- Jun 25, 2004
- 5,530
- 141
- 106
Is this the right forum section? I'd keep it in my garage if I had one.
Last week I picked up a bike in need of a bit of TLC off Craigslist. It checked a few important check boxes - 700C wheels, steel frame, and no rear suspension. The chain needed some love, I thought I'd need to replace the brake calipers, and everything needed adjustment, but after a few hours it rode like a brand new bike. Naval jelly and some elbow grease got all of the rust off, and some clear coat will keep it off.
I also ordered this stuff:
Accessories I chose: LED display ($40 cheaper than LCD, but no speedometer or trip meters), thumb throttle, rear mounted with 7-speed freehwheel to match the derailleur on the bike.
Geared motors are not completely silent like direct drive motors, because they have moving parts inside them (orbital gears). These gears will eventually wear out too, so they're not entirely maintenance-free, but I'm guessing the lifespan is in years, and replacement is a ~15 minute and $15 ordeal. They're smaller and slightly more efficient than direct drive hub motors, and have a lot more torque at low RPM. They free-wheel, so no regenerative braking, but you can ride with zero drag if the motor is off. I opted for the 500w model as I intend to still ride this bike as a bike, had some concerns about the longevity of gears in the 1200w geared model. Plus, eBay has some killer deals on 36v batteries right now and the 1200w only comes in 48v flavors.
The LG and Samsung cells for sale in 4.4kWh packs right now are a steal. Ordering in larger quantities results in a lower price - 5 batteries would cost $25 each. The spec sheet for the cells shows they're good for ~360w continuous drain per battery pack, so I only needed 2 to support a 500w motor but decided to go with 3 to be a bit more gentle on them, and so I'd have a spare if the cheap eBay BMS gave up the ghost on one of them.
Assembly took about an hour. Pretty stealth!
The batteries take up about this much space in the bag:
It accelerates a bit better than a 50cc scooter if you're not pedaling. Top speed is ~20mph, give or take, which is fast enough for me on a bike. I don't know the range yet but I did about 10 miles of riding today, pedaling but not strenuously, and the battery gauge is still showing full. Some calculators I've played with suggest I can get about 30 miles out of it if I don't pedal, and 60-80 miles if I do.
Total, buying the bicycle, a rack for the rear, ebike parts and a bunch of goodies, I'm in less than $400. I'm hoping to cut down on my city driving, and I expect it will pay for itself in maintenance and gas in no less than a year or two.
Last week I picked up a bike in need of a bit of TLC off Craigslist. It checked a few important check boxes - 700C wheels, steel frame, and no rear suspension. The chain needed some love, I thought I'd need to replace the brake calipers, and everything needed adjustment, but after a few hours it rode like a brand new bike. Naval jelly and some elbow grease got all of the rust off, and some clear coat will keep it off.
I also ordered this stuff:
Accessories I chose: LED display ($40 cheaper than LCD, but no speedometer or trip meters), thumb throttle, rear mounted with 7-speed freehwheel to match the derailleur on the bike.
Geared motors are not completely silent like direct drive motors, because they have moving parts inside them (orbital gears). These gears will eventually wear out too, so they're not entirely maintenance-free, but I'm guessing the lifespan is in years, and replacement is a ~15 minute and $15 ordeal. They're smaller and slightly more efficient than direct drive hub motors, and have a lot more torque at low RPM. They free-wheel, so no regenerative braking, but you can ride with zero drag if the motor is off. I opted for the 500w model as I intend to still ride this bike as a bike, had some concerns about the longevity of gears in the 1200w geared model. Plus, eBay has some killer deals on 36v batteries right now and the 1200w only comes in 48v flavors.
The LG and Samsung cells for sale in 4.4kWh packs right now are a steal. Ordering in larger quantities results in a lower price - 5 batteries would cost $25 each. The spec sheet for the cells shows they're good for ~360w continuous drain per battery pack, so I only needed 2 to support a 500w motor but decided to go with 3 to be a bit more gentle on them, and so I'd have a spare if the cheap eBay BMS gave up the ghost on one of them.
Assembly took about an hour. Pretty stealth!
The batteries take up about this much space in the bag:
It accelerates a bit better than a 50cc scooter if you're not pedaling. Top speed is ~20mph, give or take, which is fast enough for me on a bike. I don't know the range yet but I did about 10 miles of riding today, pedaling but not strenuously, and the battery gauge is still showing full. Some calculators I've played with suggest I can get about 30 miles out of it if I don't pedal, and 60-80 miles if I do.
Total, buying the bicycle, a rack for the rear, ebike parts and a bunch of goodies, I'm in less than $400. I'm hoping to cut down on my city driving, and I expect it will pay for itself in maintenance and gas in no less than a year or two.
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