Russell
1 MW
I really like my Jeep Comanche "trekking" E-Bike ( http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=34102 ) but I found I was using more battery power than I have on some past bikes over the same routes. That limits my assisted range. I didn't want to mess with a good thing so I decided to build yet another in a series of flatbar type E-Bikes. I wanted a steel frame so when I saw on craigslist someone was offering a full chromoly frame from a brand new Nashbar cyclocross bike they stripped for its parts, I had to have it.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_577468_-1___204687
I've had the frame since last summer and built it up a few months ago. Since then I have been going back and forth between it and my Jeep bike riding both on the same routes and swapping motors and tires between them to find what makes a difference. And what does make a difference for an assist bike is exactly the same things which make a difference for pedal-only bikes, namely; skinny(er) tires, reduced weight, reduced aero profile, to name a few. What did not make a difference was the motor I used, and I tried 3; A fast MXUS (E-BikeKit) geared motor, a fast Bafang geared motor, and a slow Cute geared motor. The max controller amps also make little difference when significant power is from pedaling. Anyway the latest configuration is this one:
As shown above it is a fully legal (slow) E-bike running a 201 RPM Cute Q100 motor on a BMSBattery 36V/15Ah "high C-rate" Li-ion battery and a stock 36V KU63/15A controller. No-load speed is 21 mph on a freshly charged battery which translates into an 18 mph top speed. baseline weight for the bike with motor is 35 lbs. The weight with everything shown in the picture (except water bottles) is 48 lbs. This includes the battery, a couple pounds of tools, spare tube, etc. Someday I may build a true lightweight but his ain't it. The frameset alone weighs a hefty 8 lbs bare.
I took it for a ride today over a usual course and while it felt quite underpowered I still averaged, well a pretty average trip speed for me. All I did at about 5 miles into the ride was let the cruise control hold full throttle then pedal along. The low power makes for a rather mundane ride though. Where I really missed the speed was pedaling up this one 4-5% hill at 18 mph right behind a lycra boy. It's fun to mess with these guys but with little power on tap I couldn't close the gap on him. On the downside he then flew away from me. Too bad I love seeing their expressions as I come up alongside them and then pedal past.
My power consumption is lower with this bike, around 25% less than my Jeep bike.
Stats for today's ride:
Distance: 39.8 miles (64.2km)
Average speed: 17.6 mph (28.4 kmh)
Amp-Hours used: 7.282
Watt-Hours used: 279.6
Peak Watts: 605.1
Peak Amps: 15.76
WH/mile: 7.0
WH/km: 4.4
-R
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_577468_-1___204687
I've had the frame since last summer and built it up a few months ago. Since then I have been going back and forth between it and my Jeep bike riding both on the same routes and swapping motors and tires between them to find what makes a difference. And what does make a difference for an assist bike is exactly the same things which make a difference for pedal-only bikes, namely; skinny(er) tires, reduced weight, reduced aero profile, to name a few. What did not make a difference was the motor I used, and I tried 3; A fast MXUS (E-BikeKit) geared motor, a fast Bafang geared motor, and a slow Cute geared motor. The max controller amps also make little difference when significant power is from pedaling. Anyway the latest configuration is this one:
As shown above it is a fully legal (slow) E-bike running a 201 RPM Cute Q100 motor on a BMSBattery 36V/15Ah "high C-rate" Li-ion battery and a stock 36V KU63/15A controller. No-load speed is 21 mph on a freshly charged battery which translates into an 18 mph top speed. baseline weight for the bike with motor is 35 lbs. The weight with everything shown in the picture (except water bottles) is 48 lbs. This includes the battery, a couple pounds of tools, spare tube, etc. Someday I may build a true lightweight but his ain't it. The frameset alone weighs a hefty 8 lbs bare.
I took it for a ride today over a usual course and while it felt quite underpowered I still averaged, well a pretty average trip speed for me. All I did at about 5 miles into the ride was let the cruise control hold full throttle then pedal along. The low power makes for a rather mundane ride though. Where I really missed the speed was pedaling up this one 4-5% hill at 18 mph right behind a lycra boy. It's fun to mess with these guys but with little power on tap I couldn't close the gap on him. On the downside he then flew away from me. Too bad I love seeing their expressions as I come up alongside them and then pedal past.
My power consumption is lower with this bike, around 25% less than my Jeep bike.
Stats for today's ride:
Distance: 39.8 miles (64.2km)
Average speed: 17.6 mph (28.4 kmh)
Amp-Hours used: 7.282
Watt-Hours used: 279.6
Peak Watts: 605.1
Peak Amps: 15.76
WH/mile: 7.0
WH/km: 4.4
-R