beanybike
1 µW
Hello ES!
I became interested in E-bikes about a month ago when my current commuter bike started having serious issues, and repairing it again was just not worth it anymore. I have been lurking the forums for about 3 weeks now, doing research on E-bikes and other E-vehicles.
At first I was considering building my own e-bike using a kit, but I realized since my current bike (cheap department store MTB) isn't worth investing in anymore, buying a decent bike and kit would come out to just slightly less than what I ended up purchasing. That bike has served me 6 long years, but it's just about falling apart. I have the luck of being located very close to the IZIP store in Santa Monica (http://www.izipstore.com/) and took a test ride of quiet a few of the models available there. I ended up really liking the E3 Ultra (I'm used to a more aggressive position) and purchased the 2013 model with the fancy computer for roughly $2700. I know it may seem like a steep price, but since I am not great with bike maintenance/repair (other than fixing punctures/swapping tubes), the fact that they include lifetime service at the store was a huge plus and made the investment worth it.
Links:
izip e3 ultra:
http://currietech.com/bike-online/izip-e3-ultra-diamond-frame-medium/
correct parts list (the other parts list is for the 2012 model):
https://www.curriestore.com/currie-parts-electric-bikes/best-electric-bike-izip-e3-ultra-low-step-frame/
It has a 500w geared rear hub motor (with regen-braking [a gimmick, I know]), a 36v 10ah lithium battery (edit: confirmed as li-ion), and a nice bicycle computer that functions as a type of key.
Low-end torque is very nice, and it accelerates to 20 mph very quickly and cruises there nicely. Hot off the charger it does exactly 20 MPH on flats, with general top speed with a half charge left around 19 MPH. It's very quick and agile, but riding in an urban area for 90% of my commute, most cars are doing around 30 MPH and I would like to try and get at least close to keeping up with traffic.
I would like to know if there is an (easy) way to squeeze out just a few more MPH, to get it to around 25-28 mph top speed. I am aware of shunt-mods, and that some controllers have jumpers which limit the amount of power fed to the motor to regulate speed (20 mph limit on E-bikes here in California) which can moved/removed to remove the limiter and increase speed/torque. I also realize, depending on controller/motor configuration, you can add another battery pack to increase voltage slightly to help with top speed.
I haven't been able to find any information on the specifics of the motor or the controller, and the only thing I could find was parts numbers for those pieces:
controller:
https://www.curriestore.com/bikes-scooters/CT-3620-004201315649/
wheel w/ hub motor:
https://www.curriestore.com/bikes-scooters/WH-700R-008-NTT201315681/
The battery and controller are both stored in the downtube, and unfortunately for me, the allen nuts (which need to be removed to access this compartment) are slightly smaller than my current set of allen keys, so I haven't had the chance to open it up yet.
Does anyone know the specifics of the internals for this bike? Will I be able to easily get a few more MPH out of this without too much hassle? Cheap mods are preferred, but I can spend at least $100-$200 to get some more performance out of it.
All help is appreciated
I became interested in E-bikes about a month ago when my current commuter bike started having serious issues, and repairing it again was just not worth it anymore. I have been lurking the forums for about 3 weeks now, doing research on E-bikes and other E-vehicles.
At first I was considering building my own e-bike using a kit, but I realized since my current bike (cheap department store MTB) isn't worth investing in anymore, buying a decent bike and kit would come out to just slightly less than what I ended up purchasing. That bike has served me 6 long years, but it's just about falling apart. I have the luck of being located very close to the IZIP store in Santa Monica (http://www.izipstore.com/) and took a test ride of quiet a few of the models available there. I ended up really liking the E3 Ultra (I'm used to a more aggressive position) and purchased the 2013 model with the fancy computer for roughly $2700. I know it may seem like a steep price, but since I am not great with bike maintenance/repair (other than fixing punctures/swapping tubes), the fact that they include lifetime service at the store was a huge plus and made the investment worth it.
Links:
izip e3 ultra:
http://currietech.com/bike-online/izip-e3-ultra-diamond-frame-medium/
correct parts list (the other parts list is for the 2012 model):
https://www.curriestore.com/currie-parts-electric-bikes/best-electric-bike-izip-e3-ultra-low-step-frame/
It has a 500w geared rear hub motor (with regen-braking [a gimmick, I know]), a 36v 10ah lithium battery (edit: confirmed as li-ion), and a nice bicycle computer that functions as a type of key.
Low-end torque is very nice, and it accelerates to 20 mph very quickly and cruises there nicely. Hot off the charger it does exactly 20 MPH on flats, with general top speed with a half charge left around 19 MPH. It's very quick and agile, but riding in an urban area for 90% of my commute, most cars are doing around 30 MPH and I would like to try and get at least close to keeping up with traffic.
I would like to know if there is an (easy) way to squeeze out just a few more MPH, to get it to around 25-28 mph top speed. I am aware of shunt-mods, and that some controllers have jumpers which limit the amount of power fed to the motor to regulate speed (20 mph limit on E-bikes here in California) which can moved/removed to remove the limiter and increase speed/torque. I also realize, depending on controller/motor configuration, you can add another battery pack to increase voltage slightly to help with top speed.
I haven't been able to find any information on the specifics of the motor or the controller, and the only thing I could find was parts numbers for those pieces:
controller:
https://www.curriestore.com/bikes-scooters/CT-3620-004201315649/
wheel w/ hub motor:
https://www.curriestore.com/bikes-scooters/WH-700R-008-NTT201315681/
The battery and controller are both stored in the downtube, and unfortunately for me, the allen nuts (which need to be removed to access this compartment) are slightly smaller than my current set of allen keys, so I haven't had the chance to open it up yet.
Does anyone know the specifics of the internals for this bike? Will I be able to easily get a few more MPH out of this without too much hassle? Cheap mods are preferred, but I can spend at least $100-$200 to get some more performance out of it.
All help is appreciated
