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If $900 is your budget, you might honestly consider just getting a nice used $500 bike. The fact that it's half of a bike (Radpower) that's already consider very cheaply built means you're gonna wear stuff out fast, with the prospect of having to pay retail to replace with better parts, when such aftermarket compatibility exists.
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Nov 23, 2020 19:30
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I don’t have an actual budget. Just looking at options for riding around with my 6 and 8 year old and that seems to be a great price for something like that. I’m just trying to talk myself out of a full suspension mountain bike.
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Nov 23, 2020 20:02
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A pretty nice used hardtail MTB should let you ride on pretty gnarly stuff if you want to, and still not be woefully inefficient on the road.
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Nov 23, 2020 21:17
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Whatever you buy, buy it around Black Friday. Just look around r/ebike and whatever and compare the deals.
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Nov 23, 2020 21:21
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I built two DIY ebikes this year and $900 is about the cheapest I could get one of them down to. (The one I posted recently with the chain line issues was more) That’s after trying a cheaper kit which ended up being lovely so I returned it. I’d be highly suspicious of the quality on an ebike retailing for that price point.
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Nov 24, 2020 17:43
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There's something to be said for economies of scale: you can buy 1000 hub motors for a lot less than 1000x 1 hub motor, etc. But I agree -- $900 is pushing the limit of cheapness nowadays.
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Nov 24, 2020 18:30
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I kind of want this https://wattwagons.com/collections/hydra/products/hydra Do I need a $4,299.00+ bike? Nah do I want it? Yes.
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Nov 29, 2020 23:30
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Get a name brand with a proven warranty https://www.specialized.com/us/en/turbo-levo/p/184430?color=293256-184430&searchText=95221-7002 https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...Code=grey_black
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Nov 30, 2020 04:01
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Do you need a motorcycle chain for a 2300w middrive?
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Nov 30, 2020 04:34
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kimbo305 posted:Get a name brand with a proven warranty Yes I have indeed seen both of those previously. You get less bike but you get a known large brand with the ability to try it in a store, have warranty work done by store etc. I'm also a dummy and thought that one had a belt drive as their other models do. (which would be unusual on a full suspension bike). Duck and Cover fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Nov 30, 2020 |
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Nov 30, 2020 04:49
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stephenthinkpad posted:Do you need a motorcycle chain for a 2300w middrive? Borderline. 2.3kW is about 3 horsepower, which isn't a lot for a motorcycle. On the other hand you might as well. You've got a 2300w middrive motor, it's not like you're trying to save weight. I'm very curious to see what you're working on.
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Nov 30, 2020 16:30
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Safety Dance posted:Borderline. 2.3kW is about 3 horsepower, which isn't a lot for a motorcycle. On the other hand you might as well. You've got a 2300w middrive motor, it's not like you're trying to save weight. No I was referring to that Watt Wagon Bafang Ultra bike.
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Nov 30, 2020 16:45
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Oh well. When I have a home with shop space, I'll have to put together some crazy overpowered homebrew thing myself.
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Nov 30, 2020 16:59
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I've asked around about trying an alternative battery for my Evelo Compass but got nothing. I mean, I tried other places too. It's just too specific of a thing. I'm not really keen on spending $800 to get 10Ah of battery life. So I'm wondering more generally from any Frankenbike people here what it was like to generally install a battery of any sort at all. Did you just get something as part of a general conversion kit or did you shop for a battery separately?
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Nov 30, 2020 19:44
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I bought 2x this battery from amazon for two frankenbike builds this year (48V version). Comes with a charger, key-locked mounting plate, and some connector pigtails I think. I used it with three different kits (the first hub motor kit from amazon was dogshit so I returned it), the ones that we use now are two Bafang mid-drive kits (BBS02 and BBSHD). Instalation was pretty easy, on both bikes I was able to use the existing cage mounting points on the downtube to secure the battery mounting plate, then soldered the output connectors to the two leads. I've been pleased with it so far, but haven't done any really long rides to push the range much. bawfuls fucked around with this message at 20:26 on Nov 30, 2020 |
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Nov 30, 2020 20:24
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Huh. I would have figured a kit would have included some kind of battery. Did you have to look out for anything when it came to figuring out compatibility? I see in the comments that somebody mentioned it worked with a Bafang motor, so that would have been a sign. I don't see anything else in the description that would have told me it was going to be okay. So I'm probably fussing over this too much (a personal specialty).
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Nov 30, 2020 20:39
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCaDz_2YcGQ&t=591s Fire. Pretty. Duck and Cover fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Nov 30, 2020 |
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Nov 30, 2020 20:40
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Rocko Bonaparte posted:Huh. I would have figured a kit would have included some kind of battery. Did you have to look out for anything when it came to figuring out compatibility? I see in the comments that somebody mentioned it worked with a Bafang motor, so that would have been a sign. I don't see anything else in the description that would have told me it was going to be okay. So I'm probably fussing over this too much (a personal specialty). There are really only two things that matter for battery compatibility here: voltage and current rating. In my case 48V and 30A. The battery also has a simple BMS in it, and completely separate terminals for charging (with included charger) and discharging. Maybe it all seemed simple and low-risk to me because I did these bikes a year after having done an electric car conversion, which was obviously much more involved, higher power, etc. edit: also 48V and 30A is a very common setup for these kits, unlike the 72v system in that video where he also wired them in parallel, necessitating additional safety electronics. bawfuls fucked around with this message at 21:15 on Nov 30, 2020 |
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Nov 30, 2020 20:49
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I have one last analysis paralysis over the parallel arrangement. The bike I'd be modifying is a trike with two battery slots. I was intending to keep one of them for now. The other slot doesn't have a battery for it. That's the one that's costing me $800 and why I want to just switch it out. Apparently this bike can have both batteries switched on at the same time. The controller can figure out what to do with that. I am pretty sure they're not directly in parallel and I'll probably abort this whole thing if they are. Can you anticipate any problems with mismatched batteries in this kind of scenario? I would like to think that if they have the same voltage then they should be fine, but I suppose there could be issues with asymmetrical current delivery or something (?).
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Dec 4, 2020 19:04
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Without confirmation that says otherwise you should assume the worst that the batteries are just wired in parallel. To make sure bad things don't happen you will need batteries with the charge circuitry on the BMS sharing the output connector. Otherwise if you hook up batteries with different level of charge there will be no limit to the current flowing into the battery at lower voltage. E: for a very rough explanation power mosfets can only block current in one direction. Most batteries use one set of connectors that control output current and one set of connectors to control input current. These circuits can be set up in series, but there is power loss when running mosfets backwards so most don't do this. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 19:20 on Dec 4, 2020 |
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Dec 4, 2020 19:16
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The way parallel batteries is usually implemented is that the controller switches back and forth between them. The controller will usually start with the battery that has a higher voltage*, and then switch every now and then to keep the two batteries at roughly equivalent states of charge. Having mismatched batteries should be fine, the controller will just spend more time on the bigger battery. * A fully charged battery's voltage is higher than its nominal voltage, and the voltage goes down as you discharge it. That's how controllers instantaneously estimate a battery's charge state. Edit: Copperhound makes a good point. Make sure the controller actually switches back and forth.
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Dec 4, 2020 19:17
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For long term battery health wouldn't it be better to wire two batteries in true parallel and draw them down/charge them up together all the time? This cut's the discharge rate in half on a given battery, and keeps you from cycling one battery more than the other over time from shorter trips. Of course you need a BMS that can handle this arrangement. In the other case, it makes sense to me to fuse everything for an extra layer of idiot-proof protection.
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Dec 4, 2020 19:24
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bawfuls posted:For long term battery health wouldn't it be better to wire two batteries in true parallel and draw them down/charge them up together all the time? This cut's the discharge rate in half on a given battery, and keeps you from cycling one battery more than the other over time from shorter trips. Of course you need a BMS that can handle this arrangement.
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Dec 4, 2020 19:50
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Any recommendations for a simple hub motor setup with drop bars? I ride a Long Haul Trucker 10-20 miles a few times a week and want to go faster/farther without adding too much weight or making it too prone to theft. I'm thinking I could start with a 36V or 48V front hub with a thumb throttle and maybe add a torque sensing bottom bracket (and/or bigger motor) later. It's mostly flat around East Bay and I rarely go off road but it'd be nice to boost up 8% hills occasionally. There's also an e-bike shop nearby that sells this complete bike with a 36V/8.7AH battery and 350W rear hub with a torque sensor for $1200: https://www.pacificebike.net/product-page/artemis
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Dec 6, 2020 03:52
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loaf posted:Any recommendations for a simple hub motor setup with drop bars? I ride a Long Haul Trucker 10-20 miles a few times a week and want to go faster/farther without adding too much weight or making it too prone to theft. And before you get any ideas: that torque sensor is integrated into the frame, so it wouldn't be a simple move everything over if you don't like the bike. e: lol headshock
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Dec 6, 2020 08:14
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I posted earlier about looking for a new headlamp, I am eyeballing a model and got the specs for my bike from the manufacturer, but I am not really understanding what a voltage range actually means, in terms of compatibility. The light I want says "Suitable for 6-60 V DC supply." My bike's battery is 52v, but the leads for the headlamp apparently are good for "6-36v," according to customer service. (technically, they said "well the stock lamp is 6-36 so as long as the replacement is too, you should be fine!"  not sure how to check the actual range of the connection. Printed on the wires?)If my power supply and the connection meet the lower limit of the range for the light, but not the upper, does this mean I might not have sufficient power on the connection for the light? Do I need to find a light specifically for 6-36v?
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Dec 11, 2020 02:32
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Should be fine. The headlamp leads are coming from your bike's controller, not supplied by the headlamp company, right? Ultimately, what that means is the headlamp is able to pull all the power it needs anywhere between 6 and 60v, so if the bike is supplying 36v, you'll be fine. Or else the headlamp will try to draw too much current and you'll blow a fuse, but that seems unlikely.
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Dec 11, 2020 02:39
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I started poking my wife's electric trike to figure out how two batteries are wired into it. I found a double battery converter. I actually think it's [this thing: https://eunorau-ebike.com/collections/ebike-maintance/products/eunorau-second-battery-connector I don't find anything about what exactly it's doing to manage the two batteries. I couldn't find a model number. On the other hand, I think I found the exact batteries I need on that site so I might be able to just get the real deal too.
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Dec 18, 2020 17:48
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It's got a big heat sink, so it's probably doing some switching.
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Dec 18, 2020 18:35
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CopperHound posted:That bike woudn't be a replacement for a long haul trucker, but to be honest you probably would be spending close to that (if not more) putting together an ebike kit with torque sensing. Thanks for the advice. I just test rode a Specialized Vado SL 4.0 and 5.0. The 5.0 has a Future Shock, carbon fork, and SLX components instead of Deore. They were both really fun riding up 5-10% mountain roads without breaking much of a sweat, and with the motor off they felt just like my old Sirrus. The 5.0 was the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden with the Future Shock and smoother shifting. I'm pretty tempted, but is there anything else like the Vado SL I should try first? I was interested in the Trek Allant, but it's 15 pounds heavier and wouldn't ride like a normal bike with the motor off. loaf fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Dec 19, 2020 |
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Dec 18, 2020 20:42
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Safety Dance posted:It's got a big heat sink, so it's probably doing some switching. Yeah I saw a similar-looking thing also that was described as doing switching, so I'm going to proceed. I ended up getting a 17.5Ah battery that should fit in the available space but we'll see. The cells are some Chinese brand that some people independently tested as at least being up-to-spec when new. I couldn't find something with LG or Samsung cells in the necessary form factor. Heck, I'm not even sure the stock battery I have for it necessarily has reputable cells anyways. I'll be reporting back some time after Christmas when it either works, doesn't do anything, or burns down my house.
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Dec 19, 2020 09:25
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The battery came and it looks like it'll even (narrowly!) fit in the space I have for it in the trike. On the other hand, the connector for it is too short and has a different plug type. I couldn't, for the life of me, get everything in focus. I think the pink/yellow wire connectors are pretty common on e-bikes because I've seen them on different models. Anyways, I'm trying to figure out the most elegant way I can extend the cable and connect it. I'm ready to fall back to snipping the old battery housing's cable, splicing that on to the new housing's cable, and wire wrapping it. I'm hoping to avoid that because I always feel like I do that ugly and I've never done it for something that could be seeing water. Is there a typical kit for extending from the plugs on the left, adding ~16 inches, and then connecting to the right? Failing that, are there some common terms for these battery cables (common sizes and the like) and these plugs? I would rather get separate cables and beat those up than wreck the old battery's cable. I guess I could consider a completely different cable because it's not actually hard connected into the case. The battery's housing is connected to the bike itself using a plug more typical of computer cables:  Is there a typical connector I can just get in the length I need? It's worth it to me to fuss over this too because I am probably going to buy a second one of these for that bike after I've proven this works.
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Dec 30, 2020 00:52
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My battery had those same red and black connectors and came with an extra pigtail of those connectors, to solder on the motor wires. Did either of your components come with an extra pigtail?
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Dec 30, 2020 01:00
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Those look like power pole connectors. The gauge of the wire that you need is determined by the amount of amps going through it and the length of the run. It's very dependent upon your specific instance. Do you know the length and amps that will be needed?
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Dec 30, 2020 02:42
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bawfuls posted:My battery had those same red and black connectors and came with an extra pigtail of those connectors, to solder on the motor wires. Did either of your components come with an extra pigtail? No extra electrical bits. I just have mechanical fittings. Nitrousoxide posted:Those look like power pole connectors. I used the old battery as a reference and measured 32 inches. I'm glad I did because I thought I needed 16! The battery's wire is rated 120V 10A. The bike itself has a 500W normal motor and expects a 48V battery. I think it can peak at 750W though. It actually seems thicker than the previous battery casing. Anderson power pole connectors seems to be the magic word. Do you happen to know (from that blurry garbage) what the other connector looks like?
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Dec 30, 2020 06:57
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Rocko Bonaparte posted:Is there a typical connector I can just get in the length I need? Keep the anderson connector. If you just want to hook them up as easily as possible, buy this https://ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-parts/wiring/battcable12.html and some bullet connectors from an autoparts store.
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Dec 30, 2020 07:33
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CopperHound posted:Here is good information on various connectors: https://ebikes.ca/learn/connectors.html This is probably your easiest solution. It’s a sufficient gauge (you probably only need 16 gauge so this is more than you need) for your load and has the Anderson power poles already connected. You would need a special crimping tool to attach it correctly normally which would probably cost $20-$30. Then you can just solder the pigtails onto the existing wires and wrap it in self-amalgamating tape to ensure that it’s a waterproof connection. You can also go with the bullet connector but you may need a crimping tool for that. It would have the advantage of being able to be disconnected more easily if you need to in the future. Since it’ll already has a disconnecting point at the Anderson power poles that may not be necessary. Nitrousoxide fucked around with this message at 13:39 on Dec 30, 2020 |
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Dec 30, 2020 13:27
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My main job is running the video game division of a very diversified company. They started an eBike thing and since I am a daily cyclist I help by testing and evaluating stuff. Yesterday I rode up a nice hill on this fancy euro thing, sans battery. IGH+Gates Belt Drive is sweet.  More detail:  I don't have an eBike myself (own a Brompton and a Bacchetta) but I do like riding them at work :-)
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Dec 30, 2020 19:16
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Yeah that connector looks good and I do think I need to wrap that thing up too. I bought two in anticipation of doing this for the other battery port. The shipping was as much as the cables! Such is life.
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Dec 30, 2020 20:12
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If you're going to do more than one or two here are the items I would recommend so you can make the wires yourself. I've done it myself since I am a ham radio operator and Anderson power poles are pretty much the standard connector for everything we use. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y9KPFLT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSQPTDS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_1Cn7Fb322YQWF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1u https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016U4CBUQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_7En7Fb3NH3CHW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 And then the appropriately sized wire for your job. You can make do with either braided copper or solid copper wire. The latter is a little bit easier to work with with the crimping tool. But I've used both.
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Dec 30, 2020 20:41
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