My Ebike Journey

Joined
May 6, 2012
Messages
62
Location
United Kingdom
Its been about 3 years since I first got into ebikes and what a journey its been, I've learned so much from all the experts on this forum, every time I have an ebike related problem, it's almost guaranteed that someone on the this forum posts a topic with a similar problem/solution!

Anyway, here are some of my ebike builds with some info that may be useful.

Ebik_004.jpg
View attachment 16
Gt Lts Ebike1.jpg
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folding bike2.jpg
frame broken.jpg
Folding.jpg
another broken frame.jpg
And not to mention a broken axle (Crystalyte HS3540)
I rode 3 miles like this (very slowly) :shock:
HS3540 Broken Axle.jpg


And while I was waiting for a new motor I had to ride this 250w bike to and from work for a week, from 10kw to 250w (I had to wake up an hour earlier just to get to work on time :lol: )
250w Bike.jpg

What I've learned is that most folding bike frames are not suitable for high powered ebikes, luckily I wasn't traveling fast when both of the frames failed :oops: ( I couldn't believe how thin the frames were when taking a closer look after they broke :shock: )

So I said "enough is enough" and got a purpose built Cyclone ebike frame
This frame is not perfect but it's certainly the strongest frame I've had so far...

Cyclone Bike.jpg
View attachment 11

In my opinion the biggest advancement of ebike technology in recent times is the arrival of the Adaptto controller!
Adaptto Max-E.jpg
Why?

1). No longer do you have to worry about the cells going out of balance in your battery pack as the Adaptto controller automatically balances the pack and you can monitor the cells at anytime from the display.
Balancing .jpg
So you don't have to do this......


2). If you accidentally forget to release the throttle while activating the brake the throttle will be blocked when you release the brake (when going over a certain speed)

3). You don't need to buy a special charger, you can use a normal power supply to charge.(I've even used a laptop charger to charge)
Power supply.jpg

4). Easy to hook up to a solar panel to charge batteries (although I am still waiting for good weather to really test it out 8) )
View attachment 10

5). Makes the motor almost silent

6). Has a sleep mode so if you forget to turn the controller off it goes into standby mode and you can set it so that it requires a password to activate it.

7). No need for a 3 speed switch as the buttons on the display allow you to change profiles instantly.

8. Range mode, this allows you to set the distance that you want to travel and it will limit your speed to ensure that you can cover that distance.

9). No need to connect to a PC to change the settings

10). Has a built-in temperature sensor in the controller

11). Auto Detect, no more trying to find out the correct hall/phase wire combinations as this controller does it for you in a few minutes!

12). Variable regen (I use with a thumb throttle)
Thumb Throttle.jpg

13). Regen works down to zero mph

14). The display has a USB charging port

The only negatives about the controller are that the voltage display is only 2 digits on the main display, the BMS board is not protected (although it's not that difficult to find a suitable cover for it). But these are really small points.

When building ebikes my primary aim is to make them as stealthy as possible which is why I now just use battery bags as opposed to metal boxes in the frames.
 
I agree stealthy is the best thing you can do. Ebikes are expensive so its best not to have them stand out to thieves. I use 2 kryptonite u locks and keep my ebike dirty on purpose. So far its worked. Police see me and don't even pay attention to me. I can ride anywhere and most of the time get to places faster that a car or bus. Its great.
 
What do you mean by temperature is not in real time? The temperature goes up and down as soon as the motor starting to heat up so it is indeed in realtime.
You could also adjust the regen so it does brake to zero, called active regen.
First point about the throttle was something that actually annoyed me so I turned it off.
 
Hi Allex, thanks for letting me know, I guess I haven't ridden long enough to really heat up the motor and if I have I haven't been paying attention to it. The reason I said almost zero is because I didn't want people to think that they don't need to use normal brakes only relying on regen, because the wheel rolls just a tiny amount after regen releases, but yes you're right! Thanks
 
Brake said:
Nice collection of bike build too!
Except Grandma's 250w quarter horse :lol: . I can relate as my 1st entry ebike was 250w. Meh, who am I kidding, I still ride around at that power level but with more "under the hood" if I wanted it :mrgreen: .
 
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