kmxtornado's first e-bike conversion build thread *photos*

[kmxtornado]

No problemo. Glad I'm not writing this thread just for myself. Hahah. If there wasn't a visit count, I'd be convinced I was just talking to myself. I'm happy that my posts have been helpful. If you haven't visited my blog yet, there's tons more info and photos (full size too) for you to check out. I'm also very available. For the time being, I'm really into this and when I get into something, I go pretty much all out. I'm almost embarrassed to say I recently made a purchase from Amazon, Nashbar and Ebikestop all in one night! Pics of course of the goodies will be posted.

I'm glad sk8norcal got in touch with me too. It's nice to meet other people who are interested in e-bikes. He also knows a ton about personal vehicles in general. Very impressed with his knowledge. He even knew what a Stowboard was! The test ride also helped validate the performance of the ebike too. My neighbor saying how it had a lot of torque didn't mean as much simply b/c he's never ridden an e-bike before. Sk8norcal, who's tried a bunch of others though had something to compare mine to. Thanks again sk8norcal for treating me for lunch! Sorry I had to cut out early. Family stuff that night.

I'm definitely up for another meet. This time I'm trying your new ride and I'm treating you for grub.

 

[kmxtornado]

It looks like Santa came early this year b/c when I opened my front door this evening, I found a box - a box full of goodies with the name "ebikestop" printed on it. Yummy!

Although I got cheap and didn't replace the calipers (still working okay), I spent a few bucks (literally) on two new pads. These things are monster sized in comparison to the stock Shimano ones. Hopefully, it'll improve stopping power. More surface area should help a bit. I'll do a test run this weekend and report back. Hopefully it'll be a confirmation.

I got some other stuff, but they're related to other existing threads so I've posted 'em there. Everything's on my blog though if you want more pics and full sized ones.

 

[kmxtornado]

My first video!

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=34381&p=499464#p499464

 

[kmxtornado]

A few thoughts to share now that I've ridden the bike just about a hand full of times.

DESIGN AND BATTERY:
I can imagine that it would probably be best to have the battery govern the kit/motor. For some reason it never occurred to me when I made the purchase, but it seems obvious now that the same battery can be swapped from kit to kit as long as the specs align and you aren't overpushing anything. In other words, I can get another kit for another bike and use the same battery. No need to spend another $350-450 on another battery! That's a big deal.

In my case, the kit governed the battery type (as did my budget) b/c I wanted a stealth look and small hub motors are fairly limited in terms of choices. I think there's basically just one branded with various names of suppliers. If I didn't care so much about the stealth look, I would have wished I used the calculator in the FAQ's area of this forum to discover how many watts I would need to reach my ideal speed. With budget and style restrains, I was pretty much just forced to deal with whatever the kit came with or allowed me to have.

PERFORMANCE / USE:
Again, this particular setup allows me to reach the same speed as I normally would w/o electric power but w/o sweating. That's it. The only reason it might be called a Superman bike is b/c it can outlast non e-power cyclists in terms of endurance (most at least). With a max of 20mph, it's hardly a speed demon.

How fast do cyclists ride?
- I've noticed that the more hardcore riders (non e-power) ride at 18-20mph.
- The casual ones still with jerseys and take it fairly seriously and are riding solo go at about 17-18mph
- Casual riders getting a bit of exercise in regular clothes go about 15mph.
- Those riding w/friends for a day out enjoying the sun ride at 12-15mph.

So comparatively, the Trek 800 is on the high end but you're not going to be able to race cars with this one.

 

[kmxtornado]

I THINK MY BATTERY HAS FINALLY BEEN FULLY CONDITIONED:
B/c I had a blast last night on the ebike!....after a near hospital visiting experience (details on my blog of a cager running a stop sign and almost plowed into me as I pulled my bike away just in time). It was ridiculous.

I went up one of the steepest hills in my area and I swear it was at least a 10% grade. That thing is quite a climb. I was prepared to pedal w/my feet alone w/o e-power since I pedal about 95% of the time anyway and didn't want to blow a motor or overheat the thing. It worked out perfectly. Geared down and it climbed up like nothing else. Surely not a motor scooter, but the bike did what it was supposed to do.

There seemed to be plenty of torque off the line throughout the ride. Typically, I only experience it in the beginning. Perhaps the cold weather had something to do with it? No clue. My suspicions are outlined on my blog as well.

 

[sk8norcal]

which road did you go up?

At the Marin ride I told you about,
we did a little road race up Conzelman road,
about 10% grade avg for 0.7 mile
it's a good test for ebikes,
I was riding a geared rear hub 600 watt bmc v2 torque motor, 48v
and I was trying my hardest to help the motor, keeping the speed up...not letting it bog down..

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=27113&p=406034&hilit=conzelman#p406034

try this site,
it tells you the percentage grade of any road..

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/419973

 

[kmxtornado]

It was along Anza from 26th avenue to 30th Avenue. I think the hill starts at 28th or 29th. It was only a block or two up the steep hill. It was definitely much steeper than the photo you posted in the thread above. It took a bunch of pedaling to get up there, but there was literally no struggle. No sweat. The motor did its job. It's probably a combination of everything. Keep in mind I have a 11-34T freewheel on the back of that thing. The 34T cog climbs hills like none other. I can't recall if I dropped my gear down that low to make the climb though.

You can test it for yourself next time we meet up.

 

[sk8norcal]

see this video?
http://www.ebikessf.com/node/199
we should go ask him for a test ride..

[youtube]cjwQOuSI5-w[/youtube]

 

[kmxtornado]

Yeah! Far from the stealth look I'm going for, but man that thing flies! And it's a lot faster than the stock version so in a way, it's still a sleeper. Even people that know about that bike don't expect it has 72v. I'm definitely nowhere near that fast on mine, but nor would I want to be. I feel like anything about 30-35mph requires a full face motorcycle helmet. It's more like 25mph, but I guess I'm being a rebel.

Speaking of which, that sounds like a cool new poll: http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34797

 

[kmxtornado]

It's literally been 11 years! Time for an update! After some research, I decided to again go with a LiFePo4 battery after my first one failed. Thank you everyone who's helped me on my journey and for responding to my more recent posts. You've been awesome.

2022 UPGRADES:
1. 20ah battery instead of the previous which was smaller. Still LiFePo4. No thermal runaway. I just feel safer with it. Charging and discharging procedure is easier. More tolerance.

2. Converted awkward thumbthrottle that operates left to right (as opposed up pushing down) to a half twist throttle. So much better and gives me a lot more space on the handlebar as I don't need clearance for engaging the thumb throttle from before.

3. Comfort grips. Actually makes a big difference.

4. I didn't know anything about PAS sensors, but when I learned they are only $10-20, I had to figure out how to implement it into the bike. Requires a new controller b/c my old one didn't have that function. No wire coming out of the controller with PAS capability. At first I got the wrong PAS sensor, the D12L thinking it was easier to install b/c it comes as two halves and I wouldn't have to remove my crank arm to install it. Didn't fit. The PAS magnets wouldn't spin with the crank arm. There wasn't enough space on my bike. $11 from Aliexpress is now useless. I didn't realize I had to match it with my design of bottom bracket. Eventually got the KT BZ8 to work with bottom bracket that has a ring nut. Dug my crank puller out that I hadn't used in over 15 years (for a trike), relearned how to use it and voila! PAS sensor installed. $11 from Amazon! Came in 2 days. Gotta love it.

5. 25a KT controller replaces the previous 22a one from Amped Bikes. Picked this one b/c most of the connectors on the controller already matched what I had on my old controller so less messing with new terminals.

6. I decided on this controller to work with the stealthy looking LCD4 from KT. Still going for the stealth look so I didn't want a display as huge as the ones on retail bikes these days. LCD4 is super slim, super simple. Love it except the buttons don't stick up enough so it's hard to use w/o looking down at the button. For whatever reason, the MPH doesn't always read. There's no sensor on the wheel. It just works. It also worked before I installed the PAS, albeit intermittently, so really not sure. Still confused about this one.

7. New bell. This one has the integrated hiding space for an Air Tag.

8. I didn't realize how bad grip shifters really were until I upgraded to the same shifter that all retail ebikes have these days, the Shimano XT10 or XT40. Works so much better. No guessing how much to twist the grip. Now it just operates by thumb to upshift and to downshift. Upshift is super easy as it has a giant + sign on it so it's idiot proof.

9. New headlight. I got one from Aliexpress for about $24 that also can be used as a battery bank. I like how it mounts horizontally. Looks less like a motorcycle which I like a lot.

10. Deleted the mirror - not intentionally. I'll need to make a decision on what to go with and how to remount one.

This community has been great. Thanks again for everything. Couldn't have done it w/o you all.