Leaf / leafmotor / leafbike high efficiency 1500w motor

[yantra yatra]

Being able to mount the battery inside the triangle or reliably underneath it seems like a primary consideration.

Edit: no I don’t have any method of cantilevering off a seat steam for the battery pack mounting.

 

[amberwolf]

no I don’t have any method of cantilevering off a seat steam for the battery pack mounting.

That's good, because doing so risks breaking hte whole seat off (possibly including the seat tube of the frame). There's a few instances of this reported around here; I think the first one I saw pics of was Dogman Dan's around a decade or more ago. That was a steel frame and post, IIRC.

 

[amberwolf]

Are any full sus setups advisable for higher powered hub drive (3-5kw)?

Your best bet might be to look at successful builds here to see which ones use things like you want under riding condtions similar to yours, then see if you can find a frame like they used.

 

[electric_nz]

hmm… “busted carbon”. I have now.

Are any full sus setups advisable for higher powered hub drive (3-5kw)? I figured it would handle better and be more comfortable with full suspension, but maybe can stick to my hardtail.

I’ve been commuting on a 2.5kw Leaf motor full sus for a couple of years, battery is getting a bit tired but still works fine. Only issue has been getting mud guards to fit and tyre choices

Post in thread 'Your Creation's Before & After Pics'
Your Creation's Before & After Pics

 

[yantra yatra]

Great build, I like the mudguards and tires. Fitting the battery in the triangle looks like a good idea. Do you like the full sus, think it’s worth it?

 

[99t4]

Are any full sus setups advisable for higher powered hub drive (3-5kw)?

Yes, 2006 (+/- a few years either way) era FS Downhill bikes are great for this. Strong non-carbonfiber frames, long travel suspension, traditional dropouts, 7-speed rear cog generally compatible w/ hubmotors, usually inexpensive (by now).

This slim form factor battery can work well in a limited-space FS frame. I use two, strapped pancake both sides of the top tube (as shown in the photo on the right, except strapped to the top tube).

Overall slim enough that it does not interfere at all with my (low Q-factor) spinning legs.

Great new form factor 1.4kwhr battery for full suspension bikes

Just wanted to give the forum a heads up, @metanewbie mentioned this newer company affordable ebikes, in Canada. I looked into their batteries, and saw this gem that's designed to run as a single or double battery. Combined sizes go up to 72v 20ah. 21700 - Slim Pack Batteries - 36V / 48V /...

endless-sphere.com

Have you seen this thread?

Full suspension bikes compatible with a frame battery

I'm starting this thread to keep track of FS bikes I come across that might accomodate a battery in the frame triangle. I haven't been bitten by the FS bike bug quite yet, but I've been casually browsing for conversion candidates. If you've converted a full squish bike that can hold a battery in...

endless-sphere.com

 

[neptronix]

Yeah that would be my choice today.
My only concern is how this hose clamp mounting works.. i would rather rework the mounting to be more solid..
..but this battery solves more problems than it creates.

 

[99t4]

This poor thread has been mercilessly hijacked 100's of times nep, let's jump over to my (fresh) thread over in Ebike Build Threads

2007 Giant Reign X1 FS DH

Works great for me, really smooths out my local poor condition roads. Converted early 2022. Going on 7,000 happy (mostly) trouble-free miles Spring 2025. Can hit 44.5 MPH on the flat. I like to cruise at 21 - 23 MPH (cruise control in assist level 2). E-bikeling 1500W rear hub dd kit/ 48V 35A...

endless-sphere.com

to talk about the battery mounting details.

 

[glennb]

1,000W version has a thinner stator, 30mm instead of the standard 35mm, so it will also make less peak power and less continuous power than the 1,500W.

Thanks, that's what I was wondering. Why do they even make the lesser versions?

In terms of overall efficiency, peak power vs mass, and versatility, the 1,500W appears to be the best version of this motor.

The only way to know for sure how all of them compare would be to dyno test all variants.

Thanks again. So, I want the 35mm 1500W, but it's seemingly unavailable in 16" cast rims. So, the issue becomes whether the 30mm variant is a worthwhile upgrade.

What I have is 205mm, 27mm, 9.15Kv, 400W rated. (See photo).

It's slow, 62.5km/h unloaded at 72V. That's 20S, so a little faster hot off the charger. With field weakening it could safely do 70km/h on the road without risk of voltage spiking the controller, but that's not what I want - I want solid torque up to 60km/h, instead of the 45km/h where it currently falls away.

It's for the rear of a scooter thing, that only weighs 15kg all told, and uses regen, so no freewheel or disc mounts required.

If the only benefit of the Leaf is the the desired higher Kv, that's insufficient to justify the upgrade ... it'd need to be more powerful and efficient as well. But will it be?

 

[neptronix]

With that wheel size, the 30mm motor is more than enough.

Check out the Grin all Axle.. it's a 27mm stator, 10lbs, and the fast winding would do 70km/h unloaded on that voltage.
Motor Simulator - Tools
^-- 115nm torque peak and 87% cruise efficiency is excellent

Get a controller that can do flux weakening so you can push 85km/h unloaded..

Maybe that's a little too fancy/expensive for you and you don't care about the low weight ease of getting the motor on/off.

I would bet Leafbike would do a ~14kv 3T winding for you on a 1000w ( 30mm ) or 750w ( 27mm stator ) rated motor, and it would exceed your expectations.

They use fairly thick spokes on their wheel builds so it's likely that it would be strong enough.

Any 9 continent clone style motor would perform excellently given you have such a tiny wheel. Like a gas motor, an electric motor outputs more power the faster you spin it, to the point where eddy currents start fighting you. ( that's probably above 80kmh in a 16" wheel for this kind of hub motor - plenty of wiggle room )

 

[glennb]

Thanks, yeah, it's still a fun size wheel. I've used mid motors with 4" rims to date, so this is a "big" wheel.

I have a 9C clone, with 30mm stator, but it's barely any faster (9.81Kv) than the 16" wind, and would only just fit in a 20" rim (with 65mm spokes). Considered repurposing it as a 24" front wheel.

Guess I might as well order a Leaf. (I've wanted to try one since first seeing this thread, to see what all the fuss is all about).

They're definitely better motors than 9C clones then? Won't be disappointed?