First attempt ebike conversion

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
1,215
376
oxon
I see they go up to 500w

too speed isn’t tooimportant but I worry woukd one get a 20 odd stone lump of a man around

if it woukd get up a good hill without peddling then it would be fine , but a 1500w direct drive one on that fat bike did too but watched battery go down a couple bars

Maybe I’m caught up on power figures but I’d hate to spend all that money and feel it’s not powerfull enough

I’m not worried about police I’m not going to ride like an idiot
Start using the roads on 2 wheels especially at speed and you will soon know its not about how careful you are.. Staying 'legal' has little to do with plod confiscating bikes.
Plod wont care until he has to after all.
But has more to do with the inevitable conflict after a bump or scrape or heavens forbid worse.
On a dodgy vehicle you will be in the wrong regardless, and without the chance of taking out insurance you face the full risk of liability so not only your driving license is on the line but perhaps the roof over your heads, and thats the risk if only property is damaged....

The "uphill without pedaling" requirement is what elevates you to a moped or emoped owner candidate status. Bikes are pedal powered, e bikes have pedal assist so you turn the motor on by pedaling, no pedaling no motor. a simple but crucial distinction,

Now rolling uphill with minimal effort will depend on a number of factors primarily the hill gradient and length..

Im not fit, im a larger sized chap and come 2020 i started shopping via bike since the car mot etc was on hold.
the ride back is uphill not a huge hill and without shopping i would give it a go, and after a few weeks could get up in the lowest gear, panting n puffing.. so not miles long either..

Ghost pedaling is turning the pedals without pushing to 'trick the motor into running'

with my conversion complete i ride up that hill at 15mph yes i pedal a bit, but im douing so sat down and comfy not sweating Not panting,, if it were twice as long and my input dropped off to ghost pedaling the speed would drop to 10-12 mph and start draining the battery.

IF i need more oomph replacing the 15a controller with one with a greater Amp capacity or even overvolting with a 48v battery is an option. however there is no need..

sit on twist n go - emoped
sit on pedal and go e-bike..
 

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
1,215
376
oxon
Also while its called 'Pedal Assist' the way it works its more you assist the motor until it hits target speed at which point you take over completely or up the assist level/speed.
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,842
3,169
Telford
I’m not worried about police I’m not going to ride like an idiot
In that case, those 1500w motors are definitely not suitable for you. Power = torque x speed. They get their power by spinning fast, not by having high torque, so if you only use them for low speed, you get low power. Anyway, what you need is torque, not power.

A medium sized geared hub-motor should easily give the torque you need if you get a slowish one and run it at 48v.

The ideal motor for you would probably be the Bafang BPM, which gives immense torque and it's very durable, but it's rated at 500w, which is illegal. They come in a range of different speeds, indicated by a code number. You need a slow one, like code 14 or higher, and run it at48v. Another good one is the Q128H from BMSBattery because it has an 8:1 reduction ratio. You can use the 201 rpm 36v one at 48v or the 260 rpm 48v one. The 201 rpm 48v one would be even better if you don't want to go fast.

The Woosh 48v DWG22C kit is close behind those two and you get it as a ready to fit kit at a good price, which saves a lot of messing about, and, most important of all, it's legal.
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,842
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Telford
Where coukd I go to find the answers to my questions without all the negativity?
I do want to pedal I’m just asking sone questions pls?
You're not getting negativity, you're getting advice from people that have some experience in these matters. What you're asking for is not going to work. Your 133kg + 32kg bike mass on bicycle tyres and with bicycle brakes travelling at 30 mph is ridiculous, and if you did it on a fat bike, you wouldn't get to the end of the road without getting stopped by the police. Fat bikes look like motorcycles without number plates, so you come under immediate scrutiny.

There are contradictions in what you're saying. You keep choosing stuff that goes fast, but you say you don't want to go fast. Please make it absolutely clear what you're trying to achieve, then you'll get the correct advice. What do you want to do with the bike?
 

Apples24

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 6, 2024
13
0
In that case, those 1500w motors are definitely not suitable for you. Power = torque x speed. They get their power by spinning fast, not by having high torque, so if you only use them for low speed, you get low power. Anyway, what you need is torque, not power.

A medium sized geared hub-motor should easily give the torque you need if you get a slowish one and run it at 48v.

The ideal motor for you would probably be the Bafang BPM, which gives immense torque and it's very durable, but it's rated at 500w, which is illegal. They come in a range of different speeds, indicated by a code number. You need a slow one, like code 14 or higher, and run it at48v. Another good one is the Q128H from BMSBattery because it has an 8:1 reduction ratio. You can use the 201 rpm 36v one at 48v or the 260 rpm 48v one. The 201 rpm 48v one would be even better if you don't want to go fast.

The Woosh 48v DWG22C kit is close behind those two and you get it as a ready to fit kit at a good price, which saves a lot of messing about, and, most important of all, it's legal.
Brilliant Thankyou for that mate I’ll do some googling

torque is good I’ll need that to help me pedal my fat ass up steep hills

So If you were to recommend a 500w geared hub controller and battery what would be your advice? Or is a woosh kit of good quality and fair price?
Lee
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
6,842
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Telford
Some of us know about this stuff, so we know exactly which motor, controller, battery aand other stuff to get and where to get it from, then what to do with it. It can be a little complicated, so you have to decide whether you want to spend the extra money and time to get the perfect solution, or whether to buy a ready-made solution with all the instructions you need for your first project. Unfortunately, it's not possible to get the best stuff as a ready-made solution.

If I were in your position, I'd probably go with the Woosh kit. If it's not enough, you can always do some upgrades later. The Woosh kit does give good value for what it is, and I think 17 amps at 48v should give enough torue for you. I don't know of any alternative that comes close in the UK.
 
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guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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This 1500w controller , supplies double the current of Woosh's road legal dgw22 48v kit

This torque sensored 1000W Bafang mid-drive appears available on the same website:





Rambling video, seems to work with a two wire battery, no gear sensor option:

 
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Peter.Bridge

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Apr 19, 2023
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matthewslack

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Nov 26, 2021
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Or is a woosh kit of good quality and fair price?
If you can find a spare bit of time, try the search function on here and read some recent threads mentioning Woosh and Wisper. That should help your confidence in choosing a kit from one or a bike from either.
 

AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
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Saw an interesting conversion kit on EMTB the other day(its an older post, but there should be more up to date info about this system(Dated 2021/2022). Not sure its perfect for commuting, but it has an easier /legal road/offroad settings and certainly plenty of available power when you need it

It can be de restricted and while Im totally against that, the option is there if you want to do that, without thinking about the other parts of the equation, like being able to stop because you haven't the foggiest about what are the best brakes to use , or legal requirements or getting your bike confiscated or ending up in court/jail because you've had an accident and hurt someone while riding a bike where you've illegally modified the speed.
 
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saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
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Saw an interesting conversion kit on EMTB the other day(its an older post, but there should be more up to date info about this system(Dated 2021/2022). Not sure its perfect for commuting, but it has an easier /legal road/offroad settings and certainly plenty of available power when you need it

It can be de restricted and while Im totally against that, the option is there if you want to do that, without thinking about the other parts of the equation, like being able to stop because you haven't the foggiest about what are the best brakes to use , or legal requirements or getting your bike confiscated or ending up in court/jail because you've had an accident and hurt someone while riding a bike where you've illegally modified the speed.
300 rpm at the crank, which is about 5 times the pedal speed of the average guy on this forum. If you tried to use it with normal pedalling at 20% of its max speed, the motor would run with very low efficiency and overheat. The Bafang BBSHD has a max crank speed of 120 rpm, which is much more useable. The Cycmotor is meant for people, who want an electric dirt bike. I can imagine that it would be very unpleasant for normal on the road riding.
 

Az.

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2022
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Plymouth
Saw an interesting conversion kit on EMTB the other day(its an older post, but there should be more up to date info about this system(Dated 2021/2022).
It is a 1500W rated motor. You can't make 1500W motor road legal by changing settings

Not sure its perfect for commuting,
I don't think you can find worse motor for OP than this one.
 

Nealh

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Aug 7, 2014
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Hi I'm a journalist looking at e-bike conversions. If you have experience with DIY conversions, faulty conversions and batteries, fires, or using a conversion as a food courier or delivery driver, please reply to this post of DM me. Thanks.
Troll alert.
 
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HelenJ

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May 19, 2011
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notebook5 has been messaged, thanks for reports flagging everyone.
 

johnGN

Finding my (electric) wheels
Apr 4, 2024
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0
Brilliant Thankyou for that mate I’ll do some googling

torque is good I’ll need that to help me pedal my fat ass up steep hills

So If you were to recommend a 500w geared hub controller and battery what would be your advice? Or is a woosh kit of good quality and fair price?
Lee
I have access to three or four ebikes A 24 volt 250 watt front drive folder Which is surprisingly efficient although limited to legal limits I only ever use pedal assist level 2 on the thing as its all Aluminium apart from the front forks so very light A raleigh folder which is legal rear drive shopper which I find very heavy but it is the wifes favourite I have built a raleigh Evo with a 250 watt kit rear drive That is entertaining as its unlocked .A careera vengeance (very bland and heavy & not very good ) and an Eleglide with Aluminium frame very light unlocked to 24 MPH has a throttle and a very good battery life My favourite out of them all is the Eleglide (£650 from geek buying ) for longer easier rides 24 MPH maximum is plenty fast enough on a bike The one common thing between them all is that they are geared hubs You need the most assistance when climbing hills It will come to a point that the police start stopping ebikes that look like they have illegal hubs very soon