E-Bike anyone?
 

I'm thinking about converting my Trek pavement bike (hybrid bike) into an E-Bike with a mid mount kit.

Specifically this one: https://pirez.com.au/bbs01b-36v-250w-bafang-mid-drive-kit/

I've heard from several people how great E-Bikes are and as I'm getting older I want to get out there and have some fun.
I'm fit so I can ride a regular bike with no issues but the added fun factor of an E-Bikes is attractive and you can go further.

One big issue with Australia, like Europe we are limited to 250w only for the road. Anything above that and you would get an expensive ticket from the police and they'd confiscate the bike. I think you guys can go as high as 750w on the road... 750w sounds great but I'd be concerned about stressing my 15 year old bike, chain and components.

Anyway... Does anyone own an E-Bike? If you do please chime in.

Wife rode one in Paris a few years ago. Couldn't stop talking about how great it was. Bought a second hand specialized turbo Vado for her. She LOVES it. Rides it everywhere.

In Japan once, I was huffing up the slope of a long underpass dip with a grade.
Should have walked it.
Some old man with his wife sitting on the handlebars caught up and passed by, laughing their asses off.
Awesome stuff.

I just put money into an Indigogo campaign for one. It is full suspension, 750W and they demonstrated it by riding it up stairs! I was sold.

It hasn't arrived yet, so I cannot comment on it yet.

I do believe the conversion is likely the smart way to go though. I believe with the way a conversion is set-up, the stress caused to the drivetrain by the motor will be minimal you shouldn't have to worry.

Two types. One is pedal assist the other is straight power to wheel without pedaling. I want the second.

What kind of bike is it? If mtb (steel would be best), it should be more robust then a typical road bike. Change your chain if bike is used often, once a year and make sure its lubed well. All bike chain stretch from usage. Brakes are always my concern. If you bike has disc brakes, that would be best.

i want one!

but i'm not there yet. i still enjoy suffering a bit on my regular bikes.

i do think my wife would love it tho. and she can go with me.

In Aus they have to be pedal assist by law.

This is the bike... It's basically a mountain bike frame setup for the road. I've got some disk brakes for it sitting in a box. I bought it about 15 years ago and it's been great.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600445819.jpg

i had an idea..to put pedal assist on a pedel kayak!! holy ****..i am on to something. to bad i can't invent ****..but ideas.

That will be just fine

Oh, come on you lazy ass.:D Part of going out is to get some much needed exercise. The trick is to enjoy the work not fight it.

We ran into these two guys that are over weight going up our sufferfest climbs. Its mt Baldy, not sure if you are familiar with it. Its 5000+' straight up. The hung with us for a few miles and just turn up the battery and blasted off. They started talking to us about how much more fun they had without having to break a sweat at the village. Bastards

https://www.ancheer.shop/collections/electric-bike

A offroad MC pal has one of these cheepy ancheer bikes and it has been pretty amazing. Durability is several years beyond expectations and there are plenty of hacks to hot-rod to the point where the desert racing mc friend was laughing about how unsafe it felt.

I finally broke down and bought an e-bike after I got one for my wife and could no longer keep up with her.
It was a great move.
I can use throttle or pedal assist. Or, I can turn the assist off and it is all me.
The downside is the bike weighs about 50lbs so I rarely turn assist off completely.

I can go as far and hard as I want and the motor can help me home.

That's a pretty cool conversion kit. What kind of range/run time would it get?

I'll be using a 250w motor so with a 36v 16ah battery it will have at least 80 km (49.70 miles) of range but if I used the 750w motor it could be around 40 km (24.85 miles)

It also depends on what level of assist you use, how heavy you are and how much climbing you're be doing.

I went with a front wheel 36V 500W unit https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ebikeling-Waterproof-e-Bike-Conversion-Kit-36V-500W-700C-Geared-Front-Rear/164290662247?hash=item26407c8f67:g:VqUAAOSw7G1fDi0 2 on my 29" mountain Bike, and love it.

It has 5 speeds, and pedal assist, and/or throttle, and will run about 26 mph electric alone, or 30+ while pedaling. I have a smaller bottle cage battery that still gives me a 25 mile range, and longer if pedaling. https://www.ebay.com/itm/36V-7AH-Ebike-Battery-Li-ion-For-250W-350W-500W-Electric-Bicycle-Bottle-with-USB/353154618486?hash=item5239a7d476:g:-4AAAOSwr2tfIogv.

I live in a very "hilly" town. Lots of 2-5% grades all around - I would probably be using the electric assist quite a bit. Coasting down-hill, not so much. That is one thing I miss about living in Irvine - flat for miles in every direction so I could ride longer distances.

Pony up and get a Sur-Ron. :)

I have a similar bike, a Trek Hybrid with skinny tires and upright handlebars.
I looked at all the various conversion options, with front or rear hub.

At the end of the day, a decent conversion kit ran about 600 or more
So, I bought one of these, for 1199...
I could not see the point of screwing up a good bike.
It’s nimble, and very lightweight for an E Bike @ 37 lbs, with the battery, and has more than decent components

Propella.com
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600465497.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1600467088.jpg

I researched for over a year on a good conversion kit. Everytime I found something with good reviews, it was sold out and unavailable. (Covid created a huge market for bikes and Ebikes).

A good battery is most of the cost and I figured on $1,000 US for a good kit with a good battery.

I kinda wanted a BikeTrix Juggernaut Ultra 1000, but cost was $3,100 US + extras....And then I found an obscure FB message of a guy selling the Ultra with only 350 miles for $2K US........It came with a lot of extras and a second larger Battery. Owner proved over $4,100 invested. I did that and 300 miles later - couldn't be happier.....It's a 1000 Watt, regulated to 750 for the street, but easy to step back up to 1,000 watt......

https://www.biktrix.com/pages/juggernaut-ultra-1000-details

LakeCleElum- More power = more fun!

Nearly all high-end ebikes are limited to ~250W
The Bafang Ultra is 1000W (and you can hotrod it!)

I bought a M2S Dual Sport Ultra. $3000 shipped.
The same 1000W Bafang Ultra 510 motor as your Juggernaut Ultra 1000.

It's a full suspension mountain bike with 27.5 x 2.30 tires.
Wanted a bike that wasn't obviously an illegal 1000W ebike. (no fat tires)

Are LEO / park rangers ever gonna know that it's not a 'legal' 350W motor? -not likely.

Overview of the Bafang motor:
https://electrek.co/2019/01/17/bafang-ultra-electric-bicycle-motor/

I may have seen a few trails here marked with "No e-bikes". I could be wrong.

Everywhere I ride, there are no restrictions posted (mostly state park trails, and farm lanes, or county roads). Someone would really have to be looking hard to tell that mine is actually an Ebike.

:)

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"Ancient Hippy"

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I’m looking at a rear hub motor for my old Trek road bike. They are somewhat less expensive than mid-drive kits and I’m told they are quieter. The LiPo batteries cost as much as the kit!

Hub motors are great! I've seen AWD E-bikes with one hub motor on the front and one on the rear... They're also super efficient.

The reason I'm planning to go with a mid drive system is so the motor can take advantage of the bike gears. Starting off you'd use the lower gears but once up to speed you can shift higher to go faster. It's also helpful to use the lower gears to climb hills. The motor spins faster which is better for the motor.

All E bikes have disc brakes
Don’t forget that you might have to someday stop, quickly, from 25 mph

Vw brakes with a Porsche conversion....

You should ride a few, before you go mid drive
With electric boost, you seldom shift, you just add more boost
Mine is rear drive and 7 speed.

Yes the more powerful e-bikes seldom if ever shift but we're limited to 250 watts on the road down here.
I tried a Bosche mid motor equipped 250 watt E-Bike and that was good.

More power would be great but our local cops have already confiscated and then tested E-Bikes for compliance.

This Gal talks about the local laws in this video.

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Is it very hilly ?

I like riding my bike and the fitness I get from it. But If I was commuting by bike, it would be attractive.

My prior ebike had a 500W rear hub motor, and battery on rear rack.
Very much Porsche-like handling, huge rear weight bias!!!
(can be fun at times, but not when things get dicey)

The main advantage of mid-motor and down tube battery pack is
even weight distribution.

Agree, I typically leave it in high gear, unless going up Steep Hills.

Cayman vs. 911

^^^ Mepstein.
Same here. If I wanted an easier way to bike, I would just buy a moped.

Ebikes are great for fitness.

With modern pedal assist, you can dial in the amount of effort
that you want. If you're looking for a real workout, set it on '0' -
the bike weights over 55 lbs. And when that pesky knee acts up,
on that big hill, you can get an temporary relief.

Or you can be a total douchebag and use the throttle all the time,
particularly when high speed passing spandex road bike clowns.

^^^ I see what you are saying. I would prob like to try one out...might be better than I think.

I'm a spandex (actually lycra) road bike clown ex racer. I like the way a 14 ish pound road bike feels when riding and I like the challenge of rides that sometimes test my limits but improve me just the little bit so the next time is a little easier. I'm not knocking the e-bikes, I just don't see a place for them in my garage.

Propella.com leads me to business software. :confused:

At 55 years old with a new pace maker (but fairly fit otherwise), I found that I didn't enjoy riding anymore, and was falling behind my friends who seemed to have boundless energy, and stamina. When I ride, I almost always am pedaling on my Ebike, but find that I don't wear out nearly as quick, and enjoy the game again.

By DIY building up my full suspension, dual disc brake 29" MTB bike with a front hub 36V, 500W unit, I still have the use of all 24 speeds, and can easily ride the bike without any extra boost. In rough terrain, I have 2WD if I am pedaling, so virtually unstoppable.