 48v 20 ah is still going to be tolerable, even if carried on a rear rack. They are smaller and lighter, but only slightly less safe to charge anywhere than lifepo4. Max total wh in the battery lifespan remains lifepo4.

15 pounds or so is the max before a rear carry gets to be a bitch for the bike handling.

18 miles, will go with a 48v 15 ah. You don't have huge hills to climb. So you have a much more practical commute.

I predict about 60-70 min travel time. If you slow to 20, then you have the range with 15 ah. Max at 23 mph is 22 miles, still leaving some reserve for a bit of headwind.

It's going to work fine.

 

[Zshortyz]

I found a 48v 20ah battery that weighs 8kg, has a max discharge of 50A and continuous of 30A. That should be good enough for my applications as I'm not too concerned about acceleration speed as much as range correct? I measured the triangle on my bikes and they both would fit the battery and other items, I want to eventually make one of those fiberglass holders for the triangle for more security but that wouldn't happen for a month or so after I get all the items to make this build. I still continue alternate between my road bike and car for the ride to class and keep imagining how much easier and faster it will be with a motor. I am just itching to pull the trigger on the parts I can't wait!

 

[Zshortyz]

I had a question on charging. I read somewhere I cant remember where, but they said you should only charge your battery to 90% and discharge to 10% to increase the battery life. Is this true would this increase the life of the battery then charging to 100% and discharge to >0%, or 100% down to 10%?

 

[pwd]

The short answer to your question is yes. To increase battery life, charge to 90% and don't discharge below 10%.

 

[Zshortyz]

I ordered all the parts for the bike finally! WOO I cannot wait.

I ordered the kit on ebay that was $250 , and a 48v 15ah battery from calibikes for $500.

I should have ordered them last friday but I took a few more days to look at many many website to try and find if there were other options. Hopefully everything comes in by middle of next week or sooner, (spring break starts on the 17th) that way I can start building and not feel rushed. Plus I have to replace a valve cover gasket and oil cover gasket on my car along with a brake pad sensor that I forgot to replace when I changed out the rear pads. Also I have a 3d printer coming in soon, this month is like christmas all over again! Im wondering if I can make 3d printed parts for routing cables or other stuff for the bike but ill have to wait for everything to come in!

I want to make a fiberglass cover for the battery and cables in the triangle frame of the bike so hopefully everything measures out okay and I am able to do so. I will probably make a new post on the build of the bike, but that wont be for awhile as I am just in the ordering phase.

I also want to get a cycle analyst and but confused on which one to order so ill have to look more on, but for now just getting the parts is number 1.

I just want to thank everyone that helped out along with the rest of the people on the forum that have already posted many threads on builds and what not. :lol:

 

[Tommy L]

I also want to get a cycle analyst and but confused on which one to order so ill have to look more on, but for now just getting the parts is number 1.

Once you have your Cycle Analyst, You will learn to use it as your GAS GAUGE.

One thing to note with your new Cycle Analyst....... You have to put in the correct SHUNT resistance value for the Cycle Analyst to be ACCURATE!

I even use a CA on my Electric Lawn Tractor Conversion....

Tommy L sends....

[youtube]ygu8bV423wU[/youtube]

 

[Zshortyz]

Finally got everything up and running. Rode it to school past 2 days it is so much fun! Max mph I am getting is 20 and climbing the hills its topping out at 18mph. Eventually I want to build a container to put the battery in the triangle but this is sufficient for now.
Next thing on the list is a Cycle Analyst and a more comfy seat.

http://imgur.com/a/FJrMq

 

[wesnewell]

Your max speed should be ~30 mph if you got the 48v 1000w motor. Something is wrong if top speed is only 20 mph.

 

[evolutiongts]

I also have the yescomusa kit, and had the calibike 48v 15AH lithium I was topping out at 30mph, but only that battery is only good for 30amps max. Good commuter battery but if you want high performance lipos are the way to go. With 15s and 45A I'm pushing over 2500w.

 

[Aushiker]

Ill take a look, right now im just using some of the simulators that you can input motor and battery info and also hill incline. I know the info won't apply as well into the real world but its a good start.

edit: i think i found it http://www.electricbikerange.info/Electric_bike_range.html

That looks pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

Andrew

 

[Zshortyz]

Your max speed should be ~30 mph if you got the 48v 1000w motor. Something is wrong if top speed is only 20 mph.

Do you have any suggestions on what could be wrong?

I have this battery http://calibike.com/?product=electric-bicycle-ebike-48v-15ah-lithium-li-ion-battery-and-charger
and the kit $250 kit from ebay.

Here is a video of the wheel spinning if it helps,
View My Video

Ignore the dog at the end

 

[wesnewell]

Speedometer not set right.
Controller is in limited mode.
Wheel is rubbing something.
Battery voltage very low, but lvc should shut it down below 42V, so I doubt that's it.
How are you measuring speed?
About all I got from the video is that you need to lube your freewheel. You can hear it clicking when the wheel slows down. Many new ones are pretty dry. I use 90W lube oil in mine when they get noisy like that.

 

[Zshortyz]

Hmm okay I will try and lube it this weekend, I'm measuring speed off my phone with 2 different apps and they are getting the same speed, how would i take the controller out of limited mode?

 

[wesnewell]

I don't have a cell phone so can't say how accurate they are. Speed limiter is usually a couple of wires plugged together oout of controller, but I've heard of ones that have a jumper inside the controller. That would need to be opened. Did the instructions mention anything about it?. Confirm this is the kit you bought.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-Electric-Bike-Bicycle-Motor-Conversion-Kit-eBike-Rear-Wheel-48V-1000W-/370934929537
Shows top speed of 45kph (28mph) at 48V and 20.83A controller. Your battery should be a minimum of 48V, more like 56V or more charged. 20mph is common for a 36V kit, but you should be getting at least 28mph on that 48v 1000W kit. 48V 500W DD kits usually do ~25mph.

 

[Zshortyz]

I purchased this kit http://www.ebay.com/itm/281199914680?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648 i believe they are the same. The controller says 48v 26A(+ or - 1A). There is a blue wire that is connected out of the controller could that be it? http://imgur.com/U0okhOC

 

[Zshortyz]

Okay the instructions didnt have anything but i looked online and found a more in def pdf of the kit, and it says the blue wires are a limiter. When I get back home from visiting my parents on saturday ill unplug it and see what happens.

 

[wesnewell]

Be sure and let everyone know what it was and also post a link to that pdf file so others may benefit.