New here, but figured this was the place to get expert advice. I have read a lot here, and this post is mainly to check my thinking resulting from that reading.
What is going on is that I have a cardio problem (afib). I bought an inexpensive 20" wheel folding bike to keep in the back of my vehicle to bop around town and to get some exercise. However, the fact that I do not get enough blood to my muscles is more of a problem than I expected. So I have been thinking of going electric. The problem here is that what I need is almost the opposite of what most everybody else wants. Low power, low speed (15mph max, sometimes only 10mph), light weight. I want to get some exercise riding it, my muscles are fine they just do not get enough blood flow to go more than a couple three miles on their own; and unfortunately exercise is not going to improve that situation.
The Chinese made folder I have actually seems to be intended as the basis of a cheap ebike. Alloy frame (135mm OLD, horizontal dropouts, 7-speed freewheel), steel fork (90mm OLD), the frame looks designed to take a battery behind the seat post. In fact I have seen some ebikes advertised that look like they are using the same frame. That's the good part.
My thoughts are running to a Cute Q85 (high torque version --there be hills around here) on the front wheel with a couple of RC Helicopter type LiPo's (5-6s 8ah) for power. I say 5s or 6s because I notice that the 5s can be hard to come by. The point of the LiPo's is that I can order them from a USA based warehouse and not have to worry about the crazy rules for international shipping that seem to have come out recently.
Alternatively, a Cute Q100 on the rear. That would have the advantage that it could be laced into a 700c rim and used on my old Town type bike, if for some reason the folder didn't work out. A third possibility is the small 250w GNG mid-drive but that seems overkill for what I need.
Now, into the something different part, I would like to either be able govern the motor to 10mph, or switch the batteries to parallel. My thinking is that if I do that I can, with a letter from my doctor, probably convince the cops that it is a mobility device, so that in heavy traffic areas I can ride it on the sidewalks. On the two block long tourist area downtown I would simply get off and walk the bike. It would be nice if the modes could be switched with a key lock switch, with the key required for the high speed (oxymoron) mode.
My questions: Am I completely out of my mind? Is there a better solution. Are the Cute or other similar motors available here in the USA, or do I have to order from Asia? Is there something I am missing?
I am open to suggestions that keep in mind that this needs to be; inexpensive, lightweight, and fairly easy to setup.
What is going on is that I have a cardio problem (afib). I bought an inexpensive 20" wheel folding bike to keep in the back of my vehicle to bop around town and to get some exercise. However, the fact that I do not get enough blood to my muscles is more of a problem than I expected. So I have been thinking of going electric. The problem here is that what I need is almost the opposite of what most everybody else wants. Low power, low speed (15mph max, sometimes only 10mph), light weight. I want to get some exercise riding it, my muscles are fine they just do not get enough blood flow to go more than a couple three miles on their own; and unfortunately exercise is not going to improve that situation.
The Chinese made folder I have actually seems to be intended as the basis of a cheap ebike. Alloy frame (135mm OLD, horizontal dropouts, 7-speed freewheel), steel fork (90mm OLD), the frame looks designed to take a battery behind the seat post. In fact I have seen some ebikes advertised that look like they are using the same frame. That's the good part.
My thoughts are running to a Cute Q85 (high torque version --there be hills around here) on the front wheel with a couple of RC Helicopter type LiPo's (5-6s 8ah) for power. I say 5s or 6s because I notice that the 5s can be hard to come by. The point of the LiPo's is that I can order them from a USA based warehouse and not have to worry about the crazy rules for international shipping that seem to have come out recently.
Alternatively, a Cute Q100 on the rear. That would have the advantage that it could be laced into a 700c rim and used on my old Town type bike, if for some reason the folder didn't work out. A third possibility is the small 250w GNG mid-drive but that seems overkill for what I need.
Now, into the something different part, I would like to either be able govern the motor to 10mph, or switch the batteries to parallel. My thinking is that if I do that I can, with a letter from my doctor, probably convince the cops that it is a mobility device, so that in heavy traffic areas I can ride it on the sidewalks. On the two block long tourist area downtown I would simply get off and walk the bike. It would be nice if the modes could be switched with a key lock switch, with the key required for the high speed (oxymoron) mode.
My questions: Am I completely out of my mind? Is there a better solution. Are the Cute or other similar motors available here in the USA, or do I have to order from Asia? Is there something I am missing?
I am open to suggestions that keep in mind that this needs to be; inexpensive, lightweight, and fairly easy to setup.