Enough Power for a Pensioner on Steep Hills

saneagle

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Oct 10, 2010
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Dont know about the santana, but took a look to see if any torque figures on the suntour motors and its listing at 40nm for the basic hub, 60nm for the better quality ones - if thats the torque info you were after.
Torque figures are nonsense. Everybody has their own interpretation of what it means. Motors give torque according to how much power and voltage they get. It's not an inherent characteristic. Santana and Raleigh are both 36v. I think the original HESC one was 16 amps aand possibly 20A now. I don't know which one the Raleigh has, probably 16A if OP couldn't get up a hill, in which case 20A would give a 25% advantage. I say it's safer to go with 48v.
 
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Woosh

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May 19, 2012
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his Raleigh has the worst possible combination for a steep hill: torque sensor + hub motor.
He can probably gets up to the top of Winsley Hill on the Santana but at 90kg his own weight, I think he would be better off with a BBS01 48V crank drive kit.
I will test a 48V DWG22C on the Santana when I have time. That will certainly solve his problem.
The cost with 48V 15AH will be comparable to the Santana with 36V 17AH and has greater range.
 
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soundwave

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May 23, 2015
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woosh can you fix or flash the bafang controllers?
 

soundwave

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i got a hd one and it wont let me change the amps up or down and drains the batt at double to what the other hd motor does all same settings.
 

Woosh

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the guys over at ES may have done that. Did you look?
 

soundwave

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i spoke to Neil at cogs and said its prob got a fault but as it is bloody potted i cant get at it :rolleyes:
 

Woosh

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I haven't got one so can't help you there.
 

soundwave

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ill sort it ;) but why dont you fit the bbs motors to bikes and sell them complete ?
 

Woosh

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it's an attractive idea but I don't have any partner with workspace for such a project. I don't have space here for more bikes or kits.
 
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saneagle

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Oct 10, 2010
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his Raleigh has the worst possible combination for a steep hill: torque sensor + hub motor.
He can probably gets up to the top of Winsley Hill on the Santana but at 90kg his own weight, I think he would be better off with a BBS01 48V crank drive kit.
I will test a 48V DWG22C on the Santana when I have time. That will certainly solve his problem.
The cost with 48V 15AH will be comparable to the Santana with 36V 17AH and has greater range.
Have you tried the Suntour torque sensor? It's sort of half-way between a cadence sensor and a Bosch. I quite like it actually, but I prefer the control you get from a normal cadence sensor system. It's a set of springs on the crank, which make the outer move relative to the inner. I don't know how it's calibrated, but you don't need to pedal hard to get max power. You can even remove a spring or two if you want to get the power even easier. I did that for someone once.
 

soundwave

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Stewart Lochhead

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Jun 22, 2023
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Dont know about the santana, but took a look to see if any torque figures on the suntour motors and its listing at 40nm for the basic hub, 60nm for the better quality ones - if thats the torque info you were after.
I believe 60Nm is sufficient for me on Bath hills. Am I getting there yet?
 

Ocsid

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Aug 2, 2017
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Torque in itself has no relevance unless both, referenced to the road wheel and the road wheel's radius; it's the "pushing" force that torque develops to move the bike that matters.
Power only effects how fast the bike moves, not the hills it can climb, unless it is moving so slowly you can't then maintain your balance on the bike as it climbs.
 

guerney

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Sep 7, 2021
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It looks like it. Winsley Hill (see Strava) About 1/3rd
52340

that's a serious hill. You will need a crank drive bike.
I think you'd be disappointed with anything other than a powerful crank drive. None of the hills I normally have to haul my trailer up are very long, but some are steep.


I strongly suggest you buy a big battery with good quality cells, because voltage sag could be a problem on your long hill section. One of our battery boffins may advise. This incline for example, is no problem for my 36V BBS01B conversion, even when hauling a heavy bike trailer:

52337

Progress is slow but steady.

Power only effects how fast the bike moves, not the hills it can climb, unless it is moving so slowly you can't then maintain your balance on the bike as it climbs.
That happens on my 20" wheeled bike uphill, when fitted with a 42 chainwheel. I use 52T for speed, and the BBS01B still copes well with hills, even when hauling.
 

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guerney

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Sep 7, 2021
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Or a Brompton or similar that you can take on the D1 bus.;)
I take my BBS01B converted 20" wheeled Dahon Helios folding bike on the bus sometimes, more often on trains.