New to this, Giant OCR1 Conversion...

[Andro]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and to eBikes in general. I own a Giant OCR1 roadbike that I would love to do more with. My commute to work is 10 miles up and down fairly large hills (one way) that I sometimes have to traverse (both ways) twice a day; it is an impractical bike ride commute given my work schedule but would work with a good motor. My focus is on getting a great battery that will last, preferably with a good all around kit.

I've done a modest bit of research and I really like what I see here: http://em3ev.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=45&product_id=186

I like this kit because it's a great battery (from what I know) especially the 29E variant which is what I would order. It allows for 90% charging with an indicator if you get down to 10% to extend battery life. The kit appears to be a good price for what it provides.

I think the person who sells these goes by cell_man on these forums. Does anyone know if a kit like this would work on my bike? I plan to mount it in the rear. I don't know what certain specs mean, for example, when describing a wheel what does the "DM" in "DM24" mean? Are there options to this kit that I would have to order? For example, what is the freewheel exactly? The disc spacer?

I'm a novice here so I apologize for that. Any general advise is appreciated.

 

[Drunkskunk]

Welcome to the forum. Yeah, Cell_man is a member here. He's well respected and that kit you picked is one that is often recommended. Should be a good motor for what you need.


Your OCR1 should be fine, it's a tourer and can take a motor. It's still a road frame so don't go too wild with the power. The potential of the motor can exceed the strength of that frame, but only at the extreme end, and not unless you going to be modifying the motor.

The DM and DH in the Alex rim names are just model names. DH is more of a roadbike style double wall rim, the DM is more of a mountain bike style. The number after is the rim's inside bead width.

The disk spacer is for disk brakes. not something the OCR1 would need.

The Freewheel is the rear gear set. you bike uses a CST, and the motor needs a spin on style freewheel. I think your bike uses a 9 speed. What you have now won't be compatible with the motor, so you'll need a freewheel. Get it with the kit, as a spin on 9 speed freewheel isn't something you'll find easily anywhere else.

The only thing I can recommend beyond what you picked is to get the display. the CA stands for Cycle Analyst. Basically, a dashboard for your bike, but with added functionality like the ability to cut your speed, or limit your amp draw, or cut off your battery if it falls below a level you decide is too low, and a lot more. The V2 is all you probably need, but you'll appreciate the V3 more.

If you get the CA, you can get the 12FET 40A controller, then turn down the amp rate to protect the bike's frame from being over powered, then tune it to the level you need to get up[ the hills. If you don't get the CA, you probably want to stick with the 9FET controller. with your battery that's 1500 watts, about all you want to run through a road bike normally.

 

[wesnewell]

Welcome to ES****Do this before your first post or now (it's retroactive)*****
Please go to the User Control Panel, select Profile, and then enter your city, state/province, and country into the Location field (country minimum) and save it. Once done, your location will appear in every post so you won't have people asking where you are ever again. This will help people help you. Example: Wylie, TX, USA. or just USA, but country as a minimum, and country is the most important. There are many cities with the same name all over the world. Without knowing what country you are in it's hard to make any recommendations. Thank you.

 

[Andro]

Thank you for the advice! I updated my profile as well...

I'll follow the advice and go for the V3 display and 12FET 40A controller.

My final question is: does anyone know of any real good road bike tires that will last? I know some claim kevlar and all kinds of other things, are any of them legitimately strong and more durable than others? I really want to avoid flats as much as possible, especially at high speeds.

 

[wesnewell]

Personally I don't think that bike will work well with a motor unless it's a small motor. I think you be better off with a cheap steel dropouts FS mountain bike. As for the motor kit, you can buy from the USA and save a bundle on shipping. More than enough to pay for another bike. Here are the kits I recommend.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/48V1000W-26-Rear-Wheel-Electric-Bicycle-Motor-Kit-E-Bike-Cycling-Hub-Conversion-/231132763662
http://www.ebay.com/itm/48V1000W-Electric-Bicycle-LCD-Display-26-Front-Rear-Wheel-Motor-Kit-E-Bike-Hub-/291107275178
http://www.ebay.com/itm/26-Electric-Bike-Bicycle-Motor-Conversion-Kit-eBike-Rear-Wheel-48V-1000W-/370934929537

 

[Andro]

My rear tire is 25-622 (700x25c). Would the 700C Alex DH19 CNC wheel work with my bike? That's the only 700C DH type wheel offered over at EM3EV. Any thoughts?

Edit: I also found this tire type that is supposed to be a bit stronger and more of a hybrid (which is what I'm looking for): http://shop.serfas.com/p/drifter-city-tire-w-fps

Would the 700x32 fit the OCR1? I know it's a little wider but I've heard that there is some fudge-factor.

 

[efMX Trials Electric Freeride]

looks like the Giant OCR1 road bike uses caliper brakes (common on road bikes) not cantilever or disk brakes.. wide tires such as wider than 28c likely will not clear the brake calipers on your bike.. how much space is there between the tire and brakes, etc of your current 25c tires???

My rear tire is 25-622 (700x25c). Would the 700C Alex DH19 CNC wheel work with my bike? That's the only 700C DH type wheel offered over at EM3EV. Any thoughts?

Edit: I also found this tire type that is supposed to be a bit stronger and more of a hybrid (which is what I'm looking for): http://shop.serfas.com/p/drifter-city-tire-w-fps

Would the 700x32 fit the OCR1? I know it's a little wider but I've heard that there is some fudge-factor.

 

[motomech]

That really is too much motor for that bike. Like putting a V8 in a Volkswagen.
When a powerful motor and lot's of battery goes on a bike, weight becomes more or less, a non-factor. You will be throwing away the benifits of that nice roadster.
Think mini-motor, a 350 Watt rated geared unit. With the right battery, not necessarily a large one, you can get all the assist and range you need without sacrificing the feel of the bike.
If the frt. forks are steel(and I think they are), you can mount it on the frt. for ease of installation.

 

[Andro]

That really is too much motor for that bike. Like putting a V8 in a Volkswagen.
When a powerful motor and lot's of battery goes on a bike, weight becomes more or less, a non-factor. You will be throwing away the benifits of that nice roadster.
Think mini-motor, a 350 Watt rated geared unit. With the right battery, not necessarily a large one, you can get all the assist and range you need without sacrificing the feel of the bike.
If the frt. forks are steel(and I think they are), you can mount it on the frt. for ease of installation.

I understand what you are saying, but I have a beautiful lightweight bike that I almost never ride, but I would love to commute to work with it if it were practical. I don't buy the argument that the frame will shatter, fall apart or bend. I plan on using two torque arms to help mitigate this risk, but I'm also not going to be gunning this thing like a motorcycle.

Now, with a weaker motor it will only mean less power when I want it. I don't intend to use it often, but I may need it up a large hill or avoid a dangerous driver, so why not have it? I'm not going to be gunning this thing everywhere I go, I will be cruising it at under full throttle. For the battery, yes I don't need that much capacity. But my logic is that I would rather have an oversized battery that I never fully drain and thus rarely use a full "cycle." This means that I will run through cycles less frequently and the battery will last longer overall. This is compounded by the fact that the farther I am from fully draining the battery (coupled with only charging to 90%) I can get far more usage out of it over time with less degradation. So why not oversize the battery and then under-demand from it?

looks like the Giant OCR1 road bike uses caliper brakes (common on road bikes) not cantilever or disk brakes.. wide tires such as wider than 28c likely will not clear the brake calipers on your bike.. how much space is there between the tire and brakes, etc of your current 25c tires???

The space for the rear tire to fit in the frame, near the brakes, is 4 cm wide at its thinnest point. This currently gives it a pretty wide clearance. The caliper breaks can be adjusted if I'm not mistaken to fit a larger wheel. I can always change out the brakes if I have to. The frame however must work with the wheel...

 

[efMX Trials Electric Freeride]

Andro,

you did not answer the question about your current tire clearance within the brake calipers..
road bikes with caliper brakes are designed for narrow road tires..
road caliper brakes are not very adjustable to accept very wide tires..
you can not change out the brakes to cantilever or disk brakes unless the frame & fork have those brake mounts.. as an older model road bike it looks like the Giant OCR1 does not have brake mounts except for road caliper brakes.. you may squeeze a 32c tire in there but that or anything larger will likely contact the brake calipers before you even consider frame/ fork tire clearance..

looks like the Giant OCR1 road bike uses caliper brakes (common on road bikes) not cantilever or disk brakes.. wide tires such as wider than 28c likely will not clear the brake calipers on your bike.. how much space is there between the tire and brakes, etc of your current 25c tires???

The space for the rear tire to fit in the frame, near the brakes, is 4 cm wide at its thinnest point. This currently gives it a pretty wide clearance. The caliper breaks can be adjusted if I'm not mistaken to fit a larger wheel. I can always change out the brakes if I have to. The frame however must work with the wheel...