Newbie Build

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After reaching out to Ebikeling they confirmed that there shouldn't be an issue running their 36v conversion kit on 48v, it was mentioned that I would need the appropriate display though. With that information I ended up purchasing a 36v 12.5ah battery on Amazon from Yose Power, it was very affordable, a possible gamble but I figured if it didn't work out I can always return it. The kit and battery got here a lot sooner than anticipated, the Ebikeling kit got here 2 days early and the battery only took 2 days to receive, very impressed and am glad to be able to get a jump on the build.

Before installing the kit on the bike I wanted to bench test all the components to ensure that they operate to avoid wasting time in case something did not work. Unfortunately, this seems to be the case. I've connected the essentials, the display, throttle, controller, motor and battery, whenever I operate the throttle I can hear a minor little click from the motor but there is no operation whatsoever. I've tried playing around with the different speeds and giving the motor a helpful nudge with no avail. I don't know if there is something I'm missing, the brake levers and PAS are listed as optional and do not need to be connected according to their installation info. I'm wondering if maybe I received a faulty component, I'll reach out to Ebikeling and see what they say and in the meantime see if I can't troubleshoot this, cheers :thumb:

Edit: After going over my connections I found that the extension cable from motor to controller did not look like it was seated well. Disconnecting and reconnecting remedied the issue, so stoked! I'll report back once the kit is installed

 

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I managed to get the kit installed and the bike to a rideable state yesterday. My brake levers are integrated with the shifters so I'm not installing them and the PAS will need some modifying and ingenuity to fit correctly, so I'm running without out it for now. The install went fairly well, I did have to stack a few washers on the freewheel side due to the shoulder being too far inwards, I noticed that the rim doesn't sit perfectly square in the frame but rides fine otherwise.

I can say I'm very happy with the bike and had a blast on my first ride. The power delivery is smooth and controllable and the bike can really get going, I was able to clock 24mph which felt more than fast enough for my needs. I felt like I was cheating riding down the bike path as I easily outpaced all the regular bikers :lol: As much fun as I had on my first ride I went out with a bang, or rather a 'pshh'. Literally only 3 miles of riding and I got a flat, and yes on the drive wheel Thankfully I was only half a mile away from home so I walked on back the rest of the way.

So as suggested I ordered flat resistant inner tubes because seeing first hand what it takes to fix a flat on the drive wheel, is not something I want to deal with miles away from home. I did come across a no-inflate inner tube that looks pretty great for an e bike, no flats literally ever For now I'll run some rugged inner tubes and see how they do. I'll work on getting the obligatory photos once I get the bike back up and running :thumb:

 

[donn]

So as suggested I ordered flat resistant inner tubes

I think that suggestion might have mentioned getting flat resistant tires?

 

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I think that suggestion might have mentioned getting flat resistant tires?

Yeah that's true, I will get some tires in time as well and then I'll really have the best odds with both tubes and tires 8)

 

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I have good news and bad news to share.

The good news: I got my flat resistant inner tube and the PAS installed on the bike. I took the bike out for a long 20 plus mile round trip and could not have been more happier with the end result. I was able to go nearly the entire trip without pedaling, I did pedal uphill to give the motor a break and to help conserve battery and man was it a breeze, climbing up hills is effortless, super impressed! I will say that I wasn't the biggest fan of the PAS due to it being a bit erratic at times, I attribute this to the motor outperforming my pace and the gearing set up I currently have. The bike has been great otherwise up until today that is...

The bad news: Taking my bike to work today, I powered on the system, jumped on the bike and hit the throttle. The bike did not want to accelerate at all, just a bit of motor whine. I took a moment, went over all the connections and didn't find anything wrong. I disconnected the battery and refitted all connections with no change. I found good battery voltage to the controller but noticed that the silicone around the wiring was a bit melted. Lightly tugging on the cables allowed them to come outwards which didn't seem healthy. From that point on the bike no longer powered on.

After contacting Ebikeling they sent me a return slip and are having me return the kit for a refund

So I'm now back to square one

Although its more money than the Ebikeling kit I think I may double down and purchase a Bafang Mid Drive Kit. Considering that 36v and 500w was enough power for me, I'd like to go for the 36v 500w kit available on Amazon. My memory is hazy on the important details of this kit so I will have to go back and research some, If I recall there is an updated model and the bottom bracket has to accommodate the motor, which my 68mm BB should.