Disappointment! And a nice "Plan B"

[Memran]

My crystalyte kit arrived and I started fitting it to my mountain bike but came accross a few issues.

After modifying the controller (with instructions from Crystalyte) to disable the pedal assist so that I could use the thottle only, the following problems stopped further assembly:

1) The battery box can be mounted under the frame, as I expected it could, however due to the very long suspension travel, my front wheel would be able to hit the battery box.

2) The Crystalyte 408 rear hub can take a disk brake, however my 4-pot calipers are too large to fit between the disk rotor and the hub body.

PLAN B!!

As a temporary measure, and for experimentation, I fitted the kit to my commuting bike (hardtail mountain bike with slick tyres) and I have to say I LIKE IT!

I spent a good amount of time riding around and testing what it could do. Its not fast (feels like about 17-18mph), in fact no faster than I could pedal myself, but so much less effort. And hills? What hills?!

Next on my to-do list:
1) Buy a quality speedometer so I know how far/fast/long I can ride per charge.
2) Buy a rim to match the front, and rebuild the wheel. (I want to keep the commuter's old wheel intact for emergencies).
3) Investigate alternative disk brakes which might fit.
4) Investigate other battery mounting options for my mountain bike. (Not keen on a carrier set up, since I'd prefer to keep the weight more central).

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my first venture into ebikes!

 

[jerrysimon]

Congratulations

I am sure you will enjoy it. The first entry into ebikes is always a blast.

17-18 mph is not bad, I am quite happy for assistance up to 15mph.

Regards

Jerry

 

[Memran]

Thanks

When I say 17-18 mph, it is only a guess since I have no speedometer yet.

I took it out again today, and found some pretty steep hills. It tackled everything I could throw at it, with some assistance from me of course.

I'm really feeling the bumps in the road now too, which is a slight indication to me that I'm going faster than I normally would. Perhaps a suspension seat post would help a lot

 

[daniel.weck]

Its not fast (feels like about 17-18mph), in fact no faster than I could pedal myself, but so much less effort. And hills? What hills?!

That's the spirit !
Congratulations on your new ride !
Cheers, Dan

 

[flecc]

That looks very neat Memran, a ride to be proud of.
.

 

[matt-derby]

bumps

Bike looks very impressive, very neat for a home build! Looking forward to seeing your full suspension version too!

I'm feeling the bumps more than ever at the moment, the potholes around here I gigantic, I've had two blow-outs recently as a result of choosing pothole over the undercarriage of a lorry!

The wheels are fine but the tyres have gone a little square, bit of a bone shaker at the moment but having LBS fit Marathon Plus when they finally have the correct size in stock. (I hear they can be tough to fit!)

 

[monster]

what battery is it?

 

[Memran]

Thanks for the comments so far!
Hopefully it will look neater when I get a rear rim which matches the front.

The battery a 36v 9Ah Li-Ion.

 

[Herb]

Memran

A very nice looking bike.

I am very impressed with the battery arrangement.

modifying the controller (with instructions from Crystalyte) to disable the pedal assist so that I could use the thottle only

I also have a controller from Crystalyte Europe, mine was modified at source.
I would be interested to know the steps you took in case I ever need to reinstate the pedelec function on my controller.

Herb

 

[Memran]

It was actually really simple.

1) Unscrew and open the case.
2) Locate the small connector which has two pins with a short wire loop joining them together.
3) Unplug this connector. (Keep it safe )
4) Close and re-screw the case.

I have a picture at home which I'll post later for you.

 

[daniel.weck]

3) Unplug this connector. (Keep it safe )

I would recommend to attach the "bypass loop connector thingy" to the wire it belongs-to, using electrical tape. This way, you won't loose it *and* you will remember where it normally goes

EDIT: oohh, I have a signature now !