Greetings From the "Rock" . Help Me Decide Which Mac Motor!

[oldtown169]

Greetings from the "Rock" (Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada) . Newbie here about to pull the trigger but first... HELP ME DECIDE!

I'm looking for a quiet reliable motor that I can pedal fairly easy without power if ever needed. I believe I have found what I'm looking for with CellMan's Mac and now I am having trouble deciding whether to get the 8t or 10t. I would like to hear your opinions!

The Rider: I'm 6ft 220 lbs .

The Build : 29er hard tail steel frame which I picked up at Canadian Tire called the "Phantom" - I like that name! LOL. I already took the cheap forks off and replaced them with a set of XC28 RockShox and replaced the front mechanical disc brake with Hayes MX5 . Also, I have plan to use CellMan's new 14S 9P, 50V 18.5Ah Samsung SDI Battery Pack which uses the SDI ICR18650-22P 4.5C rated cell.

The Terrain : Mainly 4-4.5% grades on my route with longest one being 3.5 km (2 miles). I may encounter 1/4 mile long 7-10% grade hills once in a while but they can be easily avoided.

My Expectations: 30-40km range, average speed 30 km/h (19 mph) with bursts up to 50 km/h (31 mph).

Future Plan: Use this for Moose Hunting! LOL

What would you pick? 8t or 10t motor? 9 fet or 12 fet controller?

Thanks!

Pics of the "Phantom"...

 

[dogman dan]

I'm assuming you mean a rear motor.

I'd be inclined to pick that 10t myself, partly because of the larger diameter wheel you will run. Partly because I'm assuming moose hunting might involve steeper hills than 5%. You won't have to avoid a 10% grade with the 10t.

And cuz I'm the slower motor fanboy here. I love my slow motors for hills, and generally more range riding about town. For fast, I just use one of several completely different e- bikes.

30 kph is what I call slow, so you won't need the 8 t to do that. Nor the 12 fet controller. 9 fet and 20-25 amps is all you need. You won't need the 12 fet for 50 kph either, but you may need to decide if you want fast or steep performance.

It might take the 8t to get 50 kph. But I think getting up hills is more important. You'll kill your range going 50 kph, so I'd say forget that and live with whatever top speed you get with the 10t. I'm not sure what the top speed of the 10t would be. Likely at least 40 kph.

 

[oldtown169]

Thanks Dogman. Yes it would be a rear motor. Your logic makes sense and I think I would rather have more power to attack the hills rather waiting for long drags to reach 50 km/h. But if I can have both I would take both without making a hotrod.

I think we all know the 10t is a hill eater but from my understanding seems like guys with the 8t say that's a hill eater as well so that's why it so hard for me to decide. Would I noticeable feel the difference between the torque of the 8t and 10t? Perhaps this is a question for Mac owners.

Also, with the 29" wheel wouldn't it give you a little more speed anyway? So if I went with the 10t which controller would you choose? There are some new upgrades coming from Cellman with motor programming cutting power when it starts to overheat I believe that will be controlled through the CA. So I am waiting for that. Although I don't think overheating would ever be an issue for me. It's hardly ever hot where I live and I think I would have enough sense to know that I'm bogging down the motor overheating it.

 

[recumbent]

* snip * So if I went with the 10t which controller would you choose? There are some new upgrades coming from Cellman with motor programming cutting power when it starts to overheat I believe that will be controlled through the CA. So I am waiting for that. Although I don't think overheating would ever be an issue for me. It's hardly ever hot where I live and I think I would have enough sense to know that I'm bogging down the motor overheating it.

Get the 9 fet controller like "Dogman" suggested, and chose the upgraded wires that "Cellman" offers which includes a temperature probe in the motor. 8) This is the set-up I have on my new (and first) trike I'm building at the moment.

If you wait for future improvements you will miss out on this summers riding thrills.

 

[dogman dan]

The 8t and the 10 t will both have the same power or pretty darn close. It's the same motor, but just built for different rpm's on a given voltage.

Being the slow motor fanboy, I just think the 10t will ride nicer in every way except for top speed. The 10t will definitely climb hills cooler. It will waste less energy getting up a hill.

The 29 inch wheel is big, so while the 8 t will still work fine, I would choose the 10t because of the big wheel. With that size wheel, it will act a bit like the 8t.

It just depends on what you need the most, 50kph, or getting up hills best. Bear in mind though, I've only ridden a Mac one time. So I'm not the Mac expert here.

 

[footloose]

My 2 cents: take Dogman's advice.
I have 10T motor , 9FET 3077 controller, Samsung NCM 14S/6P 12.6Ah battery pack, all from cell_man, built on older mountain bike frame. Live in a very hilly area. I'm 180 lbs. It eats hills. I pedal some, but mostly because it's kind of embarrassing not to while going up hill. (First few test rides, I actually did not have pedals mounted and it still did well.) Does 30mph on flats. For me, 30mph on a bike is scary fast so I usually ride it considerably slower. Surprisingly low power consumption at moderate speeds even with hills.

 

[oldtown169]

Thanks for the advice guys!! I just ordered the NEW upgrade version 10T motor , 9FET 3077 controller and the 14S 9P, 50V 18.5Ah Samsung SDI triangle Battery Pack from Cell Man. Can't wait!