Essential Information

[stevebills]

om £1,082.09

Shipping time: 1 to 3 days 1 to 3 days

BionX PL250 Compact

1 x 'BionX PL250 Compact' order
BionX PL250
BionX PL250

* Long range (up to 65 km)
* High compatibility
* Very good weight-range ratio

from £1,268.22

Shipping time: 1 to 3 days 1 to 3 days

BionX PL250

1 x 'BionX PL250' order
BionX PL250 HT
BionX PL250 HT

* Most powerful BionX System
* High torque, assists up to 300%
* Great match for Mountainbikes

from £1,522.03

Shipping time: 1 to 3 days 1 to 3 days

BionX PL250 HT

1 x 'BionX PL250 HT' order
BionX PL250 HT Rear Rack
BionX PL250 HT Rear Rack

* Most Powerful BionX system (same as PL250HT)
* Nice looking rear rack solution
* Great for ladies' and easy boarding bicycles

from £1,606.64

Shipping time: 1 to 3 days 1 to 3 days

BionX PL250 HT Rear Rack

 

[stevebills]

eZee Electric Bike Kits

£ 895.00 in the Uk or USA

eZee20-B Front 20 inch (300rpm) eZee conversion kit $1195.00 USD

In Stock: 28


eZee20R-B Rear 20 inch (300rpm) eZee conversion kit $1245.00 USD

In Stock: 9


eZee26-B Front 26 inch eZee conversion kit $1195.00 USD

In Stock: 41


eZee26R-B Rear 26 inch eZee conversion kit $1245.00 USD

In Stock: 35


eZee700-B Front 700c eZee conversion kit $1195.00 USD

In Stock: 12


eZee700R-B Rear 700c eZee conversion kit $1245.00 USD

In Stock: 15

 

[flecc]

I know the prices and the BionX and Heinzmann are all much dearer.

It's important to compare the same things though, the replacement 10 Ah BionX battery is around £1000 now, double the eZee battery price. Most of their kits are supplied with pathetically small batteries, as are the manufacturer's bikes using the system now.

As you saw in the Kinetics site you copied from, the Heinzmann system from them isn't even offering any lithium batteries, just the historic NiCad low capacity, or NiMh.

eZee kit with 10 Ah Li-polymer battery is £895 currently.
.

 

[stevebills]

I suppose the question is which kit out there is the best quality and spec for the money.
I no Bmsbattery are among the cheapest and Im sure they are not the best
The Bafung hub motors maybe the best quality for price.

 

[stevebills]

There are BMC and Crystalyte Motors if you want over 1000 watt of power
like me being a nutter!

Black Lightning 1000w motor

 

[Cyclezee]

eZee Electric Bike Kits

£ 895.00 in the Uk or USA

eZee20-B Front 20 inch (300rpm) eZee conversion kit $1195.00 USD

In Stock: 28


eZee20R-B Rear 20 inch (300rpm) eZee conversion kit $1245.00 USD

In Stock: 9


eZee26-B Front 26 inch eZee conversion kit $1195.00 USD

In Stock: 41


eZee26R-B Rear 26 inch eZee conversion kit $1245.00 USD

In Stock: 35


eZee700-B Front 700c eZee conversion kit $1195.00 USD

In Stock: 12


eZee700R-B Rear 700c eZee conversion kit $1245.00 USD

In Stock: 15

Hi Steve,

Did you include shipping costs, import duty and VAT to the eZee US prices? This is one of the reasons that Bionx kits are so expensive in the UK.

 

[mechaniker]

I suppose the question is which kit out there is the best quality and spec for the money.
I no Bmsbattery are among the cheapest and Im sure they are not the best
The Bafung hub motors maybe the best quality for price.

in my opinion,
bafang is good quality for low price.

ezee is one of the best motor on market and it shows, with the right people, it is possible to produce high quality also in china.

and he..., it´s my honest meaning as a ebike motor dealer who dont sell ezee but I respect what other Motorproducer make.
I always say to my customer "you must understand that you cant build an ezee for a bafang price" with this little wisdom many customer have problem´s, sometime including me ;-)

have a good day
frank

BTW, who said that Bionx is produced in canada or us? ;-)

 

[flecc]

BTW, who said that Bionx is produced in canada or us? ;-)

BionX is a mixed bag of origins.

The design origins were with Chrysler Corporation in the USA.

The current BionX company is Canadian.

The product is probably made in China now.

At one time their batteries were made in Germany, until the supplier's factory completely burnt down.

A bit like Airbus Industrie, lots of countries getting in on the act.
.

 

[Cyclezee]

in my opinion,
bafang is good quality for low price.

ezee is one of the best motor on market and it shows, with the right people, it is possible to produce high quality also in china.

and he..., it´s my honest meaning as a ebike motor dealer who dont sell ezee but I respect what other Motorproducer make.
I always say to my customer "you must understand that you cant build an ezee for a bafang price" with this little wisdom many customer have problem´s, sometime including me ;-)

have a good day
frank

Those are very fair and honest comments Frank, you are clearly a gentleman.

You have good day too Frank.
BTW, I see your countryman Sebastian, is on pole position again......but in a car built in my home town

 

[flecc]

BTW, I see your countryman Sebastian, is on pole position again......but in a car built in my home town

Without using KERS too, Hamilton likewise and second!

I've a low opinion on regeneration and commented on the unfavourable results with KERS previously, but was confidently told by a member, wait until this season.

Not an auspicious start for KERS it seems, judging by Sebastian's grinning excuse for not using it, "I couldn't find the button!". Seems he's not impressed.
.

 

[Cyclezee]

BionX is a mixed bag of origins.

The design origins were with Chrysler Corporation in the USA.

The current BionX company is Canadian.

The product is probably made in China now.

At one time their batteries were made in Germany, until the supplier's factory completely burnt down.

A bit like Airbus Industrie, lots of countries getting in on the act.
.

I have heard that the 37V 14Ah FP (flat pack) eZee batteries are using the same Samsung cells and packs as BionX, and that they are coming off the same production line.

 

[Straylight]

Could I add that what would be extremely useful on an ebike website would be a proper projection of battery life. I know this would be a rough approximation, but I'm sure there is enough real world experience now to make such a forecast. The current method of reference (ie x no of cycles) means very little to a prospective buyer, and as the battery is in effect a very expensive consumable it'd be nice to have a rough estimate such as "2 to four years, dependant on use". Along with a guide to getting the most out of the different sizes of pack, ideal charging regimes etc.

I think such honest advice would earn your company brownie points in the eyes of a customer, and make them more likely to buy from you, as we live in a world awash with meaningless marketing speak, so plain speaking can really make a vendor stand out from the crowd.

I agree that the best option with a sales website is to keep it as simple and intuitive as possible, CRC's site is exemplary in this regard. The only cleverness I would recommend is having a list of compatible products attached to each detailed product description. So you can see instantly which batteries, controllers etc. are suitable for a given motor say.

 

[Cyclezee]

Thanks for that advice Straylight, you make some good points. I have taken what you say on-board and will implement as much of it as possible.

 

[deadmonkey]

Could I add that what would be extremely useful on an ebike website would be a proper projection of battery life. I know this would be a rough approximation, but I'm sure there is enough real world experience now to make such a forecast. The current method of reference (ie x no of cycles) means very little to a prospective buyer, and as the battery is in effect a very expensive consumable it'd be nice to have a rough estimate such as "2 to four years, dependant on use".

I think the difficulty there is that the life is determined by the number of cycles, so aren't you suggesting replacing an accurate estimate with one that isn't?

To illustrate:-
1. I use mine to commute so make 10 journeys a week, clearly would use more cycles than someone who uses theirs only at weekends.
2. Some folks here would use theirs for several weekends on one charge.
3. I'm more concerned about maximum assist and not running out, which I have previously, hence I have two charge cycles per day. With the current information provided I believe that means mine would last 1 year, rather than the typical two, but I'm happy to choose to use it that way.

With your method I think it would be clearer because I'd be less informed, surely?

 

[Cyclezee]

If you can come up with an idiot-proof guide to converting a bicycle to electric, you're onto a winner. Is that the sort of root you're going down?

Whether you find them useful or not is besides the point, but Oatmeal Comics are great for outlining some of the problems you'll encounter RE: website design

How a Web Design Goes Straight to Hell - The Oatmeal
How to make your shopping cart suck less - The Oatmeal

Its also a good idea to look outside the e-bike industry for inspiration. What other websites do you like? Why? What stands out as a good idea? Would it work for yours? Write it down.

A *crucial* point with websites also is where's your traffic (and your customers) coming from? Shockingly, most websites published online see barely any traffic - and unless its simply supposed to be an online business card, you need to consider where your visitors are going to come from before pressing on with a website.

Good luck

Those are very good points you make EdBike.
The guide or Kit Installation Manual, will I hope be straightforward and easy to follow, there are several expert contributors involved in creating it not just myself. My daughter, who is not a cyclist, is also going to be involved with proof reading and making sure it is understandable by the man and woman in the street, she is very good at that in her job as a Press Officer.

Gayle has lots of suggestions for the website, she even suggested making it more feminine and attractive to people who no nothing about bicycles let alone electric ones.

So far I have had lots of excellent suggestions from many people, now I just need to put them into practice.

Thanks Guys........and Gals

 

[stevebills]

Could I add that what would be extremely useful on an ebike website would be a proper projection of battery life. I know this would be a rough approximation, but I'm sure there is enough real world experience now to make such a forecast. The current method of reference (ie x no of cycles) means very little to a prospective buyer, and as the battery is in effect a very expensive consumable it'd be nice to have a rough estimate such as "2 to four years, dependant on use". Along with a guide to getting the most out of the different sizes of pack, ideal charging regimes etc.

I think such honest advice would earn your company brownie points in the eyes of a customer, and make them more likely to buy from you, as we live in a world awash with meaningless marketing speak, so plain speaking can really make a vendor stand out from the crowd.

I agree that the best option with a sales website is to keep it as simple and intuitive as possible, CRC's site is exemplary in this regard. The only cleverness I would recommend is having a list of compatible products attached to each detailed product description. So you can see instantly which batteries, controllers etc. are suitable for a given motor say.

The problem is they all stretch the truth and they say stuff like 50 miles on one charge and 5 years battery life!

Just check out Busettii.com

New VORTEX 38 volt 19 ah soft pack super lithium battery runs 65 miles per charge No Pedaling & 86 miles in pedal mode World Record

 

[Straylight]

I know, the problem is that the marketing may be true 'under ideal circumstances'(patient athlete riding with minimal assist in a velodrome), but circumstances are never 'ideal', and you only really find this out after you've bought the thing .

 

[Straylight]

I think the difficulty there is that the life is determined by the number of cycles, so aren't you suggesting replacing an accurate estimate with one that isn't?

To illustrate:-
1. I use mine to commute so make 10 journeys a week, clearly would use more cycles than someone who uses theirs only at weekends.
2. Some folks here would use theirs for several weekends on one charge.
3. I'm more concerned about maximum assist and not running out, which I have previously, hence I have two charge cycles per day. With the current information provided I believe that means mine would last 1 year, rather than the typical two, but I'm happy to choose to use it that way.

With your method I think it would be clearer because I'd be less informed, surely?

I take you're point, so maybe a more concise explanation like the one you've just given is the way to go, with varying examples (maybe a chart), so people could see something akin to their intended use.

I think such things would enhance the credibility of a vendor, along with providing a handy reference for the rest of us. Of course, said vendor would have to have some small print to say that such projections were simply estimates, etc. etc. (please don't sue us if your battery dies early ).

There's also the supposition that if you're not recharging from flat twice a day, then I don't think this equals two charge cycles, so maybe you're estimates of projected life are a bit conservative? I could be wrong, but I've always taken a charge cycle to be a full discharge/recharge (guru - please enlighten us).

 

[flecc]

I've always taken a charge cycle to be a full discharge/recharge (guru - please enlighten us).

A charge cycle is a full charge and discharge, but how proportional to that part-charges are depends on so many variables that no firm statement can be made.

On the one hand it could be below proportionality since the number of times the final stressful charge stage is reached is increased. However, this is offset by avoidance of the stressful discharging to a very low level.

The degree of these will be widely variable, especially the degree of discharge, so it's rather like the question, How long is a piece of string?
.