Another Alien Conversion

[drgcb]

Hi,

Further to some PMs and for general information, here are a few pictures of the Alien kit recently fitted to my father's MTB. I've got an Alien Cruiser and, not wishing to be left behind as far as gadgetry is concerned (and living in hilly Sheffield where cycling is almost exclusively the preserve of the lycra brigade), Dad decided to try and give his old bike a new lease of life!

We went for the 24V kit, as the battery and controller are mounted discreetly to the seatpost. Aesthetically, we figured it would suit the MTB better than the substantial pannier rack-mounted 36V battery on my own bike. It didn't take much more than an hour to fit, and works well. It's not appreciably slower than the Cruiser and, owing to its lower weight, also climbs hills pretty well. We opted for a minimalist installation with the thumb throttle on the left bar and haven't bothered fitting the supplied battery meter or brake levers. A pedelec sensor was not supplied with our kit, but we probably wouldn't have used it anyway.


The finished bike. Pretty smart, don't you think? (Ignoring the fairly inelegant cable ties!)


Suzhou Bafang motor


The battery and box housing controller. The battery slides on from the rear and locks onto the controller housing with the key. Note the clearance required between the top tube and the seat.


The thumb throttle



Regards,

Greg

 

[eddieo]

Nice job! Very unobtrusive...battery position could be a problem for those with short legs, me included. Can this be ordered with a pannier battery as I may get this kit for my wife.

 

[drgcb]

Hi Eddieo,

Yes the 36V variant (same as on my Alien Cruiser) has the battery fitted into a specially-designed pannier rack. We were surprised at the clearance required for the 24V battery, although it worked out fine in this case. Short-a*se here is unfortunately unable to borrow his rather taller father's bike though

Kind regards,

Greg

 

[cogs]

A nice neat looking installation drgcb. Thanks for putting the photos up for us all.

i'm still dithering about whether to get an Alien kit or not, but i must say, the hub motor looks a sturdy well engineered job on your close ups.

One problem that is getting in my way a little is to do with something you have mentioned in your thread - a pedelec sensor. The kits that are advertised make no mention of one being supplied as standard, or indeed, even being available as an option. i emailed Alien about a week ago for clarification on precisely this point, and i have not yet had a reply..

So, i'm stuck until something definitive comes from Alien. Its been referred to elsewhere i know, and i had an impression that a pedelec facility was available with/for the standard kit, but if they won't communicate its difficult to know one way or the other. Presumably the proprietor is too busy assembling and posting to be able to deal efficiently with enquiries, which in one sense, i can see, is a good position to be in.

It doesn't help me though.

 

[drgcb]

Hi Cogs,

It's certainly possible to fit a pedelec sensor -- the Alien bikes (which use the same electrics) have them, and the requisite plug connector coming off the controller box is present on the kit we fitted. If you look at Citrus' conversion . . .

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/2640-my-alien-bike-build.html

. . . you can see a wire clearly running down towards the bottom bracket which is consistent with a pedelec sensor fitted to the crank. Perhaps Citrus could enlighten us?

I must admit that I hardly ever use the pedelec function on my Alien Cruiser -- it doesn't deliver maximum power and I'm just too impatient. I guess it depends on individual riding style.

Bw,

Greg

 

[Citrus]

Hi Cogs,

If you look at Citrus' conversion . . .

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/2640-my-alien-bike-build.html

. . . you can see a wire clearly running down towards the bottom bracket which is consistent with a pedelec sensor fitted to the crank. Perhaps Citrus could enlighten us?



Bw,

Greg

Nope - I never received or fitted a pedelec sensor. That wire runs underneath the bottom bracket and is the thumb throttle (along with motor cable). The battery indicator cable runs along the crossbar. My alien kit is undergoing serveral revisions at the moment to improve waterproofing - including using a LiFePo4 24v 16Ah battery (once I get a working charger). I will post more once I have finished it.

 

[drgcb]

That clears that one up, then! Thanks Citrus

Perhaps you could let us know if you get an answer from Alien Bob, Cogs. As I've said previously, he's usually good at answering queries by email. Good luck sourcing a suitable conversion.

Greg

 

[rooel]

Check prices carefully before you buy: direct from the importer in Kinross the price of the 24 volt Alien kit is less than half the price charged by the Electric Transport Shop in Cambridge, with postage extra in each case.