eBike Tech Talk

[babybear]

hey wooley did you ever chk out any of those Raleigh bikes?
Lots of options for cruising etc and the prices are right. Been really happy with mine.
https://www.raleighusa.com/electric

[wooley12]

Just did a quick scan and google. "...so we can expect the battery to last anywhere between 20 and 40 miles."

On the edge distance wise and I'm talking all up with minimal human assist. I bookmarked it. Thanks.

[nickwm21]

Is that Luna kit a throttle or pedal assist? Does anyone make a pedal assist kit?


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[Shredhead]

I was ecurious, so I picked up the Bikes Direct Hal-e. It has the same Shimano esteps components found on the Spot, but costs 35%.
Probably 80%+ of the performance.

I’ve been flogging the shit out of it for six weeks and no real problems.
I only ride it 1/3 of the time and I have 600 miles on so far.
140mm FS would be overkill for Wooley’s needs, but it would easily meet them.

[Tri-Ungulate]

I feel a bit bad for being a total JONG and not doing a search before starting this thread, so if people want to migrate to Beaver's OG thread over in Sprocket Rockets, I'm fine with that.

But in the interest of trying to keep this thread on a more Tech Talk track, I'll respond to Wooley's Qs and add some more stuff.

For an off-the-shelf solution, I've been pretty happy with my FLX, and for Wooley's granny, the Roadster is probably a good start. I should add that I paid a lot less for my Attack than the current pricing, since it was on an early Kickstarter campaign, but I do think they provide a good solid product. Another option is the Sondors, though it's less versatile IMO. There are other Kickstarter campaigns out there that look promising as well.

If you're interested in a DIY solution, my preference is for mid-drives like the Bafang/Luna motors. They are pedal-assist with optional throttle control. They do require you to replace the bottom bracket, and know not only how to do it, but the BB width, thread, etc. There are good threads associated with the Luna site that help with that.

For those not interested in messing with their BB/drivetrain, the wheel motor solutions from Magic Pie seem to be well regarded, though I haven't tried them myself. They are also pedal-assist/optional throttle. This DIY requires only that you replace the wheel and the brake levers, adding a few more controls to the setup.

There are pros/cons of mid-drive vs. wheel motors, that I won't go into with this post, but can answer questions to the best of my ability if they arise. My preference is mid-drive these days.

A major expense is batteries, and I think buying them direct from China is probably the best, although finding a reputable dealer is sometimes an issue. I like unitpackpower, who supply a lot of the OEMs like Sondors and FLX, and actually source Luna as well. This doesn't take into account possible changes from tariffs that we can thank Drumf for.

[Tri-Ungulate]

Here are my builds:

1) This was my very first original mountain bike, a Specialized Rock Hopper Comp circa 1988, bought it used from Wasatch Touring when I moved out to Ootah in '89. The bike has been through some of the gnarliest rides back in the day, including the White Rim unsupported, the Maze and others. It eventually became a commuter bike through grad school, then started to gather rust and dust when I needed to get to work without being all sweaty.

This year, I repainted it, updated several of the components, and then put on a Luna (Bafang) 48V BBS02 motor ($400 on sale) with a 52V battery from unitpackpower above. Thing goes 35 mph pretty much effortlessly, which is nice during commutes, since I can keep up with the flow of city traffic.



Battery and motor add about ~15# to the original bike, what with commuter kit etc. starts around 35#. Still pretty easy to pick up and carry around.

[Tri-Ungulate]

2) When I was getting parts for the RockHopper, I stopped by the local Performance bike shop and saw they had a cruiser frame remaindered for $40. I bought it and added a bunch of leftover/mail-order parts then attached a 36V Bafang BBS02 motor, to go with a 36V battery I had leftover from my previous Sondors. One thing to remember - the battery must match the motor. I made this mistake earlier. I got the motor offa eBay using a 20% discount code supplied by a TGR thread, thanks!




This thing is fun to ride around town, and when I go meet friends at bars down the hill, I don't dread climbing back up the hill to get home when I've had a few pints at the end of the evening. It can get up to 30 mph easy on the flats. The eBike part is pretty stealth, and it's fuckin' hilarious to ride past lycra-clad Strava KOM wannabees on this rig.

[Tri-Ungulate]

Regarding conversions...
I have a fat bike that is more or less useless in our heavy and wet snowpack without having pedal assist, the idea of adding a retrofit system has my curiosity piqued.

Yeah, plenty of fat bike builds out there. This forum (affiliated w/Luna) is pretty good to start. For a fat bike, a preferred setup seems to be a BBSHD 48V motor with a 52V battery. There are some interesting 2WD wheel-motor setups out there too, that sound like they'd prolly be beasts in the snow, but are kinda esoteric. For that matter, for esoterica, and if you have a whole helluva lot of time to waste, the endless-sphere forums are for über e-bike nerds.

[JRainey]

I live in Europe and I'm sure the real mtn bikers aren't such big fans, but I don't really hear what they have to say. The area where I live is very hiker focused, and so they don't even like mountain bikers using the trails too much. They don't like downhillers... I'm just an observer.

It's ebike crazy though, lots of forest roads for logging and grazing with no unofficial car travel. Ebikes are an amazing way to get up into the alpine fast. I understand that mountain biking might be better for your soul, but I've got 2 kids under 2.5 and it's nice to blast up, then hike and bag a peak before noon. I've done 250mile road rides in the alps, and intend to again when I've got more free time (5-10 years from now :-P ), but ebikes are sick for access.

Even in winter. I got up to a to a mountain hut, 3500 feet above my house, 2500 of which were on snow. Then toured up an additional 4000 feet to a peak. I biked in ski boots. I did run out of battery about 10 mins below the hut, no problem, just deploy skis. There is crazy potential for this sort of ski touring in the alps. I'm gonna call it an alps snowmobile (they don't allow those for private use).

People are gonna shit biscuits if someone tries this on GTNP nordic loop for touring access, maybe it's illegal. Maybe it's been done. It's nice it Europe it's all regulated. They have lower top speed, but can go anywhere a bike can go.

I've got 3 inch Nokian tires with studs. Special order from Finland! Fuckin' Fat Freddies!







I was the only e-biker in the crew, the rest stayed overnight in the hut, which I couldn't do due to a new baby situation.

[ACH]

^^^
Rad

Yeah, plenty of fat bike builds out there. This forum (affiliated w/Luna) is pretty good to start. For a fat bike, a preferred setup seems to be a BBSHD 48V motor with a 52V battery. There are some interesting 2WD wheel-motor setups out there too, that sound like they'd prolly be beasts in the snow, but are kinda esoteric. For that matter, for esoterica, and if you have a whole helluva lot of time to waste, the endless-sphere forums are for über e-bike nerds.

That's pretty interesting, looks like it mounts via the BB?
I will be taking a closer look at that, thanks!

[Name Redacted]

Daaaaaannnngg!

[Tri-Ungulate]

^^^
Rad



That's pretty interesting, looks like it mounts via the BB?
I will be taking a closer look at that, thanks!

Yeah, the mid-drives have hudge advantages over the wheel drives, and yeah they mount on the BB. Before you consider ordering, you need to check this article first. This blogger has some good general articles as well.

For Sirshredalot who was looking for a cargo bike, I think the Xtracycle Edgerunner would be a good substrate for a BBHSD motor/52V battery build.

[cycology1]

Daaaaaannnngg!

This is called a slippery slope...what about a ktm exc-e 350e hybrid ripping up Peaks trail..."but i was pedalling".

No place for any assist, on trails or we have to open trails up to motos...electric or otherwise.

Shit we cant even get mechanized human power in wilderness...

This thread ir the other one? Dunno..

[Name Redacted]

This is called a slippery slope...what about a ktm exc-e 350e hybrid ripping up Peaks trail..."but i was pedalling".

No place for any assist, on trails or we have to open trails up to motos...electric or otherwise.

Shit we cant even get mechanized human power in wilderness...

This thread ir the other one? Dunno..

You ridden the new trail on Tenderfoot? Pretty nice. It is mixed use. Saw a FS Ranger on a moto on it this week. There's a decent amount of trails to play on over by the dump/firing range.

This thing would be fun for exploring around the Montezuma area too.

Wonder how long it'll take before they make a timber sled kit for it...

[ACH]

^^^
Well this isn't an ebike, but it speaks to what is probably current state of the art for e-moto...