Titanium E Bike, my first project

[ploma1]

Well after surfing this amazing forum I have finally committed myself to building my own eBike.
I will be using it for a 16 mile commute (that's one way), 5 days a week. This includes a pretty serious climb on the way there.
My wish list included:
As light as possible , without being incredibly expensive
Able to handle a lot of miles (every day commute), and safe (braking power, stability)
fairly comfortable ride
30 mph cruising speed
not to obvious of it being an eBike (cops)

This is what I came up with:
I went with the BMC Hub motor which seems to be a good compromise. I'm just a bit concerned about the reports I heard in regards to the wear on the internal gears.
Sturdy suspension fork by Suntour
Titanium mountain Bike frame which I had acquired a couple of years back
Specialized , Amardillo rear tire
Geax, Street Runner front tire (don't really know if this is a good tire or not...)
Sweet, hydraulic Avid Juicy front disc brake with carbon lever (o.k. that's over the top...)
48 V / 16Ah LiFePo4 battery by Ping (Duct tape battery) for US$ 500 (bought while I was in China)
ecrazyman controller for US$35 (bought while i was in China)
Half twist throttle (which ecrazyman put in for free, including some braking levers with e brakes... this guy was really cool)
Carbon / Kevlar battery box (home made, as I'm pretty handy with composites)

All I need is to do now is put all the things together....I will keep you posted!!

 

[vanilla ice]

Ti, cool. Should be a good one.

 

[voicecoils]

Looks like an awesome start!

Cool to see the ping pack fits in your front triangle. Will you have pedal clearance?

The carbon battery box and the Ti frame should look great together.

How did you manage to take a lithium battery pack back with you from China? In your checked luggage?

 

[TPA]

Actually met the famous ecrazyman.......and ping?!?!?!?

 

[ploma1]

Didn't actually get to meet ecrazyman or Ping...but got to talk to them on the phone while I was in China. i competed for the USA in the Olympic Games and went over to China on several occasions before the Games started. I brought the battery back in my checked luggage in July, but it was quite the struggle. The security guys took me out at the Gate and presented me with my checked luggage!!! I kinda knew what they were after and showed them the battery. They weren't really thrilled looking at this heavy piece with electronics on top (BMS) and wires hanging out......
I eventually got to take the battery with me , but only after having delayed the departure of the 747-400 by 30 min and a furious chinese airline captain giving the Security guys A LOT of grief...

Ping made the battery pack to my specs ( I wanted it to fit inside the triangle). It will fit without hitting the cranks....
I don't have a lot of experience with batteries and wiring so I'm hoping to get some advice from you guys!
The controller is specifically made for the BMC motor (some component is necessary), so I hope it will all work out.


Do you guys feel that I need to use the brake levers with braking sensor? ( I believe, this cuts the power to the motor when you pull the lever)

thanks

 

[voicecoils]

Didn't actually get to meet ecrazyman or Ping...but got to talk to them on the phone while I was in China. i competed for the USA in the Olympic Games and went over to China on several occasions before the Games started.

Awesome, did you competed in cycling events?

Do you guys feel that I need to use the brake levers with braking sensor? ( I believe, this cuts the power to the motor when you pull the lever)

You don't need to use those crappy leavers. You can make a magnetic reset to put on your high quality break leavers. Have a read here:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5710&p=89786&hilit=+bafang+trailer#p89786
With the BMC, I think the e-brakes are a good idea, since using the throttle and brakes at the same time will seriously strain the BMC's internal planetary gears.

Oh, and about the batteries, well done! I can't think of anything more 'bomb like' in appearance. I'm amazed you convinced them!

 

[ploma1]

Didn't actually get to meet ecrazyman or Ping...but got to talk to them on the phone while I was in China. i competed for the USA in the Olympic Games and went over to China on several occasions before the Games started.

Awesome, did you competed in cycling events?

No, I competed in sailing, which was held in Qingdao, 500 miles to the south East an the China Sea
Do you guys feel that I need to use the brake levers with braking sensor? ( I believe, this cuts the power to the motor when you pull the lever)

You don't need to use those crappy leavers. You can make a magnetic reset to put on your high quality break leavers. Have a read here:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5710&p=89786&hilit=+bafang+trailer#p89786
With the BMC, I think the e-brakes are a good idea, since using the throttle and brakes at the same time will seriously strain the BMC's internal planetary gears.

O.K. I also once saw a video posted by bionx, about adding these additional sensors.
Where can i get my hands on the necessary Hardware?


Oh, and about the batteries, well done! I can't think of anything more 'bomb like' in appearance. I'm amazed you convinced them!

Yeah, that was a crazy moment!

here a pic from our event:

 

[voicecoils]

I see where the composites abilities come from now.

I was going to ask if you'd worked on a solar car team. That's where I picked up some carbon fibre experience.

 

[Ben]

Welcome!

I love the frame. I'm eager to see how the battery box turns out too.

This is gonna be awesome.

 

[voicecoils]

Here's a better example of the ebrake I mentioned before:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81573562@N00/2098165054/in/set-72157594353874522/
Checkout his other photos of the installation too. The dude is "rkosiorek" on these forums. I've emailed him myself, asking if his kit is available.

 

[ploma1]

Thanks for all the advice you have shared so far. things finally advanced a bit over the last week. I have built the battery housing and it's attachment to the frame. my girlfriend calls it the lunch box!!! She's going to paint it for me!
The Carbon/Kevlar housing holds my Ping battery nicely, with a touch of foam inside. the connector will be located in the lid of the housing ( which will be screwed on). The battery box itself then slips sideways into the Carbon "box" which is permantely attached to the frame. (Lots of carbon where the bottle holder screws are and Spectra rope in the top corner and bottom aft corner). The battery will be held in place with a simple click system of straps.
The controller will be sit on top of the "box".






Here are some of the problems I have run into so far and hopefully you can again help me out with your infinite wisdom!

1. Connectors. I now need to find the right kind of connectors to connect the motor to the controller; the battery to the controller; and the throttle to the controller etc...
WHERE CAN I FIND THE RIGHT CONNECTORS????
i ran around town and scavenged some connectors of of car dealers, TV repair shops etc.... but they are all kinda beat.


2. Wheel alignement. So i got my 8 Speed freewheel and happily screwed it on the hub, put the wheel on the bike, attached the torque arms (which really fit well) and put the nuts on.
ohhhhh ohhhh.....
The Wheel is way off the centerline of the bike. After some research I have concluded (please correct me if I'm wrong), that the wheel build isn't correctly done. The Wheel build doesn't have enough of a "dish" shape in order for the rim to align properly.
Also, the 8 Speed freewheel is too wide for the axle and i had to put a spacer in so that the cog set can turn properly.
I'm considering two things: replacing my gear set up with either a single speed or 7 Speed set up. (I have a 8 Speed XTR shifter/brake pod and that's why I thought I should buy a 8 Speed freewheel.....)
Then bringing the bike to my bike shop to have them re align the wheel/spokes
Question: What do you guys think about the single speed setup? What needs to be considered? Where to buy the necessary parts? (with the smallest possible cog!!!)
Does it matter that I had to put a washer in? Or is it just that the wheel was built wrong?

I WANT TO GET MY E-BIKE RUNNING!!!!! ARGHHHH


thanks, chris

 

[Ypedal]

Nice work !!! i love the box ! ( how expensive for that much material ? i may be getting into that soon enough ) and why on earth would you paint such cool carbon looking stuff ! hehe..

Connectors : Anderson Powerpoles the PP30 or PP45 would be good..!

Wheel : Adding spacers on the left of the wheel will help the " dish" factor a bit, as long as the frame will flex enough to allow it and you have enough axle threads to do it..

Using a 3 or a 5 speed freewheel would be ok, or a single speed, remove the derailer and install a " Singulator " to maintain chain tension, then use the 3 front chainrings for gear selection.. it's really all you need with that much battery and motor on board !!

 

[AussieJester]

LOVING the carbon fiber work mate OUTSTANDING! Look forward to more updates best of luck mate

 

[docnjoj]

I may have to do the carbon/kevlar thing with my ski front suspension for my trike. Been a while and will have to get a vacuum pump. I may ask a lot of questions
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Whats the availability of the carbon fibre and kevlar like these days? I heard not so long ago Boeing where buying up alot of the world supplies of the stuff for their new planes which i heard had bumped up the price of the material... I have never worked with it myself LOVE the look of it though and would be keen to try it myself, have done ooodles of fiberglass work over the years, is it an absolute essential to vacuum seal the carbon fiber? is this more for the structural strength as opposed to the 'look' or final finish? If it wasn't an item that was going to be put under stress but more a "bling bling" item for looks would the vacuum stage still be required or could it be laid up in a similar means to normal fiberglass?

 

[ploma1]

Whats the availability of the carbon fibre and kevlar like these days? I heard not so long ago Boeing where buying up alot of the world supplies of the stuff for their new planes which i heard had bumped up the price of the material... I have never worked with it myself LOVE the look of it though and would be keen to try it myself, have done ooodles of fiberglass work over the years, is it an absolute essential to vacuum seal the carbon fiber? is this more for the structural strength as opposed to the 'look' or final finish? If it wasn't an item that was going to be put under stress but more a "bling bling" item for looks would the vacuum stage still be required or could it be laid up in a similar means to normal fiberglass?

well Aussiejester....
the stuff that Boeing and such are using is much higher grade carbon than what we mortals get. They get so called Prepreg which is basically carbon which has been pre impprgnated with the necessary amount of resin. the ratio of Resin/ fiber is important to structures which are built under strict standards.
The vacuum bagging ensures that al the fibres are impregnated with fiber and by applying "peel-ply" over the top of everything you can get rid of excess resin (the peel ply soakes up all the resin which isn't necessary. tha vaccum bagging also allows for complicated design, as it presses the fibres arounf the mold.

price is an issue... Just check online and you should find some suppliers. For smaller stuff go with lighter cloth (up to 150 gr / m2). my cloth was about 220 gr / m2
Also, it's all about fibre direction! be sure to align the fibres correctly so that the stresses are distributed nicely. Obviously drilling holes to attach things isn't ideal, so make sure you have re inforced the area accordingly (as you are basically cutting through the fibres and reducing the strength of the structure considerably)


In the end it's usually quite a messy affair and often you are working against the clock (the resin is starting to polymerize!!!)
But the rewards are awesome!!!!

 

[AussieJester]

Thanks for that information shall take it on board, hope to have a crack at some carbon fiber work in the not too distant future..

cheers... oh and best of luck with the rest of the build shall follow with interest

Kim

 

[johnrobholmes]

Very nice build sir. The work is top notch!

I will be using a simple thumb shifter on my bike because of the old school freewheel spacing. It is easy enough to swap shifter out, so I figure if I am making my bike electric I might as well do it right. You will probably just stay around the small in back and use the middle and big ring up front anyway.

 

[swbluto]

48 V / 16Ah LiFePo4 battery by Ping (Duct tape battery) for US$ 500 (bought while I was in China)

So you saw God? How was that like? Did being in His presence cause Him to give you such a good price?

*reads further*

Nevermind. But it's still very interesting that one of the Olympians come to visit this meager place on the internet AND you actually talked to God. We forum members usually resort to Praying for his response as our sort of communication.

 

[ploma1]

well, I finally got my bike running.... or spinning is more like it!
She feels solid and I'm happy with the braking power. Only took it for a short ride as it is already 11PM. Tomorrow I hope to take it all the way to school and bach.
couple of things I'm not happy with:
- chain, crank, free wheel setup: doesn't align properly.
- not sure how well my battery is doing. will let it charge over night and see... should probably get one of those Cycle analysts huh?
- need some suspension in my back seat and a more comfy seat!

we'll see how the first couple of days go...

This has been quite a project! ......and I'm haaaaaappppyyyy she's up and running!



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[johnrobholmes]

How bad is your chain line off? Would a few spacers take care of it?

Take her off any sweet jumps yet?

 

[ploma1]

How bad is your chain line off? Would a few spacers take care of it?

Take her off any sweet jumps yet?

Not planning on taking her off any jumps! well not for now... She will mainly be for commuting purposes (16 miles one way)
The chain isn't that far off, the main problem is the chain tensioner. I need to get a better. I'll look into the singualtor and u i believe shimano also has a better one.

chris

 

[johnrobholmes]

The singulator is very popular. You could also pop a few spacers behind that freewheel. Plenty of threads on the hub body.

 

[voicecoils]

I've sent the OP a PM to ask if he had any updates on his build, hopefully his PMs route through to his emails.

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Hopefully my post won't end up being a gravedig :lol:

 

[nicobie]

I'm curious if the motor is 400w or one of the newer 600w ones. What kind of speeds are you getting?

I'm trying to find the color codes for the hall and phase wires for an e-crazyman/infineon controller BMC 600w.

Nick