It doesn't use any advance in technology. The controller is the crudest you can get. It's just the low power that makes it feel smoother. You have 24v and 12A, which is about as low as you can get on an Ebike, exactly the same as my 36v 8A one. That's about 200w max at the back wheel, which goes down to about 150w when hill climbing.
Argos bike EplusCFX5
- Thread starter Vin
- Start date
The cadence sensor bikes you tried gave you a bad impression because they use crappy speed control systems, KT current control systems are far superior and the cadence mode is as refined as the torque sensing bikes.
One reason why we recommend them so much , yes they are about £50 or £60 dearer then the crappy Brainpower ones but the extra £50 odd spent is well worth it.
So many come on here poo pooing cadence systems because they have only tried the speed control bikes.
One reason why we recommend them so much , yes they are about £50 or £60 dearer then the crappy Brainpower ones but the extra £50 odd spent is well worth it.
So many come on here poo pooing cadence systems because they have only tried the speed control bikes.
Thanks Saneagle and Nealh. That is good to know. Btw I had to go back to Sainsburys because I forgot the tuna (they do alcacore in glass jars) only to discover they had run out. The battery bars started dropping on the way back and I thought of checking how far it would go making my way to Asda to pick up some bottles of their 50% juice squash. The battery suddenly cut out on the way to Asda. The indicator was initially dropping up hills but then regained the bars on the flat. I think it cut out suddenly when hanging around a bar or 2 so in total it was good for about 10 miles on full power which for local shopping is ok. When I received the bike the manual mentioned the battery would be partially charged but it was completely discharged. It took about 5- 6 hours to charge. I expect it to improve a little as it is charged more times. If I need more range getting another one isn't such an expense and it much lighter and cheaper to buy/ source than the ones used in the Array/ Carrera however those even after 8 years have 3-4 times the range at least but then you are paying 3-4 time the price for one if you can source it. The Array/ Carrera batteries give you a fair warning before cutting out where the indicator on the handlebar display starts flashing slowly then after say 5 odd miles flashing fast in combination with dropping power output significantly (a sort of limp home mode).
If you needed a bit more range there looked like a 24v 17.5a version of that battery case with branded cells on Ali Express for £160 including delivery (I would send photos and dimensions to the seller to double check)
I just found this on AliExpress:
￡141.99 | Original Ebike Battery 24V 36V 8.8Ah 10Ah 10.4Ah 13Ah 14Ah Rear Rack City Bike Battery with Charger for Compatible Ansmann
a.aliexpress.com
I just found this on AliExpress:
￡141.99 | Original Ebike Battery 24V 36V 8.8Ah 10Ah 10.4Ah 13Ah 14Ah Rear Rack City Bike Battery with Charger for Compatible Ansmann
Original Ebike Battery 24V 36V 8.8Ah 10Ah 10.4Ah 13Ah 14Ah Rear Rack City Bike Battery with Charger for Compatible Ansmann - AliExpress 18
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
a.aliexpress.com
Last edited:
It would make more sense to buy a 36v one. It would also make sense to upgrade the controller at the same time.
The bike is fine as it is for a relatively light rider, who doesn't need to travel far. It's also OK for a heavier rider that doesn't encounter steep hills.
My one is now modified with sensible gearing, 50% more power, hydraulic brakes and a decent controller at a cost of about £120. It can handle hills OK, but is limited on range, so OK for shopping and other short rides, but that's about it. It's too cumbersome to fold completely, but it takes no space when you drop the handlebars and fold the pedals. The CFX5 is a 3kg lighter, but still a pain to put in a car boot, and, like most folding ebikes, you wouldn't want to try to take it on a bus.
I just wondered if you upgraded a 24v hub motor, say with a "no load" max speed of 18 mph to 36v. That would give a no load max speed of 27 mph. If you take the actual realistic speed range (say 7 mph to 15.5 mph), isn't the motor speed going to be well below it's optimum efficiency (especially at lower speeds) and potentially struggling and overheating up hills at 7 mph ?
IVery good point. 've converted several 24v bikes to 36v. They were all much better like that and their owners were very happy. The theory doesn't quite line up with practice. The higher power will keep the speed up on hills, which would get a lot better efficiency. There are a lot of special circumstances where efficiency could go down, but not for a normal rider on normal rides. It's a bit like how when you have a hilly ride, turning up the current to get more power can actually reduce your consumption because you get better efficiency on hills, so your motor runs cooler too.
About 12 years ago, I added a second motor to a bike I had that had a wattmeter attached to measure power, consumption, etc. I was surprised when using both motors instead of one, I used less battery for the trip down Ironbridge Gorge and back. It got me scratching my head a bit until I figured it out something like this. With one motor slogging up the hill at 7.5 mph, efficiency was about 50%, so I was using about 500w to get 250w useful power. With two motors, I was able to go 15 mph at 70% efficiency, so using about 700w to get 500w useful power. Therefore, I was using 40% extra power to get 100% extra speed, and the time I was using the power was only half as much. That's just for explanation. In practice the gain was only about 5% because there must be other factors involved.
What you suggested matters a lot when you do something like put a small high speed motor in say a road bike or similar with large wheels, then spend most of your time slogging up hills slowly. Even at moderate speeds, the controller would be maxing out most of the time, which would overheat it and cause it to cut out. A medium sized motor in a 20" wheel wouldn't suffer from that problem unless the rider is very heavy.
Last edited:
Vin those battery bars give a false idea of battery SOC , they aren't linear in voltage reduction. With two bars your voltage will quite be low and then any voltage sag soon takes the voltage below LVC.
The only true way of cyphering how much is left in the tank is voltage readout or a watt meter to read battery Wh usage.
The only true way of cyphering how much is left in the tank is voltage readout or a watt meter to read battery Wh usage.
Hi, now the battery has been charged three times the range is improving. When I receive the bike it was completed discharged so may have been in storage for some time. On the same runs that previously depleted it it now still shows 2-3 bars on the handlebar display and 2 on the battery after 10- 15 miles using at full power on the roads here which have quite a few gentle inclines is realistic.
There is a 24v 10ah with charger for £112 on ebay currently (without charger £100) which I am thinking of buying.
24V10.4Ah Rear E-bike Electric Bicycle Lithium-ion Battery for e+ City Folder | eBay
They are a lot lighter than the Array/ Carrera batteries so taking a spare if needed is easier. Also I want to avoid putting the battery on charge overnight if possible (I often cycle in the evening). The battery is now charged in the stove though and have been able to close the stove doors also without damaging the lead.
On the subject of battery powered assistance does anyone wear heated clothing. I committed to continue to cycle for several hours in very cold weather and in addition to wearing multiple layers a few years ago when Regatta still had shops bought a heated jacket and carry three 10,000 ah powerbanks which last a couple of hours each when the jacket is on full power. This model the Voltera 3 has a large heated panel in the back and 2 in the front bottom pocket areas and was designed for watching football matches etc where you could put your hands in the pockets to keep you warm . The model before this the Voltera 2 which I could not get had the two front panels in the chest area which I would have preferred.
Attachments
Ah is that the correct one ?
24V10.4Ah Lithium-ion Rear E-Bike Battery Pack without Original Batter
1. Technical Data 2.Warm tips*Please read the instruction manual carefully after received the package, this will help you to use the product effectively.*Battery delivery cost much more than ordinary goods, in order to reduce the return shipping cost, please make sure: battery and motor should...
www.yosepower.co.uk
I thought it was the other one (with the red cross)
BTW I rang the technical helpline number in the manual that came with the book and was informed they could recommend suppliers of batteries in the future if required so will probably ask them about this one. They also advised using a 24 volt battery. In the q&as on the Argos website someone asked whether they could use a 36v or 48v and was advised it could cause damage the controller/motor. I thought about it further and as already have 3 ebike batteries in the house now may not get a spare just yet. I enjoy taking the Raleigh Array on longer trips with the Carrera battery in a pannier bag as a spare. When I switched to Marathon plus tyres on the Array was advised to go for slightly narrower ones than the the tyres it came with it which added a bit of speed as well as making cycling without the motor more enjoyable also. The Argos folder obviously for me isn't the ideal touring bike because I have the Array but for for the local area is fine and is already substituting for the car for shopping trips. Its surprising how much you can load onto it now I have a front bag, two recently acquired twin Basil pannier bags (the ones which are curved on one side to give pedal clearance) and also on top of the pannier.
Both those batteries will work, since the bit that goes in the receiver is the same. The different ends only affect how far it sticks out of the receiver. Take the 113 and the 43 off the overall length, and you'll see that you get the same length. The longer one can fit 40 cells. The shorter one can fit 30. Yose have both versions. I just ordered the longer one (36v) for £150, and it came in about three days. The same battery was on Aliexpress for £108 with free shipping. The seller had every version in every voltage and capacity - at least 6 variants.Ah is that the correct one ?
24V10.4Ah Lithium-ion Rear E-Bike Battery Pack without Original Batter
1. Technical Data 2.Warm tips*Please read the instruction manual carefully after received the package, this will help you to use the product effectively.*Battery delivery cost much more than ordinary goods, in order to reduce the return shipping cost, please make sure: battery and motor should...
I thought it was the other one (with the red cross)
View attachment 61478
I notice @egroover s recommended battery supplier Ebike Cycling Store on AliExpress has a 24v 17.5Ah branded cells version for £134 including shipping
a.aliexpress.com
City Bike E-bike Battery Rear Rack Luggage Rack Ebike Battery 24V 36v 8.8Ah 10Ah 10.4Ah 12Ah 14Ah for Ansmann Virtue Schoolbus - AliExpress 18
Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
a.aliexpress.com
Thanks, if you bought one of these Argos special ebikes and are not in a desperate hurry to get a spare battery it may be worth waiting for the next special they do for around the £200 mark and you've then got yourself the spare with the bike thrown in for £100
Related Articles
-
MTF Enterprises announces acquisition of EMU Electric Bikes- Started by: Pedelecs
-
Wisper 806T folding bike wins Which? ‘Best Buy’- Started by: Pedelecs
-
Sustrans calls for protected cycle lanes- Started by: Pedelecs
-
Amazon launch their first UK e-cargo micromobility hub- Started by: Pedelecs
