The eBike thread

Outlaw Pete

Got it form Keeper & Jim's on AliExpress. Took around 10 days or so to get here.

They are good with communication too unlike many sellers on AliExperss. Recommend them for sure.

unkel

Ah ok you're lucky you didn't get stung for 23% VAT plus admin costs so! Wouldn't have been much of a bargain then.

Outlaw Pete

Yeah, made sure to select the Poland warehouse at checkout.

A lot of times the China warehouse will be the only one with stock though.

In fact, at the moment that's the case with the bike.

fixXxer

After going back and forth for ages I finally settles on this bike, the Ezego Fold.

A couple of cycles in to work and have to say its a great little runner. The fold up size isnt tiny but its small enough to fit in the office at work or under the stairs at home. The assist is fine. Five levels so can be adjusted to suit whats required easily from the handle bar control. Only odd thing about it is there seems to be a jump from gear 6 to 7/8 but I'm sure that can adjusted I assume.

fixXxer

fixXxer wrote: »

After going back and forth for ages I finally settles on this bike, the Ezego Fold.

A couple of cycles in to work and have to say its a great little runner. The fold up size isnt tiny but its small enough to fit in the office at work or under the stairs at home. The assist is fine. Five levels so can be adjusted to suit whats required easily from the handle bar control. Only odd thing about it is there seems to be a jump from gear 6 to 7/8 but I'm sure that can adjusted I assume.

45 Nm isn't much torque for a hub motor but it will probably be fine if you just need a boost on flat ground.

fuse

deadlast wrote: »

Hi guys, I've read about half of this thread so far. Good info and very interesting.

I've an old 28" wheel Giant hybrid here I'm thinking of putting a front hub and small battery on.

Anyone recommend a bargain kit? I see Unkel got a 36v 500w kit for £139 but I can't seem to find anything cheap as that. Don't want to get hit with customs either.

Hey, did you go with any kit yet?
I have a ten year old Giant 28" 700c also, just looking into converting.

Sounds like a mid drive replacement would be best but hub replacement much easier?

Also wondering, what happens if you run out of power, it's still possible to cycle as normal but just that you've got extra weight?

fuse

fuse wrote: »

Hey, did you go with any kit yet?
I have a ten year old Giant 28" 700c also, just looking into converting.

Sounds like a mid drive replacement would be best but hub replacement much easier?

Also wondering, what happens if you run out of power, it's still possible to cycle as normal but just that you've got extra weight?

Depends on the Hub motor and power, In aluminium dropouts I would recommend using torque arms to stop the axle spinning in the dropouts.

In a 28 inch wheel I would recommend a mid drive because larger wheel diameters give you less torque and are harder on the motor.

DIY Mid drive is a little tricky to fit and you can run into alignment issues with the chain but once setup for low power use they are pretty good.

Ease of peddling they are not, it's only the newest of ebikes such as the Good German brand motors such as Bosch and Brose, you will pay for these bikes but the reward is more pedal efficiency when not using motor power, you can even get carbon fibre electric bikes from say the likes of Haibike who make really great bikes.

The only DIY ebike that's the easiest to pedal without motor power are the geared hub motors with internal clutch, when motor power is off there is no mechanical connection to anything unlike a mid mount motor which has some cogging, the likes of the Bafang mid drive kits are reported to have a lot of drag compared to geared hubs.

So if max pedal efficiency is required and you want to keep with the 28inch wheel type bikes then the very latest Bosch and Brose motors are the ones to get but be warned, the 25 Km/hr cut off speed as required by dictating E.U is really frustrating and you can find yourself fighting that line of motor cutting in and out as you are at that limit.

Esooters are all over the place now and can go faster than ebikes you couldn't make this sh1t up if you tried, bicycles are much safer.

John Hutton

I have a BBS02 mid drive and it is fine to pedal with no power, on the flat. For example, I have the speed limited to 25km/hr (as legally required) and on the flat I cycle faster than that under my own steam (say, 30 or so). If it broke or ran out of power I would be able to make my way home. Or if it was out of power and I needed to go to the shops or something I wouldn't hesitate to do so under my own steam. It gets tricky when it comes to hills, but this is because I no longer have a triple on the front with a granny gear., rather than the motor making it feel like I'm cycling in quicksand.

It really depends on how you want to use the bike. I wanted it to extend my range and flatten the hills, but I wanted to still do some effort myself. I have done 85kms since my last (~90%) charge and still have 60 something % battery power left in my 17.5ah battery. So evidentially, I did a lot of that 85km "under my own steam" or with low amounts of power being pulled, yet the motor made it feel like I was pleasantly cycling on the flat on a normal bike, with a light wind at my back, even when going up hills. Once you get up to speed it doesn't take much power to keep you at 25km/hr especially if you are pedalling yourself.

I did recently reprogram the BBS02 and it is much better and efficient, and not as "jerky".

fuse

John Hutton wrote: »

I have a BBS02 mid drive and it is fine to pedal with no power, on the flat. For example, I have the speed limited to 25km/hr (as legally required) and on the flat I cycle faster than that under my own steam (say, 30 or so). If it broke or ran out of power I would be able to make my way home. Or if it was out of power and I needed to go to the shops or something I wouldn't hesitate to do so under my own steam. It gets tricky when it comes to hills, but this is because I no longer have a triple on the front with a granny gear., rather than the motor making it feel like I'm cycling in quicksand.

It really depends on how you want to use the bike. I wanted it to extend my range and flatten the hills, but I wanted to still do some effort myself. I have done 85kms since my last (~90%) charge and still have 60 something % battery power left in my 17.5ah battery. So evidentially, I did a lot of that 85km "under my own steam" or with low amounts of power being pulled, yet the motor made it feel like I was pleasantly cycling on the flat on a normal bike, with a light wind at my back, even when going up hills. Once you get up to speed it doesn't take much power to keep you at 25km/hr especially if you are pedalling yourself.

I did recently reprogram the BBS02 and it is much better and efficient, and not as "jerky".

Yeah I'd have very similar use case for it. Extend range and help out while I'm still getting a workout.

From what Mad_lad says, it sounds like a bit of a minefield going the self install route for someone like myself who is just a tinkerer and nowhere near being a bike mechanic.
Which would lead me back to just getting a front hub setup and trying it out myself. I wouldn't been too concerned about not getting enough power from it on steep hills, but it's more to experience the assistance and have a bit of fun with it on an old bike.

That or put some proper money into getting a hub professionally fitted.

John Hutton

fuse wrote: »

Yeah I'd have very similar use case for it. Extend range and help out while I'm still getting a workout.

From what Mad_lad says, it sounds like a bit of a minefield going the self install route for someone like myself who is just a tinkerer and nowhere near being a bike mechanic.
Which would lead me back to just getting a front hub setup and trying it out myself. I wouldn't been too concerned about not getting enough power from it on steep hills, but it's more to experience the assistance and have a bit of fun with it on an old bike.

That or put some proper money into getting a hub professionally fitted.

I fitted the mid drive onto a 1980s steel touring bike and it was grand. Earlier in this thread another poster fitted it onto a mountain bike. It's not as hard as it seems. Most difficult bit was removing the original cranks and bottom bracket, but that's more a case of having the right tools

unkel

fuse wrote: »

Yeah I'd have very similar use case for it. Extend range and help out while I'm still getting a workout.

From what Mad_lad says, it sounds like a bit of a minefield going the self install route for someone like myself who is just a tinkerer and nowhere near being a bike mechanic.
Which would lead me back to just getting a front hub setup and trying it out myself. I wouldn't been too concerned about not getting enough power from it on steep hills, but it's more to experience the assistance and have a bit of fun with it on an old bike.

That or put some proper money into getting a hub professionally fitted.

Don't be discouraged! A front hub is by far the easiest setup, my brother in law just fitted one to his bike (that had been sitting unused for years), the kit from Yose power that has been linked in this thread a few times, look for it. Just click and play and good value for money too. Go for it!

fuse

fuse wrote: »

Yeah I'd have very similar use case for it. Extend range and help out while I'm still getting a workout.

From what Mad_lad says, it sounds like a bit of a minefield going the self install route for someone like myself who is just a tinkerer and nowhere near being a bike mechanic.
Which would lead me back to just getting a front hub setup and trying it out myself. I wouldn't been too concerned about not getting enough power from it on steep hills, but it's more to experience the assistance and have a bit of fun with it on an old bike.

That or put some proper money into getting a hub professionally fitted.

Or just save up and get one of the Bosch powered bikes, the current gen with 85 nm Torque. The bikes are usually great quality and will last years, the likes of Haibike, you might even get one cheaper on ebay or maybe try a 2nd hand one with the 45 Km/hr version of the motor.

unkel

Deleted User wrote: »

Or just save up and get one of the Bosch powered bikes

Sure why not, they're a bargain, only 4 or 5 grand

Back in the real world, a Yose power kit with battery is just €400 or thereabouts. Or if that's too much buy the parts cheap and get hover board batteries and make the connections yourself. My first conversion cost €195 including the battery and all parts and incl shipping iirc, it's in this thread somewhere.

unkel

unkel wrote: »

Sure why not, they're a bargain, only 4 or 5 grand

Back in the real world, a Yose power kit with battery is just €400 or thereabouts. Or if that's too much buy the parts cheap and get hover board batteries and make the connections yourself. My first conversion cost €195 including the battery and all parts and incl shipping iirc, it's in this thread somewhere.

They can be got cheaper than 4K ffs lol.

Mine cost 2500 back in 2013 but the bike was really good quality which you'd pay a pretty price for anyway.

unkel

Deleted User wrote: »

They can be got cheaper than 4K ffs lol.

Mine cost 2500

A steal. Can I have 10 please?

unkel

unkel wrote: »

A steal. Can I have 10 please?

do I really have to type it like this. 2,500 ? I didn't write 25.00

fuse

unkel wrote: »

Don't be discouraged! A front hub is by far the easiest setup, my brother in law just fitted one to his bike (that had been sitting unused for years), the kit from Yose power that has been linked in this thread a few times, look for it. Just click and play and good value for money too. Go for it!

OK might got the Yose kit direction!
Dumb question - does it require disc brakes? My bike has normal pads.
Also why does it come with new brake levers?
I guess because it needs to communicate to the hub to power off when pressed?

thanks

unkel

First question - no it does not. In fact, it's easier to fit on V-brakes than on disk brakes. Just swap out the wheel, no need to do anything with the brakes
Second question - you answered it yourself!

kris_2021

are 50km/h ebike legal in Ireland? i would love one but 25km/h limit is putting me off

is this any good:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33041090257.html?gps-id=pcStoreJustForYou&scm=1007.23125.137358.0&scm_id=1007.23125.137358.0&scm-url=1007.23125.137358.0&pvid=7800e2bd-fa6d-45ee-8799-c9f1f7e0ca3b&spm=a2g0o.store_home.smartJustForYou_866420476.4

SCOL

kris_2021 wrote: »

are 50km/h ebike legal in Ireland? i would love one but 25km/h limit is putting me off

is this any good:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33041090257.html?gps-id=pcStoreJustForYou&scm=1007.23125.137358.0&scm_id=1007.23125.137358.0&scm-url=1007.23125.137358.0&pvid=7800e2bd-fa6d-45ee-8799-c9f1f7e0ca3b&spm=a2g0o.store_home.smartJustForYou_866420476.4

I think it's 250w with a max speed 25Km.
mine is a 750w mid drive use it daily and limit myself to 25Km

unkel

SCOL wrote: »

I think it's 250w with a max speed 25Km.
mine is a 750w mid drive use it daily and limit myself to 25Km

You can get 250W Bafang stickers on eBay

If you then remove the throttle and program the max speed with assist to be 25km/h, the bike is as legal as any of the 100% legal bikes the shops offer (pretty much none of them strictly have 250W only either)

SCOL

kris_2021 wrote: »

are 50km/h ebike legal in Ireland? i would love one but 25km/h limit is putting me off

is this any good:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33041090257.html?gps-id=pcStoreJustForYou&scm=1007.23125.137358.0&scm_id=1007.23125.137358.0&scm-url=1007.23125.137358.0&pvid=7800e2bd-fa6d-45ee-8799-c9f1f7e0ca3b&spm=a2g0o.store_home.smartJustForYou_866420476.4

SCOL wrote: »

I think it's 250w with a max speed 25Km.
mine is a 750w mid drive use it daily and limit myself to 25Km

I've used mine all during the lockdown I've lost count of how many checkpoints I've gone through, never ever stopped.
It's nice to have the extra power even just to take off from the lights, on hills you don't have to use it all the time

https://b-static.net/vbulletin/images/icons/icon12.png

Dempo1

I'm a complete Novice so forgive me. I've decided to get an E Bike. I plan to use it for cycling distance round trip of 40km approx, oddly one way mainly down hill. Ideally looking for one that has a holder for rear basket, bag holder etc. Budget up to €1K.

Looking for recommendations on manufacturers and also wondered about life span of Batteries (bit of a concern) and are they replaceable.

Thanks in advance of any advice.

unkel

Most eBike battery packs are made up of fairly low quality 18650 cells. If you do a heavy daily commute with your bike, I wouldn't expect much more than 3 years out of the pack, but for a weekly trip, I wouldn't worry, you will get many years.

And yes, battery packs are replaceable and their prices have come down quite a bit over the last 5 years or so. You could even make your own, I have done with dead laptop batteries I got for free :-)

Dempo1

unkel wrote: »

Most eBike battery packs are made up of fairly low quality 18650 cells. If you do a heavy daily commute with your bike, I wouldn't expect much more than 3 years out of the pack, but for a weekly trip, I wouldn't worry, you will get many years.

And yes, battery packs are replaceable and their prices have come down quite a bit over the last 5 years or so. You could even make your own, I have done with dead laptop batteries I got for free :-)

Thanks for that, any recommendations on brands, models, also retailers, Halfords seem a good choice, I'm living rural so options limited etc, thanks again

fuse

I'd say you'd want to spend minimum of 1k to get something that's ready to go off the shelf. The rad power bikes seem to be great value for money - this is their base model - https://radpowerbikes.eu/products/radmission-electric-metro-bike

Dempo1

fuse wrote: »

I'd say you'd want to spend minimum of 1k to get something that's ready to go off the shelf. The rad power bikes seem to be great value for money - this is their base model - https://radpowerbikes.eu/products/radmission-electric-metro-bike

Excellent, thanks for that, can stretch budget to get the right bike

Calahonda52

Dempo1 wrote: »

Thanks for that, any recommendations on brands, models, also retailers, Halfords seem a good choice, I'm living rural so options limited etc, thanks again

can you avail of the cycle to work scheme?

Dempo1

Calahonda52 wrote: »

can you avail of the cycle to work scheme?

I wasn't sure Electric Bikes with assist were covered under this scheme? To be honest if it was I'd avail but primary use will be personal rather than work related

howardmarks

Dempo1 wrote: »

I wasn't sure Electric Bikes with assist were covered under this scheme? To be honest if it was I'd avail but primary use will be personal rather than work related

Pedelecs i.e. 25kmph limited are available on the scheme. Limit is €1500 now too

Dempo1

howardmarks wrote: »

Pedelecs i.e. 25kmph limited are available on the scheme. Limit is €1500 now too

Hmmm, interesting, I'll have to check this out, thanks for that

unkel

fuse wrote: »

I'd say you'd want to spend minimum of 1k to get something that's ready to go off the shelf. The rad power bikes seem to be great value for money - this is their base model - https://radpowerbikes.eu/products/radmission-electric-metro-bike

That's a decent deal. Rad power are good bikes, I've seen a few reviews of them.

SCOL

Pswpower have a good selection of 48V 'Hairon' batteries with chargers. Be sure to get 48v. with a Bafang 750w from

http://www.pswpower.com

howardmarks

howardmarks wrote: »

Pedelecs i.e. 25kmph limited are available on the scheme. Limit is €1500 now too

It's really funny because the e-scooters can go faster and no one cares yet ebikes are limited to ridiculously low limits.

fuse

Dempo1 wrote: »

I wasn't sure Electric Bikes with assist were covered under this scheme? To be honest if it was I'd avail but primary use will be personal rather than work related

There's no questioning whatsoever on the nature of use of the bike so it's well worth going for.

fuse

SCOL wrote: »

Pswpower have a good selection of 48V 'Hairon' batteries with chargers. Be sure to get 48v. with a Bafang 750w from

http://www.pswpower.com

Important to note that this wouldn't be road legal.
You're limited to 250w motor / 25kph assissted if you want to still be classified a regular cyclist right?

SCOL

fuse wrote: »

Important to note that this wouldn't be road legal.
You're limited to 250w motor / 25kph assissted if you want to still be classified a regular cyclist right?

You are correct.

I've never cycled a 250w motor / 25kph assissted. I have a 45Km round trip
and the extra watts comes in handy on lazy days I don't need to peddle. I have a big hill for the last 8km.

Thargor

Would any of the experts know if one of these bikes would be a good candidate for conversion to ebike or is there not enough clearance etc?

https://archive.trekbikes.com/ie/en/2012/Trek/4500_disc#/ie/en/2012/Trek/4500_disc/details

Whether for mid drive or a rear hub. Would it be a difficult job to do myself? Im fairly handy with bikes (bicycles). Id be looking at something quick for long range riding/some trails.

unkel

I can't see why not. Mid drives are tricky though as many modern bottom brackets are not suitable for Bafang mid motors. Have a good read over this thread and you will get all your answers

Here's my latest converted bike with a powerful rear wheel drive setup:



Shameless plug: it's for sale here:

Linky

No torque arms Unkel?

Steel frame ? Low power ?

I wouldn’t advice using a hub motor without torque arm. On aluminium frame I wouldn’t trust the supplied torque washer if it even came with one.

What amp controller and voltage ?

unkel

Deleted User wrote: »

No torque arms Unkel?

Steel frame ? Low power ?

I wouldn’t advice using a hub motor without torque arm. On aluminium frame I wouldn’t trust the supplied torque washer if it even came with one.

What amp controller and voltage ?

Ah no, this is only a lowish power setup. Battery is just 36V, can't remember controller but might be either 12A or 15A, so about 600W at most. That said, I call it low power but it is still about twice the power you get from the lame eBikes they sell you in shops. My 16 year old neighbour and all his pals loved this bike!

If it was a keeper for use by myself, I'd hook it up to my own 52V pack, fully charged at near 59V and use a 30-35A controller for 2000W

And yes, then I would definitely need torque arms

Run 64 volt and 80 amps battery and see the performance, thats what I did through one of those small direct drive motors it was insane around 8kw peak. I did have to upgrade the motor phase wires though well worth it though. :-)

banchang

I can’t see a Sticky on this thread covering this, but I’m looking to buy an e-bike under Bike to Work scheme - wanted to spend under eur2,000.

I see a lot of this thread is about conversions, but I wanted to buy a good e-bike.

Looking for recommendations please ?

unkel

banchang wrote: »

a lot of this thread is about conversions, but I wanted to buy a good e-bike.

I hope you're not suggesting that a bike converted to an eBike is not a good eBike?

All eBikes you buy in shops have to be road legal, which makes them very slow and under powered. That, and the fact that some of them are eye-wateringly expensive has most of us convert a bike rather than buying one off the shelf...

If you still want to buy one, I'd suggest you go to your local bike shop and ask for advice

padjocollins

i like the ride1up.com bikes and currently am drooling over this
https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/current
https://electrek.co/2020/10/02/priority-bicycles-just-launched-the-most-affordable-gates-belt-mid-drive-e-bike-yet/

I wish i was handy like a lot of posters in this thread. it must be so satisfying to roll your own for a fraction of the price. someday maybe.

unkel

It really is very easy to do, padjocollins. Particularly if you buy a kit like from Yose power which was linked here regularly. Everything is just click and play.

banchang

unkel wrote: »

I hope you're not suggesting that a bike converted to an eBike is not a good eBike?

All eBikes you buy in shops have to be road legal, which makes them very slow and under powered. That, and the fact that some of them are eye-wateringly expensive has most of us convert a bike rather than buying one off the shelf...

If you still want to buy one, I'd suggest you go to your local bike shop and ask for advice

Thanks - very helpful.

unkel

padjocollins wrote: »

i like the ride1up.com bikes and currently am drooling over this
https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/current
https://electrek.co/2020/10/02/priority-bicycles-just-launched-the-most-affordable-gates-belt-mid-drive-e-bike-yet/

I wish i was handy like a lot of posters in this thread. it must be so satisfying to roll your own for a fraction of the price. someday maybe.

And just to let you know, that bike is not road legal in the EU. Not that any Garda would know though.

padjocollins

unkel wrote: »

And just to let you know, that bike is not road legal in the EU. Not that any Garda would know though.

you're right but wouldn't you just need to get it insured and have plates for it to make it legal . pain in the ass but yeagh, if you're going to be cycling say over 30kmh on cycle lanes, you are risking a collision . As far as i'm aware if you use anything over 250wh pedelec bike at 25kmh , you're not allowed cycle on bicycle lanes, you're basically a car/moped. open to correction .

padjocollins

unkel wrote: »

It really is very easy to do, padjocollins. Particularly if you buy a kit like from Yose power which was linked here regularly. Everything is just click and play.

I'm interested to learn. I enjoy learning new things. I'm ok if i have good guides and youtube videos. slow but steady slogger.