Non Suspension Bike Conversion

[Painlessone]

I was in China for a month and saw the flood of electric bikes and I became interested when I returned to the States. I want to convert an old Schwinn (USA) all steel alloy bike that has no suspension.( Is that a good idea or should I looke for a used hardtail or full suspension?) I have settled on a geared rear hubmotor from "Cell Man"as he seems to get good reviews.
I weigh 225, 6' 2" and live south of San Francisco where we have some hills. I intend to use this bike for recreation. Where I live I have hills that need to be climbed either coming or going and I normally have to put it on the bike rack and drive to more level area to ride. I thought the power would allow me to get to areas where I can pedal and I would probably use the bike more.
I have had several e-mail exchanges with cellman and I can't decide on the 10 or 12T motor. I don't know enough to judge if I need to give up speed on the flat for the torque from the 12T or if the 10T will be enough. I'm not looking for speed necessarily. I live 400 feet above sea level so probably 500 feet would be the maximum I would ever have to climb.
So I guess my first question relates to the motor. The second question has to do with the full twist vs half twist vs the thumb throttle. I looked all through this site and the "Wiki" for these throttle types have not yet been posted.
What are my decisions related to the types of throttles pro and con.
My bike doesn't have disk brakes...is that a problem?
This is forum is a great source of information. I hope I haven't ask questions that were answered elsewhere..

 

[Drunkskunk]

Welcome to the forum. A non suspension bike is fine. It will make a very solid platform without the complications or weight of a suspension system. And rim brakes are fine at normal, sane bicycle speeds.

My usual suggestion to newcomers is a Trek 800 or something equivalent. its a steel frame, non suspension, rim braked bike with a large center triangle that makes it an Ideal bike for a normal conversion. It sounds like you have something similar, so you're good to go.

I would recommend upgrading the pads since you'll be carrying more weight and be dealing with SF hills.
I'd also suggest getting the biggest tire you can fit on that frame. A 2 inch wide tire or bigger will improve your ride comfort, your traction, and your braking performance.

For SF, get the 12T motor and cell man's 52 volt (48 volt) battery.

 

[kentlim26]

What is your speed and distance you are looking at it?
the thumb throttle will be the best for speed controlling to my test. I have all types of throttle include the half twist throttle. All the throttle I have run more then 1000km and I really think thumb throttle give best results, and my half twist throttle gives me painful palm + abit cramp too. hopefully some guys put in more suggestion here. I also like to know , 225 will really work out with a geared hub motor or not. looks like you need alot of torque power will go with chain motor like GNG, cyclone, RC ? those motors have alot of torque power will sure give you a go up on any hills. for hub motor + hilly place = at least 72v controller. since you have already decide a geared hub motor, I will like to see your review too!.

are v- brakes will work for you ? Test it and see, who knows it will work for you. As for my case, I still using v-brakes at 70km/h , it still works fine because I am a smaller size guy.

 

[Painlessone]

I looked at the GNG and other mid drives, but it seemed too complicated for my first e-bike. The Magic Pie also looked good but I think I want to be able to pedal without the slight drag the direct drive hubs have. If it won't get me up the hills I'll either have to lose weight or buy more power.

The one thing that has me a little concerned is the charging. I thought you just plug it in to the charger and stop when it is completed. After reading about "bulk charging" and individual charging it seems a little more complicated? Is this true for all the lithium batteries, or just one type?

I know not to use a front motor on a bike that has aluminum forks as it seems most new bikes have, because they can fracture, how about the rear drops...are they aluminum as well? If the torque arms are added is the rear drop strong enough if it is aluminum?

 

[999zip999]

I start with a steel bike diamon bike accent. This old bikes are cheap with good japanese bearing for 70-90 dollars. S.F. go see Ilia at www.ebikessf for a test ride.

 

[Painlessone]

For a Newbie with the above suggestions, is it better to start with a 48V 15 Ahr LiFePo4 or a 48V 15Ah LiIon battery? The LiIon seems to be smaller, do they give the same power for torque and speed? It seems the LiFePo4 will last more cycles from what I have read. Is there a difference in charging and maintenance? I'm not concerned with any price difference at this point.
Cell man is waiting on new batteries. He has Panasonic LiMn now but has something different coming? (says 2-4 weeks) I will order then...thanks

 

[superdave]

Desired range, speed, and type of riding are the three things that shape donor selection for an ebike. Speed is the main factor in determining whether suspension is needed. Up to 20 MPH on-road is no problem on a non-suspension frame/fork. Faster than that, or lots of off-road use and suspension starts to become really desirable. Distance per ride should also be considered. There is a big difference between 2 miles and 20 miles in terms of how harsh a ride one can tolerate. Lastly, range will determine how much battery weight must be carried. With a large frame-mounted pack, full suspension will help reduce the beating your rims and hubs will take (though for a 15AH pack this probably isn't a big concern). Unfortunately, a big pack is typically more difficult to mount on a suspension frame, so it's good to not overspec your range too much.

Bicycle disk brakes don't have any more stopping power than quality rim brakes. Their popularity on mountain bikes is due to the fact that they don't get clogged with mud/grass/snow/etc. when riding off-road. Disk alignment and caliper clearance can be tricky on some hubmotors, so I'd say don't bother unless you're going to be playing in the mud, hitting relatively high speeds, or riding down mountains (disks don't heat the rim under continuous heavy use the way rim brakes do).

As for throttles, I've used both thumb and half twist and each has its pros and cons. Luckily they're dirt cheap compared to motors and batteries so just get one of each and try them out to see what you like You can always sell the one you don't use or keep it as a backup.

 

[mark5]

I have had several e-mail exchanges with cellman and I can't decide on the 10 or 12T motor. I don't know enough to judge if I need to give up speed on the flat for the torque from the 12T or if the 10T will be enough. I'm not looking for speed necessarily. I live 400 feet above sea level so probably 500 feet would be the maximum I would ever have to climb.

In case you hadn't seen it yet, here's Terry of Hightekbikes' video of a MAC 10T going up a steep street in San Francisco:

MAC motor hill climbing test
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIHJPOL3_HQ

 

[Painlessone]

SuperDave & Mark...Thank You both, I'm ready to go.