Hi from the midlands

[Roy Toal]

Hi all just signed up , after looking for info on a conversion for my bike .
Seems to be a mine of info
Look forward to reading up more and bugging a few knowledgeable members with questions

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Post a picture of your bike. There's often features that limit what you can do to convert it.

 

[Roy Toal]

Sorry on my phone ATM but it's a decathlon btwin 340 a budget bike
But you get a little more for your money from them (allegedly)

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It looks pretty straight forward. The next thing we need to know is your weight and what type of roads and hills you want to ride on/up.

 

[Roy Toal]

It's more that I go over quite a bit of
Farm land and have undulating ground
I probably only cover 12 miles or so.
There's a few gruellers that I can't pedal up at the moment,so avoid like the plague
Would like to add it's private land that I have permission to work my dogs on and helps get them fit .
Never really use one on the roads.
I'm 13 1/2 stone (86 kg)
Many thanks Roy

 

[Roy Toal]

It looks pretty straight forward. The next thing we need to know is your weight and what type of roads and hills you want to ride on/up.

I have a question if it's not too much trouble ...would a bigger battery,say 15ah always be better than say a 10ah battery as the price I have seen them they vary a lot and can get ,in some places ,a 15ah for not much more,
So with durability in mind is it best to go for a bigger battery?

 

[STEVEMANFA]

Hi
A bigger battery will give you more range, but a 10ah will do the 12 miles that you want to do with no problems
It may be best to get a battery with good brand cells
I put a oxydrive kit on my bike back last year and it's fab.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

There's no question that the lighter the bike, the better, so you need the lightest battery that can do what you need. A bigger battery will always give slightly more power because it has a higher average voltage and less voltage sag under load.

 

[Roy Toal]

There's no question that the lighter the bike, the better, so you need the lightest battery that can do what you need. A bigger battery will always give slightly more power because it has a higher average voltage and less voltage sag under load.

Thanks d8veh that's kind of what I was getting at .
Been looking at the eBay batteries ,and complete kits unsure as yet ,as to the quality.

 

[JuicyBike]

Not always sensible to get the biggest possible.
If the battery isn't being used then longevity suffers. So, if you're only ever going to do no more than 12 miles you should be better off with 10ah.
With batteries we find the more they're used the longer they last.

 

[Roy Toal]

Yes see what you mean ,although I'd imagine I'd use a powered bike more than I do at present ,but it is with bearing in mind thankyou

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If you see an Ebay battery you like, post a link and we'll check it out for you. Not all batteries are born equal.

 

[Roy Toal]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191847067241?redirect=mobile

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lithium-Battery-Charger-48v-10ah-Bicycle-Bike-Cycle-Alloy-Lockable-Silver-Fish-/172165178527?hash=item2815d8249f
Nothing firm yet just browsing...thanks for all your help folks

 

[Deleted member 4366]

On both those two batteries, the seller has left out the discharge rate, which is the most vital piece of information. When you know what controller you'll have, you need to make sure that the battery can supply at least as much current as the maximum allowed by the controller. You need to send the seller a message to ask him the maximum continuous discharge rate before purchasing.

Also, only a small thing, but the internal resistance of the battery should be units of miliohms, not mA. It could be a typo, but could also be an indication that the seller hasn't a clue about batteries, which could be a problem if something goes wrong.

 

[Roy Toal]

On both those two batteries, the seller has left out the discharge rate, which is the most vital piece of information. When you know what controller you'll have, you need to make sure that the battery can supply at least as much current as the maximum allowed by the controller. You need to send the seller a message to ask him the maximum continuous discharge rate before purchasing.

Also, only a small thing, but the internal resistance of the battery should be units of miliohms, not mA. It could be a typo, but could also be an indication that the seller hasn't a clue about batteries, which could be a problem if something goes wrong.

Thanks for the quick reply what do you think of this kit can't really see what the controller is but for £150 it won't break the bank,unless of course it goes pop after a week.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

What kit?

 

[Roy Toal]

What kit?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321815256494?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Sorry don't know what happened there

 

[Nealh]

Kit no good for off road farm fields/ climbing etc, motor is a heavy Chinese D/D hub designed for constant speed cruising rather then stop/start slow off roading. Its rating is 470rpm for fast rolling on flat ground, you need to look at a CD motor or a low wind 201rpm to a mid wind 260rpm geared hub motor.
Not all D/D's are bad but most are for your needs Pansonic and I think Heinzman or Annsman do a high torque model hub, however one is for OEM bikes and the other comes as a £700-£800 kit.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

470 rpm is 35 mph. I doubt that it would be very efficient. Those motors are better suited to long flat journeys than anything off-road. It's important with a hub-motor that you choose one that will run efficiently at your modal speed. Say you want to spend most of your time around 20 mph. maximum efficiency comes at about 75% max rpm, so you'd want a motor that maxes out at 26mph, which is 350 rpm in a 26" wheel.

Another thing is the pedal sensor. The controller doesn't have adjustable pedal assist, so, as soon as you pedal, you get full power, which makes it virtually unrideable. It would be OK with just the throttle like a motorbike.

You'd need a pretty powerful battery too. That means expensive. All that power has to come from somewhere, and then the somewhere will become empty very quickly.

Many of us have played with high power electric bicycles, but, you soon find out that they can become not very pleasant to ride on a day-to-day basis.

If you need a bit more power than an average electric bike, A BBS02 or any of the 500w geared hub-motors will give you plenty of power, whilst still being light enough to give you an enjoyable bike ride. Even the 250w hub-motors at 48v can pack a fair punch. IMHO, you don't want to aim for more speed than 25mph on a bicycle because that's about the limit of brakes and tyres. Above that speed, you have to concentrate much harder, which wears you down. Also the cars don't expect you to be going so fast, which brings a lot of danger.

 

[RobF]

470 rpm is 35 mph. I doubt that it would be very efficient. Those motors are better suited to long flat journeys than anything off-road. It's important with a hub-motor that you choose one that will run efficiently at your modal speed. Say you want to spend most of your time around 20 mph. maximum efficiency comes at about 75% max rpm, so you'd want a motor that maxes out at 26mph, which is 350 rpm in a 26" wheel.

Another thing is the pedal sensor. The controller doesn't have adjustable pedal assist, so, as soon as you pedal, you get full power, which makes it virtually unrideable. It would be OK with just the throttle like a motorbike.

You'd need a pretty powerful battery too. That means expensive. All that power has to come from somewhere, and then the somewhere will become empty very quickly.

Many of us have played with high power electric bicycles, but, you soon find out that they can become not very pleasant to ride on a day-to-day basis.

If you need a bit more power than an average electric bike, A BBS02 or any of the 500w geared hub-motors will give you plenty of power, whilst still being light enough to give you an enjoyable bike ride. Even the 250w hub-motors at 48v can pack a fair punch. IMHO, you don't want to aim for more speed than 25mph on a bicycle because that's about the limit of brakes and tyres. Above that speed, you have to concentrate much harder, which wears you down. Also the cars don't expect you to be going so fast, which brings a lot of danger.

Me and d8 don't always see eye to eye, but these are very wise words about the general use of ebikes.

A lot of the electrical stuff is lost on me, but no doubt it's also correct.