Eplus CFX5 20in 24v Unisex Folding Electric Bike Repair Project

[saneagle]

Thanks to my good friend Guerney, I snagged one of these bikes for £100. It doesn't look like it's been used much if at all. The place I bought it from deals in surplus electrical stuff stock - mainly laptops, soundbars and stuff like that. They had a load of non-electric bikes too pretty cheap. At the same time, I bought another one of those E-plus Argos folding bikes for £100, which is in good nick and working, but no charger. It was worth it just for the battery as a spare for my other one.



The fault with this battery is that cell 1 was 0v. here's what's inside before and after I removed the three offending 2.5Ah 18650s:





You can see question marks on the faulty cells, which must have been done by somebody at the place I bought it from. It looks like they knew what they were doing, but must have decided that the repair was too complicated.

 

[saneagle]

The question is what to do with it. I can buy 3 new cells and repair the battery for about a tenner. The battery is only 24v 7.5Ah with 21 cells in it, so it's quite light.

I can get a replacement from Yose for about £135, including postage. The Yose one is 10.4ah, which is a bit more useful.

I recently was asked to look at a 36v version of that battery in a bike of unknown history. The battery was knackered, so I bought a new one from Yose for the owner, but before I did that, I needed to test that the bike worked, so I ripped out the whole cell-pack and wired in my bench power supply to test the bike. I still have that battery case, and it's exactly the same fitting as the 24v. It's just a bit longer. You can see it in the photo above sticking out a bit.

In the end, I decided to get both 24v and 36v versions, and change the controller to a 24v/36v one, so that the bike has a better control system and the option to use both batteries, so I can see what suits it best. Two batteries inc shipping were £268. Yose are normally pretty quick, so I should have them before the end of the week.

 

[Waspy]

Me, trying to follow threads like this:

 

[saneagle]

Me, trying to follow threads like this:

Simple version. I bought a bike for £100. The removeable battery was knackered. The holder for the battery can take both long and short versions. The 36v one is long and the 24v one is short. I will change the motor controller for a better one that can also work with both batteries. The 24v battery is small and light, but only gives low power. The 36v one is heavier, but gives more range and power. I have ordered both because they don't cost much.

You:

 

[Waspy]

How many e-bikes do you actually own? Where do you store them? Or do you give/sell them to friends and family at mate's rates?

I get how working on bikes and e-bikes is a nice hobby and kind of therapeutic. I would love a little workshop, paraffin heater (that could be taking nostalgia a bit too far, but some form of heating anyway), radio 4 in the background, mug of tea, cat asleep in the corner, big tool board with all the right tools for every job.

I would need a laptop on my workbench to access Youtube for general bike maintenance, eBay for parts and this forum for e-bike advice.

That's my Lottery winning dream, as it is I can only work on my bike outside on a dry day, but that's better than nothing, I'm a fair weather biker anyway.

 

[saneagle]

How many e-bikes do you actually own? Where do you store them? Or do you give/sell them to friends and family at mate's rates?

I get how working on bikes and e-bikes is a nice hobby and kind of therapeutic. I would love a little workshop, paraffin heater (that could be taking nostalgia a bit too far, but some form of heating anyway), radio 4 in the background, mug of tea, cat asleep in the corner, big tool board with all the right tools for every job.

I would need a laptop on my workbench to access Youtube for general bike maintenance, eBay for parts and this forum for e-bike advice.

That's my Lottery winning dream, as it is I can only work on my bike outside on a dry day, but that's better than nothing, I'm a fair weather biker anyway.

I have about ten at the moment, though I only ride three. I don't need to care about money, so I'll probably give these two away when fixed. The lady next door is about to lose her driving licence, so I'll see if she wants the lighter one. The Argos ones are very heavy and not very powerful. I have a friend, who's a refugee from Hong Kong. He's about the size of a typical twelve year old and rides a normal bike to work every day. I'll see if he wants it.

 

[Waspy]

You are doing the Lord's work

One addition to my Lottery winning list: Buy a house next door to you.

Seriously though, have you never thought of starting a little e-bike repair business? Even as a low turnover hobbyist type business?

 

[saneagle]

You are doing the Lord's work

One addition to my Lottery winning list: Buy a house next door to you.

Seriously though, have you never thought of starting a little e-bike repair business? Even as a low turnover hobbyist type business?

I'm retired. Statistically, I've got three years to live, so I'll be seeing the Lord soon. I need to make sure my name's on the list when I climb the steps to the pearly gates where St Peter is waiting with his clip-board. It's going to be a bit of a pisser if he won't let me in, and sends me back down the steps to whatever's below.