Electric Bike Conversion Kit or Electric Bike?

[hornetstinger]

This does look a good looking e-bike, but better than the typical bikes

http://www.50cycles.com/electric-bi..._1_2017.html?gclid=CKePyPafttMCFQIcGwodMnYOKQ

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Assist stops at 15.5mph. So for me, unless I'm climbing then it's of no help as my average speed is higher than 15.5mph.

Also have to wonder how electrics + water holds up in the long term. Battery/connectors/cable and the computer interface (plus motor)

Mud and water haven't been a problem for mine.

That's why the current market seems to be OAP's and those who are pretty unfit but benefit from a e-bike for getting from A to B, in this country at least.

I am intrigued by them though and would love to give one a go. I can imagine an E-MTB being great fun.

I think you'd be surprised at who buys ebikes. For example, I'm very fit, but still have an ebike for commuting and an eMTB. Old people aren't really going to buy something like this are they?

 

[hornetstinger]

How long have you had ebikes for though? Has it been used in the pouring rain for 10+ years?

 

[Deleted member 66701]

My mtb is four years old and has done about 15000 miles in all sorts of weather - snow and ice included. My commuter is 7 years old, but I change kits on that regularly so not really a fair comparison. I've been out in torrential rain with each of the kits though and never had an issue.

I don't know why you'd think eBikes would have an issue in the rain - do cars only work in the dry? Like cars, all of the connectors on decent ebikes are waterproof and the motors are also sealed against water ingress - although admittedly the waterproofing is better on crank drive versus hub motors.

 

[hornetstinger]

Cars have a metal box to protect electronics.

I guess a similar concept is motorbikes, ie do electronics on motorbikes screw up if left in pouring rain day in and day out?

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Cars have a metal box to protect electronics.

So do ebikes.

Motor controllers on decent ebikes are potted and batteries use waterproof cases and waterproof connectors.

This is the controller of my BBS02 crank drive unit - all eletrical components potted.

That in itself is then protected by two layers of rubber gaskets when screwed to the motor unit to provide further water proofing.

I guess a similar concept is motorbikes, ie do electronics on motorbikes screw up if left in pouring rain day in and day out?

No - they are fine in the rain as well.

 

[lordrobs]

Mud and water haven't been a problem for mine.



I think you'd be surprised at who buys ebikes. For example, I'm very fit, but still have an ebike for commuting and an eMTB. Old people aren't really going to buy something like this are they?

I must admit that I'm only basing this on what I see but I've only ever seen people 50+ on e-bikes, all cheaper type ones with hub motors with the exception of the one e-MTB which was also used by a chap who said he bought it as a 60th birthday present to himself. It was a full susser, very similar to what you've shown.

I'm probably an odd example because at 35 I'm way fitter than I've ever been (and my lightest since being a teenager) but I would only consider an e-bike if it made it a more viable option for transport. Distance isn't an issue for me as I can do 100 mile rides relatively easily but normally time is an issue. Therefore a e-bike would be useful for me if it meant I can go quicker but with the 15.5mph cap on assistance the difference would be marginal at best in flat Norfolk.

If an e-bike could take say a 25 mile trip at steady effort (lets say 17 mph for arguments sake) and up that average speed to 25 mph for the same physical effort I'd be all over one.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Yeah, unfortunately we don't have a 25mph s-class ebikes in this country, another way we're behind our euro cousins.

Having said that, none of my ebikes are limited to 15.5mph

 

[Glaucus]

yeah who's limited to 15mph
its good for transport even at that speed as you can get places with out being sweaty and knackered.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

It was the wind when commuting up and down Blackpool prom that I hated - no problem for a ebike though.

 

[Rilot]

Hey guys. I'm looking at converting my bike to electric. The main reason is that because I have MS. When exhaustion hits (unpredictably) and I'm miles from home I'm completely stuffed and can't get home. Having an ebike will fix this issue.

So, my current bike is a Saracen Aerial 3 full sus.



I've done a fair bit of research and this has lead me to believe that either crank-drive or rear hub-drive is the way to go. From what I can see, if I want to go rear hub-drive at more that 250W (for off-road use only of course) I will need to change the cassette to 7-speeds rather than the 9 it has now, but will retain the 3 front chainrings. If I go crank-drive I will lose the 3 front chainrings and retain the 9 on the cassette. Correct?
The main issue I can see with doing a conversion with this frame is that there is very little space inside the frame triangle for a bottle battery. Most of the kits I've seen are too big to fit. I've been considering building my own battery from LiPos or lots of 18650s or 20700s. I'm happy with LiPos and have been handling them for years in RC helicopters and drones. I figured I could run 2 x 6S 10,000mAh LiPos in series to give 48V nominal. Would 10,000mAh be enough for a sensible range of say 15km?
The other option is an off-the-shelf battery pack mounted on top of the top tube, butted up against the seat post. Anyone done this?
Of course, I could just buy a different frame but I'd really prefer to keep this one as it's done me well over the years and fits me well.

The UK-based shops that sell kits seem extremely expensive. I've been looking at importing a kit from China but there are just so many out there I have no idea what's good and what's not. I'm looking to do this as cheaply as I can but without being so cheap that the kit becomes completely useless. This is not going to be used every day by the way. Just at weekends and the occasional commute when I don't need to take my son to nursery on the way.

The UK-based kits I'm looking at are the 8-Fun BBS02B crank-drive items from here: http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?cdkit

 

[Rilot]

Righto, so I've decided on a 48V BBS02B kit, and a 48V 12.5Ah bottle pack. I don't need much range so this should be more than enough.
Going to see if I can mount the battery to the top tube of my bike. If that doesn't work then I'm just going to buy a different frame that can accommodate the battery in the usual position. I don't really need a full-sus so will just get a decent ally hardtail.

 

[Overlag]

I've had the same problem with my ecoteicirty conversion. The bottle holder on my fame is too low down so I can only attach the battery with one bolt so it wouldn't be very secure. Not sure what to do

 

[Lakeland]

What about a seat post type holder? Maybe check triathlon sites.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Just seen that Brompton have released their electric version finally.

https://www.brompton.com/brompton-gbr/uk-store/bikes/brompton-electric-reservation/c-24/c-77/p-2897

I have to say I am completely underwhelmed. Looks no different to the retrofit kits people have been doing for years. The only clever bit is where the battery bag connects to the front of the bike. Not sure why it has taken so long and the price is just mind boggling. It's an extra £1500 for a hub motor, torque sensor and external battery bag.

 

[DarrenM343]

Just seen that Brompton have released their electric version finally.

https://www.brompton.com/brompton-gbr/uk-store/bikes/brompton-electric-reservation/c-24/c-77/p-2897

I have to say I am completely underwhelmed. Looks no different to the retrofit kits people have been doing for years. The only clever bit is where the battery bag connects to the front of the bike. Not sure why it has taken so long and the price is just mind boggling. It's an extra £1500 for a hub motor, torque sensor and external battery bag.

It is a big expensive but it's probably been properly developed unlike some of the aftermarket kits. You can have a big difference in battery quality too.
I'm currently tempted to buy one of their normal bikes and must admit the superlight seems so expensive for fairly minimal weight loss.