Just received my new wheel, any suggestions?

[bobthemotorcycle]

I just received my first electric motorized wheel.

It is the 48 v 1000 w 26 inch wheel.

Tomorrow I am going to put it on my bike. Are there any suggestions that I should do before installing?

I still do not know what battery I am going to get but I will know tomorrow. It will probably be a 12v 22ah lead acid for now.

 

[John in CR]

Get torque arms. All of the force to move is applied to the bike with a twisting force of the stationary axle held in place at the motor axle flats. That means even at low power at that small radius of 1/4" the force is literally thousands of pounds and no normal bicycle is made to withstand it, because bicycles don't have a twisting force at the axle. Torque arms are designed to transfer that force to the bike frame several inches from the axle where it is far less and the bike can handle it. Imagine starting to zip through an intersection and your wheel separates from the bike. That's the very real risk of not using torque arms.

Install the motor with a drip loop. Water follows wires like a river channel, so do just like the electric and phone companies do with overhead wires before they enter your house, and put a downward loop in the wire harness before it enters the motor, so water falls harmlessly away instead of following the wires directly into the motor.

Don't waste the time or money on lead. You won't be able to find a controller that will run on 12V anyway. If going pedal speeds is your thing, then go with 36V. If you want a bit more zip, then go for 48V, and get a controller to match your battery and motor.

Get yourself an ebike tester, and a multimeter if you don't already have one.

 

[LewTwo]

SLA's only make sense
1) at the very extreme ends of the capacity ranges
and
2) you are extremely strapped for cash
or
3) you need something 'right now' and there is no other readily available alternative

Two 12 Volt 8 AHr SLA's would cost about $40 but they weigh in at about 10-12 pounds. This might make sense for a 24 Volt 250 watt system without any longevity requirements (range or lifetime).

There have been any number of four wheel EV conversion based on SLA's but in most cases SLAs were chosen simply because the number of batteries and electronics required was prohibitively expensive. They are also popular in forklifts, golf carts and such where cost overrides weight (in the case of forklifts they use that weight to an advantage).

Four 12 Volt 8 AHr SLA's would cost about $80 but they weigh in at about 24 pounds and you will not get very far on them --- especially if you are trying to pump out 750-1000 watts.

 

[amberwolf]

It is the 48 v 1000 w 26 inch wheel.
<snip>
It will probably be a 12v 22ah lead acid for now.

Assuming you also have a 48V controller, you will need four of those 12V batteries in series. One of them by itself will do nothign except add weight to the bike; it won't power up your controller.

That will add about 50lbs of dead lead weight to your bike (depending on what kind of mounting you build for the batteries, and how much steel or tough plywood, etc. you use to build the box(es) and frame(s) to hold them securely to the bike.


Based on my experiences you'll probably get about 10-12 miles of range out of those, at 15-20MPH, if you run them to nearly dead each time, and recharge them *immediately* upon reaching your destination every time. I don't know how many (few) cycles they'll last, but if I were you I'd save your money up to get some form of Lithium (Li) based battery instead. Much lighter for the same power and range, and usually a lot longer lifespan, for not that much more money.

 

[MadRhino]

I just received my first electric motorized wheel...

Now's time to re-lace it

 

[georgefromvt]

Make friends with your local bike shop!! Your ebike is still 95% bike so maintenance is important. Ebiked d/t their weight and speed need more maintenance; brakes, chains and gears are stressed more so frequent adjustments and replacing brake pads are a must. Also, don't forget the tip. They guys at the bike shop are more willing to fix a flat or worn brake pads on a moments notice if you're known a good customer.

 

[rider95]

You have been given some very good advice The SLA batteries are not goneing cut it mabey Lipo 4, if the wheel comes laced to a rim from China don't even try to use it take it to a good bike shop to be relaced . Now speaking of a good bike shop your goanna need one I have found some shops won't work on elec bikes they don't like them ,understand why, and fear them , Hesitation point bike shop in Nashville IND would not have anything to do with me and my elec bike .

 

[wesnewell]

Yeah, and almost all motors are from China too so be sure and replace it. All this info would be funny if it weren't so bogus. Almost all hub motors, rims, bikes, brake pads, etc. are made in China. There's good rims and bad rims. Most that come with hub motors are decent rims, although some may not be suitable for larger tires. The 19mm ones are only suitable for up to 2.0" tires imo, and the 24mm ones good for up to 2.3" tires. And I'll give you a tip about bike shops, if you want it done right at a reasonable price, diy, and tip yourself.

 

[999zip999]

Tighten the spokes and true the rim. Ride 15 miles tighten and true the rim again. Maybe it will work. Luna cycle for a good battery. Lead is dead.

 

[rider95]

My info and my experience are far from Bogus having received my kit from China with a Alex rim laced to a Mac10 which promptly failed and the whole wheel had to be rebuilt with under 50mi of just bike path riding . So at least keep an eye on your spokes maybe you got a good wheel build maybe not from China most likely not .

 

[Chalo]

And I'll give you a tip about bike shops, if you want it done right at a reasonable price, diy, and tip yourself.

No noob in the world is going to build a wheel the equal of what I can build on any given day at the bike shop, and the 40 bucks I charge is money well spent. Self-education is valuable in its own right, but if you want the best wheel you must go to an experienced builder.

I encourage anyone who wants to learn to build wheels to do so. The best way to start is to build a front wheel on a normal symmetrical non-disc hub. Don't expect the wheel to fulfill its potential in the first try, so use conservative component choices that will yield a satisfactory wheel anyway. Alex DM24 rims and straight 14ga spokes from Danscomp are great economical parts that are easy to build with.

Hub motors are not easy to build into good wheels. My advice for those wishing to try their hands at hub motor wheel building is to lace the spokes all outside the motor flanges, use spoke washers as necessary to cope with too-large hub holes, and don't let it be the very first wheel you build.

Read Jobst Brandt's book The Bicycle Wheel if you want to better understand what you're doing. Sheldon Brown wrote a useful brief tutorial that is well worth the time to study.

 

[Chalo]

My info and my experience are far from Bogus having received my kit from China with a Alex rim laced to a Mac10 which promptly failed and the whole wheel had to be rebuilt with under 50mi of just bike path riding . So at least keep an eye on your spokes maybe you got a good wheel build maybe not from China most likely not .

Just stress-relieving the spokes and making sure the tension is high and uniform enough before you put any miles on it goes a long way towards getting decent reliability from a cheap commercial wheel. It won't fix defective spokes, but it will let you get the most out of any given wheel.

 

[wesnewell]

Ok, now I'll give you my advice for building a hub motor wheel. Don't use an Alex DM24 unless you plan on using 2" tires or less. If you like Alex rims, use the DX32. It will be much stronger than the DM24 and it will support tires up to 2.5" nicely. And the tires will also be easier to mount. Hub motors apply tremendous torque at both the hud and rim spoke hole and nipple. I'd suggest using the biggest spoke that fits the motor hub. That's usually 12g for up to 1000W motors. More powerful motors are drilled for 10g spokes or larger. Drill the rim spoke holes at angle to the matching hub hole. That will be ~20-30 degrees in 26 inch rims with a typical DD hub. It will be easier to get a tight fit that way. Alternate the spokes in and out of the hub so they don't rub together as much where they cross if at all. The reason for this should be obvious. When truing, try to get even torque on the spokes. The spokes should be tight enough that the rim doesn't flex under load. Your tire and suspension if you have it should do that. Anyone that tells you spokes stretch and rims should flex, run. Flexing is what causes metal fatigue and with enough of it your rim will shatter, just like wings fall off aircraft, which was my first profession. Now if you're building a manual racing bike, use the narrowest rims, tires and spokes that will work to save weight and cut down on drag, but otherwise build something strong that will last and take the abuse a hub motor puts the wheel though. Or follow the advice of someone else. it's a free world.

 

[dogman dan]

Tighten any obviously loose spokes, check them again after a few rides. Don't tighten any of them to death.

 

[rider95]

Better advice its well worth the $40 a good wheel builder will charge you have him lace it to a down hill rim and I wouldn't use a Alex anything I use MTX down hill rims I am Fat n Fast and I haven't even had to tighten my spokes from my build.

 

[dogman dan]

Yes, wouldn't have bought a cheap kit with a cheesy wheel myself, but some routine and easy attention will allow him to get the most use out of it, AS IS.

If he was going to ride off road, or ride more than 50 miles from his house, then he must have a better built wheel.

 

[johninclaflin]

My experience agrees with checking the spokes and wheel true. My first wheel came advertised as "ready to ride" from China supplier and I was a noob and didn't check the spokes. After 10 miles two spokes popped. I had no spares, and LBS couldn't find any to match as they had little experience with ebikes. Had to wait for replacements to be shipped from supplier who was great to help me. I say also check the spokes often. This spring I got the ebike out and didn't check the spokes and rode 10 miles...same song, second verse as couldn't find the spares, so another wait for spokes to be shipped. I have 4 12v 8 ah SLAs and the weight contributes to my spoke problem. My batteries came to me free but used, so 12 miles is all I get out of them riding at 18 mph. Free is hard to beat, but soon it will be goodbye lead.

 

[Chalo]

Alternate the spokes in and out of the hub so they don't rub together as much where they cross if at all. The reason for this should be obvious.

Not obvious at all. Better quality wheels have been interlaced (spokes running from the outside of the flange to the inside of the crossing spoke, and vice versa) for longer than anyone here can remember. This practice helps keep spokes from going slack, because under torque the spoke that gets tighter helps take up the slack in the crossing spoke that gets looser. It also tends to keep a broken spoke from flopping around and getting snagged.

The spokes should be tight enough that the rim doesn't flex under load. Your tire and suspension if you have it should do that. Anyone that tells you spokes stretch and rims should flex, run.

You don't get to choose whether spokes stretch or rims flex. If you apply tension to a spoke, it stretches. If you apply a load to a rim, it flexes. It doesn't matter what you think about it; read up on Young's modulus if you don't get it. The point is to match the amount of stretch in the spokes to the amount of flex in the rim so that things will stay tight, at a level of tension that the rim will withstand. That's why it's a mistake to use 12ga spokes in bicycle wheels.

Please refrain from dispensing advice to novices until you've dispelled more of your ignorance. Please?

 

[wesnewell]

This would be funny if it weren't so sad. Spokes aren't elastic and you can't put enough force on them to stretch them in a bicycle wheel. The rim will collapse first if something else doesn't break. If you could stretch them it would just make them longer. They would not return to their original length. And you call me ignorant. Other than the reasons I mentioned in my previous post there's only one reason to use thinner spokes, they're cheaper than thicker ones. Now would you use 14g spokes on a motorcycle wheel? How about a car wheel? Of course not. No, I'm not a bicycle mech, nor did I ever have a desire to be one. I did repair my own bikes starting at about 10 years old though, and that was ~60 years ago.

 

[Punx0r]

The issue is that every time the subject of wheel-building comes up you post the same incorrect information. People correct you, but instead of taking that on board you've now taken to flat-out denial.

Rational arguments have failed, so just believe us when we tell you that spokes stretch, that there is a difference between elastic and non-elastic strain, that a rim designed to support a car is stiffer than one for a bicycle and that steel and aluminium have different fatigue properties.

 

[Chalo]

This would be funny if it weren't so sad. Spokes aren't elastic and you can't put enough force on them to stretch them in a bicycle wheel. The rim will collapse first if something else doesn't break.

Everything solid is elastic up to its yield point. If you don't understand this, just quit now.

I ran a quick calculation assuming a typical stainless steel bicycle spoke of 280mm and 1.8mm diameter (15ga) at 100kgf tension. The elastic stretch is about 0.55mm. That's enough to track the inward deflection of a normal bicycle rim in normal use.

A 2.7mm diameter spoke (12ga) of the same length and tension exhibits only 0 23mm of elastic elongation. This is demonstrated by results in the field to be inadequate to keep spokes taut under normal working loads.

Paradoxically, for any given rim, the heavier you load it, the more it deflects-- thus the thinner a spoke you'll need to make the wheel reliable. Better yet is a heavier, stiffer rim and thin spokes.

 

[wesnewell]

I would pass all this info on to Harley, Honda, and all the other motorcycle manufactures that they need to use 14g spokes on their motorcycle wheels, but they would just say you are nuts. And they would be right.

 

[Chalo]

I'm willing to bet that all those motorcycles use spoke tensions that stretch their spokes a half millimeter or more, making their spoke stretch equivalent to that of a thin-spoked bicycle wheel, and that the tensions they use would destroy any bicycle rim.

 

[Punx0r]

I'm not sure how anyone could put a bicycle and a Harley Davidson motorcycle side-by-side and think "clearly both these machines require identical spokes".

 

[amberwolf]

According to a few motorcycle-friends of mine, the "Hardley" doesn't need as tough a set of spokes as a bicycle, cuz it doesn't usually need to handle actual rolling wheels very far, just holding itself up on the towtruck flatbed.