I found this site invaluable for providing information on how to do the conversion, so thank you all of you for helping out this lurker along the way...
I am selling the electric bicycle that I built for my mum in the hope that she would take up cycling. Unfortunately, after trying it for one hour she was too stressed and scared by it (not ridden a bike for 40 years!) and she does not want it.
Price is £750, which is quite a a lot less than all the parts and bicycle cost me! The bicycle is located near Chippenham, Wiltshire.
As you can imagine, being destined for my mum I wanted to build the best electric bike I could possibly afford. The main criteria of the build were:
- Powerful motor to allow her to go up the big hills around her area.
- Good battery autonomy of at least 40 miles of heavy motor use.
- Hub gears so that she could change gear while stationary, shift multiple gears in one go, reduced maintenance, etc.
- Step-though frame but still capable of doing some light off-road.
The Land Rover Aspen SL fitted the bill perfectly with a Nexxus 8 speed hub gear, front suspension fork and a suspension seat post, chunky threaded tyres, mudguards and lights. The frame size is 16". For the full specification see --> Land Rover Bikes - City Bikes | Land Rover Premier Sl Ladies | Land Rover City Bikes
ABOUT THE BUILD:
Motor: Front wheel mounted Bafang BPM 350W. It is a heavy duty motor that gives great torque for climbing and a maximum speed of around 18 mph. The front hub has been fitted with two torque-arms for added safety.
Battery: Battery is a 36V 15Ah Li-Ion housed in the lockable rear pannier. The battery also powers both bicycle lights.
Controller: I ordered two different controllers but decided to fit the smaller unit to tame the power slightly and increase range. It is a 250W 6 Mosfet KU65 upgraded to produce slightly more power. The buyer can have the bigger 350W 9 Mosfet controller if desired.
Speed Control: Handlebar mounted panel with on/off switch, three levels of assist, a 'walking pace' button and three LED battery level indication. The system is monitored by a pedelec sensor which provides motor assistance after a complete revolution of the pedals is detected. If the user stops pedalling or presses either brake lever the assistance stops automatically.
After I finished building the bicycle I took it out for a test ride going though all of the steep hills close to my house. The bike managed to cover 33 miles at an average speed of almost 20mph. All this was done on the 'maximum assist' mode with me hardly putting any power though the pedals.
By the time I got back home one of the three battery level LEDs was still on indicating 30% charger remaining, but bear in mind that this was at a continuous full assit that will propel you at 18mph on the flat!)
The bike rides beautifully and it makes big hills absolutely effortless (as my wife can confirm since she was riding her non-electric bike with me and found it rather hard going). The hub gears really help when you need to stop unexpectedly and find yourself in the wrong gear... just twist the grip and you are in the correct gear straight away!
Viewing & testing higly recommended.
I am selling the electric bicycle that I built for my mum in the hope that she would take up cycling. Unfortunately, after trying it for one hour she was too stressed and scared by it (not ridden a bike for 40 years!) and she does not want it.
Price is £750, which is quite a a lot less than all the parts and bicycle cost me! The bicycle is located near Chippenham, Wiltshire.
As you can imagine, being destined for my mum I wanted to build the best electric bike I could possibly afford. The main criteria of the build were:
- Powerful motor to allow her to go up the big hills around her area.
- Good battery autonomy of at least 40 miles of heavy motor use.
- Hub gears so that she could change gear while stationary, shift multiple gears in one go, reduced maintenance, etc.
- Step-though frame but still capable of doing some light off-road.
The Land Rover Aspen SL fitted the bill perfectly with a Nexxus 8 speed hub gear, front suspension fork and a suspension seat post, chunky threaded tyres, mudguards and lights. The frame size is 16". For the full specification see --> Land Rover Bikes - City Bikes | Land Rover Premier Sl Ladies | Land Rover City Bikes
ABOUT THE BUILD:
Motor: Front wheel mounted Bafang BPM 350W. It is a heavy duty motor that gives great torque for climbing and a maximum speed of around 18 mph. The front hub has been fitted with two torque-arms for added safety.
Battery: Battery is a 36V 15Ah Li-Ion housed in the lockable rear pannier. The battery also powers both bicycle lights.
Controller: I ordered two different controllers but decided to fit the smaller unit to tame the power slightly and increase range. It is a 250W 6 Mosfet KU65 upgraded to produce slightly more power. The buyer can have the bigger 350W 9 Mosfet controller if desired.
Speed Control: Handlebar mounted panel with on/off switch, three levels of assist, a 'walking pace' button and three LED battery level indication. The system is monitored by a pedelec sensor which provides motor assistance after a complete revolution of the pedals is detected. If the user stops pedalling or presses either brake lever the assistance stops automatically.
After I finished building the bicycle I took it out for a test ride going though all of the steep hills close to my house. The bike managed to cover 33 miles at an average speed of almost 20mph. All this was done on the 'maximum assist' mode with me hardly putting any power though the pedals.
By the time I got back home one of the three battery level LEDs was still on indicating 30% charger remaining, but bear in mind that this was at a continuous full assit that will propel you at 18mph on the flat!)
The bike rides beautifully and it makes big hills absolutely effortless (as my wife can confirm since she was riding her non-electric bike with me and found it rather hard going). The hub gears really help when you need to stop unexpectedly and find yourself in the wrong gear... just twist the grip and you are in the correct gear straight away!
Viewing & testing higly recommended.
