LightningRods mid drive kit

[cheekybloke]

Thanks for all the help to everyone

It was a bit of a crazy time looking at bikes and have bought a second hand bike for $1k au (paranoid I haven't discovered cracks yet) that really needs motor help because its dam heavy without!

I decided to reconsider all the latest trends with bigger wheels and bendy tubes to get the lr right up close to the bb with a straight down tube.

First night she sleeps at my place the wife is pretty upset with my attention to her.

Nice looking bike mate, are you chopping it up or having a large back pack for batteries?

 

[John Bozi]

Nice looking bike mate, are you chopping it up or having a large back pack for batteries?

thanks, but no chops or back pack.

Now that I bought the bike I won't derail this thread with stuff specific to my bike, so have just made a new thread dedicated to the M6.

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=71633

cheers

 

[Nelsjourney]

I have a question leading to more questions? lol. I will be commuting in NYC with the Lightning Rod Mid Drive Kit. There will be times I will leave my bike parked in the street. Does anyone in ES commute with their Mid drive kit and park their bike in the street? And if they do what kind of lock or mechanism do you use to lock the kit to the frame of the bike without welding it? I was thinking of some kind of U lock and inventing some kind of bolt that would attach at the ends.

Maybe somebody has a better idea.

 

[izeman]

who would try to remove the kit from the bike? you would need to remove the cranks first and need at least some tools and quite skme time. easier to grab the whole bike!

 

[sparkz]

Better idea: don't park on the street. I commute to work on my e-bike, and my employer is happy to let me park the bike in my office. Bikes don't last half a day on the street in San Francisco.

 

[izeman]

i wouldn't park my bike outside ANYWHERE if out if side for more than 10min. but not all employers are so generous to let you bring the bike inside. (our office is full of super light lycra's racing machines, so no problem here)

 

[sparkz]

I agree with izeman - a thief won't bother to disassemble the drive; they'll just rip the bike. If your employer won't allow bikes in the office (not very progressive), is there a parking garage nearby that has enclosed bike parking? e-bikes are the best thing for commuting since the bus was invented. I commute about 125 miles a week, and actually enjoy it!

 

[Nelsjourney]

sparkz. But isn't the idea of commuting with your bicycle not only for exercise whether physical or mental but also, not to pay the same amount of money as you would when using your car. If I have to pay $5 a day to park my bike then I might as well use my car and drive around and find parking. I am using my bike to get rid of 1. One out of two cars 2. Save $5.50 in public transportation a day. 3. Get off my ass and start exercising.

 

[sparkz]

Totally agree. I used to spend a little over $5 a day commuting (just on gas.) On the e-bike, it's about 5 cents worth of electricity. (I recharge at work.) And I get exercise. But $5.50 a day to park? Seems a bit high. However, you are saving wear-and-tear on your auto, plus reaping all the benefits of biking. Are there any other bike commuters at your work place? Might be time to organize a movement...

 

[John Bozi]

I came across this quite funny video, but got me a bit worried about how complex the install will be...

For those who have put on an LR did you run into difficulties? What were they? And what do you think this guys problem is?

[youtube]dE6de2wO9gM[/youtube]

 

[r3volved]

lol
I had no problems...
Use a square and get everything aligned right if you have to...that guy's jackshaft was way out of alignment...it looks like he was trying to adjust both the belt side and the chain side with only jackshaft adjustments...

You'll want to align and tighten the belt first using the upper jackshaft adjuster. Once the belt is tight and lined up right, then the chain is tightened with the lower adjuster.

 

[Nelsjourney]

Sparkz.

I wish I could organize. The building is a courthouse. Metal Detectors. Luckily I don't go through them because it would show the battery and controller with CA which I plan to have all wired in a bag with as minimal wires sticking out as I can.LOL.

Imagine going through that every morning. Getting screened by Officers who didn't know the parts to an ebike.

I would be thrown on the floor and handcuffed every morning until I get clearance.LOL

 

[Nelsjourney]

I am a happy camper. I received the Lightning Rod Kit Last night. The quality of the parts and the motor are excellent. The video that Michael has done to put the motor together is pretty much on point. Will post pics afterwards.

Tonight I work on the Bottom Bracket as I wait for the controller from Lyen and the Battery from Eric at Electricbike.

Thank you everyone who has helped me along the way. I have learned a lot here on ES.

But I still need a lot more to learn.

Thank you.

 

[sparkz]

OMG! A courthouse! And you're carrying a large bag with wires dangling out. Good luck explaining that to security. But most courthouses have storage areas - maybe something in the back? You can't be the only one commuting on a bike.

 

[eTrailster]

I came across this quite funny video, but got me a bit worried about how complex the install will be...

For those who have put on an LR did you run into difficulties? What were they? And what do you think this guys problem is?

Yeah it's not cake and takes consideration. But don't be intimidated. You just need to take your time and become knowledgeable about how it works. Once you do, it's easily understandable. Then, once you are set up correctly, it's easy. It seems that guy in the video first needs to move his BB over toward the chain side. That should clear his jackshaft to realign the 219. Remember, every bike is different. All the adjustment is needed for versatility.

I'm almost finished with my build. I have 30 miles of testing on a test install and am doing final controller mounting and wire management. It both looks and rides awesome. My bike has perfect chain lines. I made custom mounts and braced it nicely. I have my 5.5lb battery on a modified Tule pack and peddle, which is perfect for street and surprisingly good for even moderately aggressive trail riding. I can easily slip the battery into a backpack for very aggressive riding.

 

[Nelsjourney]

I am in the process of putting the LR kit on my cargo bike. I must first say I am excited as I am building the kit. I have spent 2 evenings am still figuring things out. Only because I am a noob at this and want to do things correctly. In the process I have had to buy a different cone wrench. The videos are very helpful.

This is day 3 on my terrace working at night with a lamp. I can only spend so much time on the kit. Now I need to line everything up and tighten it.

After tightening the kit then I have to decided whether to put the Cycle Analyst on the bike or put it in a backpack together with the controller and battery and last but not least my satiator.

I am going to be commuting with the bike and it will be parked in NYC. If I leave all this fancy electronics out my bike will not last long. I am thinking of just not including the Cycle Analyst for this build and just use the Battery, Controller, Watt-Volt meter, and the satiator in a shoulder bag that will be in a rack in front of the bike. I was thinking on a shoulder bag because it would have a long flap where I can open it and the controller would get air cooled as it will be in the open. When I park the bike I have to get a plug and play connector(s), disconnect it from the bike and just pull the flap over and nothing will show as I go into my place of work (Courthouse with xray machines and metal detectors). Luckily I walk through with my ID and don't have to go through that process.

 

[r3volved]

In the process I have had to buy a different cone wrench.

?? What are you using cone wrenches for ?? on the kit ??
A cone wrench is for wheel hub.

 

[Nelsjourney]

Thank you r3solved. Told you I was a new guy.

It was a bottom bracket wrench.

 

[r3volved]

Ah ya that makes more sense. I only found out what a come wrench is about 2 months ago

 

[eTrailster]

THE TARDIS

 

[John Bozi]

THE TARDIS

NIce! whats the spec on the controller fetts and length height?

 

[sparkz]

"The Tardis" - classic! Nice looking build. Does the rack-mounted battery pack throw off your handling, any? I'm trying to figure out where to squeeze my pack in.

 

[eTrailster]

"The Tardis" - classic! Nice looking build. Does the rack-mounted battery pack throw off your handling, any? I'm trying to figure out where to squeeze my pack in.

I originally only planned using the pack and peddle to test the bike. It was easy to strap both the battery and controller to the bike and work out the mechanics. However, it's so solid (with extra bracing), I decided to leave it on the bike and make it so the battery can be unstrapped and slipped into a backpack. On the rack, the bike rocks the street and logging trails, but single-track switchbacks suck.

Yesterday, I took it aggressively on a rough intermediate downhill run. The rear bounced wildly over heavy chatter, but small jumps were okay. I was shocked the bike held together so well. Only my CA needed to be readjusted. So, very solid, versatile, but not good and possibly dangerous over chatter, low speed turns or high speed berms. With the battery in a backpack, the TARDIS is a jumper and very stable.

I even took the bike up a long steep road hill. I ran around 2200W for 5-minutes. The motor and controller cases were only warm. My wiring still needs work. I want to mount the controller closer to the kit and rework the battery wiring, but the bike so awesome, any downtime will kill me.

The only really interesting things are that I made mounts for the controller and upper assembly from a hard urethane and braced the kit very firmly. The second brace bar is from a C-clamp around the frame. It stops the upper assembly from moving directly outward. In my application at least, extra bracing was an absolute must. The extra braces on the rack stop it from sliding down the chainstay.

 

[pchen92]

Hi Michael, I sent you a PM for adjustable sheets but got no answer.
Are you still in the business ?
8)

 

[r3volved]

I believe he is on a much needed holiday and likely not answering business requests at the moment. You'll likely get a reply in a few days, he wasn't going for too too long.